A 30-year delay in resuming his gap year has allowed Nottingham impresario George Akins to take a family-run venue and build a business that is now one of the UK’s most important independent live music groups. Looking back on a remarkable three decades, the DHP chief tells IQ about his strategy for growth and future plans for the company…

When your father is a titan of the business community, getting a job in the family firm might be inevitable, but for George Akins Jnr, his baptism of fire could not have been more badly timed.

“I was six weeks into a year-long break, in Australia, when my dad sacked everyone at Rock City,” recalls Akins. “So, when I made my regular call home, I was told, ‘You need to come back and run Rock City.’ A few days later, I caught a flight back… I thought I was only going to be there for a few months until things got sorted out. But 30 years later, here we are…”

One of Nottingham’s 20th century legends, Akins’ late father – George Akins Snr – built and operated an empire that included casinos, betting shops, amusement arcades, and an extensive property portfolio. “Rock City was a bit on the side for him, really,” says Akins, who at the age of 18 found himself in the position of being the venue’s boss. “I’d sort of been involved because I was into music, while music wasn’t really dad’s thing, so Rock City was not his core business.”

However, the teenager’s impact was immediate. Within a year, he had refurbished Rock City’s basement to create a 700-capacity space called The Rig. And his expansion of the business, year-on-year, has been pretty consistent ever since.

“It wasn’t really until maybe the late ‘90s that I started looking at proper expansion of the music side, because I’d also been doing sports bars. But at that point, it became clear to me that I needed to stick to what I was good at – the music-led stuff. So rather than identifying sites where I could sell alcohol, my mindset changed toward ‘How can I turn this into a music venue?’”

“Anton was the local indie promoter in Nottingham, working with acts like White Stripes and The Strokes”

George Akins Snr acquired the Rock City premises – then a variety club called Heart of the Midlands – in 1980. He co-founded Rock City with promoter Sammy Jackson, who had been running the Porterhouse in Retford, which was already established on the tour circuit.

“Sammy was there for about a year before Paul Mason was promoted and took over. But Paul was then poached by The Factory guys to run the Hacienda [in Manchester],” Akins tells IQ. “In the late 80s, Andy Copping ran things, and when I took over, he was still working for us as a consultant. Andy was great – someone I could call for support, and he was sort of my mentor for booking. I’d book the indie stuff, and he handled the rock stuff, right up until just before we opened the Rescue Rooms.”

Another key move in DHP’s growth was when Akins hired Anton Lockwood. “Anton was the local indie promoter in Nottingham, working with acts like White Stripes and The Strokes, so it was really important to bring him in the fold when we opened the Rescue Rooms. From then on, we started opening more places and doing more shows.”

Akins and his team had converted what was one of his sports bars into the Rescue Rooms, providing DHP with a springboard to work with acts at different stages of their career development.

Coincidentally, 2002 also marked the first time that the company promoted a show in an external venue, when they took System of a Down to Nottingham Arena.

Adding to the DHP Nottingham portfolio, dance music venue Stealth opened its doors in 2004, while the following year, Akins inked a deal with Heavenly Records to buy The Social, which would be renamed The Bodega Social Club.

“On Thekla’s opening night, we nearly sank”

Having four venues in his native Nottingham was close to saturation point for DHP’s boss. But rather than sit on his laurels, Akins’ ambition for growth saw the company looking at venues else- where in the UK to facilitate expansion.

“If I did anything else in Nottingham, it felt like it was going to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. We already had, at that stage, Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Stealth, and Bodega.”

All At Sea
The next path for expansion emerged in ship-shape fashion, in the form of Thekla – a boat in Bristol’s harbour, which was a legendary venue in the city. Adding to the task of fitting out a new live music venue, many others would have dismissed outright using a boat to stage gigs. “I was young, so everything was fucking possible,” laughs Akins. “It was all an adventure.”

He continues, “I’ve done everything imaginable in a venue: I’ve DJ’d, I’ve done the lights, I’ve done the cloakroom, I’ve even had a blast at sound engineering – I’ve never really been frightened of anything, so a boat didn’t faze me.”

That viewpoint was soon to change. “On Thekla’s opening night, we nearly sank,” he recalls. “The original owners had been pumping toilet waste into the harbour, and there was a hole where they pumped it out. Of course, when we put it into dry dock to do all the works, that hole was supposed to be sealed up. But it wasn’t. And we put water tanks on the roof, so as those tanks were filling up, the boat started listing, and when it hit the water line, it started filling up through the hole for the toilet waste.”

Despite that near disaster, the risky move turned out to be pivotal for DHP, expanding their remit and providing a catalyst for the company’s later expansion into London.

“I suppose I take after my dad in that way – my entrepreneurial attitude to things. I see opportunities, and I pounce on them”

Indeed, in 2024, DHP runs eight venues, having also taken on The Garage in London, and opened the adjacent The Grace, as well creating Oslo in a former Hackney railway building.

Akins observes, “I suppose I take after my dad in that way – my entrepreneurial attitude to things. I see opportunities, and I pounce on them.”

Looking back on three decades of what he thought was going to be a temporary job, Akins says, “DHP’s timeline for growth has sort of been venues, venues, venues; then a bit of festivals; then sort of building concert promotions and expanding that nationally, as well.”

Indeed, DHP’s first festival was in 1997. “It was City in the Park, which was a reference to Rock City. The first year was Saw Doctors, where we did 9,000 tickets, and the second year was The Corrs, which did 30,000 people. But we couldn’t make money – the ticket prices were not enough to allow you to make money on the infrastructure and the artist costs. But it was an opportunity to build a relationship with Nottingham Council, so it was definitely worthwhile.

“Then I tried to do a rock event called Distortion, which had sort of spawned from another event called Extreme 2000 – a pop-punk festival I had in 2000. We had Less Than Jake in the first year, then Green Day in 2001, and neither of them made money, but I could see the sprouts of an idea. But when I tried to get The Offspring for 2002 and couldn’t, I realised there just weren’t enough acts in that scene to make that happen. So I shelved it for a few years until Nottingham City Council had ambitions to bring an international class festival to the city and were ready to bankroll it.”

The company’s festival stable now includes the likes of Splendour, Bearded Theory, Dot To Dot, Beat The Streets, Society Exists, and Foolhardy Folk Festivall, while Akins admits he’s looking at other existing events for DHP to acquire.

“The real problem post-pandemic is inflation and opening a venue from scratch”

“With festivals, unless you have incredibly deep pockets, it’s very hard to create something from scratch. And it’s now the same with venues. But there will be opportunities elsewhere to become involved in existing businesses, and that’s what I’m looking for,” he reveals.

“Our growth since the pandemic has really been the festival stuff. Venue wise, there have been some opportunities, but the real problem post-pandemic is inflation and opening a venue from scratch. We had a building in Birmingham that we seriously looked at, but the construction costs just became insane and wouldn’t make financial sense.”

In terms of DHP’s promoting credentials, Akins cites Anton Lockwood’s partnership with NME that saw him booking acts for the Club NME tours as an eye opener for the company. But he reveals that the late Dave Chumbley, as well as fellow agents Paul Boswell and Ian Huffam, had helped persuade DHP to expand to national touring. “They recognised that there was a need to see some competition to the status quo. So, through Dave Chumbley, we did a national tour with Dropkick Murphys where we ended up doing a Brixton Academy-sized tour across the country. Then I did Human League with Paul Boswell, and shortly afterwards, Turin Brakes with Ian Huffam.”

Acts like Lana Del Rey, Nick Cave, New Order, and Flaming Lips would follow, cementing DHP’s credentials as a full UK promoter.

When it comes to his strategy for growth, Akins once again channels his father’s outlook.

“My whole career has been about just seeing opportunities that fit with me. If I see an opportunity, I jump on it. It doesn’t always stick. For instance, we had a good run with artist management – we represented Dog Is Dead and another artist called Indiana – and it was pretty successful, but it was just too time and energy intensive; it really is a 24/7 job.”

“We can grow in so many different ways – as a concert promoter, as a festival operator, as a music venue operator”

Noting that he always has numerous projects on his mind, he adds, “DHP is just very good at doing all the elements. I think that’s what sets us apart from our competitors. We don’t only do gigs, leaving someone else to do the club nights – we’ve got to do the club nights ourselves; we’ve got to do the gigs ourselves; we’ve got to do the bars ourselves. We don’t outsource anything. Our speciality is all those elements.”

With the company payroll now covering 400 people, DHP has inevitably attracted the interest of some of the corporate behemoths. “The problem is, if you sell to them, you’ve got to work for them. And I’m unemployable. I’ve worked for myself essentially since I was 19 years old,” states Akins.

And as for future expansion, he concludes, “We can grow in so many different ways – as a concert promoter, as a festival operator, as a music venue operator – and I never really know which it’s going to be each year. But the plan is always music-related, recognising opportunities, and pouncing when we see them.

“It’s redbrick university towns that interest me. I’m not going to be opening venues in secondary university towns where there’s not the audience. It has to be redbrick towns where you know you’re gonna be able to promote a significant number of shows in the city.

“There are always opportunities bubbling. I’ve got probably three ideas running at the moment, but I’m not sure if all three might happen or none of them might happen. But in terms of the next five years, nothing’s off the table.”

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UK-based promoter and venue operator DHP Family is launching the Grace, a new late night music venue in Islington, north London.

The 150-capacity venue is the latest addition to the DHP Family portfolio, which includes London venues the Garage (600-capacity) and Oslo (375-capacity), as well as award-winning boat venue Thekla (400-cap.) in Bristol.

Opening today (Friday 13 September) with music by DJs from Soho record store Sister Ray Records, upcoming shows at the venue include country singer Lauren Jenkins, Manchester bands Ist Ist Ist and the Covasettes and neo-soul singer Ben Brown.

Housed in what originally opened as Upstairs at the Garage, the space has already hosted acts including Jeff Buckley, the Killers, Sheryl Crow, Mogwai and Grimes.

“Here at the Grace, we had the perfect opportunity to combine our bar and live music space”

“London is well known for its live music pubs which are institutions in their own right,” comments DHP Family owner George Akins.

“Here at the Grace, we had the perfect opportunity to combine our bar and live music space to create an atmospheric space that can function equally well for after-work drinks or post-gig partying.”

The Grace will open from 5 p.m. each day, closing at 2 a.m. Monday to Thursday and at 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The venue will not open on Sundays.

The venue is situated opposite Highbury and Islington tube station. More information can be found here.

In addition to its venue portfolio, Nottingham-based DHP Family runs the 25,000-capacity Splendour festival in Nottingham and multi-venue festival Dot to Dot in several cities. DHP also puts on 1,500 gigs per year, promoting tours by Ed Sheeran, the War on Drugs, Enter Shikari and more.

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London venue Borderline has announced it will close its doors this summer, after more than 30 years hosting acts including Debbie Harry, Blur, Muse, Amy Winehouse and the 1975.

Promoter and venue operator DHP Family, who bought the Borderline from Mama in 2016, has made the decision to close the 300-capacity venue by August 31 in the face of “ever increasing rents, rising business rates and ongoing redevelopment plans for Soho”.

According to music charity the Music Venue Trust (MVT), 35% of UK grassroots music venues have closed in the last decade. A 4% rise in business rates –the tax levied on non-residential property in the UK – has caused further problems for music venues, which are not eligible for the tax rebates applicable to other small businesses. Escalating London rents have also impacted many venues.

“This has been a difficult decision, but given intentions by the landlord to increase the rent significantly for a second time since we took it over in 2016 as well as plans to redevelop the building housing the Borderline, we now know the venue doesn’t have a long term future so it makes no sense for us to continue to invest,” says DHP Family managing director George Akins.

“This is a sad day for all of us who love live music and believe in grassroots venues”

“We’ve had an amazing two years at Borderline with some fantastic shows and want to thank everyone for their support from agents, promoters and artists to all the thousands who have come to the gigs and club nights.

“We’ve put our all into trying to revive this iconic venue but unfortunately, it has been impossible to turn into a sustainable operation due to so many external factors. This is a sad day for all of us who love live music and believe in grassroots venues,” adds Akins.

DHP has retained the Borderline names and will consider opportunities to relocate the venue.

Akins says that DHP is “still committed to creating and running the best grassroots music venues in the country.” The company plans to reinvest in other parts of its portfolio, setting aside £1 million for work on Bristol’s Thekla, preparing for the 40th anniversary of Rock City in Nottingham and working on the opening of its first venue in Birmingham.

The announcement comes in the midst of a spate of good news for UK grassroots venues, as fellow DHP-owned London venue, the Garage, last week won protection from the local council which has pledged to safeguard the venue in case of area redevelopment and MVT recently announced £1.5 million in funding to protect and improve grassroots music venues, as well as support from industry-led initiatives.

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DHP Family-owned Thekla (400-cap.), the award-winning live music boat venue based in Bristol, UK, is to be taken into dry dock on Monday 3 June for a £1 million overhaul to secure the boat’s next 50 years as a venue and club.

Ahead of the overhaul, Thekla will celebrate its 35th anniversary weekend from Thursday 2 to Saturday 5 May, with acts including BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, drum and bass artist Roni Size, rock group October Drift and Hessle Audio co-founder Pangaea.

Built in 1958, a new steel offset hull will be welded to the whole of the boat’s existing hull. A recent detailed survey showed that the current hull is near the end of its life, despite regular, routine inspections and repairs.

“There’s a lot of love for Thekla in Bristol, around the country and worldwide. Both music fans and bands like Florence and the Machine, White Denim, Mumford and Sons, Ellie Goulding and many others who have played there over the years have taken part in some great nights,” says George Akins of DHP Family.

“We’re committed to preserving that heritage and that’s why we’re getting the new hull fitted – we need to make sure that Thekla continues to be a great night out for the next 50 years,” adds Akins.

“There’s a lot of love for Thekla in Bristol, around the country and worldwide […] we need to make sure that Thekla continues to be a great night out for the next 50 years”

At over 50 metres in length, Thekla is one of the longest ships in Bristol’s floating harbour. Repairs will be undertaken in the grade two listed Albion dry dock, which reopened in 2018 to allow maintenance and repair to be carried out on large ships in the city.

“We are very pleased to be undertaking works on Thekla and so secure her long term future in Bristol,” comments Martin Childs, co-owner of the Albion Dock Company. “Equally, her visit to the Albion Dockyard helps our venture in bringing this historic facility back to full time use as a working dry dock.”

Thekla will return to its usual position in Bristol’s floating harbour and reopen to the public in early September 2019. The Thekla team will announce the exact date of its reopening through its website and social media channels.

In 2017, DHP called on supporters to back its #savethekla campaign amid fears that noise complaints would cause the venue to close following the approval of a new housing development adjacent to the venue.

More information about the Thekla 35th anniversary celebrations can be found here.

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One of Britain’s most unique music venues, DHP Family’s Thekla in Bristol, is facing an uncertain future following Bristol City Council’s decision to approve a new housing development adjacent to the 400-cap. venue.

DHP fears Thekla – a former cargo ship moored in Bristol’s Mud Dock – could be forced to close due to potential noise complaints from the new flats at Redcliffe Wharf if the developer fails to put in sufficient soundproofing to protect its residents.

At the planning meeting on Wednesday night, developer Complex Development Projects gave assurances it would carry out a a new and more comprehensive noise assessment prior to the development’s completion. DHP says, however, that despite it calling for the planning decision to be deferred until this had taken place, councillors gave Complex the green light.

“We appeal to the developer to keep to their promise to work with us on a new noise survey and improved sound insulation scheme to protect Thekla and the future residents from noise problems,” comments DHP Family’s head of compliance, Julie Tippins. “We expect the council to follow up on the assurances they gave to councillors to only give the go-ahead once they were satisfied the Thekla would be protected from future noise complaints from residents of the development.

“This is not the end of the fight to protect Thekla … we have to ensure all parties keep to the commitments they have given”

“This is certainly not the end of the fight to protect the Thekla, as we have to ensure that all parties keep to the commitments they have given. We urge our supporters to contact their local councillors and MPs to ensure the council does all it can to protect the future of the Thekla.”

Mark Davyd, CEO of Music Venue Trust, adds: “Sensible and adequately planned residential developments near to grassroots music venues like the Thekla mean that residents and music lovers can happily co-exist. That outcome starts at the planning application stage when a good developer recognises the cultural value of the existing music venue and takes steps to protect it.

“Recognising the existence of an iconic music venue like Thekla starts with a thorough environmental impact study that specifically understands the noise in the area. Properly understanding noise and activity results in great design for any refurbishment or new building, ensuring noise is managed and controlled.”

DHP is calling on supporters to back its #savethekla campaign to make sure the commitment to carry out a more comprehensive noise survey is honoured.

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