After a year of planning, it’s great to see so many venues and shows filling the week to bring amazing music and culture to villages, towns and cities all across the country.
There are 214 venues taking part this year who have put so much work into making IVW such a vibrant, exciting and positive week. Check out the shows page to see what’s on.
We’d like to thank our IVW Artist Ambassadors YolanDa Brown OBE DL, Gwenno (Wales) and rEDOLENT (Scotland). We’re so proud to have such highly respected artists be part of the IVW family, supporting our independent venue community.
YolanDa said:
“Independent venues are, and will always remain important to the music ecosystem. They are the heartbeat of the live experience, not just for artists but for audiences as well. Within these intimate spaces, countless stories are told – some songs and performances may never transcend the walls, yet they leave a lasting mark, offering hope, joy, inspiration, and sometimes even tears.”
“These venues are the breeding grounds and an important outlet for creativity and expression. As a new venue owner, it is important to have more diversity in music venue ownership in order to create a platform for new stories to be told.”
We’d also like to thank to our supporters Arts Council England, BBC Radio 6 Music, Beavertown, Creative Wales, BBC Introducing, PPL and RockBox.
BBC Radio 6 Music are taking a look at the State of Independent Venues; a five day deep-dive into the UK’s independent, live music industry
On Monday 27 January, Steve Lamacq will be broadcasting live from Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, with punk duo BIG SPECIAL performing live on-air from 6.30pm, ahead of their own Independent Venue Week show that night at the venue with BBC Introducing in Leeds and Sheffield act, Gia Ford. Independent Venue Week is the UK’s annual seven-day celebration of independent music and arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them. During the show, Steve will be catching up with local heroes like Yard Act and Utah Saints, and 6 Music presenter Emily Pilbeam will also be joining Steve in conversation.
From Tuesday 28 – Friday 31 January, Huw Stephens will be delving into the triumphs and challenges facing artists, venues, festivals and clubs. He will be joined each day by 6 Music presenter Matt Everitt, who will explore different elements of the live music industry and independent venues, such as silent cities – what happens when there is no live music left – the UK festival scene in 2025, club culture and more.
Huw’s show on Friday 31 January will come live from Margate Arts Club, a Queer-run, intersectional, community focused, grassroots arts and music venue, with a stripped back performance from Låpsley (4.30pm). Huw will also bring listeners a live DJ set from 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson (6.30pm), ahead of Gilles’ own club night at Margate Arts Club that evening, as part of his own tour.
BBC Introducing are also supporting across the BBC’s vital regional music network that will spotlight some amazing local venues and shows.
We’d like to thank our brilliant partners, Beavertown, for their support and shared passion for our community.
As well as providing free rider beer (alcoholic and non alcoholic) to every single venue, the are also promoting a series of seven fantastic shows throughout the week
Mon 27th at The Louisiana, Bristol with headliners LICE
Tue 28th Night & Day Cafe, Manchester with headliners Opus Kink
Wed 29th Stereo, Glasgow with headliners Toya Delazy and James Massiah)
Thu 30th The Brudenell in Leeds with headliners Terrovision
Fri 31st The Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham with headliners Prima Queen
Sat 1st The Jacaranda, Liverpool with headliners Brògeal
Sun 2nd Dingwalls, London with headliners The Molotovs
With hundreds of live gigs, comedy performances, film screenings and open mic’s programmed, highlights for IVW25 include:
- BBC Radio 6 Music will celebrate IVW with a week of broadcast coverage on the “State Of Independent Venues”, including shows with Big Special at the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (27 Jan) and Låpsley and Gilles Peterson at Margate Arts Club (31 Jan)
- As well as Margate, Gilles Peterson will also embark on a tour of independent venues in Lyme Regis, St Leonards and Bedford with upcoming jazz funk band orlego.
- BBC Introducing will host special evening events at Colchester’s Three Wise Monkeys (30 Jan), The Georgian Theatre, Stockton (1 Feb) and The Grand in Clitheroe (1 Feb)
- IVW ambassador and venue owner YolanDa Brown will perform at her recently-opened venue Soul Mama in Stratford, London (1 Feb)
- IVW’s Welsh Ambassador, Gwenno, plays a one-off show at Cardiff’s award-winning Acapela Studio (29 Jan)
- IVW’s Scottish Ambassadors, rEDOLENT, winners of last year’s Scottish Album of the Year prize, perform at Dundee’s Beat Generator (2 Feb)
- IVW partners PPL will host a Q&A with Big Special at Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds (28 Jan)
- MOBO nominee Ego Ella May plays Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room as part of a Late Night Jazz series (27 Jan)
- Manchester punk band Loose Articles host a one-day event for young women and non-binary people (“Kicks Like a Girl”) at The Ferret in Preston (2nd Feb) and at The New Adelphi Club in Hull (2nd Feb) as part of a wider tour
- Bedford Esquires to host ‘Ceremony 4.5’, a new music all-dayer featuring Divorce, Cucumaras, Heartworms and more (1 Feb)
- Brixton Windmill to host a Saturday half-dayer, featuring six bands for £6 including Silverwingkiller and Mount Palomar (1 Feb)
- The hugely popular day-time disco, Day Fever, curated by Reverend & The Makers Jon McClure comes to Here at London’s Outernet (1 Feb)
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Other artists performing during the week include:
Ibibio Sound Machine, Jacob Alon, Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand, Blue Bendy, Heavy Lungs, Caoilfhionn Rose, OneDa, Lake Street Drive, The Magic Numbers, Rhoda Dakar, The Cactus Blossoms, E L U C I D, Sam Amidon, The Bug Club, Ryley Walker, Kublai Khan TX, Dirty Blonde, Lizzie Esau, Red Method, Martyn Joseph, Joshua Radin, Du Blonde, Cattle Decapitation, The Hara, Do Nothing, Dodgy, Utah Saints, Ten Fé, James Walsh, Fightmilk, Home Counties, C Duncan, KEG, The Covasettes, The Clause, Home Counties, Avalanche Party, Fyfe Dangerfield, GIRLBAND!, Tom A. Smith, TTSSFU, Daudi Matsiko and many, many more.
Please do get out to as many shows as you can and support our community all around the country. And don’t forget to share you experiences across the week by posting photos and videos online using #IVW25.
See you down the front
Sybil and the IVW Team