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London venue The Garage celebrates 30th anniversary with all-year party

Iconic London venue The Garage is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a year-long party, kicking off on August 22 with a headline show from Scottish indie rock outfit Arab Strap.

Over the course of the past three decades, the North London venue has played host to some of the biggest and most celebrated artists on the planet, with the likes of Oasis, Pulp, Slowdive, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Fall, Blur, Idles, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Yungblud and many others all having graced its stage.

Having last performed at the venue back in 1997, Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton, said: “We're very honoured to kick off The Garage's birthday celebrations this August, it's a venue we used to spent a lot of time in. We'd be in London a lot back in the day, and there always seemed to be something happening at the Garage while we were there – we must've seen loads of gigs there, including two of our favourite of all time, Plush and The For Carnation. We played there a few times too, including one particularly awful drunken night that may well have earned us a reputation for being a risky ticket. Rest assured we're all sorted now and can promise 100% professionalism and around 80% sobriety. Looking forward to it!"

The DHP Family will be seeking to bring some of the biggest and most acclaimed acts back to perform at The Garage as part of the 30th anniversary festivities.

The Music Venue Trust, the charity dedicated to supporting live music venues, said: “For 30 years The Garage has been synonymous with live music at the grassroots level. Over those three decades, The Garage has given emerging artists and bands a space to play live, develop their fan bases and hone their craft. In this time, on any given night, you could bear witness to a boundary breaking act, niche artists or future chart toppers alike.

“As a charity with a mission to help protect, secure and improve Grassroots Music Venues in the UK, Music Venue Trust knows running a venue for any length of time is a labour of love and to do so for 30 years is an immense achievement. These spaces are special places that have a unique ability to enrich and change lives. happy 30th anniversary to The Garage, long may it continue."

DHP Family carried out an extensive refurbishment of The Garage when they brought it into the venue portfolio in 2017, to join Oslo, Hackney; Thekla, Bristol and its hometown Nottingham venues Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Stealth and Bodega.

The Garage bookers Conrad Rogan and Scott Kennedy will now begin scheduling underplays and exciting events to celebrate the milestone, culminating in a run of shows in 2023.

Kennedy said: “Having recently presented shows from incredible new artists like Fontaines DC, Muna and Beabadoobee launching their careers here following in the footsteps of iconic acts like Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Jeff Buckley, we know this venue is a special place for so many and we're very excited to continue this iconic legacy with this series of shows.”