Access All AreasSome 214 UK venues are taking part in Independent Venue Week (IVW), which commences today 27 January, with sites ranging in size from a 14-capacity room at The Grayston Unity in Halifax to the 3,100-capacity Troxy in East London.
This year’s IVW will see five days of programming on BBC Radio 6 Music, including an independent venue tour by Gilles Peterson, and shows from IVW ambassadors YolanDa Brown (pictured), Gwenno and rEDOLENT.
Four newly-opened venues will take part in IVW for the first time; Soul Mama and LVLS in London, KOLA in Portsmouth and The Rat & Pigeon in Manchester.
IVW has partnered with Beavertown, which is promoting a series of seven shows, and PPL which will host a Q&A with Big Special at Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds tomorrow. A full list of IVW shows and venues can be found here.
Now in its twelfth year and spanning seven days to Sunday, 2 February, IVW is designed to encourage fans to experience and support independent venues. Since 2014, more than 1 million tickets have been sold for IVW shows.
The initiative’s founder Sybil Bell 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.”