The Covid pandemic spread fear across the world, brought businesses to their knees and confined millions of people to their homes. But for the managing director behind some of Nottingham's most popular venues, it was the "rollercoaster" that challenged him to think "outside the box".
George Akins is the managing director at DHP Family, which owns the legendary Rock City and much cosier gig venue The Bodega, alongside Rescue Rooms, Stealth, Black Cherry Lounge in Nottingham plus The Garage, Grace and Oslo in London and Thekla in Bristol . As some are still feeling the tremours of the Covid pandemic amid the sky-rocketing costs of living crisis, Nottingham's music scene seems to be thriving.
This year has seen live music company DHP Family bounce back strongly from the impact of the pandemic, when the music stopped as the whole live sector closed down overnight and was unable to trade normally for 16 months. This year's turnover is estimated to almost outrun the pre-pandemic times.
