Linnea Kempe, a Swedish sound engineer who lives in Surbiton and half of musical duo 'Meadows', says her

working life has been "non-existent" since the start of the epidemic and it has affected her mental health.

She said: "In the beginning I freaked out but … I started to look for new ways to create an income.

"Then, when the shock had left me, I felt numb and catatonic. Nothing seemed to help and I had more than daily anxiety attacks.

"After about three months I got an online counsellor. She encouraged me to do the things I already knew how to do and to push myself beyond that.

"I joined a women's network called 'Her Hustle' and every weekday morning we met up on Zoom to check in with each other, and this is how I managed to produce 20 episodes of a podcast @anditwentlikethispodcast, which is available on all social media HERE

"I am also writing monthly blog posts for women's sound engineer organisation soundgirls.org.

"So although music has taken a backseat – I have not written a single song as the inspiration hasn't been there – the audio and writing is still a part of my life.

"It's sad not to be working in my favourite venue, the Half Moon Putney. I long for the days of live music and having the whole drunken room dance and jump to the music."

The live music industry is big business, generating £4.5bn a year for the UK economy, according to new umbrella trade body LIVE.

The Government's roadmap has set a 'not-before' date of 17 May for live events with limited capacity and social distancing and its set to be at least 21st June before the sector might be able to return to some sort of normality.

After almost a year of virtual total closure, the Music Venue Trust has estimated that Covid-19 restrictions lowered capacities by 75% at Grassroots Music Venues. And, in 2020, up to 80% of music creators' income was lost, according to UK Music.

Although the Government's £1.57 billion Cultural Recovery Fund has played a role in supporting the live music sector through the worst of the pandemic, trade bodies are now looking to the 3rd March budget to end uncertainty about the Government's plans for further financial support while the industry remains closed.