simple question.
Theres several people workin hard trying to give musicians an audience in town but very few will turn out n watch alive band.
Ive seen looasa good,bad n indifferent bands in the studio,but none of em get an audience as good as tribute bands
is our town really that sad that tribute/karaoke bands are the only way to go ?

What sort of bands do the studio put on like lads is it mainly reggae, punk and ska or do they have indie bands on too. I aint seen a live band for donkeys years and most of them were rock bands doing thin lizzy, hendrix etc. Is there stoppy backs in this establishment

yeah,but Londons dead too..... unless you're on the radio all the time

Leeds is great for a gig as is newcastle.....depends on the venue in Boro I've found Mutt...


But Groovy is right, more people should get out and watch bands but don't bother...the key is to treasure the ones that do!

I reckon it's cos historically the town has been shite for original live music.

In the early 90s I used to despair at the lack of action, John the Con trips to Newcastle were usually the only way you would get to see anyone half decent. I used to get the NME, and in the back all the tours were advertised. i would eagerly scan the venue list, but around 10% of bands would venture to Boro and that was it.

The good work done by Groovy and Mutley will eventually pay off I reckon, as people get to realise that they can go to a decent gig on their doorstep.

they've got Waterson:Carthy on at the Studio in December and I can't wait!!

stick yer Ska!

I thought I was alone in thinking the attitude to music in the town was peculiar.

I remember the chew of trying to get an NME every week, I reckon the town as a whole must have got 20 copies max. Schlepping round from newsagent to newsagent, one week I must have spent a good two hours before I finally got me hands on one. I would read about an artist, or hear them on John Peel, and my only hope of getting hold of their album or single was Alan Fearnleys in Boro. Hit Parade and Solid Sounds made the effort, but there was no market for anything not in the charts.

When I moved down here I was amazed at the amount of people who were familar with lots of stuff I was into. And every newsagent you went in had music mags galore. Plus gigs, record shops, I was over the moon! I don't think it's unusual though, most towns and cities have some kind of alternative music scene. It the Pool it was restricted to the Gem on Thursday night and the back room of the Park on Saturday nights.

It depends what people really want. How many genuine music fans like groovy and mutley are there in Hartlepool . Not many I bet.
Probably 95% of the going out population would rather spend their money getting ratted in york road or church street, its a fact and will probably never change.
Unless you can get Oasis or Westlife on in the studio for a tenner then people just aint gonna bother.

Have you tried advertising outside town, Groovy, to try and get people to come in? There are quite a few small towns around Durham I know that regularly put on good things, but they get hardly any support. The thing is they don't advertise widely, so only very local people know what's on.

They do a good Christmas gig....doing winter/ Christmas type songs from different regions. Saw at them at the Sage year before last. Martin doesn't talk much these days, tho, does he? He seems to have got depressed now his wandering days are over!

Dance music killed the live scene in the nineties and it's still recovering. If of course you can recover from being killed. There's been the odd enclave of live stuff throughout the years, Nottingham has always been great as Mr Innottingham says, Sheffield also kept the faith with a dozen great venues but the majority of people unless you knock on the door and tattoo your gig on their face just don't go looking but sit moaning that 'there's never owt on round here.'

I'm one of the above mentioned and love Regga. Ska. and Punk and to be honest guys i.ve no idea why i dont go and watch live bands.
My only reason maybe if from an early age you have gone to concerts its part of you abit like football you go or watch it on the telly.

There's a bit of revival in the pipeline, with the Jax/Idols/Escobar crowd. I'm only 24 but there's more bands on now than I can remember. Couple of years ago it was the Studio or nowt.

I know you'll end up with young drunken tossers who dress like tramps, but this crowd's establishing a bit of a live music scene. Escobar's gradually putting more local bands on and Jax has had a few. It probably won't be to the taste of anyone over about 26, and a lot of the bands are shambolic but at least it's something.

Totally agree about the Studio, its disappointing that so few people go.

There are bands on regular if you can be arsed to look for them. There's a monthly (sometimes bi-monthly) acoustic night on upstairs in The Clarendon called The Melody Remains. I've heard some quality bands there who i'd have never heard of otherwise. The next one is this Saturday. I'm playing as Cliffy Byro. I'll start using my own name when i've written more songs. I mostly do fairly obscure covers.

I'm good mates with the lads who run that, all Hartlepool lads and all into their music big time. A fair bit older than me but music breaks down all barriers.

I live in Newcastle so I'm spoilt for choice, but even when I lived in or come back to Hartlepool I rarely ventured to The Studio (65 Days of Static, Martin Carthy and The Smyths a couple of times is my sum total in the past 3 years) because the majority of the line up never appealed to me and still doesn't. It very rarely caters for my music taste. The Georgian in Stockton used to get much more top class bands and I can't imagine their budget can have been that much bigger than The Studio's, surely?

In response to the thread title - I want cheap beer and loose women. Not necessarily in that order.

I can understand people saying Hartlepool will never make it, but look at Sunderland.
Okay its a bigger town but thanks to a few bands and some dedicated individuals the scene is thriving. Futureheads, Field Music, Golden Virgins. The latter two have broken up but the band members are still doing lots of stuff. A few dedicated musicians with talent, interest from a media which is more receptive to the north east these days and something could happen. It wouldnt be massive and it might be very improbable but its not impossible. It just needs a young band to make some headlines to get something started.
As for music, I'm lucky living near Newcastle. I'm actually a bit sick of seeing in-fashion bands and am happy to spend three quid and take a gamble on local music or see bands I already know and like such as The Peoples's Friend and Moira Stewart. Having said that, I'm told I should be able to get on the guest list for Arcade Fire tomorrow.

It probably makes a big difference if it's a town where students live. Apart from students, most young people are pretty conservative these days, and ain't got much soul either!

[quote="Kolley Kibber Martin Carthy and The Smyths a couple of times is my sum total in the past 3 years) ?[/quote]

Are you a closet folkie, then, Mr Kibber? I thought it was just me and Salty, like.
I'm off to see Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox at Durham to-night

I concur.

Most of the gigs I've been to have been in the Student Union Bars. A lot of the working youngsters seem to prefer popping pills and fighting in Church Street.

impecable!

our mob supported 65days at that gig you may be riveted to learn

ECG

You have missed a few bands off there

I can think of the standards, negroes, and later moses, mercedes, them acidheads from elwick, and several others that i saw mainly at the ritz early 90s that had a fair following and were ok.

I'm sure there are several more but can i fook remember

Yeah I was there, that was the 2nd one if I'm not mistaken. They played the week beforehand as well. I've seen your band a few times, good stuff.

As for a folkie, I'd definitely concur. In the past couple of years I've seen people such as Carthy, Dick Gaughan, Cara Dillon, Christy Moore and Espers (a new band but very trad-folk in style), along with a lot of local stuff. Can't beat it.

The Negros are one band who who have the quality and the sounds to do the business.

They are entertaining, write great catchy songs and boy can they play.

Cant understand why they haven't made it yet

I wish they wouldn't bother putting them on in jax, they are usually shite and it's the last thing you want to have on when you're trying to chat up some hottie. Also these bands tend to attract people that really should be arrested by the fashion police, i'm sure some of the people you see in Esco Bar don't wash.

The town needs a venue that plays euphoric dance music. At the moment the bars seem to just want to attract the crowd who want to be in the baby shambles......

If these bands are that good then why don't they play a few gigs out of town and give us all some peace, some of us want to enjoy a night out listening to the finest from Vengaboys and The Sugarbabes rather than fearing the prospect of going somewhere with a band on who are either a - gothic, b - scruffy or c - shite . or any combination of the 3.

Cost.

That is the main problem with going to watch live new music.

If it was two or three quid a head you'd get more people in, but I and many others won't pay 8 or 10 quid a person (so double it if you're out with the wife!) as an admission charge for a band I've never heard of and who I might not like.

Obviously though, the size of the venue influences this. If it's too small to break even at a couple of quid a person even when full then there's no point.

I was gonna go to The Studio on Friday gone, but the Mrs reckoned to be "too knackered" after work and then said that she probably wouldn't want to go anyway cos last time all of the bottles were warm and they didn't sell any "proper cider".

I'll try and talk her into it again in future and see how I get on, but if they could be chewed to chill the drinks that they charge top dollar for then they'd have more chance of people going back.

I've never heard of a charge of 8-10 quid for up n coming bands Rip....
most gigs we do are either free or a coupla quid...most over ambitious club types - you know clubs with 3 rooms and 3 people - try and rip you off but thats why there dead innit?

DIY gigs are the best.


Just on a point that Phil said about the acoustics, while that may be true at least you can hear yourself on stage at the studio unlike other shittier venues with shittier PA's

Everything I've seen advertised for The Studio Mr Salty (albeit I admit I don't know what their craic is every week) has been £5+ admission fee and apart from Jim Bob a couple of years ago I've never heard of any of the bands.

ah, soz Rip I read it wrong! thought you meant 'nobody bands' like ours nit just ones you hadn't heard of before.

but still, someone will have heard of them and will want to pay £5whatever to see them perform.


I wouldn't pay to see someone I haven't heard of either, I tend to do that at festivals where its kinda lower risk, if they turn out to be shite you just nash off somewhere else

You're right, they were excellent and I'd never heard of them.

But I paid less than a fiver each to get in.

The warm drinks could do with sorting too if you can have a word in somebody's ear like...

i have to say a lot of the comments are right about the town when i was back home in between uni and jobs you had to go to newcastle to see bands. i lived in liverpool opposite the bar fly and in that area of the city you can see live bands almost ever night. glad the carling academy has opened in oxford yet to go there so far but going on saturday.

our town is just plain bad for live music although did see the pigeon detectives in jax and they were ok. next band i want to see is interpol at newcastle but dont think i can get the time off work

Interesting comments about the Liverpool music scene. I occasionally get on the guest list for small venues like the Zanzibar in Seel Street and am impressed with the atmosphere, the bands and the enthusiasm of yer average music follower.

Must say that the crowds are mostly student based out of towners with suprisingly few scousers about. I'd guess there's a different club scene which appeals there

There's a lot of nights run almost as mini festivals with about with 4 -5 bands doing half hour sets varying between straight down the line guitar bashers who put pressure waves into your chest (try to catch The Fookin' Tank from Leeds) through to duos like Slow Club and National School writing great comment songs.

The cost of getting in is around £4 - £5 which almost all goes towards petrol money and replacement hub caps (it is Liverpool) for the out of town bands who invariabley get to sleep on the floor of one of the local bands "student type" houses.

As an old folkie I get to hear a lot of people wondering why there's no one under 50 in the folk clubs. The answer is that there's a great DIY music scene with a generation doing for themselves what the folkies did with their music in the 60's.

p.s. the beer's crap by folkie standards

Which you will be attending too Mutt.

*ahem*

mind, theres a few younger types go to/run the pot house club in Hartlepool and I used to run Saltburn folk club which was chocker with young types too

I think they prefer more relaxed clubs tho where anything goes as opposed to strict finger in yer ear clubs

[quote="Salty"][quote="Frodraff"]


This bits a quote from salty but I cocked up the quote system
*ahem*

mind, theres a few younger types go to/run the pot house club in Hartlepool and I used to run Saltburn folk club which was chocker with young types too

And I replied

I had a look into the Saltburn festival earlier this year and what struck me was the number of unaccompanied singers doing traditional songs. Wasn't sure it was appropriate when I did a non trad song accompanied by guitar in one of the sing arounds.

The pre Saltburn festival do in Skelton was well attended but again a lot of older folkies.

A few months ago I also had a look into the Nursery where some lads are reviving the club that used to be there. They were doing self written songs along with a lot of stuff off B. Springsteen's Seeger session CD. It was a great night well supported by the landlord who also had some nice things to say about the Poolies earlier top 30 hit.

It's only good news that there's a new generation getting involved. There's some great younger players around who got a much better start cos their owld feller's guitar was around from age 3 for them to practice on.

I heard there was a club started up at the Pot House, interesting it's some young lads running it. Great location, I'll try and get there sometime.

which singaround was that then?
our paths may have crossed!!

I think the pub was called the Victoria and the singaround was run by one of the Wilkinson daughters, might have been Rachel. We've been across the last two years just for the Saturday.

I don't think our paths did cross as among others I was with the well known folk chick, Grabec who was looking out for someone from Saltburn-By-The-Sea who posts on the bunker but didn't bump into you.

We get across from N Cheshire a couple of times a year. We're just down the road from Runcorn so there's a quite a big NE presence here because of ICI.

There's plenty of music going on if you have a look at http://www.folknorthwest.co.uk. You could be out every night if you wanted.

Good result for Pools earlier on but Newcastle are getting stuffed. That Allardyce is no oil painting is he

I did pop into the Vic a couple of times on the Sat went into the little bar bit for a singaround, didn't stay long mind...some gadgie was playing a guitar!

mostly spent my time in the cons club

get down on the Friday night next time, Cons club singaround with the Wilsons...hard to beat IMO

Get some Wedding Present on!!!

been known to play Wedding Present songs at folk clubs Kev, they don't go down too well tho but wotcha gonna do eh?! if its good ,sing it I say