What a week it’s been. The 6th Independent Venue Week has been an incredible show of creativity and generosity all across the country.
From the venues and promoters that put shows on, the artists that play and the people that go to gigs, the whole country has come together to celebrate these amazing places.
The most enormous thank you goes to the tireless work of all of our official venue owners and operators, promoters, artists and gig goers who make Independent Venue Week the biggest celebration of live venues in the UK.
From those that are well-known and long established to those that opened their doors for the first time less than a month ago. And from those in city centres to those that are nestled in quiet, out of the way villages, each and every one is equally important to those that walk through their doors.
Huge thanks go to our wonderful ambassador Novelist and his equally wonderful crew, Prem and DJ Sus, for 4 incredible shows at The 100 Club, The Brudenell Social Club, The New Adelphi Club and The Square Chapel Arts as well as taking their time to be part of two workshops with young people in Hull and Halifax.
Very special thanks also go to the lovely Philip Selway from Radiohead
and the equally lovely Blue Hippo Media crew for touring the week in Philips campervan, capturing interviews and shows with venues operators, artist, promoters, crews and gig goers for our documentary Long And Winding Road.
Editing will take place over the next few months before release late spring/early summer – follow us on socials for updates. You still have the chance to be involved in the documentary through our crowdfunding campaign here.
As always, this week is only possible because of the support we receive from our fantastic partners.
Arts Council England who continue to share our vision to celebrate the importance of these spaces not just for artists but also for those who want a career in music behind the scenes as well as for the local communities they serve.
That support is also shared by Creative Scotland and Arts Council of Wales as well as For Cardiff.
Huge thanks also go to BBC Music and especially Steve Lamacq and his BBC 6 Music team who’s road trip took them on Monday to Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh, Tuesday he was at The Fulford Arms in York, The Marrs Bar in Worcester on Wednesday, Thursday it was Bedford Esquires and finally on Friday he did a very special show at The 100 Club London with the live set from The Specials. You can also hear the fantastic interview with the owner, Jeff Horton speaking to Amy Lamé.
We were also joined for the first time this year by BBC Radio 1Xtra who came to the New Adelphi Club in Hull for Novelist’s headline show supported by Chiedu and DJ Argue. You can hear that on Sir Spyro’s show this Friday at 11pm.
If you missed anything, you can catch all of the coverage on the BBC Sounds app.
All of our venues, as well as the whole IVW team, are very grateful to be fuelled for the week with a proper brew by the lovely folk at Yorkshire Tea who also joined the IVW family this year. If you were
Marshall Amplification also kept everyone refreshed with their newly launched beer and we are announcing the winners of their great prizes this week too.
Big thanks to Toyota for the loan of the fantastic C-HR to travel around the country in, with its impressive JBL sounds system and, in this weather, the very welcome heated seats.
The lovely folk at Fred Perry released some fantastic patches created in partnership with Novelist which you hopefully managed to get your hands on.
The support also comes from industry partners PRS for Music, Musicians Union, Hardwick & Morris, PPL as well as welcome new partners to the IVW family with CD Baby and Integro.
We are continuing the work with our charity partners Help Musicians UK to actively support artists on the road who may be struggling with their mental health. We are also back working with Stay Up Late to support those who need additional help going to gigs.
Independent Venue Week is so much more than just seven days of gigs. It is a truly national campaign with a local feel as we worked with over 200 venues this year all across the country from major city centres to tiny villages.
And that work will be continuing throughout the year with our venues and partners too.
Every time you go to a venue, you’re helping to support a small, local business as well as giving artists the opportunity to learn their craft.
You can also be part of our campaign Where Does Music Take You #WDMTY and start heading further afield, visiting venues in a village, town or city you’ve not been to before.
Get together with some mates, book a weekend away and check out the live music scene somewhere totally new this year.
One of the greatest things about setting up and running IVW has been visiting so many fantastic places all around the country and getting know some wonderful people. Genuine, long-lasting friendships have been made all because of live music.
Thanks again to everyone who has helped make Independent Venue Week happen.
We have some very exciting things to announce taking place across the year so keep your eyes peeled here and across our socials for more news.
Until then, we’ll see you down the front.
Sybil, Colin, Charlie Ruby
