Sleaford Mods will close out an epic anniversary week at The Bodega with a huge underplay to celebrate the venue’s 25 years at the centre of Nottingham’s live music scene.
The DHP Family venue will reunite with old DJs, showcase local talent, and celebrate long-serving club nights across the anniversary week from Monday, 25 November to Saturday, 30 November as it marks its place at the heart of the city’s creative community.
The Bodega has been the starting point for a huge number of local and touring artists at the beginning of their journeys. The little venue on Pelham Street has consistently punched above its weight over its 25 years, starting with its very first gig on 30 November 1999, headlined by Shack and supported by Turin Brakes.
Its timeline is littered with huge names such as The White Stripes, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, Mumford & Sons, Haim, Scissor Sisters, Anne-Marie, Charli XCX, Jamie T, Wolf Alice, The 1975, Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, and Arlo Parks. In recent years, it has hosted Soft Play, Amyl and The Sniffers, IDLES, Shame, Yard Act, Fat Dog, and The Last Dinner Party.
Anton Lockwood, DHP Director of Live, who was instrumental in bringing many of these acts to the venue, said:
“In the past 25 years, I’m certain I’ve watched more bands – and drunk more pints – at The Bodega than I have in any other place on the planet. It’s a venue that has been the site of many great nights, with many artists’ careers launched into the stratosphere – and the odd crash too!
“I’m delighted to have played a part in its success, but even happier at the way it’s continuing to thrive with a new generation of people at the helm. If you want to know why grassroots music venues matter, get down to The Bodega for a few nights and you’ll find out!”
As well as hosting intimate gigs for arena-sized artists, The Bodega is arguably the most important venue in Nottingham for fresh talent, acting as a stepping stone for many local artists on the rise. This year, the venue has already seen 150 Nottingham artists play its stages across headline shows, support slots, and festivals. It’s held dear by local bands, as shown when Do Nothing chose to play their SXSW fundraiser show there, while fast-rising local act Divorce played a four-night sold-out residency instead of upgrading to a larger capacity venue.
The anniversary week celebrations kick off with 25 local artists playing one song each in a showcase of the city’s homegrown talent on Monday, 25 November.
Been Stellar – the New York band who have opened US tours for Fontaines DC and labelmates The 1975 – play on Tuesday, 26 November, followed by a Bodega-themed quiz to test how well regulars know the venue and its 25-year history.
Villanelle – fronted by Liam Gallagher’s son Gene – play on Wednesday, 27 November on their debut UK headline tour, followed by the long-running Indie Wednesdays club night, with legendary DJ The Reverend Car Bootleg. Part of the furniture since day one, Martin Nesbitt, aka The Rev, has been DJing since the very beginning.
Renowned for their riotous live shows and cult-like fanbase, The Skinner Brothers play upstairs while Do Nothing DJs in the downstairs bar on Thursday, 28 November. Do Nothing’s history with The Bodega is long-standing, having played numerous sold-out shows upstairs, most notably the launch show for their debut album.
Friday, 29 November, is a full-circle moment with a gig from Pip Blom, the artist signed to Heavenly Records, which opened the venue in 1999 when it was known as The Social.
A DJ set from Lily Fontaine, of English Teacher, who have just won the Mercury Prize, is followed by the Pop Confessional club night, a favourite since 2011, to complete the Friday.
Celebrating 25 years of The Bodega and 10 years of the Sleaford Mods album Divide and Exit, Saturday, 30 November, marks the duo’s first Nottingham show in 18 months as they return to the intimate grassroots venues where it all began.
Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods said:
“I have a long history with The Bodega. I was there for opening night in 1999 and, for a few years, collected glasses. I saw many bands come through, everyone from Coldplay to White Stripes to The Strokes – all in their infancy, later to go on to big things. My first gig there as Sleaford Mods was supporting The Pop Group in 2014.
“The Bodega is an important part of Nottingham’s creative ecosystem. Nottingham has always had a rich musical culture, but so many of the grassroots venues I played coming up are now closed. The Bodega is the only one left at that level, and it’s important that it remains open to keep Nottingham on the musical map.”
Sets from Dot To Dot DJs, backed with Women In Music and the Shameless club night, bring the celebrations to a fitting finale.
25 Years of The Bodega
Bodega 25th Anniversary Timeline
1999–2004: Venue ran as The Social (by The Breakfast Group)
30 Nov 1999: First gig – Shack supported by Turin Brakes
March 2000: Coldplay
June 2001: The Strokes
July 2001: The White Stripes
May 2002: The Libertines
Oct 2003: Franz Ferdinand
2004: DHP Family took over the venue and ran it under The Social name
2004: Club Night Electric Banana starts (until 2013)
Nov 2004: Doves
Dec 2004: Scissor Sisters
April 2005: Arctic Monkeys
Oct 2006: The Pop Confessional started and has continued every Friday since
Sept 2007: Changed name to The Bodega
Dec 2007: Frightened Rabbit
April 2008: Frank Turner
Nov 2008: Florence + The Machine (supported by The xx)
March 2009: Two Door Cinema Club
Sept 2009: Mumford & Sons
Oct 2009: The xx
Feb 2010: Marina & The Diamonds
Oct 2010: Everything Everything
Feb 2011: Miles Kane
Mar 2012: Jake Bugg
Nov 2012: Charli XCX (first headline tour)
Nov 2012: Haim
Feb 2013: The 1975
May 2013: London Grammar, Wolf Alice, Beans On Toast (Dot to Dot)
Oct 2013: Catfish & The Bottlemen
Feb 2014: Fat White Family
Feb 2014: George Ezra (supported by Sam Fender)
Feb 2014: Soft Play
July 2014: Peter Doherty
July 2014: Hozier
Nov 2014: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Feb 2015: Three sold-out nights from Peace
June 2015: Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
July 2015: Saint Raymond – two album launch shows (matinee and evening)
Nov 2015: Oh Wonder
Oct 2016: Khruangbin
Nov 2016: Cigarettes After Sex
Jan 2017: Hard Life (fka Easy Life)
Feb 2017: Tom Grennan
March 2017: IDLES
March 2017: The Amazons
May 2017: Tom Walker
May 2017: Lewis Capaldi plays the downstairs bar to 110 people (Dot to Dot Festival)
June 2017: Gabrielle Aplin (Glastonbury warm-up show)
Oct 2017: Pale Waves
Oct 2017: Mahalia (supported by Maisie Peters)
Nov 2017: Ezra Collective
Feb 2018: Sam Fender
Mar 2019: Self Esteem, Sports Team
Apr 2019: Amyl and The Sniffers
May 2019: Inhaler (as a support act)
Jun 2019: Lucy Dacus (also a member of boygenius)
Nov 2019: 20th Anniversary week, headlined by The Orielles
Dec 2019: Beabadoobee
Mar 2020: Arlo Parks
Jul 2021: First full-capacity show in 16 months with Bears In Trees
Aug 2021: Sea Girls
Sep 2021: Kneecap
Feb 2022: Yard Act
Apr 2023: Wunderhorse
Jun 2023: Local band Do Nothing debut album launch event
Jul 2023: The Last Dinner Party
Oct 2023: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
Feb 2024: Valentine’s show with Dream Wife
Sep 2024: First sold-out four-show residency with Nottingham band Divorce
Nov 2024: 25th Anniversary week, headlined by Sleaford Mods and Pip Blom
