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Absolute Radio series to put the spotlight on six grassroots venues

By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 3 June 2021

Absolute Radio has announced more details about a new documentary series it will be airing that puts the spotlight on six grassroots music venues from around the UK, including London’s 100 Club, Glasgow’s King Tut’s, Manchester’s Night & Day, Sheffield’s Leadmill, Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club and Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach.

The series, called ‘Tales From The Cloakroom’, is presented by Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri and will air on Sunday evenings from 13 Jun, but will also be available in one go on the Absolute Radio app from 11 Jun. Each episode is focused on a different venue.

Says Spiteri: “The UK’s independent music venues are the lifeblood of an industry that I’ve proudly been a part of for over 30 years. To host this special series for Absolute Radio and to bring to life the history and heritage of each location will be a real honour. Grassroots venues have helped shape the music scene that we know and love today, and I can’t wait to celebrate them with you”.

On the decision to make the whole series available in one go online, Absolute Radio’s Content Director Paul Sylvester adds: “We have to realise that audiences want to binge content they love and don’t always want to wait a week to hear the next episode of a series that they’re enjoying. We’ve seen this in television and now we’re applying the same model to Absolute Radio’s latest documentary series which we think will be a compelling listen for people”.

Other musicians set to appear in the series include Ricky Wilson, Guy Garvey, KT Tunstall, Blossoms, James Dean Bradfield and Fran Healy.