This weekend sees Jack Daniel’s kick off its year-long ‘Jack Rocks’ initiative supporting some of the UK’s most iconic and respected independent small venues.

With a vast array of venues to get through, this Saturday sees the turn of the famous Southampton Joiners Arms venue, with hotly-tipped local act The Rising headlining.

Also on the bill sees The Novatones and The Affected Four supporting at the venue, which has hosted live music since 1968. The Joiners is an historic venue that once hosted a gig by none other than Jimi Hendrix on his way to the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970.

Joint partner at Southampton’s Joiners Amanda Betts, said: “We’re really proud that The Joiners has been chosen as the venue to host the first of these Jack Rocks shows – it has a long and illustrious history of supporting new music and we hope that we can continue that tradition long into the future.”

“The Rising are a local Southampton band that have started to make a real buzz outside of the city and it promises to be a memorable night!”

The independent venue initiative is the latest in Jack Daniels’ ‘Jack Rocks’ series of event partnerships and is designed to both support the work that small venues do in showcasing and championing new music as well as highlighting the struggles that many of them face with several live music hubs closing in the past year including the Leeds Cockpit and Highbury Buffalo Bar.

The Tennessee Whiskey brand will also team up with Glasgow’s King Tut’s, Liverpool’s Zanzibar and Birmingham’s Rainbow to host regular  ‘Jack Rocks’ nights featuring the best up and coming talent as well as more established acts.