Keep it Live and local
Have you ever said ‘I saw them before they were big, supporting The ****** in a small venue back of the town hall/sheds/community centre’? Those precious memories came courtesy of the small independent music venues and promoters who are the lifeblood of live music.Tomorrow there is a gig at The Roundhouse in London organised by the Music Venue Trust, it’s a benefit gig to raise funds to help support and protect small venues around the UK threatened with closure. ‘Fightback’ has a quality bill that includes Everything Everything, Public Service Broadcasting and Ed Harcourt amongst others.Venues all around the country are being closed due to rising costs, property developers and local council panicking over noise and behaviour complaints. Did you see Jimi Hendrix at The Marquee? The Pogues at The Mean Fiddler? New Order at The Hacienda? In the early 80’s I was living in Manchester and I saw The Fall and Bronski Beat at The Hacienda, The Smiths at...