Anna Calvi announced as Independent Venue Week’s ambassador for 2020

Anna Calvi was announced as the new ambassador for Independent Venue Week 2020 today, in a gathering at London’s 229 venue presented by the BBC’s Huw Stephens.

Helming the seventh year of the campaign, which celebrates grassroots venues around the country, she takes over from last year’s representative Novelist. Previous ambassadors, meanwhile, have included Wolf Alice, Tim Burgess, Frank Turner and more.

Taking up her post today, the singer - who was nominated for this year’s Mercury Music Prize for third album ‘Hunter’ - revealed that she would be announcing a special show in conjunction with IVW, and that the project was close to her heart because she’d met her drummer of 10 years at a small venue.

Independent Venue Week runs 27 January to 2 February, and will see venues up and down the country putting on special gigs in order to support the scene. Artists already confirmed to play as part of the series include Goat Girl, TOY, Warmduscher, Sinead O’Brien, Penelope Isles and more.