introducing the industry – LLIVELY Music

Introducing the Industry: Newcastle’s Tapyard Studios

Newcastle’s live scene is brewing and ever-growing with the recent addition of brand new live music venue Tapyard Studios. I spoke to co-owner Gabby about their plans and struggles. Read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.

Who are you and what is Tapyard Studios? “Firstly, music is absolutely at the heart of the operation. Sam grew up playing in bands and studied music performance at Leeds college of music and then developed a love for production. He spent the next 8 years or so working as a studio and live sound engineer. Alongside his work as an engineer he ran bars over in Leeds and worked through the ranks from bartender to general manager. He always loved the idea of opening his own place.”

“I (Gabby) am currently the drummer in band Venus Grrrls, and I’ve always loved performance. Like Sam, I also studied performance at Leeds College of Music. So, in a nutshell, Tapyard Studios is the culmination of all those experiences.”

What are your plans for Tapyard Studios? “First and foremost, we’re a music venue and event space. We want to create an atmosphere where performers feel inspired to give their best, and audiences have an unforgettable experience. Aside from hosting shows, we’re a relaxed coffee setting through the day that transforms into a lively beer and food hall atmosphere by night.”

“Our philosophy is to do everything to the highest possible standard. So, while we’re working on being among the best venues in the country, our studios will be built to an elite standard, we invested in the best espresso machine on the market and had the team trained to barista standard. We’re also pouring the amazing beers through our taps, partnering with the likes of Full Circle Brew Co, Northern Monk and North Brewing Co. And on top of that, you can now get Acropolis, the kings of Greek street food, right here in our venue.”

“This blend of a killer venue, huge food and beer hall, lush coffee house and premium rehearsal rooms are all part of the long term vision. We’re gearing up to create a one stop shop where people just won’t want to leave!”

What inspired you to open up Tapyard Studios and where do you find inspiration for new business ideas? “We worked in a similar style business in Leeds. It was a key cultural hub for the city and despite the business going from strength to strength, it was forced to close simply due to a breakdown of communication between business owner and landlord. It was a tough one to swallow, but ultimately led to the formation of Tapyard Studios. Every cloud and all that…”

Introducing the Industry: hmv Newcastle

Breaching the barriers of the wider music industry, I decided to initiate conversations with local change makers, get to know hmv Newcastle supervisor Ritch, and read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.

What is your role at hmv Newcastle, and what do you do besides working at hmv? “I’m a supervisor at hmv and also plan, organise and promote all the in-store events especially the Live & Local activities. Besides hmv, I can usually be found at a gig or two every week, the cinema or the best role of all, being a dad to my daughter.”

When did you start working in the role you’re in now and what inspires you to keep going? “I’ve worked for hmv since July 1999 and played a part in the events for a long time. When #hmvLiveAndLocal began in 2019 I jumped at the chance to run things.”

“A great source of inspiration has been working with the local artists. When hmv launched its own record label (1921 Records) one of my own nominations was chosen, India Arkin. Since then I’ve been even more eager to continuing helping artists where I can.”

What do you think of as the strengths of your local music scene? “We have such a wonderful community that takes care of each other. GIGCO is essential for the scene and is growing all the time. Ben and Matt have such passion and it’s great getting to work with them. Promoters such as Shin Gigs along with us having so many venues around for people to perform. You really could go to a gig every night of the week. I’ve made some amazing friends through the music scene too!”

Introducing the Industry: Indie In Town UK

Interested in performing live as a grassroots musician and in the process of reaching out to local promoters? Don’t skip Indie In Town UK, these London-based promoters offer a healthy dose of indie gigs and make sure all performing artists are well cared for! Read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.

Hi! Could you introduce yourself and what you do, what does a day in your life look like? Jelle: “My name is Jelle, and I’m a music manager and concert promoter. Together with Marieke I organise an indie night called Indie in Town in London. We also host events in Amsterdam and are starting to branch out to Berlin. A day in my life is usually a lot of emailing and calling people. During the day I work at the office of the management company, and in the evenings I have time to discover new bands, advance shows, or spar with Marieke.”

Marieke: “My name is Marieke and I do several freelance things. I mainly work with independent labels and distributors, but I’m also a photographer, content creator and work at live shows. Together with Jelle I organise Indie in Town events in London. A day in the life looks like: do a bit of work, get a coffee, go for a walk or run errands, do some more work, eat food, go to a gig, do my Duolingo.”

Could you introduce Indie In Town and what the organisation does? Jelle: “I started Indie in Town with my twin brother Thom about 8 years ago. We promoted by-monthly gigs in Amsterdam where we booked three new indie bands, a DJ and an art expo. Now that I moved to London we promote gigs in Amsterdam and London. This way we can get British bands a platform in the Netherlands and Dutch bands a platform in London.”

Marieke: “What Jelle said! Here in London, we’ve had some line-ups with all UK bands, but we were very passionate about getting more Dutch bands to come and play at our events. So collaborating with Dutch Music Export was a great way to make that happen.”

What and or who inspires you to do what you do as Indie In Town? Jelle: “It’s always really exciting to meet new artists and get to know them better. We always meet up with the bands in the weeks before the show to shoot a promo video, and that really helps forming a connection with the bands. We’re there on the night and I cook for everyone. It’s a lot of fun to discover new bands and make new friends.”

Marieke: “I definitely think we’re good at adding some Dutch hospitality to our shows, making sure there’s some food and drink for the bands to enjoy, meeting them before the show so we can get better acquainted. We actively promote the gigs on social media, and we bring mini stroopwafels to the gigs for the crowd to enjoy. So it’s small things that make Indie in Town shows a bit more special, I think. And I’m really glad we can help Dutch acts play more shows here in the UK, because Brexit has definitely made that more difficult and more expensive.”

What do you think makes Indie In Town successful and how do you make sure it stays successful? Jelle: “I think the connection with the artists makes it successful. We really want to treat artists better than they usually get treated. We hope to grow to venues that are a bit bigger (400 cap maybe, we’re at 150 now), but we don’t have to make any money doing this. It’s really a passion project.”

Marieke: “I think it has been great trying out different things with our events last year, to see what works best and what we like to improve on. I really like the small community that’s starting to take shape as well, with our friends coming to the shows, the past bands that have played at our shows, friends of friends. Some of our friends also put on their own gigs, so who knows, we might do some more collabs in the future.”