Culture
11 Aug 20

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner raffles off Fender guitar to save Sheffield venue

Arctic Monkeys launched a special Crowdfunder campaign on August 11 to raise money for struggling venues in conjunction with the Music Venue Trust and their #SaveOurVenues campaign.

Sheffield-raised rock band Arctic Monkeys are raffling off Alex Turner's black Fender Stratocaster guitar in order to fundraise for local venue The Leadmill.

The Crowdfunder campaign also aims to aid other independent grassroots venues in the UK which have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The band played The Leadmill numerous times during the early days of their career, with other major bands such as Pulp, Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Muse, Oasis, Stone Roses and The White Stripes also appearing.

https://youtu.be/IpqKo40Ol1I

Since closing its doors in March due to the coronavirus lockdown, the Sheffield venue has had to reschedule or cancel over 120 events and has no clear re-opening date in sight.

The future of the venue remains uncertain as a result, with Turner now stepping in to help.

The frontman's black Fender Stratocaster guitar was used for many of the band’s early performances, including Reading Festival in 2006.

Fans can now win the chance to own the guitar by entering the raffle via the band's Crowdfunder page, with each entry costing a minimum of £5.

There is no limit on the amount of times you can donate to the raffle, which is open to everyone worldwide over the age of 18 from August 11 until 6pm on August 25.

The winner will later be chosen at random and contacted via email to arrange delivery.

Anyone who enters the raffle will gain access to an exclusive viewing of the band’s 2006 performance at Reading Festival, which will be broadcast on an invite-only basis at pm on August 26.

All funds raised from the Crowdfunder campaign will go to Music Venue Trust to support The Leadmill and other independent grassroots music venues across the UK.

We are so excited to share the news that we are joining forces with Sheffield legends, @ArcticMonkeys to help #saveourvenues!

We are incredibly grateful for their support and the donation of Alex's Stratocaster guitar.

You can enter the raffle here > https://t.co/bJITK9Mlcd pic.twitter.com/9MZoNeciv0

— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) August 11, 2020