Independent Venue Week (IVW) is the UK’s annual 7-day celebration of independent music & arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them.

During the week, independent venues come together with artists, promoters, agents, record labels and media to create a unique series of special live events across the U.K. to highlight on the work these venues do year-round. By doing so, local communities come together and celebrate these special places with thousands of artists playing hundreds of shows in villages, towns and cities all around the UK. Working with valued long term partners including Arts Council England and See Tickets as well as BBC 6 Music as official broadcast partner, IVW is also championed by a different Ambassador every year, which have included Colin Greenwood (Radiohead), Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Nadine Shah, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg and many more. 

IVW allows artists, audiences and the wider music business to recognise the vital role these hundreds of independent-owned venues play in the industry and local community across England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. From giving artists their first experience of performing live, fans somewhere to discover and watch their favourite artists locally, they also provide those wanting a career off-stage the chance to learn their craft in a safe and secure environment. 

Independent Venue Week is a nationwide initiative with a local feel, highlighting why venues are so much more than just places for live music – they are cultural hubs for learning, creativity, arts and culture more widely connecting people in their local community of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, genders, ethnicities, skills, experiences and walks of life. These venues, all local businesses, are the backbone of the live music scene and Independent Venue Week recognises all that they have done to create some of the most memorable nights of the past so they can continue to do the same in the future.

Tonight saw the mighty KULA SHAKER take to the stage at Exeter's Phoenix, a venue steeped in musical history and situated in the heart of the city, read on to see how the evening progressed.

It was no surprise that the show was sold out, being a band of such calibre, playing in a 500 capacity venue, it was inevitable this was going to be the case and upon arrival at the Phoenix, it was hard to find a spot that wasn't heaving with people. This was a good thing as it was a cold Monday evening and to be honest, there wasn't a lot else going on in the city so it was great to see the place so full.

Opening the evening's entertainment was a fabulous act called The Dhol Foundation, I have seen these guys before when they appeared on the main stage at Beautiful Days Festival a few years back and if memory serves me right, there were about 12 of them back then, I feared for the stage when I saw the name on the poster but it soon became apparent that we were being treated to a smaller version of the full outfit this evening. The DJ took to the stage and kicked off the beats before being joined by the other two members who strapped on their 'dhal' drums and proceeded to captivate and enthralled the capacity crowd at the Phoenix. The between song banter was informative and very amusing, at one stage, the frontman commented that he was born in Exeter, this saw many jaws drop on the front row before he said he was joking and that he does that joke at the start of every show wherever they may be playing. Their set consisted of some amazing beats courtesy of the classic dhal drums which provided an almost tribal heartbeat to the evening. They finished off their set with a track called 'After the Rain' which is a collaboration they did with the Afro Celt Sound System which literally took the room to a new level. To sum up the show, I would say that it was a riot of colour, culture and comedy (courtesy of some very bad 'dad' jokes) which was just the tonic we needed to get through one of the final days of January! Keep your eyes out for these guys on the festival circuit, they are a captivating act that deserve your time and attention.

After a short break and a tidy up, the tour manager took to the stage to light the incense sticks and create a mood fit for a king, the room soon started to smell like a branch of 'Middle Earth' and the security guards had their fingers crossed that the smoke from the smelly sticks wouldn't trigger the fire alarms (which would have been a bit off a passion killer). Kula Shaker, the last great heretics of British rock were named after a 9th century South Indian King, the band’s esoteric mix of psychedelic riffs, mantras and rock and roll mysticism laughed in the face of Britpop orthodoxy in the 90s which very much led the charge with bands such as OASIS, PULP and BLUR at the helm. I do recall seeing Kula Shaker perform on the Sunday at Knebworth where OASIS were making history after selling out 2 consecutive nights on the roll, the funny thing was, at the Knebworth gig, there was a long haired keyboard player who joined them onstage for the set, I later found out that this was a guy called Jay Darlington who lives in Totnes (near me) and plays for a wonderful band called The Magic Bus (go check them out). It just so happened that Jay was here tonight, playing the Hammond organ, I immediately messaged my younger brother who was at the Knebworth show with me and he couldn't believe it, anyway, I digress.

2022 saw the launch of the much anticipated record 1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love & Free Hugs – an epic double album, bristling with energy, vitality and most importantly, killer tunes, proving that the Once & Future King has undoubtedly returned – rebooted, re-energised and ready to reclaim the throne and it was with this new offering that they took to the stage to weave in new tracks with the old, bangers amongst the mantras that made Kula Shaker a household name back in the mid 90's.

Opening with 'Hey Dude', the room was immediately bouncing, to say that the band have slowed down and paired back their performance after nearly 30 years on the scene would have been a lie and it was great to see them giving it 110% from every angle of the stage.

As the set wore on, the room were treated to some immense songs including 'Gaslight' which was dedicated to anyone who has been (or is) in a an abusive relationship, 'Gingerbread Man' which took you back to the late 60's with it's very British take on psychedelic rock, Beautiful dreamer which Crispian asked for audience participation with the chorus which was delivered in 'olde English' and 'Waves', a new track which was supposed to only last 20 seconds but ended up filling a good 4 minutes (their cheeky ploy to allow more new material to be played I guess), though they needn't have worried, the new stuff sounded as tight and on point as their classics and it was noice to have a breather between the classics!

'Tattva' sounded as solid now as it did when I first heard it on their debut album K, they even managed to include the chorus from the rave classic 'Hallelujah' which graced many clubs around the country courtesy of The Happy Mondays, a great moment which saw the entire crowd singing along in unison. A brilliant instrumental section followed, Crispian trademark 'wah-wah' styled guitar squealing as the beat pounded whilst the bass weaved a very 'Doors-esque' mystical spell that snaked its way around the auditorium, this segued into 'Govinda' which was their closing tracks, with the audience chanting the chorus as Crispian stood with arms aloft and guitar thrust skyward was a sight to behold and refreshed my love for this band that, despite releasing their debut in 1996, they sounds as fresh and present today as they did in their heyday, if you are in any doubt, go stream the new album '1st Congregational church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs' and prove me wrong!

Words and Pictures - Steve Muscutt