The indie folk superstar using food to save the UK’s live music venues

When he’s not leading Mumford and Sons, Ben Lovett is combining sound and hospitality in his latest bid to protect grassroots venues across London, writes Hazel Sheffield

The musician will be opening a new multimillion pound venue in King’s Cross (Courtesy Photo)

When Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons decided to set up his own live music venue in south London in 2016, he never intended to become a restauranteur. Lovett is a serial entrepreneur – he was selling tickets to parties in his teens, had an IT business before he went to university and started the label and publishing company Communion before Mumford and Sons ever played a note.

Omeara, a 325-capacity venue near London Bridge, was intended to be his answer to the decline in grassroots venues in the capital and a place for young bands to try out their craft. But he quickly realised that it would take more than live music to make the business stack up. He decided he needed to run the bars and serve food: businesses that could make money even when the stage was empty.fc

In March, he will open the doors on his second venue in a multimillion-pound development at King’s Cross. Goods Way is built on Lovett’s business model for the industry, one that he describes as concentric circles of live music at the centre, insulated by restaurant businesses that operate seven days a week to bring in cash.