Whilst these venues sometimes lack the glitz and glamour of their larger counterparts, the UK music industry would utterly crumble without the spit and sawdust rooms providing space for up-and-coming performers.
Some of my first-ever experiences in the live music arena were in tiny spaces with low ceilings and small stages. Something that quite literally stuck to me was the floor at The Fleece in Bristol: the decades of congealed beer and sweat immediately fused themselves to the soles of my Doctor Martens.
Plus, more often than not, they readily served year-old me as much Red Stripe as I could consume. These spaces are the lifeblood of the British music scene: they provide beautiful space for new bands to find their feet, for established bands to workshop new material, and for artists to sell t-shirts and LPs without the crippling cuts that some larger venues take from artist merch sales.
The community aspect at these venues is integral too — at each indie venue up and down the country, there are always a series of regulars who attend pretty much everything and offer the welcoming environment necessary for new bands to grow. Before I could gather myself from the sticky floor, unknown punters had grabbed my specs from the swirling inferno and hoisted me to my feet. The left-hand adjoining room has these gorgeous carved-out seating areas, resplendent in black leather, often used as platforms for the smaller among the crowd to get a good view.
Such a space gives punters an irreplaceable feeling of connection to the artist on stage. Huge artists have taken to the tiny stage over the years. It is utterly electric and is an integral part of the romance only found in rooms like this.
