Brighten the Corners: How Joe Bailey and his team are reshaping Ipswich’s live music scene

Joe Bailey  does not shout about what he has built. But the venues he's helped grow and the team he's shaped are now central to not just the town’s music scene but the town's culture, identity and visitor economy.

He moved to Ipswich in 2006 while working as an area sales manager for a musical instrument company. Redundancy hit in 2008.

"I remembered a conversation I had with Brian from West End Music. He asked, 'Do you think Ipswich needs a community-based recording studio?' I said yes, of course. And when I was made redundant, I remembered that."

He used the payout to buy Soundback Studio. On 1 January 2009, he reopened it as Punch Studios, a place for people to record, rehearse and try things out.

"Very quickly, we started doing education-based workshops, working with young kids, putting on Rock Schools, getting them to perform, write original songs and gain confidence."

Building South Street

In the years that followed, Joe took on more space in the South Street building. As offices became available, he and the team signed the leases.

"We ended up with a recording studio, two rehearsal rooms, a production space and teaching areas quite quickly."

Out Loud Music was founded in 2014. Jay Goodrich joined early on and has since played a key role in shaping its inclusive approach. Their iRock workshops, which use iPads and other technology, are still running today.

Then came The Smokehouse. In 2015, they were given a year to raise funds to turn the unused back unit into a live venue. They secured £60,000 from the Biffa Award and local Labour councillors.

When The Smokehouse opened in 2016, it was the first dedicated grassroots music venue the town had seen in years. It quickly became a proving ground for volunteers, up-and-coming bands and a new kind of local energy.

"We went from three to four gigs a month to around 12. We now have hundreds of bands come through a year."

Making a scene

Marcus Neal joined in 2018 to lead programming. His remit was to bring more national acts to Ipswich. Artists like This Is The Kit, Warmduscher and Porridge Radio played sold-out shows in unusually intimate settings.

In 2019, they were approached by Arts Council England and Sound City Liverpool to run a multi-venue festival. It was sooner than they had planned, but they said yes. That year’s Sound City Ipswich sold out.

The pandemic hit not long after. Yet, thanks to grant funding, a successful crowdfunder and quick adaptation to live streaming, the team kept staff paid and maintained momentum.

Then came the opportunity to expand again.

The Baths and St Stephen’s

By 2021, they were testing new spaces. The Baths, formerly St Matthew’s Baths and more recently a gym, reopened as a 300-capacity venue.

Decades earlier, it had hosted bands like Rod Stewart and Led Zeppelin.

Pigs x7, Field Music and others have since played to packed crowds.

At the same time, they partnered with the council to transform St Stephen’s Church into a town-centre venue. With £450,000 in funding from the borough and national grant schemes, the space opened in time for Brighten The Corners in 2023.

"I think we have created an ecosystem, a stepping stone model," Joe says.

The Smokehouse remains the entry point. St Stephen’s adds a mid-level option. The Baths now hosts bigger names.

In 2023, Brighten The Corners took over the live music output from Out Loud Music. Out Loud now focuses on community projects, education and volunteering, while Brighten The Corners leads on programming, festivals and venues.

Beyond the stage

Tune-Up, their skills and training programme, began in 2022 with support from Arts Council England. Volunteers and trainees now work paid shifts as sound engineers, crew and bar staff. Others have gone on to freelance or join the industry full-time.

"There has always been a class barrier in music. If you do not have the time or money to go to uni or move to London, how do you get a foot in the door? That is what we are trying to change."

Brighten The Corners now runs three venues and two festivals, one in summer and one in winter. Esme Emerson, one of the UK’s rising indie acts, came through BTC’s rock schools. They have played in every BTC venue and Ed Sheeran gave them a shoutout on Instagram.

"We want this to be a place where people can grow. Whether that is audiences, artists or the team behind the scenes."

Coming full circle

In his final year at university, Joe wrote a treatment outlining what he hoped to build. Years later, he found it again.

"Obviously not fully formed, but it was quite lovely to see that there must have been a spark there. It was always there."

When he came across that letter again, he realised they’d actually got somewhere.

Ipswich’s music scene was once scattered. Now it is mapped, resourced and thriving.