For the past 20 years, live music has been a massive part of my life. The date of my first-ever gig will be forever etched in my memory; 30th March 2001 and my favourite Welsh political provocateurs Manic Street Preachers at Brixton Academy, South London. Many years later and I would be able to watch roadies loading bands’ equipment in and out of the very same venue from my flat’s kitchen window on the opposite side of Stockwell Road. I have also now gone on to see the Manics some 22 times…
Ever since that day in 2001, I’ve been hooked, whether it’s seeing an emerging artist play a dingy pub in Camden, a DJ at a warehouse party in Hackney Wick, an established band road-testing new material in a mid-sized 1930s art deco theatre or a huge act playing a headline festival or shiny arena show, with the lavish production to match. Pre-Covid in London I would average a gig a week and tracking down the best places for music is often one of the first things I do when I arrive in a new city.
The Manics on another occasion, this time at Wembley Arena. May 2018.
From a personal perspective, I have played over 300 gigs as a musician, firstly as a member of The Immediate The Shake The Screenbeats and in more recent years as part of a low-key folk duo, inventively named Clive & Vicki. Most of the venues we’ve played have been part of the well-trodden and affectionately-named ‘toilet circuit’; small capacity and mostly independently-owned venues that aren’t necessarily glamorous but are an essential part of the music ecosystem. It’s become a clichéd saying but without these places there would be no future Glastonbury or Coachella headliners. For a couple of years, I worked managing music partnerships for the Tennessee whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s and in particular running an initiative designed to champion these independent small venues. To represent and deal with such treasured haunts as The Joiners in Southampton, The George Tavern in East London, The Zanzibar in Liverpool and Glasgow’s King Tut’s was a real honour. It remains an unrealised ambition of mine, to one day open a small venue dedicated to emerging artists.
Clockwise (from top left); 1.) The Screenbeats, The Dublin Castle, Camden. August 2007. 2.) Supporting Milburn at The Charlotte, Leicester. July 2006. 3.) Clive & Vicki expanded to become ‘OCDC’ at the Heavenly Social, W1. March 2018. 4.) Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff. May 2007. 5.) The Colony Club, Newbury. December 2003.
2020 has clearly been devastating for the live music industry worldwide. Not only have countless venues been forced to close their doors with their outgoings far outweighing their income but the impact of the pandemic has affected staff across the board from promoters and tour managers to security, lighting and sound technicians to bar staff and cloakroom attendants. In the UK, the team at the Music Venue Trust charity does a fantastic job of supporting these venues and you can find out what you can do to contribute during this difficult time at their Save Our Venues page. There’s a great range of merch available to buy from venues across the country and the proceeds go directly to them.
The George Tavern, Commercial Road, East London. 
The Zanzibar Club, Liverpool. (credit: The Zanzibar) 
The Joiners, Southampton. (credit: Gary Reggae)
In Italy, like most of Europe, live shows were immediately halted in early March as the Coronavirus crisis started to quickly worsen. However, unlike the UK, live music slowly started making a gradual reappearance in the early summer. The first post-lockdown gig I went to was at the Palazzo Pesce in Mola di Bari in June. Entry times for the audience were staggered, capacity reduced by half, temperature checks mandatory on the door and every audience member had to provide their contact details upon arrival. It was definitely a strange experience but joyous to actually see musicians performing live again in person.
I’ve been very lucky to still manage to see a reasonable number of gigs over the past year in Italy – both before and after the initial lockdown. Aside from one or two better-known names, most of the acts have been either emerging or just pretty obscure. In my next post will be a rundown of my musical highlights, plus links to how you can find out more about the artists and venues in question if you haven’t heard of them before.
Expect the eclectic.
In the meantime, you can support musicians and those working in the live music industry during the pandemic crisis by contributing or referring friends or colleagues to the organisations below.