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Where did all those pub gigs go?


Happy Jack
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funnily enough (not funny ha ha) the local mainstay of live music in my town The Greyhound in Beeston, Notts has just announced its closing, blaming high business rates, but the truth is not enough people were turning up every weekend to watch the bands for whatever reason

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pokies.

darts, 8 ball and bands got turfed out.

filled the room with pokies

made a mint.

installed good restaurants with their windfall

now they are empty-ish

pokie rooms are dead, people have lost all their money and are now too broke to gamble.

live music making a slow comeback in a desperate bid to bring in crowds

but random breathos have killed it I fear. Why would you risk losing your licence for the privilege of paying ten bucks for a pint of draught beer ffs?

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[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1505458700' post='3371994']
pokies.

darts, 8 ball and bands got turfed out.

filled the room with pokies

made a mint.

installed good restaurants with their windfall

now they are empty-ish

pokie rooms are dead, people have lost all their money and are now too broke to gamble.

live music making a slow comeback in a desperate bid to bring in crowds

but random breathos have killed it I fear. Why would you risk losing your licence for the privilege of paying ten bucks for a pint of draught beer ffs?
[/quote]

Pokie rooms seemed to be alive and well when I was in Oz a year or so back. There's no direct equivalent in the UK.

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[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1505219123' post='3370297']
funnily enough (not funny ha ha) the local mainstay of live music in my town The Greyhound in Beeston, Notts has just announced its closing, blaming high business rates, but the truth is not enough people were turning up every weekend to watch the bands for whatever reason
[/quote]

I saw that and It [i]is[/i] a shame but, my band is Beeston based. I'm in Beeston every weekend and often at a loose end after 8pm. I want to see original live music and I'll pay and take a risk on something that looks interesting. The reason I never went there was that with a very few exceptions they seemed to book wall to wall tribute / covers acts at weekends. There's a really good scene in Beeston (and I'm glad The Greyound is supporting the Oxjam takeover, despite the imminent closure), but their booking policy put them off my radar.

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[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1505459427' post='3372000']
Pokie rooms seemed to be alive and well when I was in Oz a year or so back. There's no direct equivalent in the UK.
[/quote]

depends where you were. Sydney have huge RSL and Rugby clubs with hundreds of machines.

In Adelaide they are in most pubs, from 3 to 50 machines kinda setups.

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Read the article, but was surprised it also didn't mention other factors that have come into play.

You can have a cheap night's entertainment indoors - you can get a case of beer and snacks very cheaply in your local supermarket, and if you've got cable or something like Amazon Prime or Netflix etc, that's less costly than a night out with your mates in a pub regardless of whether you're watching a band or not. I'm stunned at how much a pint costs nowadays (even though I don't drink), and I'm surprised pubs aren't shutting down faster as a result...

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Smoking ban has to have had an effect too.

I was still a smoker and a drinker when it came in force up here and it really took the shine off going to a pub. I liked a tab with my pint. I found I drank less (and smoked less) having to go outside every time for a fag. So given the choice of going to a (smoking) friends flat with your mates and a carry-out and being able to enjoy a smoke and a drink, or going to a pub, the flat would often win.

I'm not suggesting that the smoking ban shouldn't have been brought in. As against it as I was at the time, I think overall it is a positive thing, but it must have had an effect on pub numbers.

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[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1505571775' post='3372934']
Yes, pokies advertised everywhere confused me when I arrived in Adelaide from Perth.

But gambling is not permitted in Western Australia- god bless it!
[/quote]

I don't think that is correct. For one thing they have a huge casino :)

anti-gambling is non Australian lol

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