Becky Hill returns to venue she played as a teen

Becky Hill may be used to headlining festivals and selling out arenas, but on Sunday she returned home to play a special show for just 250 people.

The Bewdley-born singer performed at The Marrs Bar in Worcester as part of Everywhere At Once, a UK-wide grassroots music festival backed by The National Lottery and Music Venue Trust.

The venue was one of the first she played, when she was lead singer of band Shaking Trees in 2011.

Speaking ahead of the gig Hill said it was lovely to be back. "Tonight's show will definitely be a homage to little Becky, who was onstage at 16 playing her own songs and now she comes back as a fully fledged 32-year-old, still playing her own songs," she said.

Recalling her early performance at The Marrs Bar, Hill described herself at the time as a "very timid, nervous 16-year-old in a yellow cardigan".

"Sixteen was such an important age for me, I'd only really started doing open mics," she said.

"I was kind of encouraged to start doing more and more little local gigs by a really good friend of mine and it was really important for me to gain experience and confidence and stage craft."

The Everywhere At Once initiative saw more than 2,000 artists perform in intimate venues across the country over Glastonbury weekend, between 26-28 June.

A National Lottery spokesperson said because of National Lottery players, more than £1bn had been raised for music related projects across the UK, with £96m provided for 2,268 projects in the West Midlands.

Hill previously said grassroots music venues were vital to the UK's culture and economy and that small venues were at the heart of a wider ecosystem that supported local jobs, hospitality and creative industries.

"I think these venues are really important for those beginning artists to become really great live acts," she told the BBC.

Hill performed tracks including Crazy What Love Can Do and Gecko (Overdrive) at the gig on Sunday, which saw fans queue for hours for entry.

"This is the third time I've seen her, to see her in such an intimate gig and to have conversation with her and just hear her amazing vocals and stage presence is just fantastic," one fan said.

Another said he had travelled over 100 miles, from Dorset, for the gig, which he said was "well worth it".

"To be that close is very surreal," another man said.

The Marrs Bar opened in 2000 when electrician Brian Maher converted a former dance studio in Pierpoint Street into a live music venue.

"It's lovely... to come back, there's lots of people that have done the same, they've been here before they were really known and then came back," he said of Hill.

"It's nice to see people keeping their feet on the ground."

He said he was appreciative of support for small venues from the National Lottery and the Music Venue Trust.

"Without us, there is no Glastonbury," he said. "Without small venues, where are people going to learn how to cut their teeth and learn their craft?."

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