Attica Live

It seems to have captured the imaginations of supporters of the live scene from across the city…

Mark Ringer is best known as the organiser and driving force behind The Willow Festival – Peterborough’s free live music festival which showcases the very best local, unsigned and new acts. But now he has a new, year-round stage to fill with live bands – at the Attica VIP nightclub. The Moment investigates…

It was early January 2014 when John Scriven, manager of Attica VIP, first contacted Mark Ringer with regard to staging live music events at the city centre cocktail bar and nightclub.

The club’s atmosphere has far more to do with the staff and management than the decor

‘We had a very positive meeting and came out of it friends,’ recalls Mark. ‘It seemed like I’d known John for years rather than just a couple of hours.’ Attica VIP may not be an obvious choice as a live music venue, but already it seems to have captured the imaginations of supporters of the live scene across the city. It’s certainly a grand setting, complete with red carpet entrance – but according to Mark, we should think of this as just an ostentatious welcome mat; the club’s atmosphere has far more to do with the staff and management than the decor.

‘John had recently become the manager of Attica VIP,’ explains Mark, ‘and he was looking at taking the club in a different direction to where it had been in previous years. Live music was to be part of that plan. I was invited to promote in the club and given a free hand to do so by both John and the club’s owner.’ Mark decided to run monthly Thursday night live music promotions, with a weekly open mic session on a Wednesday evening.

‘I knew James McCullen (of James’ Open MIc) had been unhappy for a while running his event at the venue it was at, and so had several of the open mic performers themselves. So between myself, John and James, it was decided he should bring it to Attica VIP.’ It has now grown and flourished, becoming one of the most dynamic and well supported open mic events in the region.

Mark also felt they needed to brand the live aspects of Attica VIP’s events separately from the clubbing events. ‘John, myself and Dan Donovan [designer and photographer – but also… [cont]