There has, remarkably, been little coverage of this – locally let alone nationally. Live music was effectively banned in NI yesterday. In a licensed premises, it is no longer permitted to have: (a) dancing; (b) the provision of music, whether live or recorded, for dancing; or (c) live music.
Unless you are running live music in a church hall, that’s it – you’re finished. Ironically, this is more or less opposite to the Oliver Cromwell regime in the 1640s – the puritans banning music in churches but actually doing a lot to foster live opera (albeit, maybe not in the local boozer).
I started Scott’s Jazz Club in East Belfast this month with three pals – jazz piano pro Scott Flanigan, events organisation pro Karen Smyth and sound/lighting/film pro Cormac O’Kane – in the premises of a licensed Working Men’s Club That WM club benefited from table-service bar sales; tickets included food purchased by arrangement from a neighbouring restaurant, which obviously benefited that restaurant; and the ticket funds provided fees for a couple of sound/lighting guys plus both pay and, crucially, a now painfully rare public performance platform for professional players (bassist and drummer on week one, same bassist different drummer, and trumpeter on week two).
In short, a carefully managed environment was supporting the economy, the arts and enhancing the wellbeing of all concerned – players, organisers, punters
There is surely medical wisdom in banning dancing or gigs where people are inclined to jump around, but there is no difference between X people seated in a restaurant or ‘wet bar’ (as allowed in NI) and X people listening to a piano trio.
This legislation is a miss-step – a blanket being used to starve both weeds and flowers from sunlight, indiscriminately.
The DUP is notoriously unsympathetic / not understanding of the arts in general, but in this case I don’t think there is any party political aspect – I think both the DUP and Sinn Fein (i.e. the NI Executive) have, with good intentions, applied a brush that is far too broad to a problem. I hope they take feedback from people in the arts soon and amend this butterfly/wheel regulation.
If and when they do, Scott’s Jazz Club will have five more events up on Ticketsource within half an hour. They were ready to go on Friday and pulled within minutes of going on sale when we heard the news.
Colin H says
Happily, sound & lighting wizard Cormac O’Kane filmed both nights at the club with 6 cameras and multi-track sound. Hopefully, some clips will appear online soon. In the meantime, here is a camera phone clip from Mrs H of what may be the last gig in Northern Ireland for… who knows?
Rigid Digit says
My gast is truly flabbered reading this. I get the concerns of many people gathered together in an enclosed area, but these measures seems excessive.
Twang says
That’s a real bummer Colin. We have our first live got at our local music club in a few weeks and I’m not that bothered about the bands but will go anyway just to support the venue, assuming we don’t get further locked down which I think is quite likely actually.
bigstevie says
We’ve not had music in Scotland for yonks. Not even piped music in garden centres or cafes. The Captain’s Bar in Edinburgh (where live music used to be played all day, every day) applied to set up some tables out on the street (actually on the street, ie 2 parking spaces) and it was ok’d. They started having open air music sessions, socially distanced etc, and weather permitting, they were going great. I think they lasted 2 weeks. Somebody in authority decided that even music outside was not allowed.
Colin H says
Astounding.
Twang says
I know they think they are doing the right thing but a little bit of me can’t help thinking they always wanted to do this. It reveals a subconscious belief that it doesn’t really matter.
deramdaze says
Probably not helped by the fact that what Johnson, Rees-Mogg et al know about any entertainment – sport, music, the theatre, cinema, art galleries – is the square root of Jack Shite.
Put simply, they couldn’t give a monkey’s; after all, it’s not going to affect them, why should they?
Colin H says
Though, to be fair, Deram, you stopped going to see live music on 31 December 1969… 🙂
Pessoa says
I think we are now moving into a period of the pandemic where medically-informed advice, however well-intentioned, urgent and rational, needs to be properly addressed by intelligent politics in order to retain liberal values. Colin H points out this almost Cromwellian prohibition on live performance; yesterday, the Guardian reported a scientist calling for the number of HE students to be reduced by two-thirds ( a return to the pre-war system of elite education). To be clear, I have no sympathy whatsoever with Van Morrison style conspiracy theories, but just believe in the necessity of ongoing political debate.
Colin H says
Sounds wise to me, Pessoa.
Tiggerlion says
I’m so sorry to hear that, Colin. You did everything you could to be covid safe. The only thing you didn’t have is one of those dogs from Finland that can sniff out the bastard bug.
I promise you that one day sooner than you think, I’ll come over, watch a band at your club and shake you by the hand.
Colin H says
You will be welcome any time, Tiggs – though it will have to be elbow bumping 😀
davebigpicture says
Really sorry to hear this Colin. Like you, I seem to have drifted into the role of a promoter but our local council have been very helpful and agreed that we can sell tables of 4 people as long as they are from the same social group, some trust involved here on the part of the people buying tickets obviously. We have to fill out risk assessments and put table service in place along with sensible precautions for using the toilet etc but the venue is being treated like a bar or restaurant. There’s a month to go before the first gig so fingers crossed that the rules don’t get stricter and that people want to come out and see live music.
Colin H says
Fingers crossed for you, Dave! My advice would be: don’t plan anything that would cause unnecessary losses/difficulties IF the gig(s) were suddenly cancelled by speedily introduced new rules in your area – such as not committing artists or punters to be spending money on significant transport in advance.
The likes of Ticketsource.co.uk (which handled our ticketing) will refund people with no cost during the current circs if events are cancelled, but it would be a drag if people had advance-bought pricey plane/train tickets to your events. Even if its only local acts you’re putting on, it might be wise to warn potential punters on social media, if you’re using that to promote the events, that the gigs might always be cancelled at short notice for reasons beyond your control.
Blue Boy says
My sympathies Colin. I actually believe that the UK government does want concerts and theatre to take place in England though they aren’t making it easy for us with more stringent restrictions than you’ll find in any pub or restaurant. But I fear that we aren’t far behind you, particularly in cities like liverpool where the graph is going up rapidly.
Mike_H says
Sent a link to this to a friend, Rick Finlay, who is the vice-chair of the Musician’s Union Executive Committee (and a jazz drummer/drum teacher). He wasn’t aware of this and thanked me for the info. Whether the MU will be able to do anything is of course another story.
Colin H says
Thanks Mike – I think this is one of those situations where calm, measured representations to the NI Executive from the likes of the MU, IMRO, PRS et al. can make a difference. I’m an IMRO member and will be contacting them tomorrow, though I’d be amazed if they weren’t on it already. (I’ve also written letters making the case to a national and local newspaper.)
There are so many different regulations / amendments from the Executive online that it’s hard to find the relevant one. Tell Rick to Google: The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (Amendment No. 5) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.
Ta!
Mike_H says
Passed on.
Having had a look myself, it appears that if a premises is licenced for the sale of alcohol, live music is now prohibited.
https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/health/nisr_20200202_en.pdf
John Walters says
I see that Van Morrison played to a socially distanced audience at the London Palladium last night. Whilst there was absolutely nothing wrong with Van’s performance it was a pretty anemic occasion ( reading the Guardian’s review this morning ). This was down to the masked up, half empty theatre.
I have tickets to for the November performances at the same venue ( postponed from March ). The theatre is totally sold out for this gig. Don’t know how this is going to work out. Will they cancel half the tickets ?
Such a sad state of affairs for live music at the moment and at my age I feel that Coronavirus is stealing my life way.
Colin H says
I wonder if he played his conspiracy theory new numbers?
Colin H says
Thanks all. I’m stoic about, and I hope that the NI Executive will listen seriously to arts people about exemptions to the blanket ban (essentially, any music event that does not involve, or risk involving, animated crowd behaviour) – I know that Arlene F will be talking to some arts industry people about suggestions re: exemptions next week.
I understand, of course, that Covid is a very fluid situation and that regional regulations are being amended / introduced / amended every couple of weeks, it seems – now on a very local level in both NI (three NI post codes are currently under more extreme restrictions than all the others) and the Republic of Ireland (County Donegal – strangely, for a sparsely populated county, a Covid hotspot, was locked down to visitors from NI and, I think, from other Rep of I counties last night at midnight, for instance). But I feel that imposing blanket bans on things and THEN asking relevant people in that industry for fine-tuning suggestions / exemptions seems to be a poor way to go about things – and certainly one sure to annoy people doing their damnedest, as we were, to fit in with existing regulations.
The Good Doctor says
I’m amazed anyone has seen or put on any live music at all! I live in Greater Manchester where we’ve barely come out of lockdown since March. I managed to get a small window where restrictions were lifted so I could see my own mother once in the last 6 months. I miss gigs like mad, but we’ll get back to that some day – I hope some venues, promoters and associated workers can ride this out – all this in spite of fuckwits like our own Noel Gallagher, Ian Brown and yr guy Van Morrison who think they know better than public health professionals and are damaging efforts to stop the bloody thing.
pawsforthought says
When I read that I felt gutted for you Colin. Anyone that has ever attempted to start up a club night or gig will know just how hard it is. I genuinely thought the other week that you are a brave man (and have some brave chums) to start this up right now. I really hope that it’s back up and running again soon.
Colin H says
You’re very kind, Paws. To be honest, Karen Smyth and I were the support team, really – the greatest investment in terms of graft and emotional energy is from Scott (host musician), of course, and not least from Cormac O’Kane (Wizard of Sound at RedBox Recording) – who put long days, with his sidekicks Richard and Scooby, into setting the place up in terms of lighting, back projections, sound (front of house and multi-track digital recording) and 6-camera filming. Cormac was treating the situation as a TV studio recording, really, using the first couple of weeks as a trial towards a pay per view broadcast or some other kind of online availability – which could only have helped the notoriety of any taking part. Cormac is bloodied but unbowed – as is Scott. We will return! Hopefully, some clips from Cormac’s footage of Weeks 1 and 2 will appear online soon. I’ll post them here, if so.
Mike_H says
Chandos Arms Jazz were due to restart their twice-monthly live performances in Colindale this coming Sunday, with social-distancing, table seating, separate entrance and exit etc. Sadly, they’ve had to cancel until further notice because it’s proved unworkable at present.
Jaygee says
There’s a long-running joke down here in the Republic that Arlene Foster and her fellow hardline nutjobs in the DUP are trying to stop people in the North from fucking while standing up.
The reason being they’re worried that God might think that they’re dancing
Mike_H says
This just in from the Musicians Union.
https://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/News/2020/Sep/Music-in-Crisis-in-Northern-Ireland?fbclid=IwAR2oOGOqB_ohxPJWQxrDM3_UIaE_qW9Kbbjc9ZkrjxpaFedsPCQ4AVa15Lo
Colin H says
Excellent. I’ll share it widely. I had a letter published (lead letter with pic) in yesterday’s NI daily the ‘News Letter’, which has had dozens of shares on FB from my account and the jazz club’s page. I’ll share this MU letter and copy in all my pro muso friends.
Colin H says
My news letter to the ‘News Letter’ is now online:
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/letters/i-managed-two-sold-out-covid-compliant-nights-my-new-jazz-club-live-music-was-effectively-banned-part-uk-2986383