Benefits have responded to fan suggestions and implemented both a price cap and a curfew for their upcoming tour of the UK.
The Teesside duo shared details of a new tour across the UK yesterday (November 13) – alongside the announcement that they had teamed up with Pete Doherty for single ‘Relentless’ and are planning to release new album ‘Constant Noise’.
Commencing on April 22, the tour is comprised of 11 shows across the country, and launches with a gig at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club, before making stops in Hull, Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and more. A slot at the Lexington venue in London is also scheduled for April 25.
Tickets go on sale at 10am tomorrow (November 15), and will be available here.
Now, the band have taken to X/Twitter to confirm that they will be making the shows more accessible for fans by implementing both a price cap at £12 per ticket and enforcing a 10pm curfew.
You might remember us asking what could be made to improve gigs in this age of spiralling costs + venues closing. We got loads of suggestions and took them onboard. So for our tour in 2025, all tickets are £12, all shows are two band bills, and all music will be over by 10PM… pic.twitter.com/j7zKWbrkKK
— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) November 13, 2024
Explaining their reasons for the decision, the band wrote: “You might remember us asking what could be made to improve gigs in this age of spiralling costs + venues closing. We got loads of suggestions and took them onboard. So for our tour in 2025, all tickets are £12, all shows are two band bills, and all music will be over by 10pm…”
“We pushed the ticket price down as much as we could to make it more affordable. Two band bills seemed to be popular, more opportunity for the opening act. And while we can’t fix crap public transport, we hope that finishing by 10pm gives people more of a chance to cheaply get home,” they added.
“Stage times will be published weeks (if not months) in advance and not just on the night so that gig-goers can properly plan, especially if they’re having to travel in. Thank you to everyone that got in touch, we read through the lot and have tried to implement as much as we can.”
We pushed the ticket price down as much as we could to make it more affordable. Two band bills seemed to be popular, more opportunity for the opening act. And while we cant fix crap public transport we hope that finishing by 10PM gives people more of a chance to cheaply get home.
— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) November 13, 2024
Stage times will be published weeks (if not months) in advance and not just on the night so that gig goers can properly plan, especially if they're having to travel in. Thank you to everyone that got in touch, we read through the lot and have tried to implement as much as we can.
— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) November 13, 2024
Concluding, they added: “So anyway. TLDR, tickets are as cheap as we could get them and gigs are finishing at 10pm because UK public transport is appalling.”
Already, numerous fans have taken to the reply section to share their thoughts on the decision – with many thanking the band for their efforts to keep ticket prices low. Responding to one fan who got in touch, Benefits shared: “Costs are spiralling and venues are closing but we’ve got to try something. Small venues are magic, as are small bands – we can’t just be left to rot.”
So anyway. TLDR, tickets are as cheap as we could get them and gigs are finishing at 10PM because UK public transport is appalling. Here's the presale link, on sale at 10AM today!https://t.co/Y8H2x8bzWa
— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) November 14, 2024
Costs are spiralling and venues are closing but we've got to try something. Small venues are magic, as are small bands – we can't just be left to rot.
— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) November 13, 2024
The action made by Benefits comes just weeks after a report was shared by NME, highlighting how the touring circuit across the UK’s grassroots music scene is said to be facing “complete collapse” without urgent help.
At the start of the year, it was shared that 2023 was the worst year on record for grassroots spaces, with 125 grassroots music venues shutting their doors.
Recently, the Music Venue Trust (MVT) argued that a tidal wave of closures threatens the fabric of the UK music scene thanks to the recent budget announcement. One of the concerning statistics they pointed out was that £7million in new premises taxes will place over 350 grassroots music venues at immediate risk of closure. This would threaten more than 12,000 jobs, over £250million in economic activity and the loss of over 75,000 live music events.
Others making efforts with their live shows to protect the UK’s live music sector include Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender, who have all adopted a levy of their own on huge tours to help save the grassroots spaces.
Over the spring, English Teacher frontwoman Lily Fontaine – who had previously spoken to NME about the importance of grassroots music venues as essential cultural hubs – also spoke out about how artists are facing “a crisis in terms of funding” and being able to support themselves.
English Teacher. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
“There is a lack of funding for musicians to create music,” she began, going on to share the long list of outgoing expenses faced by artists including studio time, rehearsal space, tour managers, engineers, van hire, musicians, non-artist fees, driver fees, accommodation, travel, carnets, visas, insurance, equipment, food, drink and photography to name a few.
“To maintain a level of professionalism in this industry, you have to have all of the those things in place,” she added. “There really isn’t any money coming in to fund that. You get record labels that give you an advance that has to be split between a number of people. At the end of the day, you’re left with zero profit.”
Since then, Michael Kiwanuka also reflected on the financial struggles that come with touring and expressed his “worry” that rising costs could deter new musicians from playing live.
The efforts to implement a price cap on touring were also shown by Paul Heaton back in 2022, when he confirmed that he and Jacqui Abbott were capping the price of tickets for their arena tour at £30.
Before then, Tom Grennan worked to keep ticket prices for his 2023 arena tour as low as possible, dismissing all VIP and platinum ticket options as “just bollox [sic] in the middle of a cost of living crisis”.
As for upcoming plans for Benefits, as well as the upcoming tour, the duo’s second album will arrive on March 21 via Invada Records and serves as the follow-up to 2023’s ‘NAILS’. Its tracklist includes their recent single ‘Land Of The Tyrants’ and new track ‘Relentless’, which features Pete Doherty of The Libertines.
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