Independent Venue Week (IVW), the UK’s beloved annual celebration of independent music and arts venues and the people who own, run and work in them, returns to the UK today, Monday 27th January. Now in its 12th year, spanning seven days to Sunday 2nd February, IVW will once again unite a diverse array of venues, from intimate spaces with tiny capacities to large historic buildings, in a nationwide celebration that showcases the UK’s live music scene in all its vibrant and eclectic glory. See here for more details.
By encouraging fans to experience the joy of live events, IVW has made a major impact on the wider industry. Since 2014, more than 1million tickets have been sold for IVW shows.
This year, 214 venues will take part, hosting hundreds of shows across all genres – from reggae, R&B and spoken word, to black metal, post punk, comedy and everything in between.
Four of these venues have opened in the past 12 months: Soul Mama (Stratford, London); LVLS in Hackney, London; KOLA in Portsmouth; and The Rat & Pigeon in Manchester. Other participating venues will celebrate some significant anniversaries in 2025, such as London’s Strongroom Bar (40 years), Bedford Esquires (35 years) and The Castle, Luton (15 years).
The significance of IVW extends far beyond the seven day celebration. Independent venues are usually the first stepping stones for emerging talent, on and off stage, offering a space for artists and crew to experiment, grow, and connect with audiences. These venues also play a vital role in the cultural fabric of communities, providing not only music but a variety of artistic experiences.
As Sybil Bell, CEO and founder of Independent Venue Week said:
“If we want these special spaces to thrive, then our message to fans is very simple: tell your mates, grab some tickets, support your local scene and come out and see a show. It could just be the best night of your life.”
With hundreds of live gigs, comedy performances, film screenings and open mics programmed, there are so many highlights including the following:
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)
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) while IVW’s Welsh Ambassador, Gwenno, will play 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, will perform at Dundee’s Beat Generator (2 Feb)while MOBO nominee Ego Ella May will play at Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room as part of a Late Night Jazz series (27 Jan.)
Manchester punk band Loose Articles will host a one-day event for young women and non-binary people (“Kicks Like a Girl”) at The Ferret in Preston (1 Feb) while Bedford Esquires will host ‘Ceremony 4.5’, a new music all-dayer featuring Divorce, Cucumaras, Heartworms and more (1 Feb)
Brixton Windmill will 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 will come to Here at London’s Outernet (1 Feb)
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Click here to see who is playing in your local area
Other participating artists 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.
Sybil Bell, CEO and founder of Independent Venue Week said:
“This is now our 12th year of running Independent Venue Week, and I can’t remember a more dynamic line-up of shows across every conceivable genre. There’s been a lot of headlines recently about the lack of UK artists in the mainstream charts, but these 214 venues are showing the true depth and diversity of our music culture. All of them are absolute heroes.”
Don’t miss out! A full list of IVW shows and venues can be found at: www.independentvenueweek.com
Official supporters of IVW25 include Arts Council England, Beavertown, PPL, Rockbox and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
