Nick Hall and Dave Knox of Music in Devon Initiative (MIDI) share the story of a decade spent building the infrastructure Devon's music scene never had, and reveal the two city centre spaces that are changing what's possible for musicians in Exeter.

Nick came to Devon via Somerset, London's Britpop years, and three years living in Senegal, where he absorbed West African music and met his partner. Back in Exmouth, he built a following playing at pubs and festivals, and set up MIDI in 2016.

Dave arrived through MIDI TV — the live performance platform MIDI built during lockdown to keep Devon artists connected with audiences — and has since co-directed the Devon-wide Battle of the Bands, managed recording projects, and helped grow the organisation's reach across the county.

MIDI has now run nine editions of the Exeter Street Arts F ...