No Sugarcoating & No Bullshit: July
Written by Jo Hayes
Sunday, 26 July 2015 04:00
Hello again Uber Rockers, it’s that time again for some blogging nonsense from yours truly. It seems like yesterday since my last blog, not that I’ve been up to that much. I was hoping to see The Peewees in London, but due to the Tube strike the day before, and engineering strikes, I didn’t want to risk getting stuck on a train (that happened to me after seeing The Nomads once – not fun!)
Anyway, this month’s blog is about local music scenes vs bigger venues (academies, arenas, etc.). I got on to thinking about scenes when my younger sister went to a gig last week. She usually goes to big venues, and ticket prices are probably around £20 upwards (I might be underestimating), but this gig cost her £3, and was local bands. She remarked that there weren’t many people there, which I guess if you’re used to big venues, then it would probably seem like that.
The first gig that I ever went to was at Wembley Arena, for the Stereophonics, and we were right at the back. Even though I enjoyed the gig, I always dreamed of seeing bands in a closer proximity. Growing up into my teens, I preferred seeing smaller, perhaps virtually unknown bands at local venues, paying a few quid, and finding some new music. Plus with smaller local gigs, the scene that develops is like a community, many of the punters are also in bands, and you’ll end up playing gigs with them at some point.
When I lived in Burgess Hill growing up (a commuter town in between Brighton and London), a friend of mine started putting on free punk gigs once a month, at a small pub on the other side of town to me, called The Junction. This was a boredom life-saver for me, as there wasn’t anything else to do in the town, except hang around in the park, or jump on the train to Brighton!
It was at The Junction (which isn’t there anymore) that I discovered some great local bands, made some great friends, and played my first gig on guitar when I was 16 (I was a drummer in my first band). My band was called ‘Ass Rockits’ for that gig, and unfortunately it stuck (at least it’s a memorable name!)
The bands that played The Junction would play in Brighton as well, and we had a good Punk Rock community going on. It’s a shame this particular group of people aren’t in the scene anymore, people have moved on, got jobs, married, basically life getting in the way. I imagine there are similar local music scenes that are like small communities, dotted around the country, something you just wouldn’t get at a huge venue. It’s nice having a sense of belonging, being close to the stage and close to the music (rather than stuck behind a barrier with beefy security guards getting in the way).
I remember bands in the scene (mine included), who got the chance to play The Concorde – which is quite a big deal if you’re a band in Brighton. Once a month, a local promoter would put on Punk Rock all dayers, 10 bands, with perhaps a big-ish underground act. The first time we played, there was a decent sized crowd. The second time, the people who ran the Concorde, decided not to allow drinking in the auditorium, to put off minors drinking underage. When we played, aside from the soundman and promoter, there were maybe 5 people, 3 of which migrated to the bar half-way through our set (where most people stayed for the rest of the day). I’m sure that this rule thankfully only lasted for this one gig!
I definitely miss it (and some of the venues which no longer exist). I would love to be in a band again one day, it’s been over 8 years since I played a gig, which is crazy. If my health improves enough for me to commit to a band and the practices, hopefully I can find some like-minded, non-egotistical people. We’ll see!
Even going to see local bands would be great, but as I’m sure I’ve mentioned in a previous blog entry, I need somewhere more accessible, and to be able to sit down or lean somewhere (rock ‘n’ roll, eh!)
Anyway, somewhere which isn’t local to me at all – I’m off to see The Sonics in Manchester this weekend (another one to tick off the bucket list!) Have a good one if you’re going too.
Until next time…
Jo