The Croft returns Much-loved city music venue to make a comeback

ONCE legendary Bristol music venue which provided an early springboard for artists such as Ed Sheeran and the Arctic Monkeys is set to reopen after being chosen to be part of a nationwide initiative which sees communities investing in grass-roots venues across the UK.

- Ellie KENDALL

The Crofters Rights, which closed its doors in July 2024, will reopen under its former name The Croft - as part of new plans.

The news follows speculation over the future of the venue when strange signs were put up on the building earlier this week.

Now it has been announced that The Croft is one of seven venues in the country to be part of the Own Our Venues initiative, led by Music Venue Properties.

This is described as focusing on “removing grassroots music venues from vulnerable commercial leases by placing them into community ownership”, with the aim of “providing long-term stability to venues that are essential for fostering local talent and providing cultural value to existing, local infrastructure”.

Between May 15 and July 31, music lovers and locals can invest via a Crowdfunder, which has a target of £1 million to go towards these venues the much loved Stokes Croft venue being one of them.

The Croft, which was established in 2000, was a hugely popular live music venue in the city, known and loved for its intimate 110-capacity live room and 250-capacity club space. Some of the biggest names in the world of music played here early on in their careers, including the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Ed Sheeran, Idles, and Bring Me The Horizon.