Smoking Ban in Ireland / Scotland

[niceguyhomer]

Calling all Scottish & Irish bassists - just curious what effect if any, has the smoking ban had in Ireland / Scotland on your gigs. Bigger or smaller audiences etc? We normally have to turn work down but it's gone a bit quiet on the enquiry front and we were wondering if pubs / clubs are hanging back to see what happens when the ban kicks in on 1st July.

Any comments / experience?

[mr pablo]

in my old band we played a fair few gigs in pubs since the smoking ban came about, and to be honest i think that the crowd sizes remained fairly consistant although at one pub we played in edinburgh there was at one point as many people watching/listening from the street as there was in the pub itself.

[acidbass]

Crowds are the same really, people don't mind going outside for a smoke here. It has become part of a night out really. I don't smoke myself but at a couple of jamming sessions I've played at, band members have went out for a smoke between songs. Luckily it was an open-mic style session, so it just gave others a chance to get up and show off a bit!

I much prefer pubs now, the feeling of coming home not smelling of smoke is great and you can breathe a lot easier. You could wear the same clothes the next day no problem without getting sick of the smell of smoke!

[Bassassin]

No real difference, I'd say, and to echo what Acidbass said, it's great not to have your clothes & hair stinking of smoke afterwards.

Bit of a culture shock when we play over the border - although not for much longer.

I still broadly disgree in principle to this level of nanny-stateism, but on a purely selfish level, it's great.

Jon.

[DaBassMonsta]

Be interesting to see what kind of effect it's having on vocalists.

[beerdragon]

[quote name='acidbass' post='5243' date='May 23 2007, 05:15 PM']I much prefer pubs now, the feeling of coming home not smelling of smoke is great and you can breathe a lot easier. You could wear the same clothes the next day no problem without getting sick of the smell of smoke![/quote]

Agree about that, althought there seems to a lot more flies about, don't know if the smoke was keeping them away, unless its the type of pub i frequent.

[stewblack]

There must be a problem with the smell though? Venues, prior to the fug descending, stink of cheap polish and disinfectant. With no rich fragrant tobacco smoke to ovrcome this stench a night out must be deeply unpleasant.
As far as vocalists go, I've yet to meet one that didn't smoke anyway!

[BOD2]

[quote name='stewblack' post='5292' date='May 23 2007, 07:34 PM']There must be a problem with the smell though?[/quote]

Yes - you notice people farting a lot more You can actually watch the crowds open up around the culprit sometimes

[Hamster]

[quote name='BlueBear' post='5286' date='May 23 2007, 06:10 PM']Be interesting to see what kind of effect it's having on vocalists.[/quote]

Better than the opposite effect it had on tap-dancing trumpet players.

Hamster

[slaphappygarry]

No difference at all IMHO homer. I just smell (a little) better at the end of a night out.

G

[Linz]

It'll make a difference to the number of gigs I go to - as a non-smoker I used to cough my way through and have to go outside for fresh air every half hour or so - so I for one am all for the ban (pubs too, our local is great apart from the fog)

[elliotminor]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='5277' date='May 23 2007, 06:55 PM']I still broadly disgree in principle to this level of nanny-stateism, but on a purely selfish level, it's great.

Jon.[/quote]

+1.

As regards its effect, people miss the start of sets cos they are outside, they also tend to dissapear for a smoke during the slower songs etc

Other than that there isn't much difference.

Iv'e been at Uni in edinburgh and although I disagree with the involvement of the government on this issue, I do like coming home not smelling of smoke!

[Sean]

We've had the smoking ban in Wales for two months now and I've seen a difference. My eyes don't sting after a long gig and the gear doesn't stink. Some nights I leave a lot of the gear in my car when I get home for unloading in the morning and it's when you open the car door early in the morning that you notice the stink the most. Also it's nice to get home and not have earache because you stink.

[Treeb]

[quote name='Linz' post='5455' date='May 23 2007, 11:12 PM']It'll make a difference to the number of gigs I go to - as a non-smoker I used to cough my way through and have to go outside for fresh air every half hour or so - so I for one am all for the ban (pubs too, our local is great apart from the fog) [/quote]
+1 to that ... I'm a lot more likely to go along to gigs now that I don't end up an asthmatic wreck after a few hours in a pub

[pete.young]

It's definitely good news for my accordion! Imagine getting out the old squeezebox for a crafty
practise a couple of days after a gig and having stale ciggy fumes blasted out of the bellows.

[ZPQ]

I think there's been a bitof a decline in the amount of people smoking anyway - we were in a pub last night full of smokers and it was really obvious.
I think it might mean even more people are outside during the summer period (which is always the case just it'll be increased) and then things will be back to normal by winter.

It was one of the reasons that I decided to give up earlier in the year and hopefully it'll encourage a few others to do so.

Cheers
John P

[stewblack]

As a licensee I'm naturally interested in what effect this will have, especially on band nights. During the summer we may have to forget about bands as they'll be playing to an empty cellar with the garden upstairs full!
As far as nanny state goes I get a bit tired of hearing this. Even tho this could catastrophically affect my business, I still wholly support the government. If we are in possesion of all the facts (and where smoke is concerned we are) and are aware of the dangerous anti social effect of our behaviour and still after many years do nothing about it then it is the responsibility - duty even - of our elected representitives to impose laws upon us. When the public behave like irresponsible children and it directly affects the well being of others, well they damn well need nannying.

[Phaedrus]

Pub attendance was on the decline before the smoking ban came in over here. Greedy pub owners knew young bucks & hussies would pay through the nose just for the chance of getting some action, and that was topped by the greedy "government" ploping HUGE tax on booze. Some pubs were charging well over €5 for a pint of Bud or Heineken or whatever.

Now there are pubs charging just €3 for a pint any day of the week, incl weekends.

So the smoking ban was touted as the last nail in the coffin by pub owners, claiming that their livlihood was on its way down the swanee. There were representations & demonstrations of protest, which all quitened down when the commuter-time current affairs radio shows & newspapers lit up on the fact that a HUGE amount of these disgruntled pub owners were actually "government" TDs & counsellors. Hah!

But now maybe two years later, every pub we play in (except the one that we baled out of recently cos it serves nackers cos they have to get cash in the till somehow) is thronging and booxe is flowing. Basically the same as it used to be, but now with cheaper booze an no smoke in the air. Winner!

Mark

[niceguyhomer]

[quote name='stewblack' post='5562' date='May 24 2007, 09:19 AM']Even tho this could catastrophically affect my business, I still wholly support the government.[/quote]

Thanks for the replies fellas but I wasn't really concerned with the health side of things, more to do whether business had dropped off to the point where pubs stopped booking bands.

[stewblack]

Digression is the stuff of fora though, don't you find?

[lowhand_mike]

just the smell of vomit stale beer and sweat pervades the air instead.


deleted post cos i'm in a bad mood and in wrong frame of mind to post on this

Edited May 24, 2007 by lowhand_mike

[niceguyhomer]

[quote name='stewblack' post='5572' date='May 24 2007, 09:30 AM']Digression is the stuff of fora though, don't you find?[/quote]

Good point stewblack and long may it continue.

[chris_b]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='5576' date='May 24 2007, 09:36 AM']just the smell of vomit stale beer and sweat pervades the air instead.

and about the nanny state, if this is such a case then surely if it is their resposibility to ban smoking for the good of the people, surely iut makes sense to take a long hard look at alchohol, caffeine etc which have a detremental if not fatal effect on our lives, personally see it as a half arsed attempt at dealing with the bigger picture and more trouble is caused because of alchohol than smoking a fag, realy should have a smoking room and non smoking, that would be fair.[/quote]

I digress........

I don't think you would be happy if someone walked up to you in the street and punched you in the face. It is a medical fact that if you smoke next to me for long enough you will adversely affect my health. We all agree that the former is wrong but some don’t think the later is. Smoking in places of work, offices etc, was stopped when the medical evidence for health damage to third parties was proved in the courts. Kill yourselves but don't hurt me in the process. This is one little bit of "Nannyism" that I do agree with.

I'm looking forward to having my gear, clothes, body, car and back room not reeking of stale smoke after a gig.

Edited May 24, 2007 by chris_b

[lowhand_mike]

deleted post cos i'm in a bad mood and in wrong frame of mind to post on this

Edited May 24, 2007 by lowhand_mike

[anti-barbie]

Well, i know of one band thta has an extra regular audiance member thanks to the ban and the crowd doesn't seem any smaller post-ban. difference is now you can actually see the band