Iconic pub venue in Nottingham to close

[DaytonaRik]

I'm sure that this is a common theme throughout the UK, but Nottingham's Tap and Tumbler is to remain closed and won't reopen once restrictions are lifted.  Owners Greene King have confirmed that the pub which is one of the most unique venues in the city, regularly frequented by acts appearing at Rock City and a staple with the rock and alternative scene, is one of 79 pubs the chain is closing in the wake of the C-19 pandemic.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/food-drink/nottingham-pub-wont-reopen-lockdown-4787862?fbclid=IwAR3OOtz4-CaySOiNUZBDr3YwcRtnpKhnSJFg_iwTxPXB6SFsLpKzRor7M0A

Sad day  

[Deedee]

No way! Spent many a happy hour there in my younger days. Although I did have a not so happy encounter once when I went in years later and some of the 'long hair brigade' thought that anyone with short hair was trespassing and should be offered outside.

Very sad news though.

[steantval]

Unfortunately this will be the case with pubs/venues in lots of towns and cities in the U.K. ☹️☹️☹️

[bazzbass]

here in South Oz,the only venues that have original bands don't have pokies and most won't survive. Totally killed off the industry. No rescue plan for them,coz they don't hand over millions from pokies.

[MacDaddy]

3 hours ago, bazzbass said:

here in South Oz,the only venues that have original bands don't have pokies and most won't survive. Totally killed off the industry. No rescue plan for them,coz they don't hand over millions from pokies.

by 'pokies' are you referring to nipples being clearly and prominently visible through clothing, or slot machines?  

[ricksterphil]

On 12/12/2020 at 15:23, DaytonaRik said:

I'm sure that this is a common theme throughout the UK, but Nottingham's Tap and Tumbler is to remain closed and won't reopen once restrictions are lifted.  Owners Greene King have confirmed that the pub which is one of the most unique venues in the city, regularly frequented by acts appearing at Rock City and a staple with the rock and alternative scene, is one of 79 pubs the chain is closing in the wake of the C-19 pandemic.

https://www.nottinghampost.com/whats-on/food-drink/nottingham-pub-wont-reopen-lockdown-4787862?fbclid=IwAR3OOtz4-CaySOiNUZBDr3YwcRtnpKhnSJFg_iwTxPXB6SFsLpKzRor7M0A

Sad day  

The big brewery and pub chains are property managers now and not publicans. The Tap is right in the middle of Nottingham so will become part of a redevelopment into more flats coffee shops and niche retail. Real shame though, decent venue and a metal & heavy rock mecca

Edited December 14, 2020 by ricksterphil

[taunton-hobbit]

2 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

by 'pokies' are you referring to nipples being clearly and prominently visible through clothing, or slot machines?  

Oz term for Poker Machines - we have them in the UK in some pubs, usually operated by gentlemen hailing from Derry (or thereabouts) ..............

.😎

[PaulWarning]

shame, played there 2 or 3 times a year, always a good gig, especially when Rock City threw everybody out from a gig at 9.30 so they could start the disco. Hopefully someone will buy it off Greene King and keep it as a music venue

Edited December 14, 2020 by PaulWarning

[DaytonaRik]

I always liked playing there too  We can only hope that it ends up as an independent music venue, but I suspect that it will be lost. 

[ricksterphil]

1 hour ago, DaytonaRik said:

I always liked playing there too  We can only hope that it ends up as an independent music venue, but I suspect that it will be lost. 

Is your band Retribution? I've met your singer Kerry at a couple of OM's in Derby...she's mates with our singer Jane...small world huh

[BigRedX]

While it is always sad when a venue closes, we shouldn't be so focused on just keeping everything as frozen in time. If there is a need for another music venue like TNT then one will appear.

I've been gigging in Nottingham for 40 years now. With the exception of Rock City (and a couple of places that will allow you to hire them for private events) none of the venues I played at before 2005 still exist. However there's still plenty of places to play, if your band is sufficiently entertaining (pre-COVID at least).

BTW I've played with several bands at TNT and was never that impressed. Load in/out was always a pain (only the Chameleon is worse IMO).

[ricksterphil]

6 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

BTW I've played with several bands at TNT and was never that impressed. Load in/out was always a pain (only the Chameleon is worse IMO).

Haven't played either the TNT or Chameleon, but have played Albert's a couple of times and the load in there is lot's of stairs. Decent stage though. You're right, venues will emerge if the demand is there.

[fretmeister]

I forget the name of the place, but there was a venue in Wolverhampton where the load in was somewhat mis-described.

They told me the doors and corridors were nice and wide and the parking was right outside.

I had a Mesa Dual Rec and a really heavy Proamp 4x12.

 

Landlord was right about the doors and corridors. He just failed to mention the room was on the 2nd floor and there wasn't a lift.

Bastard.

[BigRedX]

I've not played the place since it became Alberts, but in the days when it was a Firkin pub you used to be able load in from the car park on Talbot Street up the big, wide fire escape which was nice and easy.

The worst venue for stairs in Nottingham was a nightclub on Greyhound street where the gig room was 3 or 4 flights up from street level and no lift. Played there a couple of times in the late 90s. 

[ricksterphil]

8 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

I've not played the place since it became Alberts, but in the days when it was a Firkin pub you used to be able load in from the car park on Talbot Street up the big, wide fire escape which was nice and easy.

The worst venue for stairs in Nottingham was a nightclub on Greyhound street where the gig room was 3 or 4 flights up from street level and no lift. Played there a couple of times in the late 90s. 

I think they changed the load in from the car park at the back as it was up some windy little staircase when we played there, so we abandoned that and loaded in through the front door. Albert's is a venue that won't re-open under the previous management so is sat there waiting to be taken over by someone I would think

[DaytonaRik]

4 hours ago, ricksterphil said:

Is your band Retribution? I've met your singer Kerry at a couple of OM's in Derby...she's mates with our singer Jane...small world huh

So you'll be playing with Miss bowie then?  Indeed a small world!  I think we're friends on FaceBook too fella!

Agree that Alberts was a great venue stage wise but awful to get into/out of.  It was much easier using the Talbot St car park but still a tight squeeze.  Also sadly missed is The Greyhound - that was an excellent Nottingham venue albeit out of town.

I do agree with @BigRedXin that if the need or demand for a venue is there then the music usually finds an outlet but with The Maze, Alberts and now T n T going in Nottingham city centre it leaves little/no established rock outlet with the exception of The Sal (I think they pride themselves of promoting original bands so the chances of us getting a gig there are slim to non-existent) and The Vat and Fiddle near to the station.

Edited December 14, 2020 by DaytonaRik

[ricksterphil]

5 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said:

So you'll be playing with Miss Bowie then?  Indeed a small world!  I think we're friends on FaceBook too fella!

Yep, that's me

 

7 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said:

Also sadly missed is The Greyhound - that was an excellent Nottingham venue albeit out of town

Yes, played there a few times, big loss

 

9 minutes ago, DaytonaRik said:

The Maze, Alberts and now T n T going in Nottingham city centre it leaves little/no established rock outlet with the exception of The Sal (I think they pride themselves of promoting original bands so the chances of us getting a gig there are slim to non-existent) and The Vat and Fiddle near to the station.

We've had gigs postponed at The Vat & Fiddle due to Covid so not played there yet

[Marvin]

With changes coming regards planning, whether there's demand for live music venues will be somewhat irrelevant. The owners can make more money from other uses.

There will be lots of pubs and music venues disappearing, and I don't see many replacements, the cost will be too high and there are more financially attractive alternatives.

[PaulWarning]

tbh, I don't think making money is the only consideration when running a live music venue, it's a love of live music as well, maybe that's part of the problem, some people who run live music pubs let the pub side of it down, like a decent pint, and some only book bands they like, not what will brings in the punters

[Marvin]

3 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

tbh, I don't think making money is the only consideration when running a live music venue, it's a love of live music as well, maybe that's part of the problem, some people who run live music pubs let the pub side of it down, like a decent pint, and some only book bands they like, not what will brings in the punters

True. 2 places I played several times have music, or is a music venue because the people running them just love music. Unfortunately, these people don't often own the building.

[steantval]

4 hours ago, ricksterphil said:

Yep, that's me

 

Yes, played there a few times, big loss

 

We've had gigs postponed at The Vat & Fiddle due to Covid so not played there yet

If you play in the Bowie tribute circles, you must have come across my old friend and former band mate Paul Henderson.

 

[bazzbass]

20 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

by 'pokies' are you referring to nipples being clearly and prominently visible through clothing, or slot machines?  

you made coffee come out of my nose 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ricksterphil]

7 hours ago, steantval said:

If you play in the Bowie tribute circles, you must have come across my old friend and former band mate Paul Henderson.

 

I haven't, maybe we'll bump into him next year

[BigRedX]

14 hours ago, Marvin said:

With changes coming regards planning, whether there's demand for live music venues will be somewhat irrelevant. The owners can make more money from other uses.

There will be lots of pubs and music venues disappearing, and I don't see many replacements, the cost will be too high and there are more financially attractive alternatives.

Maybe Nottingham is an anomaly, but in the 40+ years I have been playing and going to gigs in the city venues come and go but overall the numbers appear to stay the same. As I said in my first post in this thread very few of the places I played at, or went to see other bands at, still exist as music venues, but at the beginning of 2020 there were just as many opportunities as there were when I first moved here and most of them are superior to the gigs I was getting in the early 80s.

Certainly there are far more opportunities for weekend gigs for originals bands. When I first started gigging here, weekends were strictly discos and residencies for a few rock covers bands. The best you could get playing originals was a Friday night gig at The Hearty Goodfellow sporting Pinski Zoo who had a residency there. Everything else was mid-week only.

I'm also unsure of the "iconic" status of TNT. I wasn't even aware of it as a live music venue until I did my first gig there about 7 years ago. In my mind it's certainly not up there with The Boat Club, The Garage/Ad-Lib, or The Hearty Goodfellow, to name but three.

[Stofferson]

18 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I forget the name of the place, but there was a venue in Wolverhampton where the load in was somewhat mis-described.

They told me the doors and corridors were nice and wide and the parking was right outside.

I had a Mesa Dual Rec and a really heavy Proamp 4x12.

 

Landlord was right about the doors and corridors. He just failed to mention the room was on the 2nd floor and there wasn't a lift.

Bastard.

Giffard arms any chance? Always fun.

 

Ahh TNT though, great place, played many times over the years, It's Iconic from my scene at least, from having a cheeky pint at 14 before going to City all them years ago, Nottingham wouldn't be the same without it.

Still We have the Old Sal, Chameleon for gigs of the same calibre, and no doubt something will arise again, Nottingham is great like that