The Velvet Onion is six years old. No, really.

Well, almost – we’re a few days away from our official birthday, but it is essentially upon us. To paraphrase William Hartnell’s Doctor, it all started as a mild curiosity on a wordpress blog, and now it’s turned into quite the spirit of alternative comedy.

Over the last six years we’ve broke countless exclusives, watched hundreds and probably thousands of hours of comedy, and given you direct access to the talents you love.

We’ve also not updated the visual aesthetic of The Velvet Onion since 2011. And as our volunteer writers have begun to dry up, the small core team left behind have all had massive upheavals in our real lives that have meant that, on occasion, we’ve not always been as quick off the mark as we’d like, and a few aspects of the site have been looking a little shoddy.

And so, to paraphrase yet another Doctor, it’s time for change, my dears, and not a moment too soon.

To do this, we’re going to have to temporarily close the main website down this weekend, as we begin to frantically restructure our archives and prepare the site for a new look, better organisation and new features that will delve into the history of the artists we feature on our pages. Some inactive names may drop off our lists, some may be more prominently featured, but when we return we’ll be the same TVO you’ve loved for six years, just firing on all cylinders once more.

But we’re not leaving you behind completely. We’ll be using our Twitter feed to keep you updated on the latest news and what to watch, listen to, and enjoy. And if you don’t tweet, we’re also mirroring that content on Facebook, so you can still see what we’re up to.

So, for as long as it takes us, we’ll see you on social media – and for all the love and support you’ve given us in the last six years, we thank you.

Stay peeled.

Paul Holmes
Editor in Chief, 2010-Present