This place

needs something doing, loads of gigs are happening but no one is posting?? new bands are springing up but no one's pimping??

perhaps some involvement from the owners/admin would help?

perhaps forums are just dead...

shame really, covscene.co.uk is actually getting more traffic and posting than this place currently so something is amiss!

Nice to see you back on here Rig, and you make a good point - I was getting sick of the sound of me own voice, so to speak!

I used to post gig details all the time but I can't be arsed now since no one ever bothers to make an effort to turn up and watch... I guess its the same for a lot of other bands in Cov.

Yeah, it's a fair point.

I've been well slack with this place, but I've been so busy with the Foundry, and also it just feels sometimes that no matter what you do nobody's interested.

I was talking to someone the other day, remembering how things used to be before everyone got fragmented and stopped caring about anything other than their own interests.

Problem is, one person can only do so much and frankly, after years of banging my head against a wall with this 'music scene', I don't know if I can be bothered anymore. I'm also so far out of the loop now, I have no idea who is out there.

Coventry has NO good venues, NO good promoters active who can make things happen, NO cohesion or cooperation between musicians on a wider scale - it's stale, dried up and dead.

Even Keresley Rock Festival wasn't enough to get people inspired to do more stuff together. The Covstock events were always a winner in getting people together, but even that buzz has been ruined by politics and bullshit

On that subject, even Cov's self proclaimed music fairy godmother can't be bothered anymore (thankfully) so that has to tell you something.

I'm not going to go off on that one, but THAT'S firmly where I place the blame - all the bullshit and backstabbing just turned everyone off and combined with a general 'look after no.1' attitude, inward-focussed promotional strategies and a desperate lack of quality in events, it's all just blown interest in local music apart. Consequently, venue owners are going to switch off to something that isn't making them any money and (as I warned about 4 years ago) we end up with the situation we have now.

I don't think forums are dead - I think they have their place as 'specialised side rooms' to use alongside the likes of Facebook - but I do think the local 'music community feel' we used to have IS dead.

I don't know if it can ever be revived.

There are Martin's Music Box nights and I believe there are a couple of others. The real lack of decent venues is a big shitter and then those that are left don't bother to get back to you or fuck up your bookings.

Another issue from what I've seen since I came back is a distinct absence of bands in general, let alone good ones. That could be why there is no scene, there's harldy anybody to be in it.

Well, having just played 2 very enjoyable gigs with my own band in Nuneaton, to a degree I'd go along with some of John's points - but what does that mean:"Cov is dead, long live Nunny"? That would be a sad state of affairs if true...

Cov either has/had decent venues which financially exclude the single promoter, or places with dodgy gear and dodgier clientele! However, in the short-ish time that I've been promoting gigs, I count myself quite lucky to have hosted some great bands from Coventry & Warwickshire (this isn't all just about Cov after all).

It is fairly demoralising though, to feel like you're one of a very small contingent actually hosting independant music nights (hence feeling like I'm talking to myself here sometimes).

Like all musicians (I think), I'm involved with music 'cos I love it. I don't think other bands have stopped loving it either - I just think they've stopped sticking their heads above the trench for fear of being shot at!

Good points.

To be fair to the promoters like yourself Martin, you've been left with a legacy from a raft of pretty useless 'promoters' who really don't have a clue what it's about.

When I quit promoting I tried to express what I thought was wrong with the quality of Cov's music events and what was wrong with the whole ethos behind 'promoting' live music in the city, and was shot down in flames by 5 minute heroes, not long out of nappies, who already knew everything there was to know about the subject. And yet every one of them failed big style and the live music circuit died, just as I predicted it would.

Cov's amateur promoters have always been too 'inward focussed'. My philosophy was "why promote to those who are already into 'the scene' and are easy to reach?" Surely the whole job of a 'promoter' is to promote to those in the wider population who may be interested in live gigs if they know they exist and are of a standard that the 'non-muso general public' will expect.

All too often I've been to gigs that the musos rave about saying "Wow, what a great gig!", but which in reality are thrown together to such a poor standard that your average Joe goes home saying "What a fucking shambles!"

There has been such a lack of professionalism in live music locally that the general public are just not interested, and the muso market is far too small to spread itself around all the music venues and keep them all going.

Live original music has to become more 'public friendly' and I'm convinced the only way to do that is to take it out into the community pubs - when I've done that, people have lapped it up and want more.

We also shouldn't be afraid/stuck up to mix it all up with some covers bands maybe - collaborations? - if it's a way in to getting people to listen to what you've got then do it.

I can go on all night on this subject, but unless people get together to DO something, there's little point.

How about getting 4 bands together and booking a mini-tour of one off gigs at places that don't normally have live music and use it to promote the fuck out of those original bands? The venue supply a room and we supply everything for the gig and just go and do it? A well prepared cooperative with all the CDs and literature to raise awareness of original music. BUT each band has to perform a number of covers in their set just to keep people's interest.

I can come up with ideas all night but on my own I can't do anything.

BTW Martin - I could do with speaking with you quite urgently but I can't find your number in the mess that is my desk! Any chance of giving me a ring? I'm in London tomorrow morning but later on I should be in the office.

024 7634 3515

Oh yes. I also realised that the nameservers needed changing. This may have caused a problem with people getting here.

That's done now so shouldn't be a problem any more

Hey John,
I've only just read your posts from last night mate - I'll give you a bell tomorrow ok?

Fair idea on the mix up of covers and orginals - we only do the one cover at the mo, but it's kind of turned into a signature tune for us and is well received usually.

some good points John

hopefully when our new band is ready to launch we can start using the site, i've not got a lot to add musically to the forum at the minute...

we have a cover version too, just the one!

going over to the 2 tone museum on friday to catch a gig, not been yet but at least we have a new venue hosting local unsigned bands, plus with AK getting back on the Kit Kat nights we have something to speak about.

I miss the Nags!