blue Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Anyone have club,pub, or bar in your bands gig rotation you'd rather not play anymore. If yes, why? Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 I'll start. We have one club we play about 6 times a year. It's late hours and in a dicey part of the city. It's a small place and to be honest I don't feel safe there. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 We banned ourselves from the Royal Oak (I think?) in Erdington, all our friends band's had their cars damaged outside and or a bar fight during the gig, we played there twice without a problem and decided the chances of playing a third without a serious issue was slim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 There used to be a place that scared the crap out of me the first time I played there. It was in a notoriously tough area of a city, in the middle of the red light district. We had to take the gear through the bar to a room at the back. It was dark and smoky and looked like something from a gritty pirate movie. Lots of shaved heads and tattoos on big burly men and women and maybe a whole set of teeth between the lot of them when it was packed. There never was actually any trouble, the gigs always went well. The place I really hated was a conservative club (I think, definitely a politically named place, it was a long time ago). I hated it because the room was horrible, with a tiny stage in an odd little corner that you couldn't see from the bar, facing a dance floor that was always empty. But the worst thing was the rickety, seemingly perpetually wet, external metal staircase we had to lug the gear up. If there is a type of gig I'd never want to do again, it's weddings. Though I never did any weddings in a band, only with a disco. It was a rare wedding where there wasn't violence of some sort. Some of them were like battle grounds, with one family huddled in one corner and the other family in the opposite corner. Many a white shirt stained red by the end. Hated them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 A fairly well known rock pub in Northampton that has booked us twice and on both occasions have done absolutely nothing to promote us, despite us sending in posters, creating Facebook events, contacting local press etc. The last time we played there the landlord said we were too loud (we weren't - we were balanced against our un-mic'd drummer) and spent the whole night walking around with his fingers in his ears, grinning at us. He thought he was being funny. Everyone else, including his own staff, thought he was a rude, unprofessional ****. I will not play there again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495647858' post='3305620'] A fairly well known rock pub in Northampton that has booked us twice and on both occasions have done absolutely nothing to promote us, despite us sending in posters, creating Facebook events, contacting local press etc. The last time we played there the landlord said we were too loud (we weren't - we were balanced against our un-mic'd drummer) and spent the whole night walking around with his fingers in his ears, grinning at us. He thought he was being funny. Everyone else, including his own staff, thought he was a rude, unprofessional ****. I will not play there again. [/quote] I've played there too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Funnily enough we decided we'd never do one venue on Monday. We had a wedding do, the drummer was the first to get there and was told if we went over 70db they'd pull the plug before he'd even managed to put a case on the floor. She didn't even say hello. Turns out it was 70db at the bar, so, what with a band full of scientists we checked the db at the bar with no music. Averaging 78db and peaking at 90 when somebody laughed. I asked where she wanted us to set up and was given short shrift. We have a hk elements pa, useful but it won't blow you over, the guitarist was using a 15w fender pro jnr barely on, drummer was just tickling the kit and we still had bar staff coming down all night glaring at us. In the end we turned it around and started telling the audience off anytime they clapped or started to sing along and got a reasonably good vibe going. I'm all for live music not being to loud but this was unrealistic. By the way, the venue was in the middle of nowhere and the only neighbour was the owner of the venue. And it was him insisting on the db limit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 I left a band once because of the bar they played in. It was in 'Trainspotting' territory, full of hookers and junkies and someone threw a full pint at us just as we were about to start. I had a vision of myself being stabbed,and bleeding to death in the adjacent alley, if I ever played there again. The band went back for another gig the next week, without me. I asked the drummer how did it go and he said somebody got glassed for wearing the wrong football shirt and another guy got clubbed unconscious, with the heavy end of a pool cue. One of my better decisions I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingPrawn Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1495646663' post='3305607'] We banned ourselves from the Royal Oak (I think?) in Erdington, all our friends band's had their cars damaged outside and or a bar fight during the gig, we played there twice without a problem and decided the chances of playing a third without a serious issue was slim! [/quote] How did you ever fit in there? I've played trad Irish nights there. It's quite an experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeystrange Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495647858' post='3305620'] A fairly well known rock pub in Northampton that has booked us twice and on both occasions have done absolutely nothing to promote us, despite us sending in posters, creating Facebook events, contacting local press etc. The last time we played there the landlord said we were too loud (we weren't - we were balanced against our un-mic'd drummer) and spent the whole night walking around with his fingers in his ears, grinning at us. He thought he was being funny. Everyone else, including his own staff, thought he was a rude, unprofessional ****. I will not play there again. [/quote] I wonder if this is the same place someone got stabbed outside of when I last played there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 Seems like saftey is the common denominator here. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (edited) [quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1495650625' post='3305648'] How did you ever fit in there? I've played trad Irish nights there. It's quite an experience [/quote] Maybe not the Royal Oak then? Quite a big place with the toilets entirely clad in chequer plate metal for easy blood swilling! I'm trying to find it on the map but I think it might have gone, it was in the centre in a typical 60s building? Edited May 24, 2017 by stingrayPete1977 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 I really can't afford for my band to turn down or pull out of places we normally gig for any reason. I guess that's one of the down sides of playing for a living. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495647858' post='3305620'] A fairly well known rock pub in Northampton that has booked us twice and on both occasions have done absolutely nothing to promote us, despite us sending in posters, creating Facebook events, contacting local press etc. The last time we played there the landlord said we were too loud (we weren't - we were balanced against our un-mic'd drummer) and spent the whole night walking around with his fingers in his ears, grinning at us. He thought he was being funny. Everyone else, including his own staff, thought he was a rude, unprofessional ****. I will not play there again. [/quote]wasn't the Billy by any chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 How about the pubs and bars where the band is playing in a room with no bar or service to the bar. In my neck of the woods bands can't win in that sort of lay out. People want to be by that bar. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Arena gigs. I have just had enough of them. No contact with the audience and the acoustics are always awful. I have decided to stick to 2 to 2.5 thousand seaters from now on. My audience needs to be close to me. Feel the love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 24, 2017 Author Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='mikel' timestamp='1495653280' post='3305683'] Arena gigs. I have just had enough of them. No contact with the audience and the acoustics are always awful. I have decided to stick to 2 to 2.5 thousand seaters from now on. My audience needs to be close to me. Feel the love. [/quote] Not an issue I'll ever have to address.My issues evolve around 75 seats, and that's the high end. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1495650625' post='3305648'] How did you ever fit in there? I've played trad Irish nights there. It's quite an experience [/quote] It was The Acorn, oak trees and acorns must have been my confusion! Total sh*t hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1495656272' post='3305727'] It was The Acorn, oak trees and acorns must have been my confusion! Total sh*t hole. [/quote] +10000000 Keyed car victim. Fights. Damaged cars. Damaged guitars. The last straw was the police on horseback in the pub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Ha, all the strip lights turned on as you played whilst the police walked around to see which 'regulars' were in was always fun, I heard a band stopped once during the police check and all hell let loose? Ahhh Erdington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1495654459' post='3305705'] Not an issue I'll ever have to address.My issues evolve around 75 seats, and that's the high end. Blue [/quote] Dont you just love the Yanks? Humor is a mystery to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Cruel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 Grosvenor House, Park Lane. Paid lots of money but we had to be there stupidly early, they treated us like sh*t, the house sound man barely spoke to us and had no interest in how we were hearing us on stage (we were the only band so it's not like we were support), the 'food' provided consisted of tiny stale sandwiches even though there were loads of uneaten main courses from the event, the pre-show ran over massively, the post show disco went on for ages and then we had to wait for the very last person to stagger out before we could start breaking down any of our gear. It really, really wasn't worth the money and we all said we wouldn't do another Park Lane hotel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1495656272' post='3305727'] Total sh*t hole.[/quote] So you guys have those too? I thought we only had those over here in the States. I should start a "Who's Played The Biggest Sh*t Hole" thread.😁 Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 25, 2017 Author Share Posted May 25, 2017 [quote name='molan' timestamp='1495663689' post='3305777'] It really, really wasn't worth the money and we all said we wouldn't do another Park Lane hotel [/quote] Good call Molan. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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