Village Underground

Village Underground is a multidisciplinary venue presenting live concerts and electronic music events alongside theatre, performing arts and visual arts. VU also plays host to commercial events, the revenue of which is put back into the artistic programme. Each year, VU has an attendance of over 150,000 people, stages more than 500 performances and works with more than 1500 artists. Atop the venue, four recycled Jubilee line trains and shipping containers make up the creative workspaces of Village Underground. These uniquely renovated spaces accommodate up to 30 artists, playwrights, filmmakers, architects, photographers, producers and start ups working side-by-side in a creative community. The project started in 2006, with the aim to create affordable studios for creative practitioners who were struggling to get a start in London. We acquired six tube carriages and two shipping containers which were to be converted into the co-working spaces. A few months later, we found the perfect location: an old railway viaduct in the middle of Shoreditch, East London. Adjacent to the viaduct was an old Victorian warehouse which we decided to turn into the venue that it is now. The main renovations took place over a year, just in time for our opening in April 2007. Nowadays, our mission is to present the best new culture as it happens and to transform people’s perceptions through inspirational experiences. We’re also proud to run a completely self-sufficient and independent business.