Written by Skye Slatcher
Independent Venue Week is an annual celebration of the UK’s greatest independent music and art spots, as well as the people who run them, and the creatives and crowds who fill them every evening. This year I ventured out to explore some of the week’s most exciting events. Most excitingly for me, I got to visit four London venues I’d never been to before.
Sebright Arms – For Breakfast
My first event of the week was at the Sebright Arms, a classic East London pub aton the forefront of the up-and-coming alternative music scene. The music venue is in the basement, and is pretty small. The crowd here was super varied— a mix of old and young, different aesthetics, etc. The first act was an experimental performance using a cello, alongside some more electronic music fixtures. I think that was my favourite of the night. Each following performance seemed to get louder and more chaotic— – generally in a good way.
7.5/10
Jaguar Shoes – All Spells
Jaguar Shoes is a Shoreditch hotspot. Upstairs is a bar, downstairs is a small music venue. This was the smallest crowd I saw at the IVW events I attended. That said, the atmosphere was great. It felt like everyone there was really there to enjoy the music, very much in the spirit of the week itself. Musically, probably my favourite part of the week! Check out All Spells.
8/10
Ronnie Scott’s – Late Late
If you’re a music fan in London and haven’t heard of Ronnie Scott’s, you must be living under a rock. It is undeniably one of the most iconic venues in Soho. Having watched quite a lot of jazz over the last year, I have figured out what styles I enjoy, and what doesn’t quite float my boat. This leaned more into the latter category. The musicians were all clearly very talented and the performance was undeniably clean and impressive. But I think I have come to appreciate the improvised, messy jazz, rather than what feels like rehearsed shows of jazz standards. If that is what you’re into, then this is the perfect spot— – and the late night shows (starting at 11pm) are really fun. Again, there is such a mix of people in the crowd from first year students to 65+ year old couples.
6/10
Morocco Bound – Max Pope
I couldn’t stay for the full evening here, but I really enjoyed what I did watch. Max Pope performed solo, with his guitar. A good chunk of his performance was spent tuning his guitar, which made for some kind of amusing silent moments. His original songs were so great, and one or two have snuck into my playlists. I loved his cover of Darondo’s ‘Didn’t I’. The venue was super small, and if you ever go to a music event at this bookshop, get there early. We did not, and our backs suffered as a result of the uncomfortable seats we ended up in.
7/10
The Beaver’s own former Social editor, Will Goltz, performed at The George Tavern on Tuesday, with his band Dog Saints. He reflected on this experience: “Playing IVW at Tthe George felt like a pretty big moment for us. We’ve been coming to this venue forever (I used to walk there from
Bankside even though that made no sense), and IVW is an event that undeniably builds buzz around the right places. I remember I used to watch religiously (as we all did) that one live video of BCNR playing IVW at Tthe Windmill, and even if I didn’t know what it was at the time, I’m proud we got to be a part of the same event for the same cause.”
Many of you reading this will likely never have heard of IVW. Do yourself a favour and look out for it in 2027.
Thank you to Adam Webb for organising the tickets for the week.
