For a week that started with a celebration of Employee Ownership, it was a fitting pivot to end it on a recognition of ‘Community Ownership’. As of October, the iconic Joiners Arms in Southampton is now owned by Music Venue Properties, a charitable community benefit society (CBS), established to take grassroots music venues out of risk and into permanent community ownership.
I’ve been coming to this venue since August 2004. I’ve seen so many of my favourite bands play here over the past 21 years, and even played some of the most memorable shows in my own band on The Joiners stage (see below). During 2007 when I was out of work on my ‘gap year’ I volunteered, flyering other Southampton and Bournemouth shows in exchange for free entry to Joiners gigs.
Sunday night was my first gig here since the exciting new development that protects the future of The Joiners and my first as a Music Venue Properties ‘co-owner’ having invested in their latest round of crowdfunding.
I don’t want a bitcoin, or an NFT, or an AI generated world. I want another 21 years and more of getting to see new bands on their way up from a few feet away, and established bands given a space to sustain their tenure. I felt it was time to put my money where my mouth was.
I’ve seen so many venues on this circuit come and go, The Joiners has been a constant throughout. This is such a special place. Seeing Softcult, one of the most important new, truly ‘punk rock’ bands, sell it out last night (two and half years on from first seeing them play the much smaller Suburbia venue) was the perfect start to a new chapter of visiting St Mary’s.
Liam Toms 