Over 30 London venues will take part in the 13th annual Independent Venue Week.
Running from 26 January to 1 February 2026, the much-loved nationwide event is a huge celebration of live music and culture — where some 236 venues will set out their stalls, host hundreds of shows and encourage fans to come out, buy tickets, support their local venue and have a great night out with mates.
IVW's 2026 Artist Ambassadors are south London's finest: Nova Twins. Widely recognised as one of the UK's most innovative and forward-thinking rock acts, the duo of Georgia South and Amy Love are currently on the cusp of serious international acclaim following the release of their third album, Paradise & Butterflies, and a performance on NPR Music's iconic Tiny Desk Concert. This year, they're scheduled to play more than 50 live dates, including a series of US and European arena shows as support to Evanescence.
Their roots, however, remain in Lewisham and New Cross, and Nova Twins play an exclusive IVW show at the Amersham Arms on 27 January. So exclusive, in fact, that the 350-cap venue sold out almost immediately.
But fear not! A full list of alternative London venues and events can be found here — including our top recommendations for IVW which are:
1. Annie & The Caldwells, and Black Lives In Music @ Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club (26 Jan and 28 Jan)
As much an institution as a venue, remarkably this is the first time Ronnie Scott's has participated in IVW. Operating since 1959, the Frith Street club has long been considered the spiritual home of British jazz, although that hardly does justice to the sheer range of music they host, seven days a week — often with two shows a night. IVW highlights include a performance by Mississippi gospel trio, Annie & The Caldwells and a Black Lives In Music night with the incredible CHERISE. Tickets here and here.
2. Songs On The Water @ Theatreship (26 Jan)
Theatreship. Theatreship. Theatre. Ship. Yes, it’s literally a theatre. On a ship… Moored in the old docks of Canary Wharf, this is undoubtedly one of London's most unique venues — a barge built in 1913 that hosts live music and events from its former cargo hold (now a 100-seat auditorium) and is promoted as the "world's largest floating arts centre". Among their IVW promotions is the aptly named Songs On The Water, an evening of shanties, folk music and songs of the sea. Tickets here.
3. Damian O'Neill in conversation, and Picture Parlour @ The Ivy House (27 and 31 Jan)
London's first community-owned pub, this Nunhead institution was originally established in 1865 — installing a stage just over a hundred years later, in 1971, to host a travelling Nude Ballet troupe. It subsequently became a magnet for Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury (who pulled pints behind the bar), Elvis Costello and others on the pub rock scene. Now renowned for its craft beers and Sunday roasts, the Ivy House continues to host a variety of live acts, including Goat Girl, caroline and Darren Hayman. Their IVW schedule includes a show by Picture Parlour (tickets here) and an "in conversation" event to celebrate 50 years of The Undertones with the band’s lead guitarist Damian O’Neill (tickets here).
4. Claudio Constantini, and FRDRK @ Bush Hall (27 and 31 Jan)
The jewel of Uxbridge Road. Built in 1904 by a publisher called William Hurndall as one of a trio of dancehalls, one for each of his daughters, Bush Hall's ornate decor and chandeliers retain a sense of Edwardian grandeur. The venue has enjoyed several incarnations in the ensuing period — as a soup kitchen, bingo palace and snooker hall, as well as rehearsal space for The Who, Cliff Richard and Adam Faith — and since 2001 as a music venue. The likes of Adele, REM, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon and Toots & The Maytals have all trod the boards here. Among their IVW highlights are shows by Claudio Constantini (tickets here) and FRDRK (tickets here).
5. Creeping Jean, Soaked, and Third Party Incidents @ Camden Assembly (28, 30 and 31 Jan)
Known in a previous life (the 1990s) as The Monarch, and then The Barfly, Camden's 400-capacity Assembly has seen it all: Oasis, Coldplay, The Strokes, Adele, Amy Winehouse, The xx…the list goes on. Undergoing its latest transformation in 2016, the venue remains a singular part of London's live music DNA and hosts IVW shows by Creeping Jean, Soaked, and Third Party Incidents . Tickets here, here and here.
6. Future Utopia @ The Social (29 Jan)
A central London mainstay since 1999, this two-floor bar evolved from the legendary Heavenly Sunday Social club nights that ran initially from the Albany, and which provided the real soundtrack of the Britpop era. Retaining that spirit of hedonism, as well as an eclectic programming policy, the Social continues to host an impressive range of club nights, live gigs, art exhibitions, literary evenings and cultural events. Their IVW26 offerings include a night with Fraser T. Smith's influential Future Utopia project, which has collaborated with the likes of Dave, Kae Tempest, Stormzy, Arlo Parks and Ezra Collective. Tickets here.
7. LARMES @ Signature Brew Haggerston (29 Jan)
Alongside a sister venue in Walthamstow, Signature Brew's east London outpost is housed in a railway arch next to the Regent's Canal in Haggerston. Featuring a dedicated exhibition area for live music photography as well as performance space, the venue hosts a range of music, comedy and community events — including the quarterly independent LARMES showcase, where a deliciously curated IVW line-up is headlined by rising South Korean singer/rapper/producer Alice Sno, alongside Lola Moxham, Rivkala, and suval. For less than a tenner, it’s an absolute bargain. Tickets here.
8. Alexis, Lover1k and Retropxssy @ The Dome (30 Jan)
Based in the heart of Tufnell Park, the Dome has kept north London moshing for more than 40 years. Hosting two rooms in a former Victorian bath house — a 600-capacity venue and a more intimate 300-capacity space — their extraordinary legacy includes performances by everyone from Blur and Primal Scream to Fontaines D.C., Florence + The Machine, Obituary, Enter Shikari and Kneecap. The Dome's IVW offerings include a triple-header on 30 January featuring Alexis, Lover1k and Retropxssy. Tickets here.
9. Cordelia @ Third Man Records (30 Jan)
Located in the heart of Soho, Jack White's Third Man Records combines a retail floor and a 70-capacity below-ground performance space, known as The Blue Basement. Meeting White's idiosyncratic design specifications and commitment to audio excellence, the venue has played host to the likes of Wunderhorse, English Teacher, The New Eves, Ringo Starr, Jarvis Cocker, Kehlani and Dinosaur Jr. For IVW, they host a show by rising star Cordelia on 30 January. Tickets here.
10. Otala @ Sebright Arms (1 Feb)
An east London institution with entertainment in its foundations, once upon a time the Sebright Arms served the adjacent Sebright Music Hall and infamously promoted wrestling matches... and performing bears. Now dedicated to less barbaric pursuits, the venue has played host to a veritable who's who of emerging talent — including Charli XCX, Catfish & The Bottlemen, The Vaccines, Squid and Courtney Barnett. Among a strong programme of IVW events, they host experimental London-based quintet Otala on 1 February, with support from Curser + Auntie. Tickets here.
