Sugarmill wins NME Best Small Midlands Venue third-time running

Stoke of Genius:

Stoke-on-Trent's Sugarmill is celebrating the accolade of becoming NME's Best Small Venue in the Midlands for the third time in a row.

The famous Hanley venue is also in the running to win the national title for the first time.

Unlike the two previous years, the 2013 award will be decided by a public vote rather than a panel of judges.

Promoter Danni Brownsill, 26, said: "We are always overwhelmed by the support we get from our gig-goers and how they always take time to vote for us, it means an awful lot. 

"We’d love to win the national title. We at The Sugarmill work hard to keep Stoke on the musical map. Without our loyal supporters and the people who attend our shows, we can’t function. 

"We are coming up for our 20th anniversary and we simply would not be here without them."

The past year has seen the talents of Kate Nash, The Pigeon Detectives, Funeral For a Friend and Latitude Festival headliner Foals grace the stage.

The nightclub has previously featured world-famous acts such as Muse, Coldplay and Kasabian.

"Prestigious bands, up and coming bands and local bands love playing here, not only for our rich and varied show history, but because of our great audience," added Danni.

"Our venue belongs to the people of Stoke, and I hope for them we can win this national title and show the nation that Stoke has a great music scene."

The winning national venue will host a special winners show, featuring a yet to be announced main stage festival headliner on June 24.

Vote for The Sugarmill to win NME's national award. The winner will be announced on June 4.