‘The uncertainty is the worst thing’: the energy bill crisis facing UK independent music venues

theguardian.com:

With a 200-year history, Band on the Wall in Manchester is one of north-west England’s best-loved music venues. Over the years, it has hosted jazz greats, pivotal early appearances by Buzzcocks, Joy Division and the Fall, and more recently the likes of James Blake and Self Esteem. However, like most of the nation’s venues, it is now reeling from the cost of living crisis as bills go through the roof.

“We’re budgeting all the time, but it’s becoming impossible because with inflation in double figures you don’t know how much anything is going to be in four or 10 weeks’ time,” explains CEO Gavin Sharp. “Say one supplier raises prices by 6% or 8% – that’s not an isolated increase, it’s the same with every single supplier. And our staff costs – our single biggest expenditure – are being impacted because we’ve had to put up the hourly rate so they can pay their bills. It becomes a spiral.”

On an annual turnover of £2m, the venue’s costs have rocketed from £450,000 to £650,000. The Music Venue Trust estimates that for the sector as a whole, which has a gross turnover of £399m, the current rise equates to an additional £90m in costs.

And Band on the Wall’s bills don’t yet factor in the energy crisis. Unlike the pubs and cafes that have already been forced to close after facing astronomical bills, the Manchester venue secured a fixed-rate energy deal before prices started rocketing. That 12-month contract runs out in February. “The uncertainty is the worst thing,” Sharp says of what comes next. “It’s impossible to plan.”

Despite the government announcing it would help businesses with energy bills, the details are very sketchy, says Sharp. “We haven’t had a chance to absorb it yet and it’s very vague. They have to do something