Gigs

[tilypu]

Went to an absolute belter of a gig last night, the incredible singer-songwriter NatiDreddd supported by ili, one of the best supporting acts I've seen. She should be headlining her own gigs. Both home grown Scottish talent (the gig was in Edinburgh).

It really got me to thinking. People go mad to try to get tickets for stadium gigs by multi-millionaire acts, with ticketing policies designed to extract as much money as possible from you, so you can sit and watch them on a massive screen.

This gig cost me £21, including booking fees etc. In a small venue with more atmosphere empty than any Murrayfield gig I've been to. And that £21 will make more difference to these acts than hundreds spent to see any of the big names. I'm not saying don't go to Murrayfield etc (there are plenty of people working those gigs that benefit too) - but I am saying, if you don't already, think about checking out acts that you might not recognise, that are playing locally for very reasonable prices. You aren't buying blind any more - these acts will have an online presence where you can listen to them before you decide to buy. You never know, you might get to see them before they get to the stage of playing those huge stadium gigs.

Hopefully you are reading this thinking 'cheeky bitch! Of course I go to small local gigs!' And if you are - well, maybe I'll see you there ☺️

I'm seeing Half Man Half Biscuit and the Chameleons. We're spending the weekend camping nearby.

That sounds a great gig @Oldraver- enjoy!

We're going to see Southmartins

Informative piece about gig pricing.

archive.ph/Bnstf

I'm going to an intimate gig in a bar tonight, in Edinburgh funnily enough! Cost less than £30. I can't do big crowds these days so wouldn't thank you for a ticket to a stadium gig.

Love a gig, grassroots venues are the best.
My son is in a band, there are loads of brilliant venues up and down the country. I seem to spend my life ferrying them about and wouldn't have it any other way. We're in Manchester, we're so lucky to have played all the ones @SantasLargerHelper mentioned. Live music is alive and well, just need to support the smaller venues.

IIJM but is 'intimate gig' a bit of an odd expression? 'Intimate' often (OK, not always) has a sex connotation.

I like both!

No, it's a perfectly normal expression, used for a gig in a smaller venue.

Thank you very much for sharing this. Very interesting. I already see a lot of Americans coming to the UK for gigs as the price there is significantly higher than the UK. Interesting that Europe is so much cheaper. I have actually seen my favourite band The National a few times in Europe, mainly for the smaller venue.

Banquet Records in Kingston operates in Pryzm nightclub. Loads of huge acts play there to practise their new set or album release. It's worth getting on their mailing list if you are in the south east. My last gig there was Michael Kiwanuku.