Over 30 London venues take part in the 12th annual Independent Venue Week, running from 27 January-2 February 2025.
The much-loved nationwide event will see hundreds of shows and events across seven raucous days, with the aim of encouraging fans to come out, buy some tickets and celebrate the joy of live entertainment.
IVW's 2025 Artist Ambassador is the acclaimed jazz musician, broadcaster, philanthropist and author YolanDa Brown OBE DL, who last year opened independent music venue and restaurant, Soul Mama, in Stratford. YolanDa will perform a special IVW show at the venue on 1 February, reinterpreting the Bob Marley Songbook.
Here are 10 great places to catch gigs in London during Independent Venue Week:
1. Windmill Brixton
Home of the Roof Dog. This now-iconic 150-capacity room has provided the launchpad for countless London artists, including Mica Levi, Fat White Family, Black Midi and The Last Dinner Party. Among their IVW shows is a special half-day festival for an incredible un-dynamically-priced £6, featuring upcoming talents Silverwingkiller, Mount Palomar, Wing!, Pyongyang, Ziplock, MM'99, and DJ Skinny Penis (aka the synth player from Fat Dog). Windmill Brixton
2. Troxy, Limehouse
The biggest venue taking part in IVW2025, Troxy has an incredible history. Opening as a cinema in 1933 (first screening: King Kong), the building has metamorphosed into many forms: rehearsal space for the Royal Opera House, and Mecca Bingo hall among them. Since 2006, it's operated as a 3,100-capacity live music space. Hosting memorable performances from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, Robbie Williams and The Cure, Troxy celebrates IVW with an exclusive one-off show from the various members of Gothboiclique. Troxy
3. Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room, South Kensington
Being "independent" doesn't preclude you from being grand. And they don't come much grander than the Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room, a magical 250-capacity space within one of London's most famous venues. For IVW they host shows by the MOBO-nominated neo-soul singer, Ego Ella May, and Welsh folk singer Cerys Hafana. Royal Albert Hall Elgar Room
4. Soho Poly
This tiny basement venue was once used for rehearsals by "The" Pink Floyd, and during the 1970s and 1980s became one of the most influential alternative theatre spaces in the capital, helping launch the careers of Hanif Kureishi, Bob Hoskins and Simon Callow. Reopened in 2023, the building remains steeped in history and hosts IVW shows by Kathryn Williams & Withered Hand and Barbican Estate. Soho Poly
5. Strongroom Bar, Shoreditch
Strongroom has been at the vanguard of the Shoreditch music scene since 1984. Formerly an old furniture factory, their award-winning studios were given a visual design by Jamie Reid, while their bar and 180-capacity venue was opened in 1997. They host six events during IVW, including a launch night for INH Records, headlined by the brilliant Fightmilk, with support from Coming Up Roses and Red Ivory. Strongroom Bar
6. The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch
As much a rite-of-passage than a venue for a generation of British artists (the Old Blue Last hosted early shows for everyone from Arctic Monkeys and Amy Winehouse to IDLES and George Ezra), this East End boozer is promoting shows on every night of IVW, including a showcase for the Big Richard label, featuring post-punk outfit English Garden and Doom Club, who promise drum machine punk "that will make you quiver." The Old Blue Last
7. Peckham Levels
Formerly a multi-storey carpark, Peckham Levels' public performance programme runs across music, theatre, dance, comedy and visual arts. Championing work from south London, the venue offers discounts on tickets, food and drink to anyone who lives, works or studies in SE15. Their IVW programme includes an improvised session from the celebrated jazz collective Steam Down, as well as an ESS Sessions showcase of up-and-coming talent from women and non-binary people, and an Irish storytelling night courtesy of Seanchoíche. Peckham Levels
8. The Half Moon, Putney
Where Kate Bush played her first public show and U2 performed their first sell-out concert, The Half Moon remains a bastion of London's live circuit. The much-loved institution is still going strong, with an impressive range of IVW shows, from Starsailor's James Walsh and Brit Pop stalwarts Dodgy, to a Samaritans comedy fundraiser (with Rosie Holt, Andy Parsons and Rosie Jones) and a co-headliner between Lizzie Esau and Dirty Blonde. The Half Moon
9. Paper Dress Vintage
Doing pretty much what it says on the tin, Paper Dress Vintage is a retro clothing emporium by day (sourcing fashions from the Victorian era to the 1990s) and a live venue and nightclub in the evening. Situated in the heart of Hackney, the likes of Aldous Harding, Arlo Parks, Public Service Broadcasting and Sam Fender all played early shows at the venue, and during IVW they host gigs by Kit Sebastian, Cordelia Gartside, MOULD and the hotly-tipped Borough Council. Paper Dress Vintage
10. The George Tavern, Shadwell
Mentioned in the writings of Chaucer, Pepys and Dickens, The George Tavern is at the epicentre of east London's artistic community. Embroiled in a decade-long war against developers and gentrification, the Grade II listed pub is a perfect backdrop for live music, and puts on gigs on every night of IVW, including performances by Do Nothing, Bande á Part and BUFFEE. The George Tavern
Independent Music Week, 27 January-2 February 2025. A full list of London shows and venues can be found here.
Adam Webb is a music writer and PR, who is on the board at Independent Venue Week.
