Indie rockers Blossoms and Panic Over among those benefitting from £1.6m fund

Indie rockers Blossoms and Panic Over will be among the music artists to benefit from a pot of £1.6 million.

The Music Export Growth Scheme (Megs), from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), allocated support to 58 UK acts.

The scheme, run in partnership between industry and the Government, supports small to medium-sized music companies looking to grow their artists’ profiles internationally.

Over the last decade, the Megs has helped more than 450 artists, including rapper Dave, dance act Jungle, singer Rina Sawayama, hip-hop poet Kae Tempest and 2023 Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective.

This year, companies representing Greater Manchester-formed Blossoms, Hertfordshire’s electronic music act Maribou State, and Newcastle’s singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin, have been awarded the money.

2017 Mercury Prize nominees Blossoms broke into the charts with their debut self-titled album in August 2016, which peaked at number one, and their catchy indie pop single Charlemagne.

The Stockport-based five-piece were listed on the BBC’s Sound Of 2016 list, coming in fourth place.

Northern Ireland rockers Panic Over, from Bangor, are among those named along with The X Factor star Grace Davies, London Contemporary Orchestra, who performed a 24-hour concert live in 2022, London-based female rock duo Nova Twins, Cornwall’s Wunderhorse, and Manchester’s pop act The Lottery Winners and hip hop artist Antony Szmierek.

The Isle Of Wight’s Coach Party, Glasgow’s Corto.alto, who were 2024’s Mercury Prize nominees, London-based Electric Enemy and poet and actor Dan Whitlam, Nottingham band Divorce, three-piece Hastings rockers HotWax and Merseyside’s Red Rum Club, were also on the list.

Gareth Thomas, minister for exports and small businesses, said: “Often bands and their labels are smaller firms who don’t have access to the funding needed to support their plans to go global and this scheme can provide that crucial shot in the arm to help those acts on their way to stardom.

“With past recipients including UK companies representing acts like Nova Twins, shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2022, and Ezra Collective who went on to win the prestigious prize in 2023, this scheme is a proven success with hundreds of artists now benefitting as a result.

“As a key growth sector, bringing almost £125 billion to the UK economy in 2023, the government will continue to support the Creative Industries through schemes like Megs to showcase British talent, build on the success of our industrial strategy and achieve our mission for faster growth.”

Since the government began providing support in 2014, around £7.9 million has been given out in grants.

Panic Over said: “We are delighted to be able to use this amazing opportunity to play shows and gigs all across the Republic of Ireland over the rest of the year.

“This support means the world to us, and we can’t thank everyone involved enough for believing in our music and the journey ahead.”

Alt-pop duo and recipient Dolores Forever called it a “complete game changer for us”, which will help them get out a second album, and reach “audiences which we haven’t had the resources to do so before”.

According to UK Music, British music exports revenue in 2023 was £4.6 billion, a 15% increase compared with 2022.

Last year, Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap won their discrimination court battle against UK leader of the Opposition and former business secretary Kemi Badenoch after the UK Government conceded it was “unlawful” to refuse them a £14,250 Megs funding award.

Their Kneecap film was nominated for six Baftas and took home the award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at this year’s ceremony.