Lottery Winners have criticised Kate Nash‘s recent campaign to highlight the crisis facing the touring industry, saying she doesn’t represent “the working class musician” as she went to the BRIT School.
READ MORE: UK grassroots venues suffering from “the complete collapse of touring” – here’s how you can help
Nash recently made headlines when she launched her Butts for Tour Buses campaign, which saw her join OnlyFans to protest the music industry and help raise money for her UK and European tour which began on November 21.
She then took her “bum on the back of a fire truck” protest to the London offices of Live Nation and Spotify as well as the Houses of Parliament to highlight the challenges facing artists and those working in the touring industry.
In a statement to NME, Nash reasserted that “the cost of presenting live music has gone up by 30.3 per cent over the past two years. There were 125 venues that closed last year in the UK. And, the value of recorded music is extremely low.”
She went on to say: “The industry is in crisis, the music industry has failed artists, and is completely unsustainable, and my arse is shining a light on that. And none would be listening if my bum wasn’t involved. This is a conversation about agency. And selling pictures of my bum is giving me the agency to reinvest in my creative economy. The music industry does not give me that agency.”
Kate Nash, 2024 CREDIT: @emilymarcovecchio
Now, Lottery Winners have criticised Nash, accusing her of attempting to represent “the ‘working class musician’” despite going to the BRIT School.
Taking to X/Twitter earlier today (November 29), the band shared: “I don’t mind if you went to private school and Brit School, that’s cool, I’m happy for you. But when did you become the spokesperson for the ‘working class musician’. No thanks mate.”
They added: “If you want to talk about how ‘broken’ the music industry is, should we address that 8/10 best artist nominees at the Brit Awards last year went to YOUR SCHOOL.”
However, of the 10 nominees for Artist Of The Year in 2024 only two, Olivia Dean and Raye, attended the BRIT School. In 2023 five artists were nominated: Harry Styles, Central Cee, Fred Again.., George Ezra and Stormzy – none of whom attended the school.
I don’t mind if you went to private school and Brit School, that’s cool, I’m happy for you.
But when did you become the spokesperson for the ‘working class musician’.
No thanks mate.
— Lottery Winners (@LotteryWinners) November 29, 2024
If you want to talk about how ‘broken’ the music industry is, should we address that 8/10 best artist nominees at the Brit Awards last year went to YOUR SCHOOL.
— Lottery Winners (@LotteryWinners) November 29, 2024
The BRIT School, which is the only non-fee-paying performing arts school in the UK, does boast a very famous alumni, with Nash among the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, FKA Twigs, Loyle Carner and Tom Holland all having attended. Nash also won British Female Solo Artist of The Year at the 2008 BRIT Awards following the release of her 2007 debut album ‘Made Of Bricks’.
In 2023, it was announced that a new branch of the BRIT School would open in Bradford in 2026/27.
Last year, The Lottery Winners spoke to NME about the lack of mainstream attention they’ve received despite being a working class success story.
Thom Rylance told us: “I think it’s because we’re just not very cool, and I’ve got no intention of pretending to be cool. I’m not bitter, but what music execs think is cool and what people really want? The only way we’ll get mainstream attention is by proving this is what people want, by selling all the tickets we do and selling all the records we do.
“I always knew we’d do it the hard way. We’re from a working class mining town in the north west of England. We’re not from London, we don’t have famous dads. We’re just trying our best, and if people connect to our music, that’s authentic.”
The band recently announced their new album ‘KOKO’, out on February 21 next year, along with the single ‘You Again’ featuring Reverend & The Makers frontman Jon McClure. They’ll also be heading on a UK tour soon – you can see a full list of dates below and buy tickets here.
Lottery Winners’ UK headline tour dates are:
DECEMBER 2024
27 – Manchester – Academy 1
28 – Manchester – Academy 1
29 – Manchester – Academy 1
FEBRUARY 2025
20 – Bristol – O2 Academy
21 – Bournemouth – O2 Academy
23 – London – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
26 – Glasgow – St Luke’s
27 – Leeds – O2 Academy
28 – Liverpool – O2 Academy
MARCH 2025
01 – Birmingham – O2 Institute
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