Chip Fireball wrote:
Dont get me wrong, theres a time and a place for all that stuff, and many venues now rely on those sort of gigs to keep going. I just find it a bit depressing when I read stuff where medium sized festival promoters are complaining about the lack of good new bands coming through, and how they are increasingly reliant on bands reforming.
Was talking online to a young lad from Leeds whose band I liked about a month ago, and he was telling me how they had split up after one album and a couple of singles on small independent labels. Sounded like there was nowhere for them to play and they just felt they were never going to get anywhere.
Even London theres a massively reduced number of venues to play compared to say 20 or 30 year ago.
Unfortunately this is not new.
About 4 - 5. Years ago went to see a band called Detroit Social Club who had a couple of cracking singles. Got talking to them after the gig and they said they were splitting up because they just couldn't be arsed with the scene. The labels and social media aspect rubbish they were expected to do. The lack of places to play for money that would keep them going. Couple of months later they split up and I think the last gig they did was Stockton Riverside. Got some great photos with them from that night though.
Now it seems going to gigs is the new going out. People will pay to go to a gig rather than a nightclub. So you get plenty of wasted idiots that only know one song and end up being a nuisance.
Sorry, I get a bit ranty about this as it's a particular bugbear of mine.
A decent band can get two dozen people at a venue then an average one will fill it because they have one single played on radio 1, then half the crowd will talk and drink through the entire set until they hear that one track
The nostalgia gigs get too many people there for the sole reason of getting together with friends and having a drink. Very little to do with the music. They just don't 'go out' like they used to so it's the social aspect. At least respect the musicians!
Now there are plenty of older bands that are sick of this culture. That refuse to play some of the 'hits'. Fair play to them. It's a hard balance to mesh the big songs with those they want to play.
James don't play sit down.
Radiohead don't want to play creep.
At a primal scream gig Bobby Gillespie actually had a go at the crowd because they kept shouting for one song (can't remember if it was rocks or loaded), shouting I bet you haven't heard this because it was from their current (at the time) album,during the encore. The whole vibe felt wrong for that gig, which is partly the bands fault but I can understand the frustration.
It goes on and it's saddening.
Login
Register
FAQ
