Newcastle has amazing independent music venues that we should celebrate

Independent Venue Week 2017 was celebrated from the 23rd to the 29th of January. The week was celebrated all over the UK, with Sunderland’s ‘Independent’, and Teesside’s ‘The Green Room’ being selected to host concerts to celebrate this week in the North East.

However, no venues in Newcastle were chosen to host any of the concerts during the week. This does not mean that Newcastle does not have anything to offer; in fact, the city is far from it.

Dream Wife playing ‘The Cluny’

Newcastle is home to numerous first-rate independent venues, including The Cluny, Think Tank?, Think Tank? Underground and The Riverside, with the much-anticipated ‘Hit The North Festival’ using many of these venues over its three days in April.

This makes Newcastle’s exclusion as a host for Independent Venue Week confusing for me. It has many of these small unique venues, and they need supporting. This week was not just a celebration of these venues, but a reminder that music fans must continue to advocate them; with Newcastle not hosting an event during the week, the city’s music fans are not directly reminded of this importance.

The Amazons play an intimate gig at ‘Think Tank? Underground’.

The Amazon’s, BBC Sound of 2017 nominee, have said the small venues are important for making the transition to larger venues. These venues are vital for bands to develop and gain experience as they grow. The Amazon’s played one of Newcastle’s smallest independent venues towards the end of 2016, at Think Tank? Underground and I was lucky enough to be there.

They showed that night that these smaller venues are not only important for the development of bands like themselves, but that these venues create a unique, intimtate atmosphere that cannot be experienced in arenas.

That concert is one I will never forget, due to how intimate it was, and how close I was able to get. It was an unbelievable expierence that you rarely get at arena-sized venues. They allow you to get close to the band and see them perform, rather than just being able to hear them at larger venues.

‘Think Tank?’ hosts Let’s Eat Grandma

Independent Venue Week only lasts 7 days, however it is designed to remind us of the importance of independent venues. Without them, the music industry would struggle to keep producing artists. Despite Newcastle not hosting an event during the week, music fans can still play their part for these unique places. We must continue to support them, by getting involved and supporting our local venues, and our local talent.