The 1975 star warns of threat to small gig venues

More than 1,000 pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK will host music events as part of a new nationwide festival backed by The 1975's Matty Healy, who has warned about the talent pipeline drying up.

"Local venues aren't just where bands cut their teeth, they're the foundation of any real culture," the frontman said in a statement.

"Without them, you don't get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence."

The Seed Sounds Weekender will take place in September in small "seed" venues like those where many big names start out. But like much of the UK's nightlife scene, they are facing "unprecedented economic challenges", organisers said.

They gave examples of seed venues including the Grapes pub in Sheffield, where the Arctic Monkeys made their debut; Rayner's Hotel in Harrow, north-west London, where Amy Winehouse played her first show; the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff, which hosted an early Adele gig; and The Castle Hotel in Manchester, where The 1975 appeared.

Kit Muir-Rogers, co-founder of live music platform GigPig, which is organising the festival, said it would be "a moment to unite and celebrate what we think is the most exciting and probably the most vital step on an artist's journey".

"The stark reality is that it's a challenging time out there for the hospitality sector, and it's a challenging time as an artist out there," he told the BBC.