musicmatters

A page for all those involved in music in the south west, including musicians, bands, promoters, venues, studios, etc.Since starting this site; mainly to re-advertise available gigs, a number of venues and bands seem to have got their act together. The result of that is their are very few last minute gigs going. The big change has been in the number of extremely professional promoters-Live & Unsigned/The Junction/GeneratorPromotions/etc, and the rise of the 'we love music' venues/promoters such as FistFightpromotions/Ryans Bar/7th Circle Promotions, etc. Back this up with the old favourites Hub Exeter/Hobbits/Aeon Gigs, and the south west scene has never looked healthier. Unfortunately, the recession, smoking ban, etc is hitting some venues. The Marlboro Club being probably the most famous. Crowds are definitely down right the way across the whole scene, not just in the south west, with Manchester recently starting a campaign to 'save live music'. We are also witnessing a move in interest from the more traditional music venue to the live music pub scene. Ryans in Torquay and The Junction in Plymouth being at the forefront. Good for bands in the short term (getting paid/expenses/cheap beer, etc), but it does mean that the lack of showcase gigs at professional music venues means you stand less chance of getting noticed. Whilst their is no short term fix, their are some obvious problems that could be addressed. Myspace Bands. Basically virtual bands that accept a gig, and then dont turn up. Bands. Who just dont bother to turn up, and give no warning or explanation. Promoters. Who cancel and do not offer a reason, either to the fans or bands. Support each other. Nothing worse than support bands who sit outside until they are on, then lug their gear out of the venue whilst the next band plays, and piss off before the end. Given the usual 4 or 5 band line up, if the bands/promoter agreed that they will all support each other a crowd of between 30-50 is almost gaurenteed.In the current climate bringing that many people into a venue is worthwhile, and financially viable. Don't moan about the size of the crowd, if you cant be bothered to support the event yourselves.Perhaps the biggest bonus(for bands) is the absence of pay-to-play scumbags that seem to operate elsewhere in the country. These ***** usually try to disquise this practice by offering gigs if you buy so many tickets in advance. Although it doesnt help anyone that some south west bands are paying to play. You can usually spot them on the bulletins trying to flog tickets; or organise coach trips up to London with tickets included. In most cases they are booked into P2P venues, and are somewhat surprised to find that they are playing in an empty venue, to one or two of their mates, who have made the trip.Keep rockin!