Issue 155

Is local music dying?

14th May 2007

Could the Swansea music scene be dying? Well maybe. Recently in Swansea there's been an arguable decline in opportunities for local bands to put on shows and find venues to play at.

The closure of The Inferno dealt a noticeable blow to the chance for unknown bands to perform. While The Inferno was undeniably a bit of a shithole it provided a great opportunity for bands such as Frame 3-13 and Viva Machine to build up a local fanbase while they were starting off.

The venue also provided a chance for local promoters, such as Swansea Uni's Harry Taylor (www.myspace.com/totalams), to put on shows with international bands such as Neptune.

While Harry is still doing his best to provide opportunities for bands such as Brownwings and the French group Ichabod Crane to play in different venues such as The New York, it is at considerable cost to himself, and also presents the difficulty of attracting audiences to an unfamiliar venue. While these bands may be relatively unknown (although Brownwings are deservedly taking Swansea by the throat at the moment) the closure of another venue, The Patti Pavilion has meant that the chance to see more well known but still underground bands has also taken a blow.

Punk/Ska genius in the form of bands like Capdown and Lightyear used to be regularly available at the Patti. Although Lightyear have now disbanded the Patti could have been considered for their comeback tour if it had been open, and more importantly the closure of the Patti leaves Swansea without an attractive venue for larger bands to come and play here.

So what alternatives are there? Well the Uplands Tavern provides opportunities for bands to exhibit themselves at it's weekly open mic night, although unless you're a singer songwriter or of the Folk/Blues variety it might not be the best choice of venue. Tucked away in St. James crescent is the small but fantastic Swansea Jazzland which features a variety of great jazz acts. The Taliesin offers good selections of world music as well, such as the great drummer Billy Cobham who played on May 13.

But what about those of us who seek something a little more different? Well keep an eye out for local funk from The Swansea Bay Docker's Union in Monkey soon and if you play yourself, then why not try getting in touch with Taylor for gig opportunities, whatever kind of craziness you like to play?

Waterfront Online