Details for next year’s Independent Venue Week have been revealed, with the event taking place from January 23-29 2017.
Held across 120 UK venues, the seven-day-long national event, supported by Arts Council England, is designed to offer tens of thousands of fans and hundreds of artists their first experience of live music each year. With 30 new venues taking part in 2017, each will be hosting special shows throughout the week as part of the campaign. Among the new additions are the John Peel Centre in Stowmarket, Halifax’s Grayston Unity, The Bungalow in Paisley and London’s iconic Roundhouse.
Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of artists such as Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood and Frank Turner, next year’s Independent Venue Week ambassador will be The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess.
"Independent venues are where every band starts and where music fans get to see emerging talent,” Burgess said. “Without them bands would not get a chance for their all-important first hometown gigs and subsequent tours. These venues and bands need our support and the best way you can do that is by having a night out. Lots of venues are closing – we definitely need to stick together and stop this happening."
Burgess will perform live at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room on Monday, 23 January with support from Tear and Pheromoans as part of the event. Additional Independent Venue Week shows will also take place across the UK under Burgess’ Tim Peaks banner.
Other one-off shows taking place during the week will include gigs from Richard Hawley, Simian Mobile Disco, Martha Wainwright, Cabbage, Declan McKenna, Cass McCoombs, Heck, Beans on Toast, The Moonlandingz, The Carnabys, Skinny Girl Diet, Shame, Dream Wife and Goat Girl, while Sam Duckworth, formerly of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, will perform The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager in full with his new project Recreations.
There will also be a number of gigs curated by the likes of SXSW, Huw Stephens, Killimanjaro, Domino Records, Bugged Out, Springboard, a Karousel Music x SESAC Showcase, Trashmouth Records, Field Music & Independent Presents, Melting Vinyl and Juicebox Live, with more to be announced shortly.
For the third time, Independent Venue Week will be supported by Arts Council England, whose director of music, Helen Sprott, said: “We remain committed to Independent Venue Week and to highlighting the importance of grassroots venues to local communities and emerging artists across the country. Grassroots venues are critical to the health of the music industry, an invaluable circuit for new talent, making the connection between musicians and audiences everywhere. We are delighted that once again, an Arts Council England Grants for the Arts award is enabling this vital work to continue.”
Founding partners the Musicians’ Union are once again on-board to support the event, along with PRS For Music, which will tour the country in association with PPL and BASCA, staging a series of events for local music communities, including songwriting master classes, how to maximise your revenue and more. PRS for Music’s M magazine will also be curating a live show at East London’s Sebright Arms on Thursday, January 26.
