UK

‘The whole ecosystem is collapsing’: inside the crisis in Britain’s live music scene

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While giant promoters rake in billions, smaller venues are struggling to make ends meet – even when gigs are selling out. We go on tour to find a glimmer of hope

It’s Sunday evening at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds and business appears to be booming. There is a blues festival in one of the two 400-capacity rooms and the rising US singer-songwriter Sam Evian in the other. The lounge between is packed with students watching Liverpool beat Chelsea on TV. However, the owner-promoter Nathan Clark is nervous: “The picture isn’t as rosy as it seems.”

Yesterday, for instance, he was all set to put on the Australian psych-rockers Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, who had pulled 1,000 people in Manchester the night before. “Then I got a call saying the singer had been bitten by a dog and the show was cancelled,” he says. “We had already installed a projector screen that cost £600, hired tech people and security and bought the band’s food and drink.” All that outlay cannot be recovered. “It’s like playing roulette.”

Putting on live music has always been a gamble, but the climate is particularly perilous for smaller venues, even without angry dogs. At stadium and arena level, concert giants such as Live Nation are hosting more fans than ever. Record-breaking tours from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and others have swelled that multinational’s revenue to an astonishing $22.7bn (£17.8bn). Meanwhile, at the other end, 125 UK venues abandoned live music in 2023 – more than half of them closing for good – owing to pressures ranging from soaring rent and energy prices to the hangover of Covid.

The esteemed Moles club in Bath shut up shop in December after 45 years; other recent closures include Melodic Distraction in Liverpool and Velvet Music Rooms in Birmingham. The nightclub scene is imperilled – Rekom, which owns the Pryzm chain, is closing half its venues, blaming the cost of living crisis – and a number of major music festivals are postponing events this year or shutting down.

“It’s not just venues,” says Mark Davyd, the founder of the Music Venue Trust, which represents the grassroots sector. “Artists can’t afford to tour or are slashing their tours in half because they can’t afford to lose that amount of money. The whole ecosystem is collapsing.”

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Boris Johnson’s return as Prime Minister would be completely unacceptable – Scotsman comment

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With his last words at Prime Minister’s Questions – “hasta la vista, baby” – and in his final Downing Street speech – when he referenced the ancient Roman statesman Cincinnatus who resigned and went back to his farm, only to return as a dictator – Boris Johnson told us he would be back.

What fools we were to think even the current Conservative party would never consider such a foolish and damaging move. The man who was forced to relinquish office by his own MPs because of serial dishonesty is now a serious contender to replace his own replacement, the hapless Liz Truss. Perhaps they plan to take it in turns until they have eked out every last minute of the 2019 election’s mandate – drunk on power, living it up on the state’s tab and intermittently squabbling amongst themselves while the country’s economy goes down the toilet.

Rory Stewart, a former Conservative Cabinet minister, lamented: “Only a nation which was gripped by pessimistic despair and no longer believed that there could be a serious response to its unfolding tragedies would want to take refuge in the leadership of a clown.” Once we could have relied on Tories like Stewart, Dr Sarah Wollaston, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry and Heidi Allen to steer a vaguely sensible course. [ . . . ]

Continue at The Scotsman: Boris Johnson’s return as Prime Minister would be completely unacceptable – Scotsman comment

Best Bird Watching in England

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By Sian Williams

If lockdown has made you more appreciative of the birds in your neighbourhood, why not further your interest with a visit to a bird reserve during your staycation?

Birdwatching doesn’t need to be an expensive hobby – you don’t need to buy a huge telescope like you see some twitchers carrying, just as you don’t need to sit for hours munching on sandwiches, praying for that one elusive bird to show up!

If lockdown has made you more appreciative of the birds in your neighbourhood, why not further your interest with a visit to a bird reserve during your staycation?

Birdwatching doesn’t need to be an expensive hobby – you don’t need to buy a huge telescope like you see some twitchers carrying, just as you don’t need to sit for hours munching on sandwiches, praying for that one elusive bird to show up!

A good pair of binoculars (many reserves offer them for sale, or check out second-hand pairs on sites such as eBay), a bird book or app so you can identify what’s in front of you, and a little bit of patience will reward you with an absorbing day out.

Although spring and summer are great for spotting birds during the breeding season, autumn and winter also offer a great deal of variety as many species prepare to migrate.

Bird-watching is truly a year-round activity the whole family can enjoy.

Here are our top nine bird-watching sites in England.

Farne Islands

Farne Islands
Farne Islands. Credit: DomWPhoto

A 20-minute boat trip will take you to the dramatic Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast.

Once home to saints and monks, today the tiny archipelago supports breeding colonies of several species of seabird. At the height of the season (May to June), you could see around 70,000 Puffins!

The islands are also a haven for Eider Ducks, Razorbills, Little Terns, Arctic Terns, and Sandwich Terns. Look out for seals basking on the rocks or swimming, too.

Find it: Boat trips to the Farne islands run from Seahouses. Check out Serenity, Billy Shiel’s or Golden Gate. The National Trust cares for the islands; non-members must pay a landing fee in addition to the cost of the boat trip.

Find out more here.

Bempton Cliffs

Known locally as Seabird City, the towering white cliffs at Bempton, near Bridlington, in East Yorkshire, attract up to half a million seabirds every year.

Between March and October, they come to nest and raise their young, making this place a must-see for any bird-watcher.

The cries (and smells!) are unforgettable as thousands of birds swoop around you.

Look out for the Gannets with their startling blue eyes and large grey bills. True romantics, Gannets mate for life – and often the male will offer the female little gifts of flowers.

Bempton is the only mainland seabird colony in England, so you’re guaranteed to see ‘the big eight’ of species that visit our shores: Gannet, Guillemot, Puffin, Razorbill, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Shag and Herring Gull.

Find it: RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Cliff Lane, Bridlington, YO15 1JF

Find out more here.

Coombes Valley

A Redstart
A Redstart. Credit: SussexBirder

A lovely oak woodland in a steep-sided valley, this Staffordshire spot provides an ideal habitat for migratory birds such as the Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and Wood Warbler to nest.

A trail leads you around the site – look out for Dippers and Willow Tits in summer, and in winter, hundreds of Redwings and Fieldfare descend to feed on the berries.

A steep climb will take you to open moorland and pasture, where you may see Woodcock and Sparrowhawks.

Find it: RSPB Coombes & Churnet Valley Nature Reserve, Bradnop, Leek, ST13 7EU

Find out more here.

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