As anyone who has ever been backstage on the day of a gig will tell you, while talent, roadies, luck and a killer chorus all help to make for a successful set, it’s the gallons of tea that are drunk before the doors open that really keep the show on the road. IVW is therefore brewing with excitement to have Yorkshire Tea onboard as one of the partners for Independent Venue Week 2019. Senior Brand Manager Ben Newbury explains why Yorkshire Tea offered to share a cuppa with us.
Why did Yorkshire Tea get involved in IVW this year ?
There are lots of reasons why we decided to support IVW. We are an independent family business who believe in doing things properly. IVW is a fantastic initiative which champions creativity and an independent spirit. Shedding light on smaller and a diverse mix of venues encouraging people to support their local venues is to be applauded. We also love our music here at Yorkshire Tea and we’re proud to have worked with loads of tea-loving bands and venues over the years. We’re proud to be supporting Independent Venue Week this year, fuelling venues and artists with proper brews and visiting a couple of Yorkshire-based shows with our trusty Little Urn.
What have you got planned throughout the week?
We will be fuelling venues and gig-goers all around the UK during IVW 2019. As well as making sure every venue can offer a proper brew across the week, Little Urn (our sampling vehicle), will be taking to the road at the weekend visiting The Adelphi in Hull on Friday of IVW (1 February) for Novelist and then at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on the Sunday (3 February) for Thurston Moore’s show. The partnership will also see Yorkshire Tea offering VIT (Very Important Tea-drinkers) hampers for a handful of venues and artists.
For all the famous and infamous links to other drinks, anyone who has seen a touring act and crew at work will know that it is tea that keeps the show on the road, do you get a lot of rider requests?
It never ceases to amaze me on the number range of requests for tea we receive, not just from musicians! There is such a range of musicians who we believe drink Yorkshire Tea from Tinie Tempah to Arctic Monkeys.
Bag in or out before adding milk?
Bag Out definitely, make sure to let it brew for 4 mins.
Finally, if you had to pick just one song by an native Yorkshire act to sum-up your county’s outlook, what would it be and why?
There are so many great artists it’s a difficult choice… I would probably go with Pulp’s Common People. It’s such a classic tune that has a real sense of togetherness.
For more about the best brew around, please visit www.yorkshiretea.co.uk.
