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February is a big month of music and music related events in the UK, and arguably none more so than Independent Venue Week!
Celebrating all the small venues that each and every one of your favorite bands started their careers playing, Independent Venue Week is so enormously important to every single music fan out there, not to mention the entire music industry and all the workers at the venues, musicians and bands, and so many more people. Supporting independent venues is essential, so please check out the Independent Venue Trust and see what you might be able to do to support your local venues - and don’t forget to visit your local for gigs whenever you can!
The Mobo awards are also happening on the 7th of this month, and the nominees for best alternative act are as follows:
ALT BLK ERA
Arlo Parks
Deijuvhs
Kid Bookie
Skindred
Young Fathers
Check out the Mobos, and watch out for the best alternative act award, we’re excited to see who comes out on top from this extremely strong lineup.
As mentioned last month, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes are touring early this month, but they’re far from the only band on tour right now, and they’re not even the only band to have headlined at the one-off Download Pilot to be touring the UK this month. Enter Shikari are going on their first ever arena tour, after their first ever number one album last April ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’. With Fever 333 and NOAHFINNCE in support, plus Enter Shikari’s phenomenal live pedigree, it’s bound to be a spectacle.
Malevolence are also touring early this month, doing the complete opposite to Shikari as they head out to hit as many small venues as they can! If you can somehow grab one of the remaining tickets, you’re surely in for a belter of a show as their pummelling hardcore sound is some of the best in the world, and they’re easily one of Britain’s best heavy bands. Pain Of Truth and Rough Justice will be joining them for the whole tour, which frankly is just asking for something wild to happen each and every night.
On a slightly less brutish note, progressive metal band TesseracT are touring the UK starting in Nottingham on February 20th, with an excellent lineup behind them of Unprocessed as the main support, and God’s favourite band (as insinuated by their recent EP) The Callous Daoboys will be opening proceedings. Mixing TesseracT’s brilliant new material and breathtaking musicianship with Unprocessed’s masterful guitarwork and The Callous Daoboys’ pure madness is a recipe for one of the most insane metal tours of the year, and is sure to be a highlight for anyone who makes it down to see them.
Late in the month on the 23rd and 24th is the latest edition of CVLTFEST, which is being resurrected for an amazing weekend of acts such as Conan, Wallowing, Sugar Horse, Pijn, Torpor and more! With an array of the best bands in the scene right now, any lovers of doom, noise, or similar genres should absolutely be getting themselves over to Manchester for this exquisite lineup. Best part is, it’s a Friday and a Saturday, so you can be hungover on the Sunday and then not feel horrible at work on the Monday, it’s perfect!
Finally we have Knocked Loose, who are touring at the very beginning of March with the mighty Deafheaven acting as their main support, and Parisian hardcore band Headbussa taking the opening slot. Mixing a couple of different styles of heaviness on one lineup is becoming more and more popular these days and Knocked Loose are no strangers to it, with their last UK tour featuring two outright dream pop bands on the lineup! This time however, they’ve stuck a little closer to home, with some San Francisco blackgaze warming up the crowds before they turn the volume to 11 and the crowds IQ points to 1 at every show on the tour.
Cover Photo- Jake Griffin
Words- Jake Longhurst
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