Two Ipswich music clubs will host national musicians as part of a seven-day annual celebration of independent music and art venues.
The Smokehouse and The Baths are taking part in the Independent Venue Week 2023, which kicks off on Thursday, February 2.
The Smokehouse will welcome a punk-rock band from Colchester, Pet Needs, who supported Frank Turner on his UK tour in 2022.
On Friday, February 3, The Baths will be taken over by Opus Kink, described as “horn-fuelled filth-funk, where punk & jazz combine in grimy circumstances”, and DEADLETTER.
Saturday, February 4, will see the ‘‘imitable divine” vocalist, Caswell, who crafts a lush combination of neo-soul and pop.
The Suffolk-based electro-pop artist will be headlining The Baths to “fuse past with present” and mix classic song writing with aural possibilities.
The support for Caswell will come from three indie-pop artists, sibling duo Esme Emerson, singer Gabby Rivers and band Three Years Younger.
This gig will be the result of live music events course, Tune Up, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund for young people, which has been running for 10 weeks at The Smokehouse.
The group will be putting on the gig using the skills they have learnt during the programme.
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 that connect people in their local community.
Tickets can be found here.
This spring the organisation Brighten The Corners who run The Smokehouse and The Baths will be also celebrating the opening of their third venue, St Stephen’s Church.
The place is currently being refurbished so it can open as a fully equipped and furnished live music venue, cafe-bar, communal and cultural hub, which will be hosting recurring pop-up markets and more.
St Stephens Church will open in time for the first edition of Brighten The Corners Festival in June 2023, which takes place over The Smokehouse, The Baths, The Corn Exchange, the Cornhill, and St Stephen’s Church.
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