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Weirdest pub gig ever.


TimR
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Last night we played a local gig in a traditional music pub that we've played many times before.

The pub has changed hands 4 times in the last 3-4 years. 2 of them in the last 6 months.

Things weren't good from the start, the landlord obviously didn't want us there. At the end of the gig he claimed he didn't know how much we were charging, claimed he didn't know whether we were coming or not, claimed he had no way of contacting us. I asked him if he'd looked at us on Facebook or LemonRock as not only are we there, but his pub is there advertising us as playing. He said, yes, he knew he was on lemonrock and had checked us out on Facebook.
WTF?

The pub has had a big refurb and is much more pleasant place to be. The customer base has completely changed. I suspect (but don't know) he will not be doing live music after Christmas.

He's moved the bands into a corner out of the way, the acoustics within the corner aren't good.

The heat was unbearable, the front door was wide open, this was playing havoc with the tuning and the guitarist (who I've never seen break a string) broke two strings.

Feedback from the crowd was very mixed but generally positive. We had a couple of blokes looming around, no one left, there was some polite applause and lots of people came up afterwards saying how much they'd liked it.

The landlord grumbled and said his customers didn't like it and we were to heavy for him.

It'll be a shame as the pub has a very long history of live music. Although I suspect the landlord may not last very long there, he may be a 'troubleshooter' put in to turn the pub into a going concern after the last guy messed up pretty badly (cancelled our last gig with a day's notice) and allegedly drank the profits.

Was the first time in a while we've had to sign for the money.

.

Edited by TimR
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Pubs seem to be changing hands increasingly often these days. We had a gig booked at a place we had played many times under the previous tenant, who then cancelled because the pub was being sold. Drove past yesterday and they have another band advertised for the day they cancelled just a week ago.

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[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1474807843' post='3140632']
That sounds an odd thing to do. If I was selling something, I'd pass on all the details of any arrangements made and let the new owner decide whether he wanted to continue.

Landlords really are an odd bunch.
[/quote]

I'm almost certain that the tenancy hasn't changed yet.

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[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1474809097' post='3140649']
Signing for the cash is fairly normal for us these days especially in brewery run pubs with a landlord running it rather than owning it.
[/quote]

Yes, I had to sign for our band's cash last night, probably 50% of the places we play as for a signature.

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My favourite weird pub gig was when I roadied for an evening for a friend.

First half went ok but at at the break we heard sounds of shouting, then a scuffle and then glass breaking from the small patio / smoking area.

The landlord had apparently picked a fight with a couple of locals.

He then turned all the power off and then told the entire pub to F-off and barred everyone present from ever drinking there again saying he'd remember all their faces (this included me and the band).

One of his bar staff got the power back on as the punters drifted out and told us we'd get paid but should scarper quickly.

The landlord then had another fit of shouting and threw himself out of the pub shouting that he wouldn't let himself back in again :)

He headed off to the car park right next to the police station and attacked a copper who promptly locked him up for the night.

The pub was not only opposite the police station but also the magistrates' court.

Needless to say he lost his licence pretty soon after. . .

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My recent weirdness, involved a couple of you g kids getting on stage and playing with the drum kit, cymbals etc, and some ' interesting' conversations to follow with an irish gypsy family , whose kids they were

Thought it was all going to kick off, so went and talked to 'dad' to head it off at the pass. Landlord was trying to throw them out, we were getting stared at daggers for the first 5 tracks! Then the rest of his family turned up, girls wearing big dresses etc, and turns out they were off to a gypsy wedding, and were warming up in the pub!

During the break , 'dad' , told me i was 'alright' and bought me a pint! Then f'ed off with family in tow!

Rest of the punters had a good time, and we got offered several return gigs, ' but dont worry , next time you play we will have security....'

Surreal. ' Errrr, no thanks!' Plenty of nice places to play thanks!

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Changing times and changing trends. If a pub or bar owner doesn't understand the positive effect that a band can have on his takings (if presented and marketed right by the venue) then no one can tell him. It's often a risk outlaying a few hundred quid for a band with no guaranteed return. Sadly the way a lot of venues are going nowadays.

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....and of course the (pretty high) likelihood that the band will in fact empty the place.

Sadly there are an awful* lot of bands out there these days.


* As in " a lot of them are awful" which does a great deal of harm to all the OTHER non-awful band's chances of getting a gig after them.

There should be some sort of league system to give the landlords and punters alike a better idea of what to expect....

:lol:

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[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1474806172' post='3140614']










The landlord grumbled and said his customers didn't like it and we were to heavy for him.

[/quote]

Sounds like real low end management to me.

Either the alcohol sales were there or not. That's all bar owners I know care about.

Blue

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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1474853409' post='3141054']


Sounds like real low end management to me.

Either the alcohol sales were there or not. That's all bar owners I know care about.

Blue
[/quote]

Exactly that. There's one particular band local to me who aren't terribly good (and have been known to be terrible on occasion) but between them they have loads of friends and every time they play anywhere the place is rammed. People = beer = £ so they're never short of gigs.

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[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1474888440' post='3141223']


Exactly that. There's one particular band local to me who aren't terribly good (and have been known to be terrible on occasion) but between them they have loads of friends and every time they play anywhere the place is rammed. People = beer = £ so they're never short of gigs.
[/quote]

More evidence that musically not being terribly good is not the same as not being entertaining.

It's taken me many years to appreciate that.

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1474813374' post='3140694']
My favourite weird pub gig was when I roadied for an evening for a friend.

First half went ok but at at the break we heard sounds of shouting, then a scuffle and then glass breaking from the small patio / smoking area.

The landlord had apparently picked a fight with a couple of locals.

He then turned all the power off and then told the entire pub to F-off and barred everyone present from ever drinking there again saying he'd remember all their faces (this included me and the band).

One of his bar staff got the power back on as the punters drifted out and told us we'd get paid but should scarper quickly.

The landlord then had another fit of shouting and threw himself out of the pub shouting that he wouldn't let himself back in again :)

He headed off to the car park right next to the police station and attacked a copper who promptly locked him up for the night.

The pub was not only opposite the police station but also the magistrates' court.

Needless to say he lost his licence pretty soon after. . .
[/quote]

That takes the biscuit for weirdness. :)

As an Oxon resident myself, which/where is that pub ?

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[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1474893311' post='3141274']
That takes the biscuit for weirdness. :)

As an Oxon resident myself, which/where is that pub ?
[/quote]

Henley on Thames - the one 'rough' pub in the town :)

It's right behind the Town Hall and diagonally opposite what used to be the police station.

I live in the town but haven't been back there since . . .

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