Independent Venue Week 2022: “Now more than ever, small venues need to be shouted about”
nme.comIndependent Venue Week 2022 and why it’s more important than ever to shine a spotlight on these live music spaces.Between lockdowns, last-minute cancellations, high rents, Brexit uncertainty, and the battle for meaningful government support, the last two years have seen the UK’s grassroots music scene endure unprecedented levels of instability.
As the most recent wave of coronavirus starts to recede, it’s tempting to view 2022’s Independent Venue Week as something of a victory lap for those that have endured.“Now more than ever, it’s more and more important for small venues to be shouted about,” Julian Ive of Newcastle venue The Cluny told NME.
Nevertheless, he points out, uncertainties remain. This January, he and his staff were planning for 22 gigs, but due to cancellations and postponements only seven ended up going ahead.
Recently, the UK live music sector said that more than 25 per cent of gigs have already been cancelled this year.A post shared by The Cluny (@theclunynewcastle)“We’re certainly not out of the woods yet,” said Cath Hurley, the Community Manager of new Birkenhead venue Future Yard, whose grand opening in 2020 was cancelled by the pandemic.
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