Worcester Music Forum

Chris · Admin

COULD APATHETIC WORCESTER SEE THE END OF 1147AM

neck · Active Member

RE: The State Of The Scene

Chris · Admin

Worcester Music Scene was on Radio 1 tonight

Click on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/innewmusicwetrust/stevelamacq/

to hear Pete Adam's report. Also mentioned (amougst others) are The Arquettes, Meteor Street, Gamble Gamble and www.NotJustSauce.co.uk

It is approximatley 25 mins in. but listen to the whole thing, it's a good show.

check it out

and check out www.myspace.com/worcestermusicfestival

Lee · Active Member

It probably don't help the scene when venues close down.

cry Is it true that TJs has closed?

that really sucks if it has.

Lee

Lee · Active Member

If more venues promoters took the time to sit and down with the bands they are promoting, then they might find out that the bands have good ideas idea about how their night should be run. I was playing a gig in Northampton last year (forgot where it was) and the promoter was putting on four bands. he was doing an okay job with promotion but he was only booking bands that he had heard of. as a result he was booking the same bands over and over again. We advised him to branch out, try new bands, slightly different styles, take a chance on an unknown.
he did and he had some great nights there. he had two local bands and two outta towners. his audience numbers went up, his club night got popular and he made a bit of money.

it may not always work

L

Aceldama · Active Member

It's been a while since I've been to a gig in Worcester (2 years ago I moved to Brum), except for the one gig we played in Bossa Nova...and the few songs we played at Sins Got Talent. But I remember it always being pretty much the same as everywhere else. People turn up for one band then **** off. Even more annoying is when the band themselves do it. Surely they understand how disheartening it is to play to an empty room time after time, expecially in a foreign city where a more local band has a load of people seeing them but either only turn up when they come on, or go home as soon as they finish.

Every gig I've ever been to or played I've stayed till at least midway through the last band. I have left before the end a few times when the band have been that BAD, but i always give them a go.

Actually, we played with a worcester band (Silver Tequila was it) at the Flapper & Firkin in september. The last band stayed upstairs until it was their turn to play then came down and bought all their mates down (about 10 of them) while the other 3 bands played to a virtually empty room.

Combined with the worst soundman ever, made that us all a bit angry furious

stevemaitlanddotcom · Active Member

I found the smoking ban has played a large part whether it goes well or not, If there is a 'nice area' to smoke in generally non smoking friends join the smokers outside, whereas if it's a naff area it's a quick drag then back inside...

What has anyone else experienced??

Steve biggrin

Date: Nov 22, 2007

whats going on in powick, bugger all if you ask me. more live music in the sticks please.

J

Adam The Chance · Active Member

Ah. Got ya (I think) I have seen it many many times, just didnt really pay attention to the name. I am going to have to come over and familiarise myself with some of these venues and some of you bands. I am not a great fan of the Hereford music scene even though there are some great bands over there. Allot of them think they are "superior" beings and are very clique (spelling?) with each other. Where as I have found most of the Worcester bands I have met were a great bunch of blokes, with the exception of a Mesa Boogie owner who was very large headed about his kit and his band.

Chris · Admin

on the angel place market.

if you're on broad street (where HSBC bank is) and walk down, TJs on your right. Really easy to find. Beers not cheap though.

Click to join the NJS mailing list

-- Edited by Chris at 23:30, 2007-11-19

-- Edited by Chris at 23:30, 2007-11-19

Adam The Chance · Active Member

Fair, at least you went to watch a band. With time in short supply most wouldnt have bothered!

Forgive my ignorance but I have not been to TJ's... Where is it?

Chris · Admin

I have a confession to make ...

I popped into TJs (Worcester) last night and only stayed for one band.

This was due to the fact that I was meeting some people and only had time to pop into the pub for a quick 20mins. Despite the bad wheather there were quite a few people there, but I still felt bad about leaving early.

Sorry if this makes sound mean and selfish but I normally watch all bands till the end. honest.

chris

LordAvon · Comes Here Often

For what it's worth,

I agree, we've played two gigs in worcester, and each of the previous bands mates have buggered off when they finished their set.

We've always stayed until the end to watch all the bands who are on the same night as us, we've also enjoyed them!

Paul

Adam The Chance · Active Member

I may be well out of my depth here as I have only been over to Worcester a few times to watch other bands (start to finish I might add) but I have noticed very little in the way of theaming gigs. It has always seamed to be a bit of a mash up of bands of all genres. Maybe if gigs were aimed at entertaining maybe Metal/Goth/heavy rock one night, alternative/ indie/ blues another night and punk/ hardcore etc... Another night people might stick around longer as more of the bands are to their taste.

Some people like me and many others have a wide taste in music and listen to everything from nirvana to sonic youth.:

So will stick around to the end no matter who is on the bill.

Matt Meg · Newbie

I have to admit that on a few occastions I have had to go early. But this is because I have to get up for work at 5:30am (Oh how I wish I could work at 9am!) and I live in Walsall so it would take me an hour to get home. But I always at the very least watch the band that comes on afterwards. There have been a few times when venues have been packed but by the time we get to play everyone has gone. There was one gig where there was only 2 people there to watch us, but they realy enjoyed the set!

When we used to play or watch gigs at the Apple Tree there was always a big crowd from start to finish..

Active Member

yeah i agree with sam n neck - some people think they r way too cool to stay around and show others support. tht attitude sucks. Worcester's scene is awesome

neck · Active Member

it happens alot in worcester, and its ****ing ****.
every time tea break have put a gig on, we would hand out as many flyers as we can, and beefed the hype out of the gigs. more often or not, we'd have a completley unknown but awesome band from different places all over the country and beyond come to play.. but the crowd goes home as soon as something they have never heard nor seen before comes on too.
alot of the time these bands have pissed over most of the other bands that have played that night (not knocking anyone here... just saying the headlining unknown acts were awesome.

how many people saw apatt at toby's tavern??
check them out - www.myspace.com/apatt

or stig noise soundsystem?? www.myspace.com/stignoise

BOTH THESE BANDS HAVE PLAYED - IN WORCESTER!!
how many people know about that!?

one more thing that irritaes the **** outta me is when you get folk from nearby towns such as malvern, come to tjs for a gig, hang out outside until their mates are playing, watch, and then go home.

too scene to be seen i suppose.

sambojones · Newbie

I think that Worcester is awful for this. What time does evryone start work in the mornings? because 11 at night isn't really that late a finish. In order for live music to progress in Worcester we have to support each other. Doesn't evryone in Worcester want more live music? I hear plenty of people moaning about it, but when it comes to the crunch they can't be bothered most of the time.
Ive seen some great bands in Worcester and people have just gone home before they play, namely Awesome Color, signed to Thurston Moores label and about 10 people saw them, disgraceful. Fair enough they are not local but everyone went home after the local bands. A signed band from America comes to town and there is nobody there to see them play, all because of work 9am the next morning, its bollox. Sometimes i think we dont even derserve a music scene round here.

Lee · Active Member

studles
I suppose you have a point about having to work. I am still a a young guy (22) but I have to admit that some nights I am glad when the last band have finished. But saying that, unless I have a really good excuse I stay around to the end. You are only young once. If your boss don't like you being late, then get a new boss.

studles · Newbie

this is mainly in response to lee. having done several gigs at bossa nova, Hands up on a couple of occasions Even i have picked up my tambourine and towel and left early. The reason being, that like most other musicians trying to make it on the local scene, we all have full time jobs in the day and try our damnedest to do something constructive in the evening, yawn

usually resulting in being late for work the next day and trying to keep your boss off your back!! It's just another one of those horrible times when you are reminded that sometimes life can get in the way of living.
Oh and also.. yes sadly people in this city really do just support their friends bands and its terrible. i was completely gutted at the little hellfire club village fete. about 30 of my friends came, and left about 5 minutes after we played. i was silently Embarassed, cry

bearing in mind they left to Go to the Pig, using the Excuse "but it's saturday" furious

Plus they missed AWWBLOT and the rest of the acts! pitiful..

Johnny F · Newbie

why not just tell your bands mates to wait. If they want to walk home, let them.

Lee · Active Member

It does really annoy though. I used to play in band myself. on drums. it would be that as I had all the gear I also had the van.And you can gaurentee that when we finsihed our set the rest of the guys (and girl) would want to go home. I wanted to stay but I had to drive them. Do you know how awkward it feels to carry your drum kit and all your bags accross a venue in front of the band that are on on stage. It pissed me off. furious

Adam The Chance · Active Member

although that might have seemed wrong, if it worked out best for everyone it was the right thing to do.

A common set up that we find is that heavier bands go later than lighter bands.... unfortunatly this means for us that my band normaly ends up on early as we are a light rock/funk band and the later arivals never get to see us!

Chris · Admin

When I used to organise gigs (Marrs Bar/Brewery Tap etc ) I used to try and get the most popular band playing last. This often meant the least talented act headlining (I remember one gig, a band headlined one of our shows with their very first gig, simply because they were a college band and had a shed load of friends.)

maybe that is wrong, but it did mean that the other bands had a crowd, and the bar took more money. Everyones a winner. I still feel that it was wrong but it worked.

cry

Even now, I feel bad for the bands playing with just three or four people in the audience. The worcester scene seems to be very fickle when it comes to gigs. You get the events where people seem to turn up no matter who is playing (1147am/Blues @ Cellar / sundays @ TJs / Jam nights @ marrs) but on the whole, unless there is a major band playing (rare in Worcester) or a bill full of local bands, then you are looking at a quite venue. I wish it wasn't so, but it is.

Adam The Chance · Active Member

Im always up for bands supporting bands, makes for a better scene. Bring on the BAND's ALLIANCE... who wants in? (the bands allience should agree not to bad mouth any other bands wether they like the band or not and support the bands that they are gigging with right to the end of the night whenever possible)

Highway 5 · Active Member

I'm 110% with you on this Lee. I used to live and gig in B'ham and it was almost the "code" that you supported other bands and your respective fans saw the evening out.

It's got to the stage here where I prefer to be the support band - at least then you've got a chance of having some people in there to see you. Headlining is generally a lonely place in Worcestershire.

I enjoy nothing more than doing a gig and watching another band play, particualrly if they are a slightly different style to us. For example, I absolutely love the Arquettes (check 'em out on MySpace), they are so different to us but deliver fantastic songs. We gigged with Mars Bonfire and Velvet recently and they were both truly excellent bands. In short, bands should support other bands and this would rub off on their fans too.

That's my contribution anyway!!!

Adam The Chance · Active Member

Believe me The Hereford scene is alot worse than worcester for this in my expereance of playing in both countys, In herefordshire bands tend to stick around for all the other bands but the public only realy turn up to see their mates then bugger off. but its not the other bands your trying to impress its the audiance. when we played bossa nova a while back we did stick around to watch all the bands and it was well worth waiting for. we had a great night!!

-- Edited by Adam The Chance at 11:38, 2007-10-28

Lee · Active Member

Hi
In the interview you did for the worcester news - the one on the NotJust Sauce site, you say "It would be great if more people took a chance and went along to see a band they had never heard of before. Don't just support you mate's band, but check out other acts. And if you go to a gig, try and stick it out to the end. Don 't just go and see one band and then leave when they have finished. Check out new music and don't be afraid to discover something new. You may hate it...but you may love it. If you love it, tell people about it"

I REALLY AGREE WITH THIS. When I am in Cardiff (my hometown) you can go to a gig and while it is not unusual for people to leave early, it is not a major problem. Most people stay rite to the end. I have ofetn seen a my mates band play and I always watch the others. And, as a band it seems rude to do your set and then bugger off.
In worcester it is alot worse. I went to a gig at Bossa Nova and, ok, there were't that many people there but it was a three band bill and the first 2 bnds went home after they had finished. This is REALLY bad. I' sure they were local so an extra half an hour wouldnt kill them. It was just the headline band, the barstaff, some guy in the corner the soundman and a four other people.

Come On Worcester ..... Be NICE. be SUPPORTIVE

It really sucks

Lee J

-- Edited by Lee at 10:56, 2007-10-28