The Independent’s Main Stage initiative to support grassroots music venues continues with Albert’s Shed in Shrewsbury. The popular venue opened at the site of the former Source Bar in Barker Street, Shrewsbury, in March 2017, and has since played host to hundreds of musicians, as well as comedians and other live performance artists. General manager David Gregg spent 18 years working in corporate hospitality before an opportunity arose with his current business partner seven years ago.
Albert’s Shed was born. Hi David, what’s the ethos behind Albert’s Shed? We were looking to fill a gap between someone playing the guitar in the corner of a busy pub on the weekend, and larger venues. There seemed to be a middle ground for a venue that puts the music first and the bar second, rather than just putting it in as a bit of an add-on.
The music we put on is quite eclectic. I studied in Manchester (I’m from Shropshire), and I was quite interested in the dance music side of things. But that’s a very different experience to watching musicians actually create music onstage, so it’s always been two-fold.
I’m lucky, because we do also dabble with DJs for the club nights, but it’s the live original music that we’re really passionate about. How do you juggle audience demands with the music you really love? There is a danger of becoming “too cool” or being scared to “sell out” and lose credibility, so you end up taking your eye off the bottom line. If we can make .