Pirate Studios -- a warning

[Jackroadkill]

3 hours ago, tvickey said:

Just confirmed:  I'm permanently banned from Pirate, but they will refund me for the session.

 

 

If nobody turns up, how will they know if you're there or not?!

[tvickey]

40 minutes ago, Jackroadkill said:

 

 

If nobody turns up, how will they know if you're there or not?!

When my charred corpse is identified using dental records? 

[Woodinblack]

4 hours ago, tvickey said:

Just confirmed:  I'm permanently banned from Pirate, but they will refund me for the session.

 

So can someone else from your group book it? Its not like they are checking

[Gank Bass]

5 hours ago, tvickey said:

Just confirmed:  I'm permanently banned from Pirate, but they will refund me for the session.

Have you tried booking under the guise of a pothead that wants to have a mini rave and damage all the equipment? I believe they are welcomed

[aniki]

Here’s a little of what I was alluding to in my previous post:

 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/people-booking-pirate-recording-studios-for-parties/

 

[kwmlondon]

4 minutes ago, aniki said:

Here’s a little of what I was alluding to in my previous post:

 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/people-booking-pirate-recording-studios-for-parties/

 

I guess that’s why some have security on the door now.

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, Gank Bass said:

Have you tried booking under the guise of a pothead that wants to have a mini rave and damage all the equipment? I believe they are welcomed

 

Or mentioning you have a hooker to get rid of...

[kwmlondon]

11 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Or mentioning you have a hooker to get rid of...

Worst episode of Midsomer Murders EVER.

[Rich]

Christ on a bike. Having read all this and followed the Vice link, I can safely say that I wouldn't use their studios if they paid me. 

My go-to in Bristol is definitely Firebird in Brislington. 

Edited yesterday at 08:59 by Rich

[dave_bass5]

30 minutes ago, Rich said:

Christ on a bike. Having read all this and followed the Vice link, I can safely say that I wouldn't use their studios if they paid me. 

My go-to in Bristol is definitely Firebird in Brislington. 

Why's that?

Obviously we can all pick and choose where we rehearse, but the Pirate studios ive used have already been pretty full when we have been there. never had any incidents (unlike with certain other studios). 

[Supernaut]

On 28/07/2025 at 08:08, tvickey said:

Just need to vent about our recent (really bad) experience with Pirate Studios (a collection of 24/7 non-staffed rehearsal spaces peppered about the UK).

 

My band moved to using Pirate Studios for rehearsals after our usual space was shut down (the landlord there didn't renew the owner's lease).  We used Pirate on a number of occasions in the past, and until yesterday our only other hiccup there was a last-minute booking cancellation 'due to unforeseen circumstances'.

 

We booked a four hour slot at Pirate in Sheffield for Sunday morning, and I arrived about 10-15 minutes in advance of our slot.  Our guitarist was already there when I arrived, and we could both hear the fire alarm blaring when we each pulled up.  No one else appeared to be at the site, and we have no idea how long the fire alarm was already sounding (could have been 5 minutes, could have been hours).  There were no visible signs of a fire (but okay, the property is at least two floors, and is also quite deep).  We popped our heads in the front door, and there was no hint of any smoke.

 

We try to hail them on WhatsApp (per their instructions), but there is just an automated AI bot responding.  Not useful at all.  We tried to phone them and get an recorded canned response that leads us into a labyrinth of options.  Not useful at all.

 

More folks start pulling up for their own rehearsal sessions.  We're all camped outside for more than 30 minutes... I decide to give Pirate a call on the phone again.  I get lucky with selecting the correct sequence of options and manage to reach a human.  I tell them that their Sheffield site might be on fire as the alarm is sounding.  The guy on the phone proceeds to tell me that he can give me the instructions to shut it off.  WAIT A MINUTE!  (1) How does he know there isn't a genuine fire / alarm?  (2) I don't work there.  (3) IF there is a real fire, and I shut the alarm off leading to the death of 1+ people, who is liable?  I tell the guy on the phone that I'm not comfortable doing that and end the call.  He tells me that he'll have security come and investigate.

 

We wait another 30 minutes... the fire alarm has now been sounding for over an hour.  No one from security ever arrives.  Frustrated, I hail the AI chatbot again and tell it that the alarm is sounding at the Sheffield site and that 'your f*-ing studio might be on fire, do you care?'.  Frustrated and stressed, I send a series of additional colorful metaphors to the AI chatbot... but unknown to me, and unannounced, a human being connected to the chat and was less than happy to see my messages.  They reply that I am now banned from Pirate Studios for using abusive language.

 

Someone from another band also hails them on WhatsApp, and decides he is okay with rolling the dice for the liability and follows their instructions to deactivate the alarm.  There was NO investigation into the cause.  There is NO STAFF on site.  NO SECURITY ever showed up.

 

We go into our rehearsal room for our session, now more than an hour late.  We jam for a bit more than an hour and suddenly, unannounced, the power cuts off.   The session that I booked was suddenly cancelled by Pirate due to 'abusive language'.  Nice one.

 

I am genuinely concerned about the type of operation they are running at Pirate Studios.  Please be aware that there is no 24/7 support.  If all goes well, it's a great space.  But if something goes wrong, there won't be anyone coming to help you (ever!).

 

Poor show from Pirate that their staff didn't care if the property may be on fire.  At the same time, all you had to do was inform them that the fire alarm was going off. No need to be abusive. If you didn't like the studio, book somewhere else. It's a very simple fix. 

[Rich]

45 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Why's that?

Obviously we can all pick and choose where we rehearse, but the Pirate studios ive used have already been pretty full when we have been there. never had any incidents (unlike with certain other studios). 

Because I am horrified by what I have read in the pages of this thread, and the Vice link aniki posted. That's why. Like you say, we can all pick and choose where we rehearse, and on the basis of this thread I would pick and choose to avoid Pirate like the proverbial.

[Al Krow]

5 hours ago, Rich said:

Christ on a bike. Having read all this and followed the Vice link, I can safely say that I wouldn't use their studios if they paid me. 

My go-to in Bristol is definitely Firebird in Brislington. 

 

Oh I'd definitely use them ALL the time if they paid me 😅

[Al Krow]

Reading through this thread, seems to me there's a bit of a regional divide here? Pirate seem to be competitive on price and are regularly used by several London based BC'ers (me included), whereas there often appear to be better value, manned alternatives outside the capital?

[dave_bass5]

5 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Reading through this thread, seems to me there's a bit of a regional divide here? Pirate seem to be competitive on price and are regularly used by several London based BC'ers (me included), whereas there often appear to be better value, manned alternatives outside the capital?

Yeah, and ive been to many London studios where plugs are falling off the walls, lack of earthing on the amps and condensation on the walls etc. But those are manned so much safer 😅

[Mediocre Polymath]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

Yeah, and ive been to many London studios where plugs are falling off the walls, lack of earthing on the amps and condensation on the walls etc. But those are manned so much safer 😅

This is true, pirate's facilities could probably stand to be staffed better, or at all, but they do at least have luxurious amenities like fire escapes and up-to-code wiring. That's more than can be said for a lot of studios in London.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Pirate started well but it is a concept that requires respect from the users. There's so much potential for abuse.

[Burns-bass]

Just now, Stub Mandrel said:

Pirate started well but it is a concept that requires respect from the users. There's so much potential for abuse.

Agreed. As the business starts to scale prices will go up so it’s becomes a similar price to other studios, minus all the good stuff.

[Rosie C]

8 hours ago, Rich said:

Christ on a bike. Having read all this and followed the Vice link, I can safely say that I wouldn't use their studios if they paid me. 

My go-to in Bristol is definitely Firebird in Brislington. 

 

I went to Firebird for a classical piano exam. But they had no piano and were at a loss as to why the exam board had sent me there. The staff were helpful and friendly though, and it looked a decent set up.

 

Edited 18 hours ago by Rosie C

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

Pirate seem to be competitive on price and are regularly used by several London based BC'ers (me included), whereas there often appear to be better value, manned alternatives outside the capital?

 

Well, yes, we practice every week (mostly) and don't pay anything. We can even leave our stuff there (I don't but we leave a drum kit and PA there). Before that we used to pay for 6 months or so at another place, £10 per night.

The other group I am in pay, no idea how much though, but between £10-20

[kwmlondon]

26 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Well, yes, we practice every week (mostly) and don't pay anything. We can even leave our stuff there (I don't but we leave a drum kit and PA there). Before that we used to pay for 6 months or so at another place, £10 per night.

The other group I am in pay, no idea how much though, but between £10-20

We can practise for free in my guitarist's shed for free. I quite like it in there. It's cramped but cosy and has a fun vibe!

[Al Krow]

55 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Agreed. As the business starts to scale prices will go up so it’s becomes a similar price to other studios, minus all the good stuff.

 

I don't quite follow the economic argument about prices having to go up with scale? 

 

I see Pirate's business model being more akin to Weatherspoons vs local boozers. Becoming national hasn't meant Spoons' prices increasing.

[EssexBuccaneer]

On 28/07/2025 at 13:00, TimR said:

Somewhat of an overreaction.

 

Resetting the fire alarm won't result in any liability. It shouldn't allow you to reset it if a break glass or smoke head has been activated. 

I can’t speak for this organisation, but when a fire alarm sounds you should evacuate and not re-enter the building until it’s confirmed safe to do so.

 

I’m not going to take instructions on resetting a sounding alarm from a guy on the telephone. 

[Beer of the Bass]

4 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

Yeah, and ive been to many London studios where plugs are falling off the walls, lack of earthing on the amps and condensation on the walls etc. But those are manned so much safer 😅

 

One we used to use in Glasgow had some power extension cords with PAT test fail stickers on them, in daily use. I suppose at least they'd had the tests done. 

[Burns-bass]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

 

I don't quite follow the economic argument about prices having to go up with scale? 

 

I see Pirate's business model being more akin to Weatherspoons vs local boozers. Becoming national hasn't meant Spoons' prices increasing.

They operate at a loss or at a tiny margin to scale, take on debt to expand, then ramp up prices as the debt (either to banks or VCs) needs to be paid back. It’s a tale as old as time.

I may be wrong and they’re generating a massive profit but I reckon they’re probably heavily indebted. Guess you could check the accounts. 

 

Smart option would be to buy the buildings then lease them back to the company. So you have the loss making studio part and the profit making property bit. Maybe that’s what they’ve done.

 

Ultimately, Pirate is like all cut price options, Ryannair, for example. You’re probably better off paying a few quid extra.

Edited 15 hours ago by Burns-bass