BBC Radio 6 Music to celebrate 10 years of Independent Venue Week in Birmingham

BBC Radio 6 DJ Steve Lamacq is packing up his decks and heading to Birmingham to celebrate 10 years of Independent Venue Week.

The city is one of five places being visited on a tour to mark a decade of independent music and arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them.

The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath will be hosting Steve as he calls in on Tuesday, January 31. While taking his show on the road he will be accompanied by performances from Sprints, Grove, Young Fathers, The Murder Capital and Suede.

Each set will also open with short gigs from BBC Music Introducing artists. A track from each of these supporting artists’ sets will be played out during Steve’s show the following day.

While in Birmingham, Steve’s guest will be Bristol-based producer, vocalist and DJ Grove, who joins Steve before their set at the Hare and Hounds that evening.

Steve will also play a recorded-live track from Monday’s BBC Music Introducing artist set. Adam Regan from the Hare and Hounds then joins to share the story of the venue, alongside BBC Music Introducing radio presenter Theo Johnson (BBC Radio 1Xtra, Sundays 10pm-12am), who will discuss Birmingham’s live music scene.

There’ll be another audio tour around Birmingham from a special guest tour guide, and the show will finish with recorded-live highlights from Sprints’ performance at Ramsgate Music Hall from the previous evening.

Where else will Steve Lamacq visit during Independent Venue Week?

The tour will see Steve broadcasting from a different venue in a UK town or city each day. The full schedule is: Ramsgate Music Hall (Monday 30 January), Hare and Hounds in Birmingham (Tuesday 31January), Norwich Arts Centre (Wednesday 1February), KU Stockton (Thursday 2 February) and Stereo in Glasgow (Friday 3 February). All of the artists will join Steve in conversation before performing at each of these venues.

Steve says: “Independent Venue Week has always played a vital role in helping grassroots venues at a financially perilous time of year. But it’s even more essential now, as venues try and bounce back from the COVID lockdowns and cope with the pressures of the current cost of living situation.

“But it’s also a great time to get out and see some new and emerging artists before they hit the summer festival stages. There’s a terrific variety of music on offer.

“We’ve also lined up some of our own favourite new and established acts for a week of gigs in small independent venues around the country and will be touring the UK, presenting the BBC Radio 6 Music radio show from a different location every day.”

Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music, says: “So many of 6 Music’s favourite emerging and established artists started out performing in small independent venues across the UK.

“In a post-pandemic music industry, it’s never been more important to support these venues and showcase the vital role and space they provide for musicians and fans alike.  I’m incredibly proud that Lammo is on the road for a week, across the UK, shining a light on such an integral part of our music eco-system.”

What else is happening to mark Independent Venue Week?

Steve will also be providing listeners with gig guides to other Independent Venue Week concerts happening in the UK across the week. All programmes will be available to listen to live on BBC Sounds and for 30 days after their broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Independent Venue Week will also be celebrated across BBC Radio 6 Music. Chris Hawkins (weekdays, 5-7.30am) will host weekly MySpace audio tours of venues across the UK in the run-up to Independent Venue Week.

The tours kick off with Oporto in Leeds on Monday 16January, followed by The Tunnels in Aberdeen on Monday 23 January, and finishing with YES in Manchester on Monday 30 January.

Chris will also be joined from Jay Taylor from Music Venue Trust on Wednesday 1 February to talk about the challenges faced by independent venues and what the future holds for them in 2023.

On Craig Charles’s show (weekdays, 1-4pm), there will be takeovers of Craig’s usual daily features from five eclectic independent venues across the week. On Monday, Tramshed in Cardiff will tell listeners which cover sounds better than the original, whilst Thekla in Bristol takes over the calming Zen Den on Tuesday.

Roadmender in Northampton will explain the importance of independent venues post-Covid on Wednesday and the Trunk of Punk on Thursday will be taken over by Brixton Jamm in London.

To round off the week, the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen will provide a Thank Funk It’s Friday mix. In the run-up to the celebration, independent venue Band on the Wall in Manchester join Craig on Wednesday 25^th January to share their plans for 2023.

A bit more about DJ Grove

Vocalist, DJ and producer Grove creates music combining jungle, dancehall and rave. They released their debut EP, Queer + Black, in 2021 and have collaborated with artists such as Lynks, Stanton Warriors and Scalping. Last year they played four different shows at Glastonbury Festival and joined punk duo Bob Vylan on their UK tour.

About BBC Radio 6 Music

BBC Radio 6 Music is the UK’s biggest digital radio station, with a reach of 2.47 million listeners (Rajar Q3, 2022).

BBC Radio 6 Music brings a broad range of music and culture beyond the mainstream to music lovers with a curious spirit, combining the cutting-edge music of today with the iconic, ground-breaking sounds of the past 50 years.

Presenters include: AFRODEUTSCHE, Amy Lamé, Cerys Matthews, Chris Hawkins, Craig Charles, Don Letts, Gideon Coe, Gilles Peterson, Guy Garvey, Huey Morgan, Iggy Pop, Jamz Supernova, Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Mark Radcliffe, Mary Anne Hobbs, Steve Lamacq, Stuart Maconie, The Blessed Madonna, Tom Ravenscroft and Tom Robinson. 6 Music is also home to programmes hosted by artists themselves. Jamie T, Loyle Carner, Angel Olsen, Arlo Parks, IDLES, Mykki Blanco, Perfume Genius, Father John Misty, Fontaines D.C. Phoebe Bridgers, St. Vincent, Wolf Alice and Yeah Yeah Yeahs have all presented Artist in Residence series on the network since November 2020.

About Independent Venue Week

Independent Venue Week (IVW) is the UK’s annual 7-day celebration of independent music and arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them.

During the week, independent venues come together with artists, promoters, agents, record labels and media to create a unique series of special live events across the UK to highlight the work these venues do year-round. By doing so, local communities come together and celebrate these special places with thousands of artists playing hundreds of shows in villages, towns and cities all around the UK.

Working with valued long term partners including Arts Council England and See Tickets as well as BBC Radio 6 Music as official broadcast partner, IVW is also championed by a different Ambassador every year, which have included Colin Greenwood (Radiohead), Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Nadine Shah, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg and many more.

Our 2023 Ambassadors celebrating IVW’s 10th Anniversary are Radiohead’s Philip Selway, beabadoobee, Young Fathers (Scotland) and Adwaith (Wales).

IVW allows artists, audiences and the wider music business to recognise the vital role these hundreds of independent-owned venues play in the industry and local community across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. From giving artists their first experience of performing live, fans somewhere to discover and watch their favourite artists locally, they also provide those wanting a career off-stage the chance to learn their craft in a safe and secure environment.

Independent Venue Week is a nationwide initiative with a local feel, highlighting why venues are so much more than just places for live music – they are cultural hubs for learning, creativity, arts and culture more widely connecting people in their local community of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, genders, ethnicities, skills, experiences and walks of life.

These venues, all local businesses, are the backbone of the live music scene and Independent Venue Week recognises all that they have done to create some of the most memorable nights of the past so they can continue to do the same in the future.