Yahoo News Music venue Cheese and Grain loved by stars unveils massive expansion plans
A beloved independent music and events venue in Frome has unveiled £1.6 million plans to help local musicians. Cheese and Grain is proposing to construct a new building to house rehearsal spaces, editing suites and wheelchair accessible washroom between the Canoe Club and the rear of the Cheese and Grain 'tower'.
Its expansion has been long discussed, as the venue’s director Steve Macarthur said the recording studio at the rear of the venue is used by internationally famous artists but this is squeezing out local bands. He added the Cheese and Grain has been able to deploy some of the best producer and engineering talent in the business, but "this is expensive and out of reach for many local bands".
He envisions much cheaper facilities for musicians to hire and can be used without a house engineer or producer. The new extension is also required for training spaces. Steve said: "The music industry is growing in the west country and it’s important to ensure that work and careers are available to local people."
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Other plans for the site include improving the riverside of the building and installing an additional entrance/exit because the café/bar foyer can get very congested. Steve added: "We want this development to add to the rejuvenation and improvement of the market yard car park area and to make the best of Frome’s riverside.
"The C&G will be raising the funds – it is not being paid for from local taxes or from local council budgets. However, both the Town Council and the Somerset Council, that jointly own the building, are supporting the proposals and giving the necessary permissions.
"The aim is to avoid losing parking spaces. The aim is to make the area safer to park in and reduce anti-social behaviour in a currently run-down area of the town centre."
The venue say the £1.6 million project will help boost the local economy, create jobs and use local workers and materials to carry out the construction. But most importantly, he added, the expansion "will be a great help to local musicians".
The Cheese and Grain has enjoyed worldwide attention for attracting famous musicians over the years, with Sir Paul McCartney swinging by for a warm-up gig before his headline set at Glastonbury Festival in 2022. The Foo Fighters also squeezed in dozens of lucky fans for a surprise gig in 2017.
The Cheese and Grain is a venue that is entrenched in the local community and employs 60 local people, uses local food suppliers and electricians and strives to be a strong community hub.
