Independent Venue Week 2024 is kicking off today, with hundreds of gigs planned across more than 200 independent venues in the UK. The initiative, now in its 11th year, aims to encourage fans to support their local grassroots venues. Spoken word and hip-hop artist Antony Szmierek has written a poem for the occasion, describing independent venues as “the bedrock of our culture”. Meanwhile, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq will present their BBC 6 Music shows from a different grassroots venue every day throughout the week.
The event comes after a year in which the UK music industry suffered significant losses, with 125 venues closing permanently and more than half abandoning live music altogether. Mark Davyd, CEO of the Music Venue Trust, described the situation as a “disaster”. Davyd called for the big companies in the industry to take responsibility for the closures, and for a potential levy on arena and stadium tickets to be invested back into grassroots music venues.
Despite the challenges, there is hope for the future of UK music venues. Scotland is “seriously considering” a £1 levy on tickets to stadiums and arenas, and bands like Enter Shikari have demonstrated that it is possible to support grassroots venues without placing extra costs on fans. Independent Venue Week 2024 is an opportunity for music lovers to reconnect with the joy of live music, while also supporting the venues that make it possible.
Fans can find the full list of gigs for Independent Venue Week 2024 on the initiative’s website, which features established names as well as up-and-coming artists. Independent Venue Week founder Sybil Bell hopes that the celebration will encourage people to “use [independent venues]… [and] support their local venue” before they lose them
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