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Teesside – Middlesbrough, Stockton and Billingham

10 March 2020

Hard work pays, just ask promoters and venue operators of Teesside. Once seen as lost zone sandwiched between Newcastle and Leeds, the area is now reaping the rewards of years of steady growth in its emerging act scene with major investment in live music at all levels. Allan Glen reports…

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Swansea

14 February 2020

With two major cities on the journey to reach it from the Bristol channel, Swansea has often struggled to attract the top names. But a new concert hall and major local authority investment in the area is opening up the market, and its venue operators and local promoters are ready….

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Edinburgh

16 January 2020

From the largest theatre in the UK to a stunning castle, local and UK-wide promoters have access to a wide range of venues, and plans for an indoor arena likely to elevate Edinburgh to another musical level. Allan Glen reports It has always been a curious anomaly that Edinburgh, home…

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Highlands and Islands

6 December 2019

Enchanting and dramatic landscapes, enthusiastic audiences, especially warm hospitality – the Highlands and Islands have them all. The only potential obstacle is their location. But there are rewards for those artistes who make the effort to venture there, as Allan Glen reports. Operating in an area covering the size of…

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Liverpool

18 November 2019

It must be the best-known music city in the world and although it’s faced a few challenges these past couple of years, the launch of a Music Board has given promoters and venue operators a new skip in their step, as Allan Glen reports As befits a city whose musical…

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Glasgow

22 October 2019

From new festivals to emerging artistes, the city that spawned acts such as Simple Minds, Primal Scream, Texas, Lewis Capaldi and Gerry Cinnamon is buzzing with energy and as one promoter and venue owner puts it, ‘resting on your laurels is not an option, you have to keep evolving’. Allan…

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Dundee

25 September 2019

The birthplace of Scotland’s leading promoter DF Concerts, not to mention acts such as Average White Band, Deacon Blue and Snow Patrol, the city has faced a few challenges in recent years, but its promoters and venue operators knows how to fight back and keep its music scene buzzing, as…

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Oxford

27 August 2019

From Ride to Radiohead, Supergrass to Foals, Oxford’s musical legacy is assured. Despite the closure of popular city-centre venue The Cellar, its promoters aren’t in mourning, they are finding alternatives and even expanding the number of music events they stage. Allan Glen reports While the loss earlier this year of…

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Coventry

24 July 2019

With a stadium. arena, theatres, clubs and festivals, not to mention being UK City of Culture in 2021, Coventry is fast becoming the music city its promoters know it can be and there’s a growing a sense of optimism and anticipation at all levels. Allan Glen reports. With its year-long…

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Bristol

25 June 2019

From club gigs to outdoor events and stadium shows Bristol remains one of the south west’s most vibrant cities for live music. Even the temporary closure of two venues can’t dampen local promoters’ enthusiasm, and there’s even an arena in the pipeline. Allan Glen reports  It may still be waiting…

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Leicester

20 May 2019

While there have been no stadium events in Leicester since Kasabian played Leicester City’s ground in 2016, promoters have been quietly working together to build a vibrant music scene and compete with its more dominant neighbours Birmingham and Nottingham. And they all speak of a hoist of new talent emerging. …

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Birmingham

12 April 2019

Although widely known as the home of rock, Birmingham has also produced acts as diverse as Duran Duran, and UB40. So with investment pouring into live music in the  area, what next for Britain’s second largest city? Allan Glen reports Even for a city the size of Birmingham, when a…

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Southampton

18 March 2019

While the city has taken a knock with the collapse of Common People festival, the optimism among local promoters remains high, with new events planned and some venues reporting a record year. Some see the city as potentially rivalling Brighton for music content. Allan Glen reports While it never does…

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Leeds

23 January 2019

From the city’s largest venues to some of the smallest, there seems to be an enthusiasm for what this new year will bring, both in terms of successful events and new talent emerging though its grassroots scene. Allan Glen reports Betting on the success of a new act is, and…

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Hull

18 December 2018

It may have been UK City of Culture status in 2017 that raised Hull’s international profile, but it’s local promoters who are taking the city’s music scene forward. With two new venues opening this year alone – and one of its longest-serving clubs hitting the headlines this month, this is…

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Cardiff

22 November 2018

A few months ago,  some would have you believe there is a crisis in Cardiff’s music scene but, as one leading promoter suggests, there’s just been some realignment in the sector and things are again thriving across mutiple venues, from stadium down to entry level. Allan Glen reports What a…

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Sheffield

9 October 2018

It’s the city whose musical eclecticism is legendary. Synth-pop, indie-rock, classic soul – you name it, Sheffield’s promoters were probably the first to put it on. Allan Glen talks to the industry figures who are aiming to take their city to the next level. Few cities in the UK can…

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Nottingham

19 September 2018

Long gone are the days when Nottingham was best known as the city that hauled a local record store boss in front of magistrates for displaying the Sex Pistols’ album Never Mind The Bollocks. Today’s city is multi-cultural, vibrant and buzzing – with promoters and events to match. Allan Glen…

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Lincoln

7 August 2018

Geographically sandwiched between heavyweight music cities Sheffield and Nottingham does not make life easy for promoters and venue operators in the city, but their determination to put Lincoln on the touring map is paying off, from 20,000-capacity events down to the grassroots scene.  Allan Glen reports It’s perhaps fair to…

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Manchester

9 July 2018

From John Mayall and Take That to the Gallagher brothers and The Stone Roses, Manchester has produced some of the world’s most popular artistes. And a sure sign of its community spirit is that many of them have rallied in support of the city’s recovery from the Manchester Arena bombing…

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