What do you think of the music scene? Pt 3

by Jodie Humphries

Roberts Guitars sponsor quite a few bands on the Bristol scene (as well as throughout the country), and we've noticed an evolution occurring within the scene… in a way, with Bristol being slightly out of the public eye as far as the rest of the country is concerned it has meant there is far less band-wagon jumping going on now than ever before.

There'll always be bands in any scene that pay homage a little too closely to their idols, but being out of the wider public eye has meant a greater freedom of expression and more innovation. Pretty much anything goes now and some of the Bristol bands are up there with the best anywhere in the country. We have high hopes for some of these acts to break out into the public eye nationally, but this can only ultimately happen if the local press and media believe in the talent we have here and back it to the hilt. This happens in London, Manchester, Liverpool and so on, so we need more of it from the Bristol media. Be proud of what we've got!
Rob - Roberts Guitars – www.myspace.com/robertsguitars - Based in Bristol

From a musicians point of view the smoking ban had an effect on people coming out and also those that are out staying in (if you see what I mean) particularly in pubs where a lot of us gig on a weekly basis and what has been the bread and butter to fund the expensive recordings, equipment, video's and now fuel too has to be considered as it seems a band traveling from Somerset need to re-mortgage to get to Bristol in order to gig!!!

Since the credit crunch our (Tremor's) drummer came up with a simple plan. Venues and promoters advertise hard the fact that they're slashing ticket prices in half! Bear with us as we reckon you'd end up with twice as many people therefore making just as much on the door and more over the bar. There you go, simple…
Matt Wescott – Tremor – www.myspace.com/tremoruk - Based in Weston/Bristol

Bristol needs a decent sized live venue and all the little venues need to sort their sound systems out as it can ruin a good night…. I also think there are a lot of promoters out there that just book bands and do no promotion. This is rubbish as isn't it in there interest in bring people to gigs so they make money. We have worked really hard at building a fan base so now we just work with promoters that actually promote, that way you get your fans down to a gig but also gain new ones. There is no point in playing to your mates over and over again.
Rob – Barrio Kingdom – www.myspace.com/barriokingdomuk - Based in Bristol

What do people think of the music scene? Pt 2

by Jodie Humphries

What's good about the general music scene in the UK at the moment is that we're seeing a lot of 'organic' acts - bands and singers who write their own music. I remember growing up in the era of the boy/girl band sickly manufactured pop rubbish.
          Unfortunately, there has been a negative in this progression from an unsigned bands perspective, as music fans have now become a bit spoilt for choice in terms of the amount of quality acts they can see it's a lot harder to encourage them to YOUR show.
Mike – Evil I – www.myspace.com/evilimusic - Based in Bridgend

I think the local scene is a little stale at the moment. The fact that a venue which hosted 'Amen' recently has to close down due to lack of numbers through the door, speaks volumes.

For some reason, people don't seem to be going to watch live music anymore. I'm sure all the scene needs is a kick up the backside, and I really hope LiveMusicScene does that! I did something similar about 6/7 years ago, and the scene got very lively for a while. I think it just needs a bit of fresh blood and a new approach.
Phil - The Haiku – www.myspace.com/thehaiku - Based in Trowbridge

We have a thriving music scene down here at the moment there are always gigs on most nights of the week, the only problem we are having is most venues do not have an in house PA and only offer the bands petrol money

We are not in it for the money, but when it starts costing us to get to gigs and we have to take our own PA that is not a good situation. So I think the Cornish scene could be improved by paying the bands what they are clearly due and investing in a PA.
Doug – Marble Arc – www.myspace.com/badhamcureddog - Based in Cornwall

I think the only thing we've found difficult with the music scene is getting gigs, I think some promoters aren't keen on giving new bands a chance, I could be wrong on that one but that's how it feels.

There are some great local bands about itching to play as many shows as possible and really make a go of being in a band and we're one of them!! Playing live is so much fun and I think every band should have the opportunity to do this. Some places are worried about numbers, which is understandable, as who wants to book a band if no one will turn up?! But if bands are given the chance to play then they can build up a fan base and get the ball rolling.
Mitch - Magic Animal – www.myspace.com/magicanimal  - Based in Wiltshire

What do people think of the music scene?

by Jodie Humphries

I decided that I wanted to find out what people actually think of the music scene, whether it was their local music scene or the music scene in general. I was intrigued to find out what people would have to say on the subject. I have to admit that I wasn't exactly inundated with responses from people desperate to share their views on the music scene, but I had enough responses to make it an interesting read. Over the next few weeks, I'll gradually post these opinions for you all to read.

 These responses (except for spelling) haven't been edited; these are actually people's views. If anyone would like to share their opinion, then drop me an email on livemusicscene@googlemail.com

 Read on to find out more....

With the music scene, all that should matter is actually the music. Music and fashion seem to go hand in hand and for this reason I feel that a vast number of wonderfully inventive and original bands are getting far less recognition than they deserve whilst a number of uninspiring bands are over-hyped because they are perceived to fit in with some kind of scene. A lot of the problem is also with the mentality that a music night going on in a rural location is automatically inferior to one going on in a city simply because it's not happening at the perceived nerve centre of the music scene. The music scene would vastly improve if more people were brave enough and more venues were brave enough to take a chance on people putting on their own live music nights. The south west has some truly wonderful bands that are the equal of anything in the popular music scene at the moment but sadly I feel that none of them will get the recognition they deserve until attitudes change. It doesn't help that self-belief is perceived as arrogance.

What is great about the music scene is that music is and always has been something that has broken down social barriers and united people and it provides a wonderful escapism from the pressures of modern life. However, similarly to football hooliganism, there is also an imagined divide between people who like different genres of music and who like different bands when really great music is great music no matter what the genre and what constitutes great music is a matter of opinion in any case. Often when I attend gigs by unsigned bands in the Bath/Bristol area I find myself disappointed by the pitiful turn-out. People need to start opening their eyes and ears to the possibility that some of these bands are just as worthy, if not more so, of their attention than the latest band being hyped or slated by NME. This feels like a rant but I didn't intend it to be so, I would just like to see the ridiculous divide between signed and unsigned bands become blurred. Is that too much to ask?

David Urwin – CD Reviewer for www.live-music-scene.co.uk

As a representative of a rock band, the weaknesses of the music scene in Bristol are the relative lack of A&R presence, which is pitiful when compared with Britain's other cities, the lack of funding for some of the industry's do-gooders, and the conservative tastes of the decision makers.

That said, Bristol's strengths are considerable.  There are some excellent venues, dedicated promoters and opportunities for decent media exposure, and a vibrant and diverse music scene that has something for everyone.

Chris – The Band Of The Eye - www.myspace.com/thebandoftheeye  - Based in Bristol

2008 is shaping up to be a great year for the Bristol scene. Not only are there hundreds of very diverse bands out there making their mark (as ever), it's also the year that GWR Radio finally accepted that the scene is worth supporting – it's long overdue and another way to get the people of Bristol to really appreciate what we've got here. Its early days for them, but their support of the scene should be applauded, however late in the day they decided to do it.

The Bristol Music Industry Forum is also really pushing to get the scene "out there" in a very real sense - the record label they've set up can only help to publicise the musical diversity we have here. The city is a real melting pot of genre-crossing and often groundbreaking music. Maybe one day the rest of the country will realise Bristol is far more than just Trip-Hop central...

Vaughn – JetKing – www.myspace.com/jetkinguk  - Based in Bristol

New website launched

by Jodie Humphries

Hi all, and welcome to the new look LiveMusicScene. For those who are familiar with the website, you’ll know that when it was launched in April 2007, it was on a Blogger, so this is a huge step for the site from July 2008. With the new LiveMusicScene, I hope to be able to get more people involved, and cover more gigs. I hope also for the site to continue to grow in the future. If you ever want to get in touch with me feel free to on livemusicscene@googlemail.com

I hope that you continue to enjoy reading the reviews and interviews on the website, and that you find the new set of listings helpful to get you out to gigs. There is some real talent in Bristol, and I hope by regularly viewing this site, you get to find out more about some of the great musicians out there. Believe me when I say, it’s not until you scratch the surface of the Bristol music scene, you realise how many bands there are in and around Bristol, and what a high standard they perform at.

Jodie x