misslibertine Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Ive been in Sgetland for about a year now , so still fairly new. I love the place but I miss the music scene down south SO much. Can someone explain why we are such a black spot for major bands, we have an appreciative audience Im sure so why are we mised out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdilly-Willy Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 There are several reasons. Firstly I think its due to costs. Big bands have big fees, and there arent enough people here for any such gig to make big bucks. Then there is the added overheads to actually get the band here and keep them here. Another point would be logistics. Big bands will have a crew, equpment and sound engineers etc. It would be a nightmare getting it all organised. I'm not saying it can't be done, just that they'll stick with say Aberdeen; rather than taking everything here, just to find that nobody goes to the gig, if you get me... Finally if a big band did come here, it would be because they were on tour. Coming here would take at least three days off of their schedule; whereas performing in a major city on the mainland would ensure they could play another gig the following day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyVocoustic Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 ££££££££££££££££££ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misslibertine Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Ok , back last year I was speaking to Alan McGee ( manager of the Dirty Pretty Things amongst others ), he was doing a DJ set with Tim Burgess from the Charlatans.He wanted to come here for it to be part of the tour, he said get me a promoter..to be honest I didnt know really where to srat. I know Pulp played the cricklade because whenever I have this discussion with someone about this topic they say "plup came!!"..Its something I'd like to sort out so if anyone has any serious suggestions or contacts then do let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdilly-Willy Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I'm afraid with the closure of the North Star you'll find it difficult to find a suitable venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Many of these DJ acts (famous people DJing rather than famous DJs) have been in Shetland.....Mani, Peter Hook, Rick Witter, Bez.... Alan at the North Star has been offered Embrace recently.... The problem is partially price, but the big problem was/is .... crowd .... not enough people turned out for it... These guys charge in the region of £1000 (some considerably more) per head plus flights, accomodation and meals. The problem now is, where do they DJ now that the North Star is closed? Posers?.....might work I suppose. Shetland has had way more than their fair share of 'big' bands when you consider the size of the place....there was an old thread on this somewhere.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyVocoustic Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 I'm afraid with the closure of the North Star you'll find it difficult to find a suitable venue. Sadly too true. Clickimin is suitable for "major" acts but (a) the act really has to want to come and ( someone has to be willing to take on the risk. From what i can tell Shetland folk have seemed extremely uninterested in bands coming to Shetland in recent years. Poor show. Although one look at the Folk Fest ticket sales and its easy to see there is a substantial demand for live music (albeit folk in nature and an established event). Basically it comes down to bums on seats and pints in hands and if the demand/interest is not there then the chances of "established" acts coming will become less and less. or something like this.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misslibertine Posted April 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Well there is a big youth scene here isnt there ( im not young myself, 35 lol) but hey surely the kids want gigs? I think what Im going to have to do is just get myself out there and physically -ask- if it 'can' be organised will you go? Yes, venue is now an issue, but thats nothing that cant be sorted ,right. A lot of the bands I know play small pubs as well as bigger venue even though they are big names. Peter Doherty is one ,and although Im aware from reading through the poll on here about him alot of people arent keen I think perhaps the younger lot may be and hey perhaps it would be a chance to prove all wrong? I dunno ..but Im kind of determined now,dont like feeling excluded! ( dont like the 12 hour ferry crossing either,or the price of the plane ..so theres a motivation!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twerto Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Shetland used to be and in my eyes still has the possibilities of being a great place to come and play music, but alas the authorities ie Police have done there usual and seen people having fun and thought ohhh no we cant have that going on. Or maybe it is as the old saying goes.. a small few ( rebels ) that have ruined it for the majority : shrug : I count myself very lucky to of grown up here while Shetland was in its hay day IMO as far as music events go, from the country discos when I was 14 - 16 to brig o fitch and Kergord open air festivals, to the Jubilee, to the dreaded north star.. and as much as I hate to say well in fact I cant.. I cant think of a good night I have ever had in posers to be totally honest, but I still went to gigs such as Pulp and Ian Brown at clickamin and finally all the private parties that have gone on in completely random places, and 10 years on I still have many fond memories and some blank memories of those times. people go on about how great the tall ships was.. and don't get wrong it was great.. but for me anyway I had that feeling when I went out for most of my time between 14 - 20+ but as I started off saying.. the Police and local communities not to forget probably Health and safety have completely ruined the freedom to party, with anal retentive regulations. and to me I feel very sorry for teenagers of today's generation for not having these options to expess/vent learn a bit about life themselves at, and not at all surprised that Shetland youth appear to be going down a horribly slippery slope towards inner city rife, but of course these local communities would have you believe that it is the incomers that have ruined Shetland and to be honest now with the closure of the north star I really do feel Shetland will die along with it, or perhaps I am all wrong and youth of today will all end up as Oxford / Cambridge graduates going to do high flying jobs in the city.. oh hang on yeah that means no one will still be left here after all. The only small glimmer of hope I have is that the music venue ( and I know I'm repeating myself here ) doesn't become a clique venue and celebrates all kinds of music. and as misslibertine is suggesting.. the youth is the place to start.. get them as interested as we were at their age in music.. then that will follow through in later life... and I seriously wish you the best of luck with it. I do somewhat feel semi hypicritical with saying this. as the last time I was out "on the town".. we all ended up back at a mates house with an Indian take away and a carry out by 20:00 as we couldn't be arsed with the thought of the pubs any more. and do forgive me if I'm speaking bollox as I admit I don't really have a clue what teenagers of today go to at weekends, but this is the perception I have, and that is they have nothing like what we had.. omg I feel like I'm an old grand dad speaking about "When I were a lad" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooks Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 ( dont like the 12 hour ferry crossing either,or the price of the plane ..so theres a motivation!) Either do the bands/artists, that's half the problem... Twerto, sounds like we may very well have been at all the same places during our youth. Things certainly look a lot bleaker for the kiddies of today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHyperChondriac Posted April 25, 2007 Report Share Posted April 25, 2007 Its a real shame that the only decent venue that Shetland had to offer any south band has gone. The Shetland music scene has taken a serious blow and needs to work very hard if we are ever gonna get south bands to come here. As it stands at the moment, live rock music is offically dead in Shetland. The only other option is country halls but no one over 18 (or at least 20) really takes them serious as a venue. We are bringing our own support "City City Beat" (Edinburgh based band) to play with us at Burra hall on the 21st of July. Did not really know where else to go due to lack of venues and hope that there will be some older faces in the crowd. Roll on the new music venue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misslibertine Posted April 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 Ok well it seems there are enough people who want a change to actually warrent one , just a case of actually trying to do something about it. I shall if nothing else ,try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted April 26, 2007 Report Share Posted April 26, 2007 I too agree 100% wi twerto. Fae i wis 14 we wir at a gig every weekend, usually followed by a disco till 1 or 2 am, dan tunes back at da hoose till da early oors (if we hadna faa'n bye) If dir wisna wan on dat helly, we organised wan. Everywhere you guid dir wis music, an every no an dan da big bands ida toon (Runrig, Proclaimers etc) dat simply everybody seemed tae go tae. I too feel fur "young fok" daday, wha nae doot wid love tae do whit we did but simply canna. However, back tae da subject. Personally, i tink we need tae mind dat we dunna need "big bands fae sooth" tae pit on a "big" show. I keen i'm no alone in da fact dat i wid clammer fur tickets fur a Fiddlers Bid gig in clickimin, but i didna goe tae Pulp becis i didna keen who dey wir. Local bands regularly sell oot big venues an steal da show everywhar else, why no here whar da crowds wid be truely rabid? (in a good waye!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Nearly a year later I'm still in shock at the lack of folk at the Roddy Woomble/Hazy Janes/Mark Radcliffe gig at the North Star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commodore Posted April 27, 2007 Report Share Posted April 27, 2007 Nearly a year later I'm still in shock at the lack of folk at the Roddy Woomble/Hazy Janes/Mark Radcliffe gig at the North Star. yeh that was a joke, there was only about 30 folk there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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