Musicians from across Portsmouth make viral video to show support for threatened venues

Members of Portsmouth-based band Hometown Show and other musicians across the city have released a cover of country classic Wagon Wheel, with the video attracting more than 5,000 views online.

Lead singer Matthew Harrison, said making the video was a ‘huge undertaking’, with eight vocal tracks and eight instrument tracks, including a banjo, melodica, harmonica, mandolin, and fiddle.

The Milton resident said: ‘It wasn’t easy.

‘The were quite a lot of challenges arranging it around everyone’s schedule – it was a huge undertaking.’

The video has been made to highlight the nationwide Save Our Venues campaign, which has raised more than £730,000 to support 556 venues at risk of closing due to the national lockdown.

The Wedgewood Rooms is one of the venues supported by the campaign, with Matthew saying its closure would be ‘devastating’.

He said: ‘The Wedgewood Rooms has been responsible for launching a lot of careers.

‘I saw the 1975 there, and the next time I saw them was on the main stage of Bestival.

‘It would devastating if it closed. It’s the music hub of Portsmouth.’

A crowdfunding campaign to support the venue raised its target of £12,000 in just one day, with owner Geoff Priestley saying the venue’s long term future remains unclear.

He said: ‘The crowd funding we did took us by surprise – it has filled a hole in our mid term finances.

‘It’s good to see the band drawing attention to the national campaign because so many venues are in trouble.

‘I know of about half a dozen venues that are crowdfunding within a 15 mile radius of Portsmouth.’

The lockdown has caused financial hardships for musicians as well as venue, with Matthew saying he and others have lost thousands of pounds in cancelled tours.

He said: ‘It’s very hard to calculate how much we've lost with pub cover gigs, Hometown Show gigs, a UK solo tour I had lined up, merchandise sales - and the potential to reach a new audience who would stream our back-catalog – but it would be a significant number in the thousands.’

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