Independent Venue Week: What It Means

I went to my first gig at the age of 10, I'm not proud to say that it was McFly in Portsmouth Guildhall, but it was my first gig nonetheless. From then on it has improved (a lot!) and this article is about that but more importantly it's about my love affair with music and more specifically music venues.
My first real gig in a proper venue was Tribes in 2012; a fantastic indie rock band whose début album 'Baby' is still one of my favourites in my music library but have unfortunately petered out of existence. The gig was in a venue in Portsmouth called The Wedgewood Rooms, a venue very close to my heart as its the venue at which I've seen the most bands. I guess that explains why Independent Venue Week is something I care a lot about - all the best shows I've been too have been at independent venues such as The Wedge.

The Wedgewood Rooms

Indpendent venues also played a particular role for me last year because 2015 was the year I saw 100 bands live. A hell of a lot of those 100 bands where at independent venues including The Wedge, The Joiners, Clwb Ifor Bach and The Railway Inn. To me these gigs are the most special; small intimate shows, close to the act, close to the action.

Frank Turner @ The Railway Inn

The thing that sets these venues apart from your Guildhalls and Arenas and the such like is their individuality. Each venue as a special air to it, you walk in and suddenly all those past gigs come flooding back, gigs that no matter how many times you see the band, they were so much better in that venue.

Modern Baseball @ The Joiners Southampton

This is why Independent Venue Week is so important, it highlights the grass roots of the music industry. That's what we're talking about here small independent venues are the corner stone of live music, without them all your favourite bands, the most popular bands would not exist. We'd exist in a horrible world of X-factor winners and boring pop and no one wants that.

The Wytches @ Clwb Ifor Bach

This why I urge you, find your local venue and see what's going on this week, you never know you might enjoy it.
- Luke

Independent Venue Week: Gwdihw Cafe

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