U.K.’s Grassroots Music Scene to Receive Boost From New Charity LP – See Who’s on the Compilation

A number of the U.K.’s most exciting indie-rock acts have united for a charity compilation set to boost the local grassroots music scene.

Mercury Prize winners English Teacher appear on the compilation alongside Wunderhorse, Nova Twins, Matt Maltese, Katy J Pearson and Lambrini Girls. Each act has provided a brand new recording, remix, demo or live version to the 24-track collection titled A Hideous Collective, released Sep. 5. See the full tracklist below.

The double LP has been collated by Brighton band Opus Kink – who also feature the record – and will be distributed via their label Hideous Mink Records in partnership with SO Recording. Funds raised will support the Music Venues Trust and the U.K. Artist Touring Fund, both of which support rising artists as they tour domestically and internationally. 

A Hideous Collective will not appear on streaming and will only be available on vinyl and CD. Independent record stores Rough Trade (London, Bristol, Liverpool, Nottingham), Resident (Brighton), Piccadilly Records (Manchester), Norman (Leeds) and Crash (Leeds) will stock the physicals, with a portion of the sales benefitting the businesses.

The MVT reports that over 150 grassroots venues have closed across the U.K. since 2023, citing a number of financial challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. 

The U.K. Artist Touring Fund (UKAT) was introduced by the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) in early 2025. The touring fund is pulled from a voluntary £1 levy on every ticket sold for stadium and arena shows over a 5,000 capacity. A number of huge artists such as Sam Fender and Katy Perry have committed to a donation from recent tours, as have spaces such as London’s Royal Albert Hall. The fund also accepts one-off donations from interested parties.

The LP opens with a foreword from BBC Radio DJ Steve Lamacq, who has campaigned passionately to champion emerging artists and their abilities to tour. “I raise a toast to our grassroots venues, and all the unsung heroes who run them,” he says on the first track. “Because without them, where would we all be?” Coldplay are set to donate 10% of the profits from their run of 10-night residency at Wembley Stadium in August to the MVT and grassroots music scenes in the U.K.

“Touring independent music venues is like this. The most passionate organizers are the ones who do it on a shoestring and are often one bad season away from crumbling, Opus Kink said in a statement. “Support for these venues and humans is starting to glimmer in the ashes through donations and awareness and the work of groups like MVT, but as always, unfortunately, it must also take wresting a more fundamental and top-down offering from the industry to really stay the decimation of grassroots live music culture in this country. In the meantime, please enjoy the sounds of some of the artists who help to keep alive the places that birthed them, and please buy this record so you can do that too. And remember to thank Satan.”

Music Venues Trust added: “This compilation is a celebration of everything that makes grassroots music culture so vital. Every track is a reminder that these spaces are not just stepping stones—they are sacred spaces of culture, rebellion, and connection. Buying this record is doing more than raising funds; it’s an act of beautiful support and solidarity at a time when the grassroots still aren’t valued for their essential contribution to the pipeline of talent in this country. A huge thank you to Opus Kink and every artist on this record!”

A Hideous Collective tracklist