We're excited to hear of live music's imminent return with over 28,500 gigs already booked into UK grassroots music venues between May and September, new research reveals.

This is fantastic news for our students and alumni, as well as other members of the ICMP community who are raring to get back on London's live stages as lockdown begins to ease. 

Not only is this positive for all performers, artists and musicians but also for those who work behind the scenes in supporting the UK's live music ecosystem.

From sound engineers and technicians to tour managers and booking agents, we're looking forward to the return of live music which could mean a bumper year for UK events.

London live music gig

London is the home of live music 

From its iconic grassroots venues such as the 100 Club to world-beating arenas like the O2, ICMP's London home has one of the best reputations in Europe for live music. 

A previous report from Songkick revealed how London was the top city for live performance. The findings showed how only New York and Los Angeles offer more gig opportunities. With the brilliant network of venues and performers in the city, we expect this world-beating reputation to be restored as soon as restrictions lift. 

Reviving Live Music

May 17th is the start of the penultimate stage of the easing of lockdown restrictions based on the timeline drawn up by the UK government. 

A new 'Revive Live Music' survey by the Music Venue Trust shows how tickets for more than 2,500 live events are already on sale in 266 venues across the country between May 17th and June 21st. 

More than 4,000 shows are expected to take place during this period, demonstrating the appetite for the return of live music from both fans and artists. 

According to the government’s timeline, all restrictions will be lifted from June 21st, allowing venues and events to take place without social distancing measures in place. 

ICMP is looking forward to playing its part in this grand reopening of live music with numerous events planned for the next few months. 

Commenting, Lisa Wadham, ICMP Events & Student Acquisition Manager, said:

With the whole of the music industry taking positive steps surrounding live performances amid announcements of increasing numbers of grassroots gigs, we’re excited to start filling up ICMP's live events diary.”

“We can't wait to see our talented ICMP music students and alumni performing on stage very soon.”  

By the end of September, the Music Venue Trust survey indicates that over 17,000 full capacity shows are already confirmed to take place, with nearly 30,000 shows likely to take place in front of 6,803,481 audience members.

London student gig

ICMP Student Events

We're excited to be confirming a number of events in the coming weeks. We've already announced details of our end of term showcase 'Outro', which takes place on 21st June at Kilburn Grange Park.

We're also hoping to unveil details of our monthly live series at London's Hard Rock Cafe, which provides students with a fantastic opportunity to play to a London crowd. 

As part of our Freshers events programme, we're also planning a big musical celebration at the legendary Islington Assembly Hall. If you're joining us in September we'll be sharing details of your full Freshers 2021 programme in the coming weeks.

Look out for further details to be announced soon and share any details of live events you're planning. We'd love to hear more and get behind any good news...

Join ICMP in London this September

If you'd like to take advantage of these live performance opportunities, as well as develop your musical skills, and spend an intensive period of time working on your craft with some of the best in the business, then speak to our friendly Admissions Team. They're on hand to help you find the best course for you - call them on 020 7328 0222 or email at enquiries@icmp.ac.uk

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