The enduring spirit of live music is in the hands of our venues

Providing a much-needed bolster of good news within a sea of headlines that can often feel doomed from the start, the initiative acts as both a ray of positivity and a call to action: proof that the love and support for these most pivotal places is as strong as ever and - most importantly - that people are making tangible efforts and constantly creating new ways to keep them alive.

2025’s IVW event - taking place this week across 214 venues up and down the UK, from the teeny 14-capacity Grayston Unity in Halifax to London’s 3,100-capacity Troxy - has seen hundreds of gigs spanning every corner of the genre spectrum. From pop to hip-hop, alternative, jazz, soul, ska, reggae, spoken word and more, the remit is purposefully and intentionally wide: a reflection of the broad and brilliant scope of the country’s creative scene as a whole.

Alongside comedy nights, ‘in conversation’ talks and documentary screenings, for the first time venues are also being encouraged to host open-mic events: a direct nod to the importance of these independently-run spaces in giving artists their first shot at performing on stage. For IVW CEO and founder Sybil Bell, it’s not just about providing these inaugural opportunities for the people in front of the mic, either: “It’s also important to think about the talent pipeline of people who want to work in the industry behind the scenes: sound and lighting engineers, tour managers, front of house staff and road crew, they all start out in these spaces,” Bell tells me. “If you don’t know anyone in the industry, how do you get a foot in the door? At an independent venue, you can start to build up your own ecosystem and that’s true for so many people who are now leading companies and thriving. These venues are a talent pipeline for the industry as a whole and it’s so important that we recognise that.”

Many of the places celebrating significant milestones this year are a testament to this sense of community. London’s Strongroom Bar – who are hosting a trio of gigs from post-punk outfit Yowl, indie-rock quartet Fightmilk and queer DIY punks Forrest Flowers – will be raising a glass to their fortieth year in 2025. Not just a venue, the space sits at the heart of East London’s music community, with the building also encompassing a series of music studios and the bar a revolving door for creatives and artists alike. Bedford Esquires will turn 35 this year and, in its tenure, has become one of the UK’s most beloved and on-the-pulse small venues. Their history reads like a who’s who of music A-Listers, having hosted everyone from Coldplay to Wolf Alice, Biffy Clyro, George Ezra, Muse and even Lizzo in their early days. Coming into its fifteenth year, meanwhile, The Castle in Luton has become an integral fixture in the local scene, with club nights and a resident tattoo studio alongside its many gig offerings.

This year’s IVW artist ambassador for Wales, Mercury Prize-shortlisted musician Gwenno Saunders, puts the importance of these local spaces neatly: “There is nothing more magical than playing in a small room, run by people local to that community, attended by people who really care about music," says Saunders. "It was the only way to get going when I started; completely integral to working out what you were doing, and a way of meeting other like-minded music fans too.”

With the costs surrounding touring becoming increasingly prohibitive for new artists, Bell adds how having easily-accessible spaces can make the difference between artists growing or falling between the cracks: “The whole music ecosystem is struggling and getting out on the road is becoming harder, which really does lend itself to developing a stronger local cultural scene. A lot of people can’t get to a gig in their nearest town because there’s no transport to get there and back, so what’s important is these spaces in their local community that are nurturing talent and able to provide somewhere for it to come learn its craft,. Talent exists all round this country; it’s on us as an industry to unlock it.”

Of course, as has been widely publicised, it’s the venues themselves that are also struggling. It was reported in Parliament last week that, in 2024, one grassroots venue closed every fortnight, while the entire live music economy has been repeatedly hit from multiple sides, hugely affected by - among other things - growing costs for artists and the rising cost of living for gig-goers. Sitting alongside IVW, in spring the Independent Venue Community will formally launch as a charity, its MO to help boost the reciprocal relationship between these spaces and the people they serve in tangible and ground-level ways.

Encouraging venues to open up their spaces in the day time to host programmes aimed at a diverse and inclusive cross-section of the community, including groups for early years, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ participants, the idea is one that works in both ways: the venue becomes an even more integral part of the social ecosystem, whilst simultaneously getting more people through the door. “We work with industry experts to create programmes to run in these venues when they’re very often closed, bringing people into a creative hub to learn and develop skills, come together and support each other,” explains Bell. “With the loss of so many youth clubs and community centres, why not use these spaces that are empty during the day for creative nurturing and talent development?”

With programmes aimed to “help build that next talent pipeline for the creative industries as a whole, from music to photography to filming and engineering”, the project has been in the works for the last decade and will launch with a “modest pilot” where young people can attend soundchecks and take part in question and answer sessions. “They can talk to the artists and the crew and venue staff to understand how the show works and who’s involved and give them a sense of what makes a show happen,” says Bell. “People might think that the music industry is the Brits and big record labels, but there’s so much more to it.”

Also entering the IVW family for 2025 are five newly-opened venues: Soul Mama in Stratford (run by jazz saxophonist and IVW artist ambassador Yolanda Brown), LVLS in Hackney Wick, KOLA in Portsmouth, Papillon in Southampton and The Rat & Pigeon in Manchester. Ranging in size from 80 to 450-capacity, what unites these new spaces is an excitement at providing a new destination to bolster their local scene. “Hackney Wick has a long creative history - from warehouse parties to street art, it’s truly an amazingly creative area that just seemed to be lacking a great music venue for full band shows,” explains LVLS’ Izaak Rushton. “The hope is to build a versatile space that will attract slightly more established touring acts and allow newer acts to get some great support slots. We’ve also made the bar spaces appealing in the hope that we can attract more locals in and encourage them to check out new music taking place in the basement venue.”

For Sam Foster of The Rat & Pigeon, working hand in hand with the people around them has been instrumental in helping to get the venue off the ground. “Something that we honestly believe has helped spur us on is cultivating meaningful relationships with people who care about the same things as we do," says Foster. "In Manchester we’re spoiled for people who want to get out there and make things happen. We’ve met so many great people who can see what it is we’re doing here and have bought into what we stand for,” he enthuses.

“As an intimate 80-capacity venue, we often find we’re at the forefront of grassroots music, with a real emphasis on creating opportunities and nurturing talents. We’re also utilising the traditionally quieter days to work with promoters and creatives just starting out in the business. It may sound a little audacious now but we’re actively working to get ourselves to the stage where we have a thriving, diverse, fun and engaging programme that runs seven days a week.”

Tom Dyer and Alice Frith, the people behind both Papillon - which launched in 2023 - and the just-opened KOLA have history in establishing independent venues, having started Southampton’s 100-cap Heartbreakers in 2017. The key, they suggest, is to embrace the diversity of your crowd. “It’s harder than ever to get people to come and spend money week after week, so we have to work really hard on programming the spaces to work for a wide audience,” says Dyer. By way of example, Papillon’s upcoming schedule ranges from breakthrough punks Lambrini Girls to Mercury-nominated jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie to The Craig Charles Funk and Soul House Party.

There’s still a long, long way to go until our independent venues feel fully safe and exempt from pressure but, as this year’s Independent Venue Week - and now Independent Venue Community - shows, there are also a huge amount of people putting a huge amount of time and effort into trying to further the cause, inch by inch. Following her IVW show at the Royal Albert Hall’s prestigious Elgar Room, we’ll leave the last word to London jazz star Ego Ella May: “People should go out and support these spaces because these venues are literally keeping live music going. They work hard, often for little-to-no profit, to provide spaces where people can enjoy live music. It doesn’t matter about status; it’s about showing support to artists and helping where they can. And I think it’s important to show respect to that!”