Kelly Lee Owens on the state of electronic music: “Without small venues, you wouldn’t have Depeche Mode – which is a world like not really worth living in!”

Kelly Lee Owens has shared her thoughts on the current state of electronic music in the UK in a new podcast interview.

In the latest episode of BBC Sounds show Sidetracked with Annie and Nick, issued today (February 20), Owens joined as guest and co-host to discuss with Nick Grimshaw a recent report by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) that charts a new growth of interest in the UK electronic music scene.

“What’s worrying is that you’re getting these great stats that [the industry is] growing… but then you’re also hearing of clubs closing,” Grimshaw remarked. “So, it’s interesting that it is growing, but then the venues aren’t there or the smaller venues aren’t there.”

Owens agreed – she added that, while established venues like Fabric “being threatened” was “a wake-up call”, it’s the “smaller places” that “people don’t kick up a fuss” about when they disappear.

“I always think of Depeche Mode, they were on the tube with their synths coming to these small venues,” she said. “I always think like without small venues, you wouldn’t have Depeche Mode, which is a world like not really worth living in!”

She continued: “So I think there’s a responsibility when it comes to everyone – from the booking agents to ticketing companies – they need to be investing back into these venues so that the up-and-coming people have a place to be.

“It’s ultimately like a symbiotic relationship and we need to start viewing and acting in that way towards it.” Listen to the Sidetracked episode here.

Last October, new findings by the NTIA predict that UK clubbing could be “extinct” by the end of the decade – with 10 nightclubs closing per month.

In January, gig spaces, musicians, festivals and nightclubs told NME about what they see as difficult year ahead and a long overdue reckoning, with one stating that the signs thus far “should be red flags for the industry” as a whole.

“2025 is going to be a difficult year and there’s no point in pretending otherwise, but it is taking place in an atmosphere where everybody understands the problems and are trying their best to resolve them,” Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd told NME.

Owens has enjoyed a newfound relationship with Depeche Mode, as the electronic pop artist was handpicked to join their 2023 ‘Memento Mori’ world tour as a support act.

“Being taken under the wing of a band like that – and I don’t just mean the tour bit that I did, I would just go hang out,” Owens told NME about the experience.

“I felt like I belonged to a family, and sometimes as a solo artist you don’t always have that, so I felt kind of adopted by Depeche Mode. And for obvious reasons [they’re] pioneers when it comes to marrying pop and electronic dance music.”