More about: Independent Music WeekOportoTV
Looking back on Independent Venue Week!
Today we once again take a look at the brilliance and the beauty of the many independent music venues in the United Kingdom, for they deserve our support every day - and now of course, more than ever. In ordinary times, the final week of January would have seen a physical celebration of these places of musical worship through Independent Venue Week. This year, it was all digital, but that doesn't mean that these places aren't still living, breathing places standing in wait.
Here, we teamed up with Independent Venue Week to meet some of the country's unique venues.
The smallest - Grayston Unity Pub, Halifax
Venue name: The Grayston Unity
Owner/manager name: Michael Ainsworth
Venue USP: UK’s smallest venue
Capacity: 18
Number of toilets: 1
Memorable shows: Jeffrey Lewis, Michael Chapman, Nadine Shah, The Burning Hell, Daniel Knox, Jim Ghedi
How have you coped with lockdown? We’ve struggled like everyone else with lockdown, but due to our tiny size when we were allowed to reopen it was challenging with a much reduced capacity and regular inspections. Luckily for us, we were successful in getting Arts Council funding and that has saved us in the short/medium term.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? It means a community where people can listen to music, have a drink, meet new friends & catch up with old ones.
The biggest: Troxy, East London
Venue name: Troxy
Owner/manager name: Simon Eaton
Venue USP: UK's biggest venue. A Grade II listed 30s Art Deco former cinema in the heart of London’s East End
Capacity: 3,100
Number of toilets: LOADS!
Memorable shows: So many; New Order, Pattie Smith, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The The, Robbie Williams, Bonobo, Biffy Clyro, The Specials, Jarvis Cocker, Garbage, Ricky Gervais, London Grammar, Kano...the list goes on!
How have you coped with lockdown? Make no doubt, it’s been brutal. We’ve had to weather the storm as best we can, just the same as everyone else...but we've been working behind the scenes to get us ready for when we can get the doors open again. We're also getting started on some exciting developments to the space which will improve the gig experience and also make the venue more accessible for artists.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? The spirit of independence is in our DNA and at the heart of everything we do. As one of the last remaining large scale independents, we are pleased to work alongside our indie peers to keep this vital part of the industry going. More than anything by remaining independent we offer an alternative to artists not wanting to follow the corporate-sponsored identikit venue route as well as their fans by giving them somewhere different to see their favourite acts. Many of us, including the Troxy team, are also protecting important buildings, where future generations will make their musical memories.
The one with best-named pet (Waylon Slithers the snake): Oporto, Leeds
Venue name: Oporto
Owner/manager name: Nick Simcock
Venue USP: The best since 1996, from gigs to late night antics. And the one with the best-named pet: a snake called Waylon Slithers.
Capacity: 200 (120 live room)
Number of toilets: 5 (on a good day)
Memorable shows: Michael Kiwanuka’s first tour for £50 and some whisky, Yungblud covering everyone in beer and sweat headlining the BBC Introducing Stage for Live at Leeds. Strange Bones killing the disco ball with too much crowd surfing.
How have you coped with lockdown? We got busy & created merch, #OportoTV live streams, vegan takeaway & more. It’s not quite the same but if it helps people (and us) get through this then it’s what we’ll keep doing.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? They’re our homes. Somewhere you can hang out with like minded people, escape from work/life/whatever irks & tear it up a little, or just chew the fat over a delicious frosty beverage and listen to some great music.
The most northern: Mad Hatters, Inverness
Venue name: Mad Hatters
Owner: Kit Fraser
Venue USP: UK's most northerly venue. Mad Hatters is on the first floor of Hootananny in Inverness: we provide an alternative venue every weekend giving a stage to emerging and touring acts since 2004!
Capacity: 100
Number of toilets: 4
Memorable shows: Mumford and Sons, Jake Bugg, Tom Walker, Sam Fender & Tamzene.
How have you coped with lockdown? We have unfortunately been unable to operate as a music venue since March 2020. However, we are looking at doing a monthly streaming every following on from our involvement in IVW.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? We are extremely proud of the legacy of our venue and hope to soon again fly the flag for alternative and emerging music in the North of Scotland!
The most southern: The Old Bakery, Cornwall
Venue name: The Old Bakery, Truro
Owner/manager name: Mrs Catherine King
Venue USP: Most southern IVW venue
Capacity: 370
Number of toilets: 5
Memorable shows: Independent Venue Week Indie Nights 2019 & 2018! Gwenno, Sam Fender, Nerina Pallot, The John Martyn Project, Mad Dog McRea, Slow Readers Club, William The Conqueror, Martin Harley, Wille and the Bandits, and so much more!
How have you coped with lockdown as a venue? We turned our attention to the Art’s Council Cultural Recovery Fund bid and were successful. To keep us all working together and our freelance community in work we have created Old Bakery Television (OBTV), a magazine format TV show showcase celebrating music art and culture from The Old Bakery and from across Cornwall.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? It has been thrilling to have been able to bring some much needed excitement to Truro over the last 4 years. It is incredible fun to run - pulling off events and parties, and shows where huge audiences leave beaming and exclaiming ’best gig ever!’
The oldest: The Grand (established 1900), South London
Venue name: The Clapham Grand
Owner/Manager name: Ally Wolf
Venue USP: UK’s oldest venue - a Palace of modern variety - from drag to comedy, live music, club nights, white-collar boxing, movie nights and so much more!
Capacity: Post Covid: 1,950. During Covid: 380
Number of toilets: 5
Memorable shows: Oasis (way back in the day), Charlie Chaplin (way way way back in the day), Rag N Bone Man (when he won best newcomer at Brits), Frank Turner (the first ever Government endorsed live pilot show).
How have you coped with lockdown as a venue? The team saw this as both a challenge and an opportunity, vowing to work on a strategy to keep the venue open while also pushing ahead developments for the future of the venue. The venue had to innovate revenue streams and crowdfund its way through 2020. The Grand also secured an emergency Arts Council grant in October.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? It means the world to me. I started out flyering for an independent venue, which I then went on to DJ, promote, book and manage. Since then I’ve only work in independent venues or music, managing bands, touring across independent venues around the world, and no booking, producing and managing one of London’s biggest and oldest independent venue’s The Clapham Grand. Independent venues give a sense of freedom to creativity, and an huge learning opportunity and a platform for people cross all forms of roles to discover, nurture and grow their skills.
The newest: Future Yard (established 2020), Birkenhead
Venue name: Future Yard
Owner/manager name: Matt Hogarth
Venue USP: UK’s newest venue. We're working to be the first carbon-neutral venue in the country!
Capacity: 350
Number of toilets: 7
Memorable shows: Well having opened amidst the pandemic we've only been able to host one show to the public - but it was pretty special. We had She Drew The Gun christen the room and to see such a boss band from only round the corner play to actual humans in a space we'd built was pretty emotional.
How have you coped with lockdown? We’ve not known anything different at this point, unfortunately. I suppose it's looking at how we can adapt and become better. It's a good time to concentrate on how you can make the most special environment and community possible. The thing that spurs us on more than anything is that if we can run a venue during these times nothing will be able to stop us once everything is back to normal. We have been lucky enough to be able to record a number of live streams which have kept us busy!
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? I honestly don't know where and how I'd be without independent venues. They are the spaces that I grew up in, where I met my best friends, and put my first gigs on. Independent venues provide a space for artists and young promoters alike to make mistakes in a safe environment, to develop and become the best they possibly can be. Without independent venues, music in this country would be an entirely less exciting prospect...Future Yard itself is perhaps the thing I'm most passionate about in my life.
The most western: Bogans Bar, Omagh NI
Venue name: Bogans Bar
Owner/manager name: Andrew Bogan
Venue USP: Most westernly.
Capacity: 200
Number of toilets: 6
Memorable shows: Dick Valentine (of Electric Six fame), Eric Bell (of Thin Lizzy fame), Henry McCullough (of Paul McCarthy & Wings fame), Godfather of Ulster Punk Terri Hooley DJ events...
How have you coped with lockdown? As a venue over lockdown, we decided to put the safety of our staff and customers first, so we closed ahead of the lockdowns before Christmas. But since the very first lockdown in March 2020 we decided to stay busy on our social media channels, with posts involving 20/30 year old photos and previous years events with videos etc
The most eastern: The John Peel Centre, Suffolk
Venue name: John Peel Centre
Owner/manager name: Patsy Cane (General Manager)
Venue USP: Most easterly. Like the eponymous BBC Radio 1 DJ, the John Peel Centre aims to provide a platform for new music from unlikely sources, as well as to enable and encourage wider enjoyment of, and participation in, the arts. As well as bringing high-quality and high-profile acts to the local area, the John Peel Centre aims to provide a space for the community to come together, to explore their creativity, and to have a chance to have their own art seen, heard, and enjoyed.
Capacity: 200 (standing)
Number of toilets: Male: 1 block, 1 WC, urinals; Female: 1 block, 4 WCs; Disabled: 1 block, 1 WC
Memorable shows: Half Man Half Biscuit, The Undertones, Kursk, The Wedding Present, Newton Faulkner, Cabbage, Classic Album Sunday with Jarvis Cocker - amongst many others!
How have you coped with lockdown as a venue? Like so many other arts and cultural venues across the country, the John Peel Centre has been impacted badly by COVID-19, and for the safety of the community, we have been closed throughout the pandemic. During normal times, we see these as an integral part of building community within Stowmarket and the wider area of Mid Suffolk. Looking forward, we are planning on investing more into livestreaming and digital content as we adapt to the changing landscape for live entertainment, but also in the hope that we can make live art and music more accessible to a wider audience.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? As a non-profit, Community Interest Company, the John Peel Centre’s priority is building community and encouraging participation in the arts. We think of ourselves as more than an arts venue; we think of ourselves as a cultural hub – an inclusive space where anyone is welcome to come and explore their creativity...we believe that independent arts venues like ours are essential to the sustained wellbeing of local communities, and to the economic and cultural vibrancy of our towns and cities.
The one that's also a church: Union Chapel, North London
Venue name: Union Chapel
Owner/manager name: Union Chapel Project is the overarching charity, who’s CEO is Michael Chandler
Venue USP: The chapel is a 200-year-old Grade I & II Gothic gem, made specifically for music – the acoustics are therefore stunning. It is also a charity.
Capacity: 900 full capacity. 240 social-distanced
Number of toilets: 20
Memorable shows: Too many to mention - Elton John, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie tribute, Little Noise Sessions, to more recently Liam Gallagher and Jorja Smith. During lockdown, we were proud to host the UK’s first ticketed livestream performance, a stunning performance from Laura Marling. Since then, we’ve held recorded performances from Celeste, Arlo Parks, Russell Watson….
How have you coped with lockdown? Among many other things, when Covid-19 struck and the venue closed, Union Chapel immediately sprang into action becoming part of the UK’s first Covid taskforce for homelessness.
What does your venue, and independent venues as a whole, mean to you? Independent venues are the lifeblood of the music and performance industry...Union Chapel, to me, exemplifies all an arts organisation can and should be – both a place that provides inspiration and enjoyment, a platform for artists, a place that great culture can grow and be enjoyed, but also a space working hard to benefit, empower and inspire our communities. Union Chapel is a space where culture, community, social justice and heritage come together, in union.
More about: Independent Music WeekOportoTV
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