When he learned of the recognition, he says it took him by surprise.
“I couldn’t quite believe it,” he says. “But if that’s for representing the Roundhouse and what we’ve done, then that’s a wonderful thing to have, and I will wear that badge with honour and delight.”
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It’s clear that he considers the youth programme to be his greatest achievement.
“Working with one young person can make a difference to their family, their community, and wider society,” Davey explains. “When you think that we’ve worked with 100,000… the ripple effect is extraordinary.”
Beneath the main stage lies a labyrinth of professional studios, DJ booths and rehearsal rooms. From just £1 an hour, young people aged 11 to 25 can access facilities that might otherwise be out of reach.
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Of those who have passed through, Davey says around 60% come from the most deprived areas.
“Investing in young people gives [them] a better future,” he says. “And we do it through the arts and creativity. These are not only things that they will take through the whole of their lives as joy and happiness… But it’s also the skills they learn that can take them into work.”
He points to one rehearsal space where, in 2007, Paul McCartney wandered in during a break from rehearsing for the BBC Electric Proms and spent an hour coaching a young female band.
“The young band didn’t know who he was by face,” Davey says, leading me into the practice room. “So when they asked him for his name after the session, he replied, ‘I was here yesterday’.”
The message, signed Paul McCartney, remains written on a small whiteboard on the wall.
The Roundhouse has played host to a number of famous names under Davey’s leadership, including Jay Z and Bob Dylan, but its legacy of hosting major artists stretches back decades.
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“The Roundhouse is critically important to punk,” Davey says excitedly. “It’s amazing because the Ramones gave their first ever British concert here on 4 July 1976, and in the audience were all these young musicians, Sex Pistols, The Pogues, loads of others. They went off to become the great British punk movement, and they saw the Ramones here on Independence Day.”
Despite growing up in Cumbria as a classical cellist, Davey identifies with that same spirit.
“I’m a bit of a punk,” he says. “What I like about punk is, you do it yourself. You’re not going to wait for anyone else to tell you to do it. And that is my attitude here, completely.
“I’m not going to wait for the government to approve something… We go out there, raise money, build the building, and get supporting young people. Otherwise, you have to wait for decades.”
A large banner hanging in the venue’s entrance reads: Every ticket you buy funds our vital youth programme.
That model has helped sustain initiatives such as the Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival, returning in April. Young people perform alongside major artists, help curate the programme, and work backstage in technical and production roles, gaining real-world experience at a world-class venue.
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Bringing young people into the Roundhouse’s wider decision-making has been a central part of Davey’s leadership. In 2006, when the venue reopened, he appointed two young people to the trustee board. Today they have three.
“If you’re going to do something for somebody, you’ve got to involve them in the decision-making,” Davey says. “You can’t just sort of go, we’re doing this for you. The whole point of the Roundhouse is, we’re doing it with you.”
As Davey prepares to leave, his changemaking work is not yet over. In February, the Roundhouse launched the Young Creatives Commission, led by the Centre for Young Lives and Baroness Anne Longfield, aiming to influence government policy and improve access to creative opportunities.
“What sport has done brilliantly is to talk about ‘sport equals health, equals futures’, and they are funded for it,” Davey says.
“Now, if we could do the same for art and creativity, then this will be the greatest legacy that anyone could possibly hope to have left for a building that is turning 20 years old.
“Getting this dropped into the government and saying, ‘Look, this has got power. This has got meaning, and this can help transform the lives of young people in our country’… that will be something worth fighting for.”
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