The 'Youngster' gig scene in your area

[odysseus]

I'm curious... I live in West Cornwall, and 20 years ago there was a thriving original band scene in the area. There were a great many young (as in college age up to mid 20s) metal, punk and indie bands, and a smattering of other genres. You could go out and see a three band event Friday and Saturday nights and not see the same bands in a month. 

Recently, it would appear there are very few younger bands. Even the originals scene is largely inhabited by middle aged musos - there seems to be very few bands made up of people in the younger age bracket.  I'm wondering why this is?  Are younglings not learning instruments so much now? Are they moving more toward production, as in using Logic and Reason and all that?  I really don't know.

 

Is this the case in your area?  

 

Any thoughts on it?

 

[Len_derby]

It seems pretty good in my area. Having a university with an active and un-stuffy music faculty in the town helps. For example, the university has entered into a partnership with a local recording studio and rehearsal rooms business. Dubrek by name. 
 

I don’t know Cornwall very well, but could the lack of young bands reflect the demographic? Fewer young people living there as they are priced out of accommodation, resulting in the average age of the region moving up?

Edited July 23, 2022 by Len_derby

[neepheid]

Don't ask me, I'm just a middle aged muso...

[odysseus]

9 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

It seems pretty good in my area. Having a university with an active and un-stuffy music faculty in the town helps. For example, the university has entered into a partnership with a local recording studio and rehearsal rooms business. Dubrek by name. 
 

I don’t know Cornwall very well, but could the lack of young bands reflect the demographic? Fewer young people living there as they are priced out of accommodation, resulting in the average age of the region moving up?

 

You could be right about people moving away after college. Cornwall is a lovely place to live, but there is very little in the way of career opportunities. Still plenty of college students around, which makes me wonder why there's very few bands... 

[Franticsmurf]

When I started out in my first band playing a mix of originals and covers (in the late 80's), there were quite a few 'young' bands around but the venues were lacking. Most of the pubs that had music had the same pub rock/blues rock bands playing in a circuit and it was pretty hard to break in to that ring. There was definitely an element of 'if your face fits', and most of the new/young bands (including ours) didn't. Nor did we want to, of course. We scraped gigs together at a couple of the more open venues and by getting events and private party gigs. I guess a lot of bands went elsewhere or gave up. There's paying the dues, which is fine, but it was hard work to get decent gigs and progress because of this apparent monopoly on the venues. 

 

Rock stardom didn't knock at my door and when I started playing in covers bands the gigs ramped up. It helped we had an agent. But these gigs weren't suitable for bands looking to do their own thing. Now, I am in a position to gig and to try and help upcoming bands through an annual 'rock school' thing my mate runs. Kids who have instrument lessons through his music shop spend a week forming bands, learning a few covers and writing their own song. They are already competent at their chosen instrument so the aim of the week is more about what it is to be in a band. They have to learn to compromise on covers and band name, figure out the promo and sort out what they need for the gig itself. The goal is to perform at an 'end of term' multi band gig. Last year we had four bands from the school and one of them (the one I mentored as it happens) carried on playing and is back with their own slot at this year's line-up.

 

There are definitely more 'young bands' around here now, and I think that has something to do with better venues and there being more dedicated music venues (rather than the local pub).    

[Woodinblack]

There are a fair few in this area, although not as much of a spread of genres. There are fewer venues than there were pre-pandemic though.

[Lozz196]

In Hemel Hempstead all of the venues seem to be for covers bands, so I suppose the younger bands look to gig in the other nearby towns.

[odysseus]

 

 

TBH I'm not seeing many youngsters in cover bands here either.

 

Just had a look on YouTube - Rick Beato makes some interesting points... some of the comments underneath are interesting too, particularly the one that music is important, but not in the 'foreground' for a lot of younger folks - as in listening to music is something you do while doing something else rather than being a pursuit that has your undivided attention. Interesting.... 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by odysseus

[Mykesbass]

Brighton is full of young musos, both local and BIMM students. It is also an important stop on the new band tour circuit. But 13 miles inland we are a complete cultural desert 😕

[Burns-bass]

Bristol is absolutely full of bands and some incredible venues. I think it’s the concentration of both two universities coupled with the sheer number of creative spaces that makes it. Some of it is junk but some of it is sublime. 

[Earbrass]

AFAIC, middle-aged musos are youngsters.

[odysseus]

44 minutes ago, Earbrass said:

AFAIC, middle-aged musos are youngsters.

 

My mind wants to believe... my knees have reservations! 🙃

[Supernaut]

Get out of Cornwall and off the internet - plenty of kids are playing gigs. 

[ambient]

3 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Bristol is absolutely full of bands and some incredible venues. I think it’s the concentration of both two universities coupled with the sheer number of creative spaces that makes it. Some of it is junk but some of it is sublime. 

There’s a branch of BIMM in Bristol. You’ll probably also get students studying music in Bath gigging there too.

[ambient]

I’ve been teaching music across a range of age groups at an academy school in the West Midlands.

 

From the ten or so 6th formers, there was just one musician - a drummer, and one singer.

 

In the other year groups there were maybe five students who could play an instrument, three of them were very good and enthusiastic.

 

The head of music there blames Covid to a degree.

 

Others are I think more into the technology side of music making.

[Burns-bass]

13 hours ago, ambient said:

There’s a branch of BIMM in Bristol. You’ll probably also get students studying music in Bath gigging there too.

I used to teach the bass course at a music college here. There are quite a few!

[odysseus]

20 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Get out of Cornwall and off the internet - plenty of kids are playing gigs. 

 

The point was that there aren't as many as there were before, chief.

 

Had a chat to my GF's 16 y.o. twins last night about this. Out of a school peer group of about 90-100, they could only name 2 who played instruments. One lass played bass because her dad is a bassist and taught her - another lad played a bit of guitar.  I was surprised as it was even less than I expected.  A fair few are into music, though, even though they don't play. 

Falmouth has an arts college, so there are proportionately more there than in other local towns.

[Lozz196]

Yep, when I was younger if anyone was in a band, of whatever ilk, it was great, whereas our younglings at work seem to have no real interest in bands/music at all, only one girl (early 30s) having done some singing and knows a guy that plays guitar, none of the rest even know any musicians. 

Edited July 24, 2022 by Lozz196

[Supernaut]

28 minutes ago, odysseus said:

 

The point was that there aren't as many as there were before, chief.

 

Had a chat to my GF's 16 y.o. twins last night about this. Out of a school peer group of about 90-100, they could only name 2 who played instruments. One lass played bass because her dad is a bassist and taught her - another lad played a bit of guitar.  I was surprised as it was even less than I expected.  A fair few are into music, though, even though they don't play. 

Falmouth has an arts college, so there are proportionately more there than in other local towns.

You're starting to sound like your Dad. 

[Raymondo]

7 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

You're starting to sound like your Dad. 

You speak to his dad often do you?

[Saul Panzer]

The live music around my town is largely middle-age and older.
However...a lot of edgy graffiti style stickers get slapped on lampposts, bus stops and such advertising various small "electro/dance" type events.
I'm assuming that's still a younger thing like it was back when I actually went to things I found on lampposts.

While it's probably not regular instruments I imagine the musicians still class those as gigs, I might even be way off and missing out on some amazing new tech music incorporating traditional instruments.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Saul Panzer

[lemmywinks]

Pretty much no band scene here, back when I was young and playing originals we had a fair few venues who would do band nights, that's gone now. A lot are struggling, a few friends of mine went to see the guy from Gomez not so long ago and aside from them there was about a dozen people there, this was for a heavily advertised local gig with dirt cheap entry fee and a recognisable name.

 

The only types of venues where people will actively go to watch bands are pubs that do punk nights and one pub that trades almost exclusively in dad-rock covers bands. Must be horrible for young musicians starting out looking to gig, I had loads of opportunities on my doorstep when I was that age.

[uncle psychosis]

The death of the student grant killed a lot of the "art college" bands. Bands like Pulp would never have made it in today's world, because they could never have afforded to.