Independent Venue Week (IVW) have named Nova Twins, Brògeal, and Eve Goodman as their special ambassadors for this year’s event. IVW 2026, due to take place between the 26th of January and the 1st of February, is an initiative to promote and celebrate smaller venues, promoters and trusts that bring live music to the UK without significant industry backing.
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Independent clubs and bars have had a hard time keeping their doors open in recent history, for a variety of reasons. Big promoters tend to smother them and demand an unfair cut for doing business, government and local councils hit them with ever-rising rates for operating, and unprecedented factors like the global COVID pandemic caused closures which have hurt their finances in a way few hosts have recovered from. These obstacles coupled with a lack of support from the mainstream media makes an uphill struggle significantly steeper. Research conducted by the Night Time Industries Association found that one in four late night venues, totaling 800 properties, had closed their doors permanently since 2020.
IVW’s organisers define an independent venue as one that follows their “cornerstone principle” of operating for “purpose over profit”, a place where local promoters and organisers schedule gigs for the experience, instead of siphoning money away for shareholders- one that is both community-owned and community-focused. The 236 grass-roots venues they’ve partnered with are often the first place any up-and-coming band plays a show, but they can also be a fantastic setting for established acts looking to put on a more intimate show.
The mission of IVW is to bring all the components of the music industry together to champion independent venues. By connecting the venues and promoters with record labels, or media outlets like their partnered broadcaster BBC Radio 6 Music, they can then draw in willing acts from all across the musical spectrum. Past ambassadors have ranged from Colin Greenwood of legendary band Radiohead, to modern indie stars Wolf Alice and Wet Leg. Of course, another artist who has given everything to salvage small venues is Frank Turner, who participated as an ambassador in 2015. The English singer-songwriter has established himself as a cult hero for independent venues after years of performing free concerts and fundraisers across the country, and during the pandemic he frequently performed live-streamed shows from home to raise money for venues.
Perhaps the best-known of this year’s ambassadors is Nova Twins, a London alternative rock duo who break boundaries everywhere they go. Their abrasive-but-infectious sound has had them tour the world, as well as earning them sets at Glastonbury and Download festival. They will be playing an intimate show on the 27th of January at the Amersham Arms, a 300-capacity venue in South London, where they performed together as teenagers.
Brògeal, a folk-punk band from Falkirk, are the Scottish contingent this year, having played over 80 shows last year in support of debut album ‘Tuesday Paper Club’. They will be playing at MacArts in Galashiels on the 30th of January, and The Venue in Dumfries on the 31st. IVW describe both venues as being vital to Scotland’s independent scene, due to them maintaining a foothold outside their largest cities.
Rounding off the trio is singer-songwriter Eve Goodman. Hailing from North Wales, her sound is described as “alternative-folk”, with her performing in both English and Welsh. She is ticking off three shows during the week, starting with Caffi Isa in Mold on the 26th of January, then on to Tŷ Tawe in Swansea on the 30th of January, and finishing at Cwtch Coffee in Pembroke on the 1st of February.
Other highlights from the week include German breakout metal enigmas Vianova playing Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach on the 1st of February, and Miles Kane popping into The 1865 in Southampton on the 29th of January, as part of his UK tour. A full list of shows and participating venues can be found on the Independent Venue Week website.
