Celebrating a decade of the grassroots music venue movement, MVT will be hosting the largest gathering of people who run grassroots music venues (GMV) in the world. The event will offer an opportunity to reflect on progress made in the UK and the challenges still being faced by the sector.

This year’s Venues Day theme will centre around the importance of the artists and the role GMVs play in inspiring, nurturing and connecting them with audiences while offering them an opportunity to experiment and develop new ideas. As ever, Venues Day will also offer networking opportunities, the chance to share experiences and information and a platform to discuss important issues.

The event represents the single biggest opportunity to engage directly and in person with the GMV sector as it is designed specifically for members of the Music Venues Alliance, providing attendees with workshops, discussions, presentations and networking that offer practical support to the people who run these vital venues and connect them with services that can help them.

A series of panels exploring the common goals of artists and venues has now been confirmed with speakers including: Sam Duckworth (Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly), Lily Meff (The Meffs), Kwame Kwaten (Ferocious Talent), Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood), Nathan Clark (Brudenell Social Club), Rhoda Dakar, Tom Gray (The Ivors) and Jane Beese among others.

Music Venue Trust represents over 800 UK grassroots music venues, has held this one day event for the sector since 2014, with delegates representing venues, promoters, agents, artists, government departments, funding bodies and a wide range of ancillary service providers.

Bev Whitrick, Chief Operating Officer at Music Venue Trust said, “The landscape for GMVs in 2024 is still challenging. 10 years of work has not solved everything, but this annual opportunity to bring our community together to update on progress, offer support, forge new connections and celebrate the wins is needed now more than ever. Venues Day 2024 is THE event for the GMV sector and everyone who has a stake in it.”

Hundreds of delegates from across the UK’s grassroots music venue sector, representing venues throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have already booked their places at the event.

Longtime supporters of MVT and headline sponsors Ticketmaster, Fred Perry and Jack Daniels have also allowed Venues Day 2024 to offer subsidised delegate passes and travel bursaries to ensure that venue representatives from across the UK can attend.

Thanks also to the generosity of Ticketmaster Venues Day 2024 will end with a fully catered after-party for delegates and special guests who have been instrumental in MVT’s work over the past 10 years.

Taking place at Woolwich Works in London on Tuesday 8th October 2024, there are a limited number of remaining tickets for Venues Day 2024. Priced at £168, they can be booked here.

With strong positive vibes and uplifting music for any occasion, Sunday Best Recordings put the spotlights on Addict as one of the year’s most important releases delivering a “melting pot of dubwise sensibility, junglist riddims and feelgood party anthems“. Covering a total of 11 tracks, the record features the previously released summer singles ‘Dark Days Dark Times‘, ‘Stand Together‘ and ‘Cool Out Sun‘ alongside eight brand new songs that cement Dub Pistols as the leading UK act in the scene.

Вижте тази публикация в Instagram.

We are so pleased to finally bring you ‘Addict’! The record has taken two years to record but has been 25 years in the making. We want to dedicate this album to our good friend Will Hensel who sadly passed away during recording. We hope you are as excited as we are for you to listen to it. Love, Dub Pistols x

Публикация, споделена от Barry Ashworth (@dubpistol) на Окт 16, 2020 в 1:15 PDT

Dub Pistols are well known for drawing inspiration from various genres and mixing influences in a seemless fashion creating a catchy electronic blend of oldschool reggae, light drum’n’bass and positive dub rthythms. Traditionally, the band invites a wide group of their friends, established artists and rising names to collaborate and give each of their albums its distinctive flavour. Resident features Seanie T, Lindy Layton and MC Navigator return once again to bring life to ‘Cool Out Son‘ and ‘Dark Days Dark Times‘, released earlier this year in support of the album premiere.

Rhoda Dakar, best known as the lead singer of ska legends The Bodysnatchers and a living 2 Tone icon comes along to deliver the unifying anthem ‘Stand Together‘ while the renowned ragga veterans Ragga Twins turn on the heat on the electric jungle track ‘Two Generals‘. Addict also sees Dub Pistols team up with the likes of Cheshire Cat, Horseman and General Jah Mikey. Rising London MC Natty Campbell steals the show as guest singer on three tracks, and recently shared his gratitude to the overwhelming support of the album since its premiere. 

Wow to wake up and see we number 15 in the UK Charts large up the ringleader @dubpistols Barry Ashworth and @Kingyoof for getting me involved feeling blessed, big ups everyone who’s supported #addict #soundsweet #dubpistols — Natty Campbell (@NattyCampbell1) October 17, 2020

Addict currently stands at #15 at the iTunes UK Top Albums charts and is heading straight to becoming one of Dub Pistols’ most commercially successful record to date. The record’s release page at Sunday Best Recordings highlighst some of the reviews and comments that pretty much sum up the predominantly positive reception from fans and critics alike.

DJ Magazine gives Addict a 9/10 and praises producer King Yuuf for elevating “the production up another level” to deliver “multi-racial collective’s strongest LP yet”. Similarly, Electronic Sound names the record as one of the highlights of the year as a” defiant riposte to the misery of these dark times“.

Alongise the album premiere on Friday 16 October, Dub Pistols released a video for the fourth single ‘Go Tell Your Friends‘. Featuring veteran reggae singer Horseman, the track showcases everything Addict is all about – good music, positive energy and strong feelgood dub vibes.