Marshall launches Made of Loud Tour with investment in grassroots music venues

Audio equipment company Marshall has launched the Made of Loud Tour, a live music initiative that combines touring with investment in independent venues and support for local music communities.

The tour takes in 16 UK venues between Dover and Glasgow this October. It features Marshall Records artists Cancer Bats and Knives, with Ignite also on the bill.

It launches alongside Give Me Dirt, the new album from Cancer Bats, and coincides with the 10th anniversary of Marshall Records. The tour is designed to bring live music to fans while leaving lasting benefits for the venues, artists and communities involved.

Venues under pressure

The initiative arrives as grassroots venues continue to struggle. Music Venue Trust’s Annual Report 2025 found that 30 grassroots music venues closed permanently during the year, and that regular touring shows by professional artists no longer reach 175 towns and cities in the UK.

Every venue on the tour will receive support from Marshall. Six grassroots venues, including Gorilla in Manchester, will receive further investment in improvement projects identified with their owners.

The work includes refurbished dressing rooms and green rooms, backstage upgrades, bespoke stage backdrops, new branding for venues and better infrastructure, intended to benefit the venues well beyond the tour.

Nick Street, CMO at Marshall Group, said: “Grassroots venues are closing faster than they are opening. The Marshall ‘Made of Loud’ Tour funds real improvements in the venues, upgrades that will still be there long after the tour ends.”

He added: “Marshall would not exist without independent venues and the musicians who play them. This is us listening to what they actually need and acting on it.”

Bands back the scene

Cancer Bats have spent two decades building a career on the independent circuit, and during the tour the band will help draw attention to the venues, promoters, staff, volunteers and fans behind grassroots music.

Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats said: “We are so excited to kick off the first ever Made of Loud Tour! We’re playing some of our all-time favourite cities across the UK in the best venues! These independent spaces are what keeps the UK scene alive and kicking and we’re so stoked to be hitting so many of our fave spots!”

Knives said: “We would never be in the position we’re in without playing independent venues. These are the places where we learnt how to be in a band, what type of music we wanted to make, and met so many people who have been integral to our journey.”

The band added: “Moles in Bath had to close in 2023 and we were gutted as it was one of the first venues we ever played. That’s why Made of Loud means a lot to us. It’s so good to see a company directly support our music scene and it’s encouraging to know there are people in our corner who make us feel heard.”

Content series and tour dates

A content series will look at why independent venues matter, the problems they face and what difference Marshall’s support makes. Through its Keep Live Music Alive initiative, Marshall will use the tour to focus on the people, places and communities behind grassroots music.

After the tour, Marshall will return to the venues to assess the long-term effect of the programme and show how sustained investment can help venues and local scenes.

The tour runs from 12 to 31 October and ends with a Halloween show at Electric Brixton in London.

Dates in the North are Gorilla in Manchester on 25 October, Anarchy Brew Co in Newcastle on 26 October, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow on 28 October and The Key Club in Leeds on 29 October.