Support your local venue.
Anna Calvi has been confirmed as the next ambassador for Independent Venue Week.
Returning from January 27 and February 9 next year, the week of gigs and events seeks to highlight the best of the UK’s grassroots music venues. Heading up the campaign, Calvi will be following in the footsteps Novelist, The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess, Wolf Alice, Frank Turner and Radiohead‘s Colin Greenwood among others as ambassador.
“As an artist who spent many years developing my art in small venues across the UK, it’s such a pleasure to be named the ambassador of Independent Venue Week 2020,” said Calvi.
“At a time where independent venues continue to provide a vital platform in every artists career, yet still struggle to keep their doors open, it’s more important than ever for every artist, no matter what size, to continue our support and be vocal about their vitality.”
With 194 already signed up, it is hoped that 220 venues across the UK will take part in the events. Artists involved so far include Goat Girl, Toyah Wilcox, Stereo MC’s, BC Camplight, Warmduscher, Sinead O’Brien, Raging Speedhorn, Rozi Plain, Peaness, TOY, Penelope Isles, James Taylor Quartet, Turin Brakes, Shane McGown and Idles.
For more information on Independent Venue Week, visit here.
Today also sees the release of the first official Peaky Blinders soundtrack – featuring a new song by Anna Calvi and parts of her original score for season five of the acclaimed show.
“It wasn’t difficult, it was just a lot of fun,” she told NME of her work on the score. “It was incredible for it not to be about me and to really try and get into another character. When I was doing it, I really felt like I was him. I really got into the mindset of Tommy Shelby.”
Calvi also revealed that she’s started work on her next album and that it has a Peaky Blinders-feel to it. It follows the release of her third, critically acclaimed album from 2018, ‘Hunter’.
“A lot of the work I did for Peaky was me just playing around with the guitar to get some interesting soundscapes,” Calvi said. “That’s whet my appetite to do more of that.”
