Independent Venue Week announce Nova Twins as 2026 Artist Ambassadors

22 October 2025 - Press release

 

• The UK’s annual celebration of independent venues, music and culture will run over 7 days and nights from Monday 26th January to Sunday 1st February 

• Nova Twins will perform an exclusive live show as part of the week’s activities 

• More than 200 authentic venues nationwide are expected to participate in IVW26, hosting hundreds of live gigs and events. The deadline for venue registration is Tuesday 9th December  

• Some of the shows already confirmed for IVW26 include Naima Bock, The Pill, Buzzcocks, HotWax, Will Varley, Retrofile, Matt Storm, Scott Lavene, The Dunwells, Oslo Twins, Dylan LeBlanc, Tom Hingley, Nick Harper, thistle., 808 State (DJ Set), Chris Hawkins (DJ Set), Mad Professor, Youth Sector, The Gentle Good, Romeo Stodart & Ren Harvieu, Gwenifer Raymond, John Bramwell, and Annie & The Caldwellswith more being announced on a daily basis

• Following a website revamp, IVW has launched a new industry portal making it easier for artists, agents, managers, promoters and labels to connect with venues and get involved  

 

www.independentvenueweek.com

 

Independent Venue Week is over the moon to announce that Nova Twins will be our 2026 Artist Ambassadors. 

The much-loved nationwide event returns on Monday 26th January, with hundreds of authentic, independently-owned venues around the UK - both big and small - hosting live gigs and events of every possible genre. 

Widely recognised as one the UK’s most exciting live performers, the trailblazing and fiercely independent duo (Amy Love & Georgia South) have recently completed a major UK tour in support of their acclaimed third album, Parasites & Butterflies. Building a loyal audience from the ground up, Nova Twins have redefined what it means to be a rock band - slaying audiences around the world, winning plaudits from fellow artists such as Tom Morello and Elton John, and sharing stages with the likes of Foo Fighters, Muse and Bring Me The Horizon. 

The band have also brought positive change to the industry, breaking down barriers for female people of colour. Their campaigning in 2022 led to the MOBO Awards recognising alternative music with its own category for the first time, while also establishing the Nova Twins Creative Musicianship Scholarship at ICMP, funding three years of tuition for aspiring musicians. 

As part of their role as Ambassadors, Nova Twins will play an exclusive live show during the week - with full details to be announced soon. 

Previous IVW Artist Ambassadors have included Yolanda Brown OBE DL,  English Teacher, Wet Leg, beabadoobee, Philip Selway, Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, Wolf Alice, Nadine Shah, Colin Greenwood, Adrian Utley and Novelist. 

Sybil Bell, Founder & CEO, Independent Venue Week: 
“Independent Venue Week has enjoyed the support of some awesome Artist Ambassadors over the years, so we’re really honoured that Nova Twins have agreed to accept the title in 2026. They are a true force of nature, a genuinely innovative band, and testament to live music’s power to break down barriers, build communities and bring about positive change. They represent all we strive for, and I’m so happy they will join us in celebrating next year’s event.

“At a time when AI is dominating so many conversations around music, artists like Nova Twins prove that performing your own original music in independent venues and building up an authentic fanbase is all about 'Actual Intelligence' - based upon talent, hard work, and in-person connections.” 

Claire Mera-Nelson, Director, Music, Arts Council England: 
"Arts Council England is proud to support the 2026 edition of Independent Venue Week. Independent venues provide invaluable spaces that are vital to the development of local talent as well as enabling fans to develop a passion for music and discover their new favourite artists wherever they are in the country. I'm already looking forward to next year's exciting new discoveries!"

Established in 2013, Independent Venue Week has evolved into one of the most important and celebratory events in the UK music calendar - encouraging fans to start the year by buying a ticket, getting together with friends and having a great night out supporting their local venue and discovering amazing music. 

Since launch, more than 1m tickets have been purchased for IVW events - helping fill venues at a traditionally quiet time of year, providing performance and direct fan-building opportunities for artists , and offering cultural engagement and excitement for audiences. 

Support for IVW26 has been confirmed from Arts Council England, PPL and Beavertown. 

This year, IVW is also partnering with PRS Foundation and their Early Career Promoter Fund. The partnership will see five previous ECPF grantees supported by IVW to promote their own shows around the country during the week.

Meanwhile, following a full website revamp and creation of a new invitation-only online portal - developed by Digital Renovators - the process of uploading venue, artist and show information for next year has been dramatically overhauled, simplified and streamlined. 

As a result, venue and artist registrations for 2026 are already up substantially year-on-year. 

New venues joining IVW26 include Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and Theatreship in London, More Music in Morecambe, Amped in Huddersfield among many others.

Shows already confirmed for IVW26 include performances by Naima Bock, The Pill, Buzzcocks, HotWax, Will Varley, Retrofile, Matt Storm, Scott Lavene, The Dunwells, Oslo Twins, Dylan LeBlanc, Tom Hingley, Nick Harper, thistle., 808 State (DJ Set), Chris Hawkins (DJ Set), Mad Professor, Youth Sector, The Gentle Good, Romeo Stodart & Ren Harvieu, Gwenifer Raymond, John Bramwell, and Annie & The Caldwells with more being added on a daily basis.

Venues wishing to participate must register by Tuesday 9th December. 

Details and links to sign up are on the IVW Website.

Venues confirmed to be taking part in IVW26 can be viewed here - with many more to be added.