Music venues in Hackney launched a campaign to "shine a light on all of the amazing support acts" that they host.

The Support the Support campaign is organised by Village Underground in Shoreditch and EartH in Dalston.

Kickstarting the campaign on Tuesday, Ian Crawford, live programmer at the music venues, said: "Some people think it's not a big deal to be supporting but it is a big step and it can mean a lot to that artist."

Neil Ellis, club programmer, said: "They're obviously picked for a reason and supporting acts more often than not go on to be headliners in their own right."

Artists who have previously supported at the venues include George Ezra, Jorja Smith and Joy Crookes. 
 

 

Ian said: "A lot of people don't have disposable income but if you go to one show and see the whole thing, you might actually come away with more than you bargained for."

Neil added: "We're hoping from us doing this, we can inspire other venues to make their own initiatives or join in on this one. It's a good thing to unify our industry in what is a really challenging time."

The campaign involves social media posts to spotlight upcoming support acts and a 10 per cent discount at the bar for the first hour of opening.