The future of a Welsh grassroots music venue has been secured

The future of Welsh music venue Le Pub has been secured after it was purchased by Music Venue Properties.

The acquisition is part of MVP’s mission to safeguard grassroots music venues across the UK, ensuring that they remain cultural hubs for their communities. Known for its rich history and role in live music and events, Le Pub in Newport will now benefit from long-term security under MVP’s #OwnOurVenues initiative.

The announcement comes after MVP purchased The Bunkhouse in Swansea, safeguarding its survival.

Dubbed The National Trust for Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs), #ownourvenues was originally launched in 2022 as a crowdfunded project. To date almost £2.8m has been raised from over 1300 individual investors and funding. The scheme has received additional support from the Community Ownership Fund including £250k to realise the purchase of Le Pub.

Le Pub, also known as Le Public Space, has been a cornerstone of Newport’s music scene since its opening in 1992. Renowned for its vibrant atmosphere, the venue operates as a bar, restaurant, and nightclub, hosting live music from big names like Skindred and Kids in Glass Houses, and events that have defined the city’s cultural landscape. Despite challenges in the 2000s, including a relocation to new premises, Le Pub has remained a beacon of creativity and resilience. Now, under MVP’s #OwnOurVenues initiative, the venue has secured its future, eliminating the uncertainty of closure and reinforcing its role as a community pillar for years to come.

Samantha Dabb, the manager of Le Pub, said: “We are very excited to be part of the Music Venue Properties family of owned venues. Having a landlord who is as passionate about live music as we are, will make a massive difference to us and guarantee the venue’s future in Newport.”

Sam Duckworth, who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. said: “Grassroots Music Venues are places where communities live. I am lucky to have been hosted by many over my career and they show you the personality, spirit and heartbeat of the community they call home. South Wales is a wonderful part of the world, full of a unique mixture of fight, creativity and heart. Le Pub is the true embodiment of a community venue. It looks out for the people of Newport who love it and treasure it in return. Its permanence is a wonderful thing. A decade ago, I sponsored a toilet to help keep it open, now it lives forever.”

MVP’s #OwnOurVenues project, which launched in 2022, focuses on removing grassroots music venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership. The aim is to provide long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to our communities. The purchase of Le Pub marks another step forward for MVP, joining an ever-growing network of protected spaces across the UK.

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Samantha Dabb said: “In the two and a half years since we applied to the MVP pilot scheme, we have grown our staff and increased our live offering. We have also built a practice room and studio in the basement which enables us to support the Newport music scene even more. Now that we are secure in the long-term future of the venue, we’d love to look at renovating the upper floors of the building so we can open them for our community to use.”

Councillor Emma Corten, cabinet member for culture and communications, at Newport Council said: “Le Pub is embedded Newport music lore and I would like to pay tribute to Sam Dabb who is the driving force behind the success of Le Pub over the last 30 years. I am overjoyed that its place on the High Street is now secured and that it will always form part of the fantastic music offer on High Street alongside other independent venues such as McCanns, The Cab and the Corn Exchange.

“We are incredibly grateful to Music Venue Properties for recognising how important the venue is – and by association, how important Newport’s music scene is – by making sure it will continue being a grassroots venue for many, many years to come.

“We are committed to developing and supporting culture in Newport both for the benefit of residents and visitors to the city – and the Music Trail with Focus Wales in March is a big step on the journey, with businesses and grassroots venues such as Le Pub helping to showcase what the city has to offer.

“Work is progressing well on our cultural strategy and destination development plan which, together with the placemaking plan, will ensure Newport reaches its potential.”

Other venues secured by Music Venue Properties

In addition to Le Pub, Music Venue Properties (MVP) has also purchased The Snug in Greater Manchester, The Ferret in Preston, The Bunkhouse in Swansea and, most recently, The Booking Hall in Dover. Each of these venues plays a vital role in their local music scenes, providing spaces for creative expression and connecting local communities with unique cultural experiences. Under MVP’s #OwnOurVenues initiative, these venues are now secured for the future, providing long-term opportunities for artists to develop their craft and connect with fans for generations to come.

Mark Davyd, Founder of Music Venue Trust, said: “Le Pub was one of the very first venues to join the Music Venues Alliance, and has been, for the last ten years, one of the most vocal and active campaigning voices about the importance of grassroots music venues to our communities, towns and cities. Le Pub sits right at the heart of the blossoming Newport live music scene and is absolutely central to the future of Welsh music. To see it taken into protected ownership, guaranteeing its future for decades to come, is a huge step forward for live music in Wales and a beacon of what can be achieved through projects like Music Venue Properties.”

To celebrate the securing of the venue, this evening Le Pub will be hosting a special plaque unveiling and evening of live music with performances by local homegrown talent Murder Club and a guest set by Sam Duckworth of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. The event will feature speeches from supporters and local government representatives, as well as being an opportunity for community investors, who have supported the purchase of the venue to come together, to recognise the key role of this community space

For more information on how to support the #OwnOurVenues initiative and invest in the future of Grassroots Music Venues, please visit www.musicvenueproperties.com