When I started in music it was all-out hustle...

“I was having to do two or three different jobs just to make ends meet. I didn’t really have a background in music, I fell into it accidentally, my brother started managing a band and I helped get coverage for them on the radio because the plugger wasn’t doing so well. I then tried to build a career and it was really hard. I was in my mid-30s, a lot of my friends were building great careers, doing really well and earning great money and I was faffing around in a new industry. It was hard picking up lots of freelance work and trying to make a name for myself, it is this thing of being independent, getting a full-time job and a salary that means you can afford to live in your home. It can be really tough.”

I’m well used to not knowing where the next cheque is coming from...?

“It’s been my life for 15 years! I used to do lots of different jobs for very long hours. I worked at the MMF under Jon Webster who I absolutely adore, he was a great mentor. Then I got to know Feargal Sharkey at UK Music and went to work there for a little while. I worked at the Featured Artists Coalition as head of operations for a few months, I kept jumping around doing freelance interim jobs and got a really good sense of what was going on in the industry. I was doing some of these jobs while I co-owned  Moles in Bath. I also managed a band called Post War Years for four years, which obviously pays fuck all! But you learn a lot. I’m still not in a position where I’m financially secure, but I love what I do. The work we’re doing has got real value and we’ll just keep going”. 

Starting Independent Venue Week was tough...

“The concept came quite quickly, but taking it round to venues and asking what they thought was slightly more painful than I’d anticipated, some people didn’t get it, one person told me it was a waste of time and would never take off. But when it all came together, the reaction was so heart-warming and coverage was everywhere, it was so exciting. Having Colin Greenwood from Radiohead involved in our first year was special. People really embraced it, and here we are seven years down the line with 230-odd venues and there are only four of us doing it. It has taken on a life of its own and doesn’t feel like something I’ve created. Quite rightly, it belongs to the venues.”

For artists, the secret to nailing a gig at a small venue is...

“Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. The people in the room have invested to come and see you, they don’t know if it’s going to be a good or bad gig and this is your one shot to make an impression. Also, be nice to people in the venue. They want you to do well, to come back and for everyone that saw you the first time to come back and bring a couple of mates. It’s good to be nice to people, it really goes a long way. Make sure you put on a good show and if you do fuck it up, carry on. These venues are there to help you make those mistakes and ride through it, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a learning curve.”

There’s nothing in music like going to a gig because...

“It’s real life and that’s what you can’t put into a digital format. People are meeting, they’re chatting, exchanging ideas about the bands, these venues are about so much more than just music, they’re cultural hubs for all artforms. The art on the walls, the clothes people are wearing... This is where culture and subculture happen. People thrive off other people. The artists mix in these venues and it matters that people can get up close. There’s nothing really to replace it. Big Jeff [Jeffrey Johns], a Bristol gig-goer who’s known for going to a show every night, has Asperger syndrome, learning difficulties and anxiety. We’ve been publishing his blog recently, and gigs have been a life-changer for him. Things like that are really important and you don’t get that anywhere else.”