We all remember our first steps into a music venue, the absolute overwhelming feeling that something special was about to happen in the room you were standing in...Forget about your feet sticking to the floor, that was part and parcel of the charm (not forgetting the smell) but those are all things that hold fast in that first memory.
My first ever gig was Ash at Portsmouth Guildhall, 16 years old and in my last year at school. I’d practically begged my mum for the money to buy the ticket and let me go, I was flanked by two of my friends and we sat in the upper stalls a few rows from the front overlooking the stage. Ash had just released their album ‘Meltdown’ and Portsmouth was their last date on this national tour. They were supported that night by a band called The Crimea, a John Peel championed indie band fronted by Davey MacManus (brother of Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac) fresh from SXSW and who I’d heard previous in John Peels ‘Festive 50’, also on that line up were American band Saves The Day, peaking in their career across the pond after the release of album ‘Say What You Are’ and trying to catch waves this side of the Atlantic.
That night Tim Wheeler of Ash came out onto The Guildhall stage with his signature ‘Flying V’ guitar alight, distinctively remembering that I felt like it could have been a pretty dangerous stunt. That feeling of overwhelming has stuck with me, the feeling of being in a place where you are most comfortable and at peace.
My second gig followed shortly after that at The Wedgewood Rooms, the band was Sugarcult a 4 piece from Santa Barbera in California, their back catalogue containing pop punk bangers including ‘Bouncing Off The Walls’, ‘Memory’ and ‘Stuck In America’. Something was different that night, maybe that this time I was standing surrounded by others who were also there to see and sing the words back at the band, to push to the barrier and the next day feel that pressing on my ribs during my GCSE exam or maybe it was the instant feeling of belonging. One thing that really has stuck with me about The Wedgewood Rooms was at one point during many gigs attended there turning to my best friend Sam and saying “One day I’m going to stand on that stage and people will watch me”...Years later in 2010 it happened.
Now, I’ve been a DJ for just over a decade and I’ve achieved a plethora of things from being given the chance to DJ around the country for Propaganda to playing festivals, university freshers balls and had my chance at being a radio DJ. I’ve had the chance to play in many venues just like The Wedgewood Rooms (est.1992) around the country including The Waterfront (est.1993) in Norwich and The Fleece (est.1982) in Bristol, all of which are grassroot venues that are used by up and coming bands and artists for tours, club nights, the arts and comedy.
Something that is paramount in these venues and many more around the country is the effort put in by the people that run them, many of the more grassroot venues run week by week or month by month on their wet sales which to you and me is how much we drink, by buying a ticket and a drink at a venue yourself you are keeping that venue in business. Behind the scenes and behind the acts are the people that sit in the ticket office, the general managers, the bar people, the security, sound technicians, light technicians and more...All of these people are now considering their own futures after the pandemic.
For now I look towards the future and how we can approach the live scene once we come out of lockdown, most of us will be missing that feeling of our feet sticking to the floor once a sweaty set has been played, laughing so hard our cheeks hurt or longing just to smell the armpit of the person beside us but the truth is that things will look a lot different. What I don’t think we should all do is to close ourselves off from these places and be uncomfortable in those surroundings, although there will be the issues around social distancing we need to look beyond that as lovers of music, comedy and stage.
For weeks I’d back and forth about how we could get past the problem of social distancing, in Arkansas in the U.S they’ve trailed a social distance gig with ‘bubbles’ of people, taking the opportunity to clear of all bacteria half way through and at the end of the night with facilities being available for people to clean their hands during if they’d wanted...Of course everyone wore a facemask too but is this how we move forwards?
In contrast to 1919 the U.S went through the Spanish Flu with ease when it concerned entertainment and arrived at the end with a full heart for it. The losses were $5million nationwide which works as an equivalent to $85.5 million based on today's interest rates and currencies, which brings another sting in its tail to the modern day, economically the live entertainment industry will unfortunately be hit hard, but it is for us to come out of this without the concern that infection rates will increase dramatically or be transmitted simply by attending local venues.
Over 400 grassroot venues are now at imminent risk of closing, with #saveourvenues being launched at the start of the pandemic in the UK. As I’m writing this it stands at £1.1million funds raised with a stretched target of £1.5million, when you look at those numbers £1.5million pounds is a drop in the ocean compared to the daily National Lottery jackpots, yet still we have a government that will not invest in saving culture in the UK.
The government recently proposed that venues could reopen but only by adjusting distances between stage and audience and also by individual performers on stage, those distances announced would be 6 metres and 3 metres which would force most venues to keep their doors shut as it is unworkable, something which has been echoed across political parties and CEOs alike. Live music in the UK contributes £1.1billion to the national economy and it now looks like it will lose out on £900million due to Covid19.
That’s £1.5million to save all grassroot music venues in the country, with a maximum profit of £1.1billion.
It’s times like these that we need to learn not to dwell on things that pass but instead to look towards the future, to find strength in the thought that music, theatres and culture spaces will be allowed to re-open and we will once again be able to enjoy them. It’s time now that we support these places as much as we can and to do what we can to help them pull through these tough times.
There are many things you can do to support your local music venues, artists and areas from donating to their specific links, buying tickets for future events, buying merchandise, streaming their music (although, buying it is probably better), taking part in any live streams and so much more. The Music Venues Trust have also launched a survey to all that attend grassroots venues which can be found *HERE*.
