State Of Undress - Mag 4 Live Music

Free Every Month Scrumpy ‘n’ WesternBAD NEWS WHEN THE ROTSETS IN - WHAT’S THE ANSWER?Thirty years ago it was very rare to hear orsee a Public house close down. If one didit was down to redevelopment, as often asnot thirty years ago with new estates beingbuilt it was a case of more opening. Ohhow times have changed, since my involvementwith the Scrumpy ‘n’ Westernand the amount of traveling I do, I have inthe past few years seen a rapid decline inpubs. I have even in the past year drivenpast one main road boozer that is now aBedding Centre!! On the main once a pubshuts down the most common re-openingis as a Restaurant, mainly Indian or Chinese.Sad the way of change, what willhappen to live music now the smoking banis in force plus the economic down turn ishaving such an effect on a once so importantpart of English life, the local pub?In the past 6 months The Mash Tun inWinchester, a pub that for many years wasa major live music venue has been boardedup with a tolet / for sale sign protrudingfrom the side of the building. Last monthscaffolding appeared round the building,on enquiring, that it’s to be reopened as arestaurant!! Another main music venue‘The Tumble Down Dick’ in Farnborough,Surrey has closed and boarded up, maynow we are informed open as a restaurant!Worried music fans from across the areahave started a campaign to try and savethe only place to see a gig in Farnborough. Over the years ‘The Tumbledown Dick’has hosted such bands as ‘The Jam’, ‘BadManners’, ‘Hundred Reasons’, ‘Mega CityFour’, and ‘Ruben’ plus many many more.It was an integral part of the local live musicscene, having hosted countless thousandsof local and unsigned bands over theyears. At the present time it is estimatedthat 5 pubs a day are closing in England,this excludes Wales, Scotland and NorthernIreland. How many of these host livemusic? What are the musicians Union doingabout this problem, is it a problem? TheScrumpy has decided to take a furtherlook, Why?Bands and musicians who played at lastyears Folk and Blues Festival on the Isle ofWight claim they have not been paid frotheir performances . Folk legends ‘FairportConvention’ say they are owed £5000.00for headlining the event. Other musiciansand local businesses are also claimingthey have not been paid for services givento promoters. The promoters are blamingthe sponsors not paying them for the delayin payment to bands who played in 2007.‘Fairport Convention’ played at the original1968 Folk & Blues Festival, in an interviewwith the BBC, band leader ‘Dave Pegg’said that they had expected to have beenpaid in September ‘07. He went on to say“We did a concert there which sold out. Ipersonally traveled all the way from Francewhere I was on holiday and took three daysout of my life. The audience were great, wehad a really good night, we may appear tobe a big name but this is our livelihood andwe really do need to get paid.”The organisers of the Folk and Blues Festivalalso organise The Isle of Wight JazzFestival, say performers will get their appearancefees paid. They did admit thatthere were some big problems with theFolk Festival that still needed to be sorted!Good publicityNEEDS GOODPhotographsPete Brownett01934 620184www.emotionsphotography.net