Bristol and Stroud venues celebrated

Independent music venues throughout the West are gearing up for per week of occasions celebrating their contribution to the cities and cities they’re based mostly in.

Monday marks the beginning of Independent Venue Week (IVW), an annual programme of a whole lot of gigs throughout the nation encouraging folks to become involved of their native music scene.

A lot of venues throughout the West Country, together with Bristol, Bath and Stroud have deliberate a sequence of performances geared toward bringing in wider audiences from their communities.

“IVW really puts live music and small venues on the map and gets a few more people through our doors,” mentioned Lotte Lyster, who owns the Prince Albert in Stroud along with her husband Miles Connolly.

With a state-of-the-art PA system and a full calendar of gigs all year long, the Prince Albert focuses on bringing music to the world that the neighborhood won’t in any other case get the prospect to see dwell.

“We’re quite lucky that sometimes we’re kind of punching above our weight for what you’d expect to have in a little pub just outside Stroud,” Lyster mentioned.

“We’re inviting people to come and have an exciting night with music that they have or haven’t heard before, but they know whatever they do […] it’s going to be a good night, well delivered and fun for all.”

Little greater than a mile away, within the centre of Stroud, the Sub Rooms – which was taken over by a charitable belief in 2019 – can also be collaborating in IVW.

The venue announced in September that it had turned a revenue for the primary time in its historical past in 2025, having undergone an enormous overhaul within the acoustics, the bar and the vary of occasions placed on throughout its rooms.

“If a town doesn’t have a venue, then it’s kind of lost the heart of it,” mentioned the venue’s director Hugh Phillimore.

“There’s nothing for the kids to do. Old farts like me can’t go and see terrible old bands that we remember [from] when we were 16.

“It’s actually important to have a type of central place […] I feel venues are on the coronary heart of the neighborhood and the center of loads of cities.”

Some of Bristol’s most popular independent venues are also taking part in IVW, including the Canteen in Stokes Croft, which offers free live music every night.

Marketing manager Lauren Poole said she thought the yearly event helped “massively” in raising the profile of independent venues and the musicians they showcase.

“IVW actually helps shine a lightweight on why it is so essential to assist these venues at any time when you’ll be able to,” she mentioned.

“It’s a extremely particular factor the place they do not concentrate on the struggles of impartial venues, which there are lots of […] they simply attempt to concentrate on all the enjoyment they create to their communities.”