Sub Focus Announces First Arena Shows, Will Donate £1 Per Ticket to Grassroots Venues
British drum and bass producer Sub Focus (real name Nicolaas Douwe Douwma) has announced his largest solo headline shows to date: Friday, March 26, 2027 at The O2 in London, and Saturday, March 27, 2027 at Co-op Live in Manchester. According to NME, £1 from every ticket sold will go to Save Our Scene and the UK's grassroots venue ticket levy. Tickets are on sale now.
Sub Focus said small venues acted as an incubator for nearly every musician he knows, including himself, and that he wanted to give back to that circuit while backing Save Our Scene's efforts to reverse the wave of venue closures.
Show details
- Friday, March 26, 2027 — The O2, London
- Saturday, March 27, 2027 — Co-op Live, Manchester
- Ticket price: not yet announced
- Tickets: on sale now
What the shows are
Both dates will present Circular Sound, his immersive live production featuring widescreen visuals and stage design he personally directs — marking the first time the show has moved into arena-scale venues. Circular Sound previously sold out London's Alexandra Palace and toured Los Angeles, Australia and New Zealand. The production also made Sub Focus the first drum and bass artist to headline Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, USA.
Why the £1 levy matters
The idea of a £1-per-ticket levy has been taking shape in the UK in recent years, with arena- and stadium-scale shows channeling money back to grassroots artists and local venues — a model similar to schemes already running in several European countries, and one endorsed by the UK government in 2024. The LIVE Trust donation scheme launched in January 2025, distributing funds to artists, management and promoters so the whole grassroots ecosystem can benefit.
Artists who have already contributed to the LIVE Trust through major tours include Harry Styles, Coldplay, Sam Fender, Katy Perry, Pulp and Mumford & Sons. London's Royal Albert Hall became the first venue with a capacity over 5,000 to commit to the £1 ticket levy last year, expected to bring in around £300,000 a year for the LIVE Trust.
Figures show that in 2025 the UK's grassroots music sector effectively subsidized the wider live music industry to the tune of £76.6 million, even as UK live music's economic contribution hit a record £8 billion in the same period — prompting criticism that record-breaking profits from major shows have largely gone without contributing to the levy. A Music Venue Trust report last year found the UK loses a music venue on average every two weeks; the rate of venue closures in 2025 slowed to its lowest since 2018, but pressure from layoffs and a broken talent pipeline remains.
Save Our Scene was founded in 2020 during the pandemic to support independent musicians, and has partnered with Music Venue Trust to launch the Lifeline Fund to ease the financial pressure on local venues.