Jack Daniel’s launches independent small venue initiative for 2015

21 January 2015 - Press release

The programme kicks off with Jack Rocks Southampton at The Joiners Arms on 24^th January 

Jack Daniel’s has revealed details of a year-long initiative supporting some of the UK’s most iconic and respected independent small venues.  The Tennessee Whiskey brand will team up with an array of venues across the country including Glasgow King Tut’s, the Liverpool Zanzibar and the Birmingham Rainbow to host regular  ‘Jack Rocks’ nights featuring the best up and coming talent as well as more established acts.  Jack Daniel’s will be running drinks promotions at the gigs, promoting the events on its social media channels as well as having selected gigs filmed and audio live recorded.  The objective of the campaign is to not only continue the brand’s close association with live music but to celebrate the grassroots venues where future legends begin plying their trade. 

The first of the independent venue Jack Rocks nights takes place on Saturday 24^th January at Southampton’s Joiners Arms, a live music venue since 1968 and one that allegedly hosted a gig by none other than Jimi Hendrix on his way to the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.  Hotly-tipped local mod revivalists The Rising headline with The Novatones and The Affected Four supporting.  The show will also act as the official launch party for The Rising’s next single ‘Free My Soul Tonight’, recorded at London’s famous Toe Rag Studios.  The programme then gathers pace on 17^th March with a performance by indietronica act Is Tropical at the newly-opened 200 capacity Brighton Joker. 

The independent venue initiative is the latest in Jack Daniel’s ‘Jack Rocks’ series of event partnerships and is designed to both support the work that small venues do in showcasing and championing new music as well as highlighting the struggles that many of them face with several live music hubs closing in the past year including the Leeds Cockpit and Highbury Buffalo Bar.  The whiskey brand was also the official drink at the inaugural Venues Day hosted at the Southbank Centre in December by the Music Venues Trust.

Amanda Betts, joint partner at Southampton Joiners commented “We’re really proud that The Joiners has been chosen as the venue to host the first of these Jack Rocks shows – it has a long and illustrious history of supporting new music and we hope that we can continue that tradition long into the future.  The Rising are a local Southampton band that have started to make a real buzz outside of the city and it promises to be a memorable night!”

Jack Daniel’s Senior Brand Manager, Michael Boaler commented “Independent venues such as the Southampton Joiners and the Brighton Joker are essential to every new band’s development,   playing the small venue circuit is how you learn your trade. From a fan’s point of view it’s about those real memorable moments, discovering ‘that band’  playing to a handful of people before going on to headline Glastonbury years later.  That’s why we think it’s important to support and put a spotlight on these places by creating an initiative dedicated to smaller, independent live music venues as part of our music plan – we really hope that our Jack Rocks nights help the venues to continue the great work they’re doing whilst discovering some top notch new bands along the way” 

The Rising play Southampton Joiners on 24^th January.  Is Tropical perform at the Brighton Joker on 17^th March.  For the latest updates and information please check the Jack Daniel’s UK Facebook and Twitter pages