Independent Venue Week (IVW) is the UK’s annual 7-day celebration of independent music & arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them.
Over 200 independent venues take part in our annual Celebration and the number keeps growing every year. No matter where you are in the U.K., there is an independent venue nearby ready to welcome you.
Whatever your tastes or preferences, there is something for every one at independent venues. The same can be said for Independent Venue Week…
We live in an era of lockdown crafted, post-pandemic albums. With live performance taken out of the equation, in that dark period between 2020 and late 2021, musicians had to get creative. And get creative they did. Stripped of the ability to perform with their respective bands, Baz Warne (The Stranglers), Paul Gray (The Damned), Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC) and Marty Love (Johnny Moped) joined together digitally and formed Wingmen; a musical union that somehow manages to sound like the sum of all of those legendary bands, yet also nothing like them. Say hello to Wingmen, a band formed in extraordinary circumstances.
Early James music is the sound of an artist sublimely out of step with the world. With all the charmed eccentricity of a true poet, the Alabama-bred singer/songwriter takes in the endless absurdity he sees around him, then alchemizes his unease into a glorious patchwork of musical idioms: forsaken dark blues and contemplative jazzy folk songs, Western country tango’s, brooding murder ballads and lovestruck piano tunes.
This is Early James first ever tour here & he will be accompanied by Adrian Marmolejo on upright bass. Its one to tell everybody that you saw him first!!
Aaron Duff is an artist who works under the name ‘Hector Gannet’, both solo and with his band. Based in North Shields on Tyneside, Hector Gannet began to draw attention after Aaron wrote music in 2018 to accompany vintage footage of his native north east and its heritage, as part of a live music project for the BFI. These small arts venue shows sold out, and led to a UK tour with fellow Shieldsman and double Brit Award winner Sam Fender in 2019/20. Further support slots came for the band with Sea Power in England and Scotland, The Felice Brothers and Lanterns on The Lake, and this eventually led (after the pandemic) to a headline tour of the UK after the release of debut album ‘Big Harcar’ (named after a small island off the coast of England) in Oct 2020.
“He’s a F*cking great songwriter” – Sam Fender
The Vapors are a new wave band who formed in 1978. Discovered by Bruce Foxton of The Jam (who went on to be their co-manager with John Weller), The Vapors released the classic singles Turning Japanese, News at Ten, Jimmie Jones, Prisoners, Waiting for the Weekend, Spiders and two LP’s Magnets and New Clear Days before splitting in 1982.
Since re-forming the band in 2016, The Vapors have toured to enthusiastic crowds and have supported The Skids, Stiff Little Fingers and From The Jam amongst others. 39 years after their last LP, The Vapors released a new LP Together in 2020 and have an incredible new single Novocaine out now.
Banderwolf raises money for local charities through incredible nights of live music. This is an all-day event, with some of the best local bands and solo artists in the North East, with all profits going to www.thecoalition.org.uk. Confirmed so far: This Ground Moves, Paper Boats, Hot Mess, Adrian Scarlett, The Dead Rabbits, Lockheed Lindsay, Simon Taylor, Jenny Lascelles, Ian Briedis & more tbc…
“Hypnotic Brass presents… featuring original Sousaphonist “Tuba Tzzle” plus notable guest performing artists, this showcase will be nothing like fans have seen before!”
HBE are seven brothers from the south side of Chicago. Together they have toured throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and South America playing with everyone from Prince, Mos Def , Mick Jones (The Clash) and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz). They’ve performed Coachella, WOMAD AU, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. The documentary film Brothers Hypnotic, explores their music, work ethic, life and experience of being raised by their jazz legend father Phil Cohran. After screening in major cities and festivals, it aired on PBS. Their song, “War” was featured in the blockbuster hit movie, Hunger Games.
The Family Rain, three brothers from Bath, are firing out a series of visceral, chaotic and heavy singles, with the latest being ‘Death in Slow Motion’, that was released in October 2021. The band’s kinetic, hard rock, energy – which has been simmering below the surface – is erupting. As the latter part of 2019 saw them working with Grammy nominated producer, and long-time collaborator, Tom Dalgety (Royal Blood, Pixies, Ghost.) The singles have been backed by some raucous live shows throughout the UK.
Described as having one of the smoothest voices in Nottingham, Remy CB and his band will be bringing heartfelt alt-pop to The Cluny for his debut show in Newcastle. With a brand new single on the way it’s certainly a show you won’t want to miss!
With the release of Heavy Elevator in September 2021, Edinburgh-based Hawk established himself as a writer of heartfelt, headstrong, unashamedly literate songs to stimulate both pulse and psyche. Heavy Elevator offered words to savour and tunes to relish. The songs were filmic and romantic, blending wit, wisdom, resignation and beauty with a kind of sceptical joie de vivre, delivered in a rich baritone that has drawn comparisons to everyone from Jarvis Cocker to Scott Walker. A singer of style and guile peddling accessible intelligence: what’s not to love?Heavy Elevator established a powerful artistic imprimatur which nonetheless felt neither defining nor confining. While the album has been justly lauded, Hawk’s next steps have moved the story considerably further forward. Angel Numbers meets growing expectations head on, with panache and aplomb. More on which shortly. But first, how did we all get here?
Francis of Delirium is the alliance of two generations operating in the service of a certain vision of rock. One half of the band is Vancouver born Jana Bahrich, 19, who sings, writes songs and plays guitar with a fascination for 90s grunge – an era that she didn’t experience herself, but feels strongly connected to. Accompanying her on drums is Chris Hewett, a Seattle expat 30 years her senior. The Luxembourg-based duo formed after Jana became friends with some of her classmates, who played in a family band with their father: Chris. Their partnership can seem unusual, but it definitely makes sense, with both being creatively influenced by the grunge movement (especially Nirvana and Pearl Jam).
With a rawness that owes influence to the North East coast they call home, Pit Pony are a caustic, fuzz-rock five-piece from Tyneside.
Since debut ‘Osaka’ hit the BBC 6 Music Playlist in 2019, Pit Pony have released a string of singles, all hitting the national airwaves. Following the sell out release of their first 7” ‘Hard Rainfall’, the band spent the various lockdowns of 2020/21 writing a host of new material.
In 2022 they released their debut album ‘World To Me’ on Clue Records (home to Bored At My Grandmas House, YOWL, The Wedding Present). It received rave reviews and many plaudits from press and radio.
Forming her passions at a young age, and having penned her thoughts to songs for over a decade, Lizzie’s desire to express herself through music hasn’t faded. Finding influence in Wolf Alice, Beabadoobee, and Radiohead, she’s keen to blow the lid off any one sonic box. Now 22 years old, Esau has taken the industry by storm in 2022.
Inspired by legendary artists like Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, and Bob Dylan, George O’Hanlon brings his own fiercely personal approach to storytelling on his brand new EP. This body of work demonstrates the years of hard work and intense attention to detail that went into creating these songs from the ground up.
ZZ Topped are coming to The Cluny, Newcastle on Saturday the 4th of February! Known as being the UK’s No.1 Tribute to the Texas legends, this two hour show is the closest thing you’ll see and hear to the real thing! With Costume changes, spinning guitars and authentic stage props, you can expect all the classics!
Renegade Brass Band, hailing from the northern English city of Sheffield, combine 8 horns, 2 percussionists, a scratch DJ and live MC, to form a raw brass mixture of Jazz, Hip-Hop and Funk in their unstoppable, high-energy live shows.
Having played packed out gigs at venues around the UK, and alongside artists including De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy & Busta Rhymes, and at festivals including Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Soundwave Croatia & Boomtown, Renegade Brass Band have established themselves as the country’s premiere hip-hop brass band outfit.
Spike is the founder and front man of The Quireboys – one of the UK’s most enduring rock ‘n’ roll bands. A band that’s been through different chapters and had different line-ups, but Spike is the constant throughout. Song writer, singer and leader of a band with which he has now become synonymous. With lifelong friend Guy Bailey, Spike penned the benchmark Quireboys songs – such as Hey You, I Don’t Love You Any More and 7 O’Clock – tracks which have defined the band musically for decades and, to this day, remain the hallmark songs of any Quireboys show.
Spike has also had a succession of critically acclaimed solo records and treasured collaborations. Music is Spike’s lifeblood. Always has been and always will be. But buy him a few glasses of his favourite red wine and he’ll freely admit family and Newcastle United come a very close second.
With special guest Chris Hellman.
In October 2022, Chrissie Hynde embarked on a short tour playing working men’s clubs and ale houses. The tour was received with rapturous response and the shows were a very special opportunity to see a legend play new songs and personal favourites in exceptionally intimate settings.
She enjoyed it so much she’s doing it again this February… with these shows as part of Independent Venue Week.
“No hits,” she cautions of the shows “… well, maybe a few”.
When Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye make music as Jockstrap, the process and result has one definition: pure modern pop alchemy. Meeting in 2016 when they shared the same com- position class while studying at London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Ellery and Skye founded Jockstrap as a creative outlet for their rapidly-developing tastes. While Ellery had moved from Cornwall to the English capital to study jazz violin, Skye arrived from Leicester to study music production. Both were delving deep into the varied worlds of mainstream pop, EDM and post-dubstep (made by the likes of James Blake and Skrillex), as well as classical composition, ‘50s jazz and ‘60s folk singer-songwriters. The influence of the club and a dancier focus, which was hinted at on previous releases, now scorches through their new material like wildfire. Take the thumping, distorted breakbeats of ‘50/50’ –inspired by the murky quality of YouTube mp3 rips –as well as the sparkling synth eruptions of ‘Concrete Over Water’, as early evidence of where Jockstrap are heading next.
Millie Manders and The Shutup create cross-genre punk that is hard to ignore. With lyricism that pokes fun, draws you in or leaves you questioning social norms teamed with incredible vocal dexterity, grinding guitars, irresistible horn hooks and a pumping rhythm section, the Millie Manders Music Machine churns out more raw punk fusion than you can shake a stick at, with a huge amount of Pop appeal.
Founder of the sub genre ‘Fuck-you Soul’, Kate Bond is a Yorkshire girl, born and bred in Bradford, whose musical influence comes from her punk-rocker mum and Jazz musician dad. Growing up she always wanted to be a singer, so much so she often dressed up as Lady Gaga on non-uniform days and performed emotional renditions of poker face at the local fait.
“When I heard this song, it stopped me in my tracks. Absolute top tier!”- Gemma Bradley, BBC Radio 1 (Beauty Sleep by Kate Bond)
“Such a powerful tune”- Emily Pilbeam, BBC Radio 6 music (Yasmine by Kate Bond)
“What a bloody banger”- her mum
In 1991 Acid Reign left an ailing UK thrash scene with a final show at the London Marquee. They toured with the likes of Nuclear Assault, Dark Angel, Exodus, Flotsam & Jetsam, Death Angel, and Candlemass. During this time they put out two full length albums namely The Fear and Obnoxious following on from their Mini Album debut in 1988, Moshkinstein. A final compilation “The Worst Of Acid Reign” was released and their brief but highly productive career came to an end.
Then in September 2019 the band released their first full length album for 29 years “The Age Of Entitlement” to critical and fan acclaim alike. With what some are calling their best album to date they are all set to reign again.
Shayfer James weaves lyrically eloquent gothic landscapes that evoke the gauzy, sweaty sexuality of gulf-coast barrooms and the fantastical, narcotic mysticism of a Lewis Carroll-inspired three-ring circus. His piano driven music swaggers from dark danceable anthems to harrowing ballads with jazz lilted satire and whiskey-dirt grit. Inspired by horror films, Southern Gothic literature, Outlaw Country, Motown, and Golden Era composers.
