LUNGS
As Independent Venues Week 2017 draws close, Getintothis’ Amelia Ward weighs up what Manchester will be bringing to the table.
Manchester’s music community is gearing up for the fourth annual Independent Venue Week, taking place from January 23-29.
In what is otherwise usually an uneventful month for live music, Independent Venue Week 2017 will see music lovers across the country celebrate emerging talent alongside some of the country’s finest artists of the moment, in a selection of the each region’s most underrated intimate venues.
Manchester’s offering of official venues is certainly one to be proud of. From the iconic Band On The Wall, where the likes of Joy Division and The Fall played some of their very first gigs, to Soup Kitchen’s eclectic and unbelievably sweaty club nights – Manchester puts a very respectable case forward.
Mancunian nine-piece, Riot Jazz Brass Band, kick off the week at Northern Quarter’s Band on the Wall on 26 January. Layering funk and soul sounds over hip-hop samples and drum’n’bass beats, their live show nails down what is so important about live music, a must see for a dull January.
Check out Liverpool’s involvement in Independent Music Week 2017
As part of their IVW offering, Oldham Street’s Night and Day bring us a trio of 2017’s most anticipated acts all in one on January 28.
The night marks the launch of Scouse/Manc post-punk four-piece LUNGS’ debut EP Kelham Steel, in the same venue that they played their first gig back in January 2016. Support comes from hotly tipped North Yorkshire based garage-punk quintet Avalanche Party and Greater Manchester’s Ladies’ Darts Night.
Gaining a reputation for their unpredictable live shows, Ladies’ Darts Night combine cutting, but darkly comical lyrical observations on the everyday with catchy trip-hop inspired riffs.
Also not to be missed is Liverpool based NBTM’s North West showcase at Soup Kitchen on 25 January. Fresh from supporting MiC LOWRY back in 2016, spoken word duo SPXKEN (pronounced ‘spoken’) bring their eclectic blend of poetry and production, along with local R&B two-piece Young War.
This years IVW ambassador, Tim Burgess will curate a night at Soup Kitchen on Sunday 29th, where local lo-fi heroes Horsebeach will close the week, supported by Yucatan and Documenta.
As the future of small venues such as 24 Kitchen Street sadly hangs in the balance down the M62, here in Manchester we will party in solidarity as we applaud the very rooms that give the country’s next favourite artists their first stages.
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