The Joiners

The Joiners is a small live-music venue in the St Mary's area of Southampton, England. It operates from a former pub known as the Joiners Arms, whose back room began hosting live acts in 1968. The venue has a maximum capacity of approximately 200 people and has developed a reputation as an important platform for up-and-coming bands and artists. Rather than functioning as a conventional consumer brand or record label, The Joiners is a place-based cultural institution whose identity is tied to grassroots live music. Its core activity is presenting concerts in an intimate room, giving developing acts an opportunity to build audiences before moving to larger venues. The venue's scale, independent character and location within Southampton's live-music community are central to its positioning. The Joiners has received national recognition in the United Kingdom. It was named Britain's best small music venue in NME competitions in both 2013 and 2015. Its historical importance was also documented in Oliver Gray's book Access One Step: The Official History of the Joiners Arms, published in December 2006, with a foreword by Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows. The venue has faced the financial and operational pressures common to grassroots music spaces. In 2017, it launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund emergency building repairs. The campaign sought £7,000 and raised £9,275 within six days. During the COVID-19 pandemic, national lockdowns forced The Joiners to close during 2020 and 2021. Southampton City Council provided £25,000 in support while the venue was closed, and musician Frank Turner performed a livestream concert there that raised more than £10,000 for the venue. Southampton rock band Creeper were among the artists involved in the venue's early non-socially-distanced concerts after restrictions eased. The Joiners is a member of the Music Venue Trust and has pursued a campaign for its building to be owned through Music Venue Properties, the trust's charitable community-benefit society for grassroots music venues. In November 2025, Music Venue Properties purchased the building. This change was intended to provide a more supportive and secure landlord structure for the venue while preserving its role as a grassroots performance space. The Joiners therefore combines the functions of a local cultural venue, artist-development platform and community-supported music institution.

The Joiners occupies a former pub called the Joiners Arms on St Mary Street in Southampton's St Mary's district. The building's transition into a live-music venue began in 1968, when the pub started presenting live acts in its back room. Over time, that small performance area became known as The Joiners and developed an identity distinct from an ordinary pub or entertainment bar. The venue's importance comes from its role in the grassroots music circuit. With a capacity of about 200 people, The Joiners provides a close-range setting in which developing bands can perform for audiences before progressing to larger clubs and concert halls. Its programming has included many emerging acts, and the venue has become associated with the discovery and early presentation of artists who later gained wider recognition. The Joiners' history was formally recorded in December 2006, when writer Oliver Gray published Access One Step: The Official History of the Joiners Arms. The book documents the venue's development and includes a foreword by Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows. This publication helped establish The Joiners as a subject of local and music-history interest rather than simply a small concert room. National recognition followed through NME's small-venue competitions. The Joiners was named Britain's best small music venue in 2013 and again in 2015. These awards reflected its reputation for supporting new music, maintaining an intimate atmosphere and contributing to the United Kingdom's independent live-music ecosystem. The venue also had to address the physical and financial vulnerability of small music spaces. In 2017, it launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for emergency repairs. The appeal had a £7,000 target but raised £9,275 in only six days, demonstrating strong support from performers, audiences and the wider Southampton community. The COVID-19 pandemic created a more serious operational crisis. The national lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 required The Joiners to close. Southampton City Council provided £25,000 in support during the closure period. Frank Turner also performed a livestream concert from the venue, raising more than £10,000 for its continued operation. As restrictions were eased, Southampton rock band Creeper were among the artists involved in the venue's early concerts held without social-distancing requirements. The Joiners is a member of the Music Venue Trust and has pursued a campaign to place the building under a trust-based ownership model. Music Venue Properties, a charitable community-benefit society associated with the Music Venue Trust, is designed to act as a supportive landlord for grassroots music spaces. In November 2025, Music Venue Properties purchased The Joiners building. The acquisition strengthened the venue's long-term property position while maintaining its function as a small, community-oriented music venue. Today, The Joiners remains defined by continuity: a long-running Southampton venue operating from a compact former pub space, supporting developing performers and relying on a combination of ticket income, community support, public assistance and sector advocacy. Its history illustrates both the cultural value and the structural fragility of independent live-music venues.

• 2025

  Music Venue Properties acquires the building

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  In November, Music Venue Properties purchased the building to support its long-term use as a grassroots music venue.

• 2020

  Pandemic closure begins

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  COVID-19 lockdowns forced the venue to close as live entertainment restrictions were introduced.

• 2017

  Emergency-repair crowdfunding campaign

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  The Joiners raised £9,275 in six days for emergency repairs, exceeding its £7,000 target.

• 2015

  Wins NME small-venue recognition again

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  The venue was again named Britain's best small music venue in an NME competition.

• 2013

  Named Britain's best small music venue

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  The Joiners received the NME award for Britain's best small music venue.

• 2006

  Official venue history is published

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  Oliver Gray published Access One Step: The Official History of the Joiners Arms in December.

• 1968

  Live music begins at the Joiners Arms

  [1]The Joinersen.wikipedia.org

  The former pub began hosting live acts in its back room, establishing the basis for The Joiners as a music venue.

An independent, intimate and artist-development-focused grassroots music venue serving Southampton's live-music community.

• Live entertainment · 1968

  Live concerts

  The Joiners' principal offering is a programme of live concerts in an intimate room with a maximum capacity of approximately 200 people. The venue is particularly associated with emerging and developing bands, offering performers a small-scale environment for audience building and live experience. Its compact format creates close contact between artists and audiences and distinguishes it from larger commercial concert venues.

• Artist development · 1968

  Emerging-artist showcases

  The venue functions as a grassroots platform for up-and-coming acts. Its role is less a packaged product than a curatorial and developmental service: presenting bands early in their careers, connecting them with local audiences and helping them progress through the live-music circuit. This focus has been central to The Joiners' reputation and national small-venue recognition.

• 2025Music Venue Properties ownership campaign

  United Kingdom

  The Joiners pursued a campaign for its building to be owned through Music Venue Properties, a charitable community-benefit society associated with the Music Venue Trust.

  Outcome. Music Venue Properties purchased the building in November 2025.

  Source
• 2020Pandemic survival fundraising

  Southampton · United Kingdom

  During the COVID-19 closure period, The Joiners received local-government assistance and fundraising support. Southampton City Council provided £25,000, while Frank Turner staged a livestream concert at the venue that raised more than £10,000.

  Outcome. The support helped the venue through a period when lockdowns prevented normal live events.

  Source
• 2017Emergency repairs crowdfunding campaign

  Southampton · United Kingdom

  The Joiners appealed to its community for help funding emergency building repairs. The campaign set a £7,000 target and raised £9,275 within six days.

  Outcome. The appeal exceeded its target, providing funds for the urgent repair work.

  Source

• 2025

  Transfer of building ownership to Music Venue PropertiesM&A

  Background

  The venue pursued a trust-based ownership model intended to provide greater security for a grassroots music space.

  Action taken

  Music Venue Properties purchased The Joiners building in November 2025.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition placed the venue under a charitable community-benefit ownership structure designed to support grassroots music venues.

  Source

1. 1The Joinersen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Joiners official websitejoinerslive.co.uk