BrunoBass Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 I’m lucky in that my hometown enjoys a fairly decent live music scene, but it’s nowhere near as good as it was a few years ago. Anyone else found the same? Five years ago there were many pubs in town and in the surrounding towns with bands playing on Friday’s and Saturday’s every week, open mic / acoustic nights on week nights or Sunday’s, loads of local bands, and a good gang of musicians willing to support and help each other. Fast forward to today and there are much fewer pubs putting on bands and those that are only have them on Saturday’s, there are far fewer bands in town now and the one remaining open mic has just finished. The pubs and bands that are still active are still fairly busy (including us), but numbers have noticeably dwindled. None of the pubs have closed, they’re just not hosting live music as frequently as before. What’s it like where you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigyin Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Grimsby....only 2 decent live music venues there's a couple of club venues but personally I hate the club scene....used to be great could gig 4 to 5 times per week but gone right down now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dankology Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Tiny northwestern town here - can't move for open mics, at least two or three venues putting on original bands, most pubs put covers bands or singers on regularly - we must have it pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Yep, here between Brizzle and Barf it’s a gradual decline. Only the function/corporate gigs pay anything...most venues are down to duos and open mikes that cost nothing. Two obvious reasons - it costs a small fortune to go out anywhere and virtually all pubs and restaurants are run by big businesses (with planks on the walls, to get that Hipster/vegan vibe) and very temporary management. As long as the KPI boxes get ticked, no one gets a terrible reference for their next career step. 👴🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Not sure in Hemel Hempstead, been so long since I’ve been out socially I wouldn’t know what’s going on around here, aside from The Oddfellows Arms which has been a good music pub for a fair time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 18 hours ago, Lozz196 said: Not sure in Hemel Hempstead, been so long since I’ve been out socially I wouldn’t know what’s going on around here, aside from The Oddfellows Arms which has been a good music pub for a fair time now. Apart from The Odds, both The White Hart and The Rose & Crown in the old town have regular live music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 4 hours ago, spike said: Apart from The Odds, both The White Hart and The Rose & Crown in the old town have regular live music. Both of those were my locals years ago. I only live some 500 metres from them, obviously far enough away for my deaf ears to not hear the bands 🤣 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 From my perspective as a very old git (66 today), this is and has always been cyclical. Live music comes and goes in popularity. Its demise (much like that of the guitar) has been touted for decades, but it always comes back as people tire of processed pap. There are certainly fewer live music venues round my way in Norf Lunnon, than there were a few years back, although there is still a reasonable scene. Plenty of awful open mic nites, of course. People perform for free, their mates come to cheer them along and buy plenty of drink, so it's a no-brainer for the venue. Went to one with a pal recently and it was truly dreadful, with one notable exception - a woman who had written some decent songs, which she actually played on guitar (on which she was quite accomplished) and sang well. She also seemed to appreciate, unlike the other performers, that one should learn the words of the songs one sings and engage with an audience, rather than stare at a smartphone screen and read the lyrics (at the end of the night, I asked a couple of those who had done this why it was, given that they had apparently written the songs they sang, that they needed to read them). Guess I'm just a grumpy old git. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassfinger Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 Not much live music in my village, unless you count the druids chanting as the wicker man burns. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted November 22, 2019 Share Posted November 22, 2019 The live music scene in Belfast is great. Lots of venues putting on originals bands, plenty of covers gigs for the likes of me and all sorts of jams and open mics. Plenty of traditional music gigs too. All the pubs close to me have live music and fortunately, my band play in most of them. Quite a few pubs put on a singer/guitarist at around 6.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays and Sunday afternoons are well covered too. Overall, it's pretty decent. But then, we're just catching up, as the years from 1969 to 1994 ish were a complete desert musically. (And almost every other way.) Very few gigs and no big bands were willing to come to Belfast. Rory Gallagher and a few others excepted. Frank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 On 21/11/2019 at 10:35, thebigyin said: Grimsby....only 2 decent live music venues there's a couple of club venues but personally I hate the club scene....used to be great could gig 4 to 5 times per week but gone right down now. Austerity😭 The West coast of Scotland was great about 10 years ago... now it's like a morgue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted November 23, 2019 Author Share Posted November 23, 2019 10 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Guess I'm just a grumpy old git. Not at all, I totally agree (perhaps that makes me a grumpy old git too... 😉). Reading lyrics off an iPad is bad enough when it’s for covers, inexcusable when it’s your own song. Learn the bloody words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopsdabassist Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 17 hours ago, Lozz196 said: Both of those were my locals years ago. I only live some 500 metres from them, obviously far enough away for my deaf ears to not hear the bands 🤣 Me too mate, but I reckon my 'years ago' were further back than yours lol! Went into White Hart a few years back, they still had the throne chair at the back, but the fireplace was gone...WTF??? I should never have gone in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted November 23, 2019 Share Posted November 23, 2019 This is a bit odd as I didn’t think it would be a thing I would say , but Chester is doing alright at the moment , the ‘live rooms’ seems to be putting some half decent shows, the known local band pubs are still busy and a few duos I know are still busy in the area. Tagged on to the Tiv in Buckley , and Central station in Wxm , and there is plenty to see within 10 minute drive/40min bus. so yeah, quite surprised me really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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