Dedicated to the Business of Contemporary Live Music
LIMITED CAPACITY shows are one of the entertainment options available for participants of Independent Venue Week (IVW), set to take place from 25 to 31 January, its eighth year.
Last January, participating venues were encouraged to host all-day events or a full week of shows, with 230 small to medium-sized venues across the UK, hosting 808 performances and selling 99,422 tickets.
So far, 64 venues have signed up to next year’s event and IVW organiser Sybil Bell says she expects the final tally to be around 80.
Although live shows are scheduled, venues can also take part with online events including live-streams, album-listening “parties”, artiste interviews and interactive online sessions where fans can ask questions.
“Usually, venues try to get shows on sale as soon as possible but they can’t this year,” Bell tells LIVE UK. “They should not fret. Shows will sell out, but they must be done safely.
“t will be interesting to see, when we come out of restrictions, how keen people are to get out to venues,. Come April/May we will be in position to [host concerts] comfortably at 50 per cent capacity,” she predicts.
Venues taking part in IVW 2021 include London’s Lafayette (socially-distanced at 118), Bush Hall, (120), and Omeara (52), Cambridge Junction (120), The Forum Music Studios (42) in Darlington, and Exeter Phoenix (120).
Artistes taking part include Arlo Parks (IVW’s 2021 ambassador), Tim Burgess, Steve Tilston, Warm Digits and The Gulps.
