Ludicrous!

[ironside1966]

It is a sad fact that there are people out there with the windows open on a cold winters day standing by the phone, waiting to ring the council if they get the slightest hint of the sound of live music.

also when people buy the house near a pub it is reflected in the purchase price. so it is unreasonable to complain about moderate noise levels from the venue.

There are also bands out there who wont play a reasonable volumes also, no matter how fair the venue and residents are.
I have lost count the times I have seen bands in small empty pubs with large distorted PA rigs going full pelt at unbearable volumes.
The standard response is we are a rock band we are meant to be loud.

I don't mean play quiet, just play to the surroundings with consideration for others.
it just takes the actions of a few inconsiderate bands to turn the residents against the venue and spoil it for all.

Edited August 20, 2008 by ironside1966

[Balcro]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='266567' date='Aug 20 2008, 07:44 PM']Yup, not wrong there. We've lost quite a few music venues when people have moved into houses next to/very near to pubs, and then complained when the pubs have had moderate volume bands on. The c**ts in the council serve noise abatement notices at the first hint of a complaint. BTW a lot of the complaints have come from young people not just old gits.[/quote]


Well it wasn't this Council c**t who upset you. Yes. I was one of them, but not any more. Ye ha!

In 29 years doing commercial Environmental Health I probably didn't serve more than 5 Notice on pubs. That's pubs not bands/groups. Nearly all our noise work revolved around building sites.
It's people in general who are perverse, not the EHO. Where I live they are building hundreds of flats closely adjacent to the main N/South railway line. Elsewhere there are fairly new houses 20m from the same line! Why would you buy a flat/house there? I wouldn't. I think they're mad. The latest madness is to turn an old office block into a 100 bed hotel - it's next to the local fire station!!

It may surprise you to know that "in law" a person can move next to that kennel (for example) and then complain about the noise. The law assumes they could have visited the house and not noticed the kennel or at that time there wasn't any barking. Amazingly, it's been that way since about 1890 or thereabouts. The onus to be reasonable always falls on the noise maker. In this modern day & age it's usually the pub or club proprietor or manager, not the musicians.

This being England you often find that people put up with the most outrageous noises for a long time before complaining; some never complain at all.

Take the average pub. Built 75+ years ago when pub entertainment was an unamplified piano in the corner and the pub shut at 11 on Saturday night. They haven't changed the doors and windows since. Not surprising that a lot of noise escapes. Unless you serve a notice the breweries won't do a thing: they just go in for time wasting tactics.

Sorry for the collateral damage.

Balcro

[Earbrass]

[quote name='Rich' post='266051' date='Aug 20 2008, 07:57 AM']OK, so where does it stop? Years ago, near where I used to live there was a dog boarding kennel. Out in the middle of nowhere, only one house anywhere near it. That house was sold, new couple moved in and, yup you guessed it, they complained about the noise. The owner of the kennel had two choices: 1] install complete soundproofing/enclosures which he could not afford, or 2] close. So another business folds, and a few more people on the dole... all because of the selfishness of these twats who knew full well that there was an established kennel nearby when they bought the place. Would you have been 100% on their side too?[/quote]

Only if I was sure no dog would suffer as a result. NIMBYism is our most valuable bulwark against ever increasing noise pollution and over-development. Long may its force be felt.

[Earbrass]

... oh yeah, and while we're on the subject of "the selfishness of these twats", I've not infrequently seen on these boards people talking of playing their bass rigs at home and "annoying the neighbours", often followed by a smiley. It's the selfishness of these twats we should be concerned with, and if any of them ever have their gear seized, it serves them right.

[Rich]

[quote name='Earbrass' post='267178' date='Aug 21 2008, 04:23 PM']Only if I was sure no dog would suffer as a result. NIMBYism is our most valuable bulwark against ever increasing noise pollution and over-development. Long may its force be felt.[/quote]So let's assume that the buyers looked at the house, realised it was close to an established working kennel and thought "oh well, we can soon put a stop to that"..? That's OK, is it?

[lowhand_mike]

this all reminds me of when i was about 17 learning to play, our neighbours at the time where real twats. they complained at the slightest sound. i would be up in my room playing along to cd's, and he would go out into the back garden and start shouting at me to "turn the f***ing music down". now i could here this from my room with the windows shut, clearly he was making more noise than me as i could here him over the music. i had the police called out on me several times to no result on his part. even to the point one day where ha came round and threatened me to my face and as is typical with this kind of twonk he had no back bone to follow up said physical threat.
One time he came round complaining again and my mum answered the door, it too loud etc so she went into their house to have a listen, they had no tv on, no radio, their kids weren't allowed to make any noise, they sat in complete silence and all my mum could here was a faint low hum.
i never pay attention to people like this as i am generally considerate of noise levels but there are simply some people that will complain for the sake of it, like the ones that will sit through a whole tv show that they don't like just so they can complain about it. If you dont like it don't f***ing watch it. same applies to moving into a house, you check it all out properly, if not your stupid fault, you wouldn't buy a house without getting a survey done, visit it during the week not just weekends and not just during the day.

bah

rant over

[Balcro]

[quote name='Rich' post='267205' date='Aug 21 2008, 05:06 PM']So let's assume that the buyers looked at the house, realised it was close to an established working kennel and thought "oh well, we can soon put a stop to that"..? That's OK, is it? :huh:[/quote]

In [u]simple legal terms[/u], yes it is. As I said in my earlier post, there is no defence in law where someone moves next to a noise source. In practice it's a lot, lot more complicated. If you live next door where a dog barks when the postman calls or there's a knock at the door, it doesn't count. If, in addition, the average pooch barks a couple of times during the day, still no problem. If you've got one dog or a large number of dogs that bark for hour after hour on an almost daily basis and through the night, the answer is no. There are a 1001 variations in between, but that is basically it. Many kennels have hardly any noise.

The same general idea applies to pubs. Some noise from a pub is normal and the neigbours have to accept that how ever often it occurs. When the noise becomes excessive and is repeated time & time again, it isn't OK.

Similarly with lowhand_mikes 5.33 post, if he had made an excessive noise for a couple of hours and repeated it time and again, day after day, week after week, then yes, the neighbours would have had a case. They and anyone are entitled to sit in their home without a radio or telly on.

When I was 22, I made a noise with 3 others (2 guitars, drums and home organ) in the front room of our terraced house. The difference was we spoke to the neighbours first (with several days warning) and asked them if they minded. Bless 'em, they didn't. We said we want to play between 8 and 10pm only on a Thursday. They said OK. We played only between 8-10pm and stopped. It lasted 3 Thursdays. No ranting from neighbours.

Balcro.

[Guest MoJo]

I've no problem playing at any volume loud or quiet in fact with my Party band I prefer the volume to be kept down. It's more controllable that way and the dynamics of my rig are better. The problem with a live band is that you're always limited to how quiet you can go by the acoustic instruments, particularly drums. Now if all drummers would ditch their acoustic kits in favour of Roland V drums, problem solved.

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='Balcro' post='267732' date='Aug 22 2008, 11:33 AM']Similarly with lowhand_mikes 5.33 post, if he had made an excessive noise for a couple of hours and repeated it time and again, day after day, week after week, then yes, the neighbours would have had a case. They and anyone are entitled to sit in their home without a radio or telly on.[/quote]

but it is ok for him to stand out side in the back garden screaming and shouting everytime the music goes on?

[Balcro]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='267773' date='Aug 22 2008, 12:26 PM']but it is ok for him to stand out side in the back garden screaming and shouting everytime the music goes on? :huh:[/quote]

Straight bat answer. Just like everything else. Once, yes, it's OK. Maybe 30 or 40 times, NO.

It could be you were both equally at fault. There are no exceptions.

Balcro.

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='Balcro' post='267792' date='Aug 22 2008, 12:48 PM']Straight bat answer. Just like everything else. Once, yes, it's OK. Maybe 30 or 40 times, NO.

It could be you were both equally at fault. There are no exceptions.

Balcro.[/quote]
ah ok
a mine field of a mine field

[Rich]

[quote name='Me!' post='267205' date='Aug 21 2008, 05:06 PM']So let's assume that the buyers looked at the house, realised it was close to an established working kennel and thought "oh well, we can soon put a stop to that"..? That's OK, is it? [/quote][quote name='Balcro' post='267732' date='Aug 22 2008, 11:33 AM']In [u]simple legal terms[/u], yes it is.[/quote]
Aha. Yet another example of the law being an ass.

[BassMunkee]

It does strike me as just a tiny bit ludicrous that people can knowingly move in next to something (potentially) noisey like a church or kennels or whatever, and then complain about it.

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='BassMunkee' post='267824' date='Aug 22 2008, 01:27 PM']It does strike me as just a tiny bit ludicrous that people can knowingly move in next to something (potentially) noisey like a church or kennels or whatever, and then complain about it.[/quote]

that the english government for ya

[Rich]

It's probably an unrepealed Law dating from 1328 or something.