I despair.
If you have an interest in the West Midlands small gig scene you’ll probably already have heard about The Jug Of Ale looking likely to close soon. If not then looky-looky here, here etc.
Considered in and of itself, this is an even bigger loss than some of the others recently - a place with both big musical heritage (it held before-they-were-famous gigs from the likes of Oasis, The Verve, Idlewilde, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Editors, The Twang etc) and an important function in the here ‘n’ now (particularly at the indie end of things. As one respondent in my Great West Midlands Gig Venue Survey of 2006 put it, “so many bands have got their first proper gigs here. Gets my vote for the Birmingham scene’s most important venue, if not its best.”). Looked at in conjunction with the other losses, the cumulative effect is horrific. There are so few venues; fewer still that a DIY promoter can just go out and hire; fewer still that a DIY promoter can hire without having to pay an excessively high room-hire fee or have to deal with ridiculously awkward people.
On the other hand, where you do have new venues opening up, you get crap like this.
I despair. I really, really do.
EDIT: Fortunately, it may not be definite. Let us hope.
