Antony Szmierek offers up his Really Very Good new single, 'The Heron'

Filmed at Future Yard as part of Dork’s Round The Houses tour, our first-ever Before Doors session catches Antony Szmierek performing ‘The Heron’ with everything unnecessary stripped away. No crowd, no stage, no sense of occasion beyond the fact that the camera’s on. It’s just him and his band in a room that’s usually built for noise, delivering something that doesn’t rely on it.

That's the theory behind Before Doors - soundtrack sessions in the very venues artists will be playing later that day, showcasing both their talent and the places where they show it off.

Grassroots venues aren't just rooms with a PA, they're the research and development pipeline for the entire UK music industry. Places like Future Yard in Birkenhead do the heavy lifting, nurturing local talent, training the next generation of sound engineers and stage managers, and providing the kind of community infrastructure that can't be replicated by arenas or streaming algorithms.

In the past year alone, 16% of the UK's grassroots venues have closed. At a time when concert ticket revenues are at their highest in history, that should be setting off alarm bells for anyone who loves music. Future Yard are currently crowdfunding £150,000 to build a new 600-capacity venue and 12 studio spaces on their Birkenhead site. Back the Build Our Future campaign here.

‘The Heron’ itself sits in that setting comfortably. It leans into what Szmierek does best: pulling from the specific and shaping it into something that feels broader without losing that sense of where it came from. Filmed like this, there’s nowhere to hide, but he doesn’t need to. The performance holds because it’s built not on spectacle, but on how the words land and how they’re delivered. Which is to say this is Really Quite Special. Enjoy!