14th January, 2016

Vauxhall partners Independent Venue Week to support music talent

For a second year running, Vauxhall will support Independent Venue Week with the 2016 Vivaro On Tour campaign, offering up-and-coming British artists free use of a Brit-built Vivaro throughout the year, as they tour throughout the country.

Now in its third year, Independent Venue Week is a seven day celebration of small music venues across the UK, taking place between 25th – 31st January. The grassroots campaign has grown from strength-to-strength, with over 120 venues set to take part this year – from Aberdeen to Exeter and Belfast to Norwich.

Famous venues include the The Leadmill in Sheffield, Tunbridge Wells Forum and, new this year, Nambucca in North London and The Quay Arts Centre on the Isle of Wight. This year's Ambassadors have been revealed as Mercury Prize Shortlisted Artist Wolf Alice, who are taking over from Frank Turner (2015) and Colin Greenwood (2014).

The first bands announced to be taking part in Vauxhall's Vivaro on Tour campaign are Hull-based Life, who recently made the BBC's Radio 1's best of BBC Introducing list for 2015 and psychedelic rock group Phobophobes. Straight after IVW, four-piece indie band Telegram will be kicking off a twenty date tour on 11th February, with a live set at Birmingham's Hare & Hounds club, one of Independent Venue Week's locations.

Vauxhall will be getting on board with each band, following their journeys to provide exclusive backstage access, capturing on-tour shenanigans and offering tickets to gigs up and down the country throughout the year.

Dave Harper of Frankie & The Heartstrings (pictured top), who took part in last year's Vivaro on Tour campaign, commented: "Independent venues are – at best – functioning, and, at their worst, under pressure from more corporate [cleaner] venues, so having a thing like Independent Venue Week shining a light on the great and the good among our many independent venues is fine by me".

"Vauxhall were kind enough to provide us with a van to kick-off our tour, and we were nice enough not to smash it to pieces. It can be difficult enough to put a tour together – often it doesn't make financial sense, or common sense for that matter, but Vauxhall helped us to do what we do. And helped to shine a light on these venues. What's not to like?".

Sybil Bell, Founder of Independent Venue Week, commented: "Smaller venues are a crucial parts of the UK music scene, where some of the biggest names today have started out. Independent Venue Week is all about putting a spotlight on these independently-run businesses in order to keep the music scene thriving. The Vivaro on Tour campaign is a great way of providing similar support and championing smaller, up-and-coming bands who will be playing across these venues this year".

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