Bingo hall to become music venue

[Ginginho]

Well all the other bands that have played the Oasis recently have sold out and im pretty sure Madness will.Although £35 for a gig in some Badmington Courts strikes me as insanely over priced.

I was really tempted to go to Madness, i don't really like them in all honesty, but I bet they're good live. But £36 a ticket put me right off.

[Saxondale]

I can't help but think that this new venture will fail unceremoniously. Having seen the likes of the Damned, Clash, XTC et al at The Affair; Talking Heads & Dire Straits at the Oasis; Wishbone Ash & Judas Priest at the Wyvern; Boomtown Rats & Ultravox at the Brunel Rooms....I have to conclude that there is a degree of apathy with regard to live music in Swindon, and indeed elsewhere. All those gigs were under-attended, despite there being the right-sized venue for the 'right-sized' band. Hmmm...1300 capacity in a big city can be calculated to sell out, but I'm afraid not in a town the size of Swindon. Morrissey could fill the Oasis several times over, yet he prefers smaller venues. Madness will struggle. I wish this new venue the best of luck, but in this day and age, where even the smaller artists demand extortionate fees, the proprietors will really have to get their calculations right in an era when the appetite for live music is deteriorating.

The appetite for live music is certainly not deteriorating to any significant degree.  Im still pretty busy working in that sector.  Last year I did 175 gigs, this year will probably be 160, the reduction being purely in the fact that big promoters (SJM / Live Nation / AEG) are not taking as many risks as they have done in recent years, however that just means smaller promoters (such as academy music group and local promoters, people I dont work for.  Boo!) are picking up higher profile shows than they have previously done.  The shows still happen.  And with the way record companies are operating, live (and merch) is increasingly a vital revenue stream for a band trying to survive.

The truth is that it would surprise me if an academy happened in Swindon.  Its just not high enough profile.  Whilst currently Swindon is a favorite place to put gigs, I dont imagine it staying so.  One of the promoters I spoke to about it compared it to Lincoln.  No one went there for years, then they put some shows on and found it was the biggest and quickest seller on the tour.  But once the novelty wears off and shows sell slightly less quickly the promoters really get the jitters quickly and pull out.  Lincoln however hasn't really dropped off because there is nothing around it.  Swindon has pox one way, bristol another, there is a lot of competition for the shows.

Il be very interested to find out who has put the bid together and see the business plans.  If it relies on gigs then they are screwed as there are months (January, July, August, start of september, start of feb, end of december) when they'll be luck to get any shows.  A business cant lie fallow for more than a quarter of a year and survive.  Clubs will have to be the backbone of the business and I don't know how feasible clubnights are at that site.

Sorry, that was all quite rambling!

[mexico red]

wasnt rambling at all, was spot on, if anyone hears who is behind it, drop me a line as i would be very interested in doing a club night there...

[Saxondale]

And if anyone hears who's behind it let me know as well as Im fed up of being freelance and want a bloody job that pays guaranteed money every month!

[derbystfc]

Umm, a clubnight could work, its decent sized from the outset, and it's not to far in the bottom of town so it would work. Rudi's next door will do a roaring trade too.

It would take a lot of work tho, and you ahve to ask is there a market in swindon for a dedicated club night, Because Brunel went under purely for the fact that the like of Gatecrasher and Hed Kandi didnt do that great there!

[Hammer]

I really don't think the appetite for live music is deteriorating at all.

  I certainly do. Years ago university Student Unions would host 'known' bands every week. Other local venues would do likewise : the evidence is there that they have all cut back on gigs because market forces have dictated it. I've recently seen two bands who, in their heyday, would have filled a sizeable venue...UK Subs and Climax Blues Band. Despite not being 'contemporary' bands, they still could not even fill a small pub. Having said that, if Madness (who came to the fore 30 years ago) can sell-out a 3,000 capacity venue at £35 a shot then I would be astounded.

[Hammer]

Well all the other bands that have played the Oasis recently have sold out and im pretty sure Madness will.Although £35 for a gig in some Badmington Courts strikes me as insanely over priced.

 Haha. Did you ever go to Bingley Hall, Stafford ? It was once one of the biggest venues in the country but was, in fact...an indoor cattle market. Try watching Fleetwood Mac while the odour of cowshit was wafting around the arena !

[RobertT]

I think I'm right in saying the Oasis has managed to sell out quite a few gigs, and I suppose it doesn't have to sell out, just make a profit.

[Ben Wah Balls]

  I certainly do. Years ago university Student Unions would host 'known' bands every week.

Well they still do, so nothing has changed there.

Other local venues would do likewise : the evidence is there that they have all cut back on gigs because market forces have dictated it.

What evidence? I went to university in Cardiff, there would be major bands/djs playing pretty much every day, often several gigs on one day. The student union hosted a major band or dj at least as frequently as once a week.

I've recently seen two bands who, in their heyday, would have filled a sizeable venue...UK Subs and Climax Blues Band. Despite not being 'contemporary' bands, they still could not even fill a small pub. Having said that, if Madness (who came to the fore 30 years ago) can sell-out a 3,000 capacity venue at £35 a shot then I would be astounded.

That's because those bands just aren't as popular as they used to be, not because no-one goes to gigs any more. Reading/Leeds and Glastonbury both sold out very quickly this year, even in a recession - live music is as popular as ever, if not more.

[Hammer]

Well they still do, so nothing has changed there.

  Erm...a known band at least once a week ? I'm afraid they don't...at least not to the extent they used to. The 'risk factor' is too great and 'club nights' have become not only more popular, but more economically viable.

[Ben Wah Balls]

Yes they do. You might not know the bands because they don't appeal to you but they do appeal to students and most gigs sell out or are very popular.

Just checked Cardiff student unions upcoming gigs and they have

Chase and Status
Deadmau5
the Noisettes
Bat For Lashes
Tinchy Stryder
Scratch Perverts, Skream, Caspa and Andy C
Simian Mobile Disco
Frank Turner
Biffy Clyro
Mr Scruff
Babyshambles
White Lies

booked so far for the first two months of the autumn semester and they won't have booked all the bands yet. All of those are well known bands.

[Hammer]

Well they still do, so nothing has changed there.
 What evidence? I went to university in Cardiff, there would be major bands/djs playing pretty much every day, often several gigs on one day. The student union hosted a major band or dj at least as frequently as once a week. That's because those bands just aren't as popular as they used to be, not because no-one goes to gigs any more. Reading/Leeds and Glastonbury both sold out very quickly this year, even in a recession - live music is as popular as ever, if not more.

  Firstly, I would draw a distinction between a live band and a dj. Cardiff may have been generous to you but isn't the norm. SU Ents commitees have cut back on live bands because they are not viable, even though the bands may be available. Secondly, Reading/Leeds/Glasto can't really be entered into the equation since the 'festival experience' is unique in it's own right and actually a growth area.

[Nemo]

I think it varies from Uni to Uni. Cardiff have a very impressive line up, but I've just had a look a Bath, where I'm going and there's one live band scheduled for October (Kid British) and none yet for November. I hope they get more closer to the time, but much of the SU schedule is parties, discos et al.

[axs]

Cardiff have been good for live stuff for ages, most other unis are nowhere near.

[mexico red]

It depends on the uni and the city, Brighton and sussex put on fuck all down here as there are promoters in the city that put on gigs.