The “Toilet Circuit”: Cultural Production, Fandom and Heritage in England's Small Music Venues.

In its broadest sense, the Toilet Circuit comprises smaller and independent music venues in the UK that launched many now famous artists and bands, alongside supporting many that are locally known, igniting or sustaining all-important local music scenes and their cultural production. Fueled by alcohol, drugs and adrenalin, the turbulent atmosphere of Toilet Circuit venues offer escapism for disaffected youth within the seedy aesthetic environment evocative of a recalcitrant culture. These raucous grime-pits play a vital role in the ecology of Britain's music scene and broader cultural sector. Against a backdrop of closures, this paper seeks to explore the significance of these venues and their future, using three iconic examples in London, Leeds and Kent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]