The BBC Radio London Playlst - It's Ironic how bad it is!

Sums up my feelings

I am going to start by saying I love BBC Radio London. It is 'my station' and has been since Robbie Vincent hosted the Crisis program and then Late Night London in the 1970's. Over the years, it has had some of the best presenters and best shows. As a music lover, the likes of Vincent playing soul. Charlie Gillett was a big champion of Ian Dury, as well as Elvis Costello and Grahame Parker and the Rumour. David Rodigan was highly influential in the Reggae scene, with his reggae rockers show, before defecting to Capital Radio to present Roots Rockers. These guys were essential listening when I was growing up and totally shaped my musical tastes. Along with John Peel on BBC Radio One, they were what we now call mega influencers, helping completely redraw the music map of the UK. 

In more recent times. Gary Crowley's show was a massive part of the rise of Britpop. I absoluletly love Crowley and his ability to alway be positive and excited about new music. When I was managing Britpop band The Sway, Gary was the first DJ to play their records (The band release a new EP after 30 years tomorrow. I'm no longer their manager, but they are well worth a listen - I well remember the band excitedly tuning in to listen to Silk on his show. They all went up to The Engineers pub after to celebrate with their mates!). His show was on a Saturday evening that was a bit inconvenient at times, but I always listened when I was in. 

Then there is Robert Elms, I have spoken many times about Elms here, so I won't go on too much, but he helped launched Amy Winehouse, giving her a first radio play. I'd say that at least 50% of the new bands I have discovered over the last 30 years, I've met through Robert's show. 

Now none of this would matter too much, if it was only about me and my particular musical taste. However, the UK music industry makes a huge contribution to the economy, over £5 billion a year last time I checked. People do not realise just how much music is produced and how much is used. Apart from the music on the radio, we have music in TV shows, music in films, music in games, live shows, etc. All of this helps employ people and generates huge amounts of cash. The UK punches far above its weight in the world music scene. However, this only can happen when there is a constat stream of new artists and new music coming through. 

Which brings us to the current music policies of BBC Radio London. I have no qualms with any of the presenters. All have been very supportive of my band The False Dots. with Elms, Eddie Nestor and Carrie and David Grant all kindly letting me plug my shows. Elms has a slot on his show on Sunday, when there is an hour dedicated to Londoners plugging events. However, over the last few years, the management of the BBC have come up with the worst idea ever. They have imposed a playlist on the station. Given that BBC Radio London is a public service broadcaster, funded by taxpayers, to my mind, the primary mission of the station should be to support London. If it is going to play music, they should trust presenters such as Elms to play what he sees fit. The primary focus should be playing music that has some sort of relevance to the city they serve. I run a music studio and I hear all manner of artists making great music, releasing fantastic songs, touring and playing hits from this and the last decade. All of these have a strong London link as they regularly use or have used our studios. There are similar studios and similar bands across London. Here is a playlist we made up of songs by artists who use our studios, just to illustrate the point. 

It was really brought home to me yesterday. I was driving to the gym, after my shift at the studio. I was listening to Jumoke Fashola's show in the afternoon. What song was played? Ironic by Alanis Morrissette, a single by a Canadian artist from 1996. I burst out laughing, what could be more ironic than that. Jumoke knows her onions. She's a working Jazz singer and hosts music events. I have no doubt at all that she could play absolutely amazing music if allowed to, but what do we get? Tracks that bear no relevance to the show, are not current, have little or no relation to London and worst of all for me, generate no PRS income for local artists.

What most listeners don't realise is that every time a track is played on the radio, the artists gets an amount of money. This helps pay the bills, supports the costs of rehearsals and future recordings, but the people who run Radio London do not seem interested in supporting up and coming artists. I know what their response is "Ah well, we have Jess Izzatt who does BBC Introducing". Yes Jess does a stirling job and I think she's amazing, but pushing new music to the margins is really counter productive. Artists need far more exposure and when new artists make great records, they should be played regularly. Instead, we get established artists being played non stop until you are completely sick of the song. 

The BBC should do what it's charter says and serve the community that pays its bills. The management of BBC Radio London are massively failing London based artists. This disrepects the talents that are their amazing DJ's. I have this question for the management. Do you seriously think that BBC Radio London would have it's legendary status if the likes of Gillet and Rodigan had been forced to play music chosen by someone else. It is hard enough being a musican in London, but the complete lack of support from the management of our local station is something I can't stomach. 

This year I've probably seen in excess of 100 up and coming bands at London gigs, 36 of which have played on the same bill as us at gigs we've performed. Some of them have been absolutely brilliant, yet I've not heard a track by any on BBC Radio London. Nearly all of these bands have music released. If it was just the False Dots and the BBC thought we were rubbish, I'd have no issue at all, but it is everyone. Given that I listen to the station (and it's rubbish playlist) every day, it breaks my heart. And for clarity, I've seen just about every genre of band, soul, reggae, punk, blues, rock, ska, jazz. Even Madness, who are mainstream and totally London, were hardly played when they released their amazing new album. 

Of course, the management will totally ignore me. But sooner or later someone will see sense. 

What is the point of BBC Radio London if it doesn't give London musicians a platform?

 You, me and and George the dustman, who lives up the road, all pay the wages of the people who run the BBC. If you live in London and have a TV licence, you are a stakeholder in the organisation. The BBC is split into three main parts, TV, National Radio and Local Radio. In London, our station is BBC Radio London. During my life it has had various guises, including GLR, Radio London, BBC London Live 94.9 to name a few.  What does it do? Well this is what Wikpedia says

BBC Radio London is the BBC's local radio station serving Greater London.

It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Broadcasting House in Langham Place, London.

According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of 548,000 listeners and a 0.9% share as of December 2023.

Local programming is produced and broadcast from the BBC's London studios.

During the station's downtime, BBC Radio London simulcasts overnight programming from BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Manchester.

The station's output is generally similar to that of other BBC local radio stations and targets a broad, mainstream audience. While previous incarnations of the station offered a more diverse range of programmes for London's various ethnic, religious, social and cultural communities, specialist programming now remains in a smaller form and is mostly broadcast at weekends.

What does this actually mean?  It means that there is a public service broadcaster, funded by all of us, with a misson to inform and entertain the people of London. London has several commercial stations. There is Capital Radio, which plays chart music. There is LBC, which runs phone in shows, often with rather provocative presenters, on both the left and right, who's mission is to give a platform for anyone who has a grumble. As such, I think it is fair to say that those areas are well served.

So what should be the USP of BBC Radio London? The current management had a revamp and massively increased the local sports coverage. They do this reasonably well, especially with the teams in League one and two, which don't normally get too much coverage. I have a bugbear that they do nothing on the lower non league teirs, where teams such as my team Hadley FC play in the Southern League Central Division.

They also brought in a few younger presenters, from more diverse backgrounds, Such as Salma El Wardarny and Shay Kuar Grewal, moving established presenters such as Robert Elms and Jo Good to the further reaches of the station. A big change at this time was a change to the way music was selected for the station. Previously presenters had pretty much carte blanche to play the music they felt appropriate for their audiences. Robert Elms was the first presenter to play Amy Winehouse and Gary Crowley, probably helped launch more bands than anyone over the course of his time on the station. Now it seems that an algorithm picks most of the music. On Robert Elms show, which is now Friday-Sunday, computer selected music sits jarringly within the show. Songs which form the playlist are played to death. Some of them, I quite liked the first time I heard them, but after the 20th time in a week, it gets rather wearing. That the music that is played is totally out of kilter with the audience is bad enough, but what really irks me is that Radio London should be giving airtime to good, upcoming bands from London. Music is a huge revenue generator for the UK PLC. The BBC, as a national institution, should be supporting up and coming UK musicians and helping them develop their careers. Local radio is the absolute perfect platform. Just about the only chance any up and coming band has to be heard is Jess Iszat's @BBCIntroducing slot. Whilst this is clearly a good thing, the bands featured get one or two plays on the radio if they are lucky. This is nowhere near enough to help build a profile. 

I was quite upset to see that despite having over 180K followers, the Twitter account for BBC Introducing last posted on the 8th April. It should be posting every day, signposting new bands and new music. As someone who runs a music studio, plays gigs at grassroots venues and does my best to seek out new music, I know for a fact that BBC Radio London is failing completely to do even the basics properly when it comes to music. A few weeks ago, I joined a network of Independent London musicians called Band Up. They put a shout out for bands to submit one or two spotify tracks for an independent play list. I submitted  The False Dots Sci Fi girls to the list. Within two weeks there was over 19 hours of music from up and coming London bands. Sure, not every track is wonderful, but some are absolute gems. You can check out the BandUp playlist here. Bandup also host gigs and play the list on random shuffle between bands. A few bands that I rather like on the list is the quirky Arctic Monkeys vibes of the Neversheds (great name), the semi psychedelic vibes of 1988 and the catchy popy vibes of November Now. We've pretty much had the list on rotation in studio reception, since then. As a studio, we feel it is important to give up and coming bands an airing. Wheras, when Robert Elms was on during the week, he'd regularly have new artists in the studio doing live sessions, promoting shows etc, that part of the content has gone completely. Gary Crowley gets an hour on Saturday lunchtime, not enough time for his talents. I like Eddie Nestor who nicked Robert Elms slot, but the music on his show is dire. Eddie should spend at least 30 minutes a day on London culture on his 10am-2pm slot and should be given free reign to play the music he likes, as well as up and coming artists of a suitable genre. 

In my household, the station has become a running joke. My kids ask me if Robert Elms and Eddie Nestor actually like the rubbish they are forced to play. As both know there onions, it is clear the answer is no. Just how bad the situation has become was brought home to me recenty. My band, The False Dots, released our new single We All Love A Party.  As we think it's a rather good tune, we employed a professional plugger to assist us. As the list of interviews came in, it was hilarious to see that whilst stations where presenters that have taste and latitude, such as Channel Radio and Truro Radio were delighted to give interviews and play the track, when I asked Steve the Plugger about BBC London, he just laughed and said "All they are interested in is there ****** playlist, which is picked by robots". 

Click for tickets

The single has been doing really well, it is ironic that it has made the playlists of radio stations in Brazil, but we cannot even get near a play in London. I wouldn't mind if great young bands were keeping us out, but when all we get is the likes of Lewis Capaldi and Beyonce on rotation, it is quite ridiculous. When band like us have gigs at iconic London venues, such as The Dublin Castle, with venues under massive pressure to survive, surely promoting a few London bands playing grassroots venues should be central to their mission. If someone at the station actually listened to the track and said "Sorry you are rubbish" that would be fine, but no one is interested in London music and bands.

I am not one of those fools who calls for the BBC to be defunded. I want it to be fixed. I want local radio to properly serve our local community and our culture. The organasation is obsessed with cost cutting, when it should be obsessed with brilliant content. I truly believe that if the BBC wants to fight off those calling for it to be broken up, they can only do it on the front foot, by demonstrating that they are essential to the cultural life of our country and that they are keeping us at the heart of world culture. 

Just for the record, these are all the stations in Brazil playing The False Dots.  How on earth can it be easier to get our friends in Brazil to play the band than our local station?

Radio stations in Brazil. Spot plays are on rotation.

 

Ouro Verde FM 105.9:
https://ouroverdefm.com/

Nova Aliança FM 87.9:.
https://radionovaaliancafm.webradiosite.com/

AEMULA: 
https://aemula.webradiosite.com/

Rádio Estilo de Jogo: 
https://estilodejogo.com/

Toque da Última Trombeta: .
https://toqueultimatrombeta.webradiosite.com/

MAGA FM: .
https://magafm.webradiosite.com/

Leticia FM: 
https://leticiafm9.webradiosite.com/

Duca FM. .
https://ducafm.webradiosite.com/

Nunciatus: 
https://nunciatus.webradiosite.com/

Memorias e Melodias: 
https://memoriasmelodias.webradiosite.com/

Sertão Sucesso: .
https://sertaosucesso.webradiosite.com/

Capela FM 105.9 MhZ: .
https://www.radios.com.br/aovivo/radio-capela-1059-fm/11150

Grassroots venues are under threat - what we need to do to support them

I've just been speaking to Jumoke Fashola on BBC Radio London about the plight of the UK and London's small venues. I have a special interest in this. I mentioned that of the London venues the False Dots have played in our 45 years, maybe 50% have closed. Fantastic venues such as The Purple Turtle in Camden, The Moonlight Club in West Hampstead, The Cricklewood Hotel and the Ad Lib club in Kensington are just a few of the excellent venues we lost. Then there are the pubs, often where we played many times over many years, including The Copper on Tower Bridge Road, The Bald Faced Stag in Burnt Oak, and the Midland Hotel in Hendon are examples of great pubs the band played many times, but we've also lost. In 2015, we started the Save London Music Campaign, launching it on the Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London. It is a passion of mine.

There are still some brilliant small venues left. My band The False Dots are playing the Dublin Castle in Camden Town on Saturday 3rd Feb (why not help out and click here to book a few tickets).  We sold out our last gig on 23rd December which was an amazing night. There are audiences when venues are well run and decent artists are put on. I see such artist at my  studios  Mill Hill Music Complex. We saw Brit awards winners such as Amy, Kate Nash and Floemerge, they needed small venues to hone their trade. 

The problem is that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Amy Lame, the Mayors nigh time Tsar  are simply not doing enough. Small music venues are a very niche area of the economy with massive influence, but almost no share of the £5 billion UK Music industry pie. The industry needs a proper scheme that is easy to access The UK government receives huge tax income from the UK music industry. It would make no difference at all to give grants to all struggling venues and would ensure the ongoing health of the sector. 

The government has taken some measures, which should be acknowledged, such as rates relief on hospitality venues, but this is simply like giving a cancer victim a drip to keep the hydrated so they live a couple more days. The UK need a coherent strategy for grassroots venues. So what can be done?

The Mayor needs to make London musician friendly, with exemptions from ULEZ and Parking charges. Transport is a key requirement for musicians. we have gear to cart around and we usually have old cars and vans. It is simply not feasible to say "Buy a new van that is compliant".  If my band plays in London and we need to bring gear, that costs me £25 in Ulez and God knows how much in parking charges, if you can find somewhere to park. 

As for the government? I'd like to see small promoters given a grant. If they were given a £250 grant towards every band they put on for aa one year period, this would transform London's music scene, with a maximum of £500 per day. This would be a huge shot in the arm for promotors and give them a real incentive to put live music on. I'd stipulate that 50% of that was guaranteed as a payment to bands. This would help cover the costs of bands, engineers and promotion. It would encourage promoters to take risks with new artists, that maybe they wouldn't otherwise. It would make pubs and clubs 'try out' music. 

I promoted my first gig in 1980. I was seventeen years old and at school. As we made a profit, it meant we were inspired to do another one. We were also lucky in that there was a vibrant local press and they supported us. See the pic >>>>>

 I know many people who started in the same way. Now, it is almost impossible to do that. The UK music industry is built on mega artists, who benefitted from that environment. If the UK economy wants to continue to lead the world in music, we need an environment where young people can promote gigs and start music businesses. The grants would give people time to find their feet and learn the lessons. 

The UK music industry contributes a massive amount to the UK economy and gets zero specific support from the government. In other countries, all manner of schemes exist to help musicians, venues and promoters. I totally get that people like Sunak and Khan do not understand such a niche area as grassroots music. There are amazing organisations such as The Music Venues Trust that can advise them. Sadly, small venues, bands and promoters find it difficult to get heard at table. I contributed to a Parliamentary enquiry on live music, a few years ago. Sadly, the whole thing largely got hijacked by people with an exe to grind about secondary ticketing and nothing really got done for small venues. 

And finally, what can we all do? Support small venues and promoters. Come and see gigs like my band at The Dublin Castle on the 3rd February. We have a band coming over from Dublin called Inbetween Honey supporting us. They may be the next U2 for all I know. Earlier in the blog, I mentioned the Moonlight Club in West Hampstead. I saw U2's first ever London gig there. They were playing with a band I liked, called Modern Jazz. If, like now, the Moonlight was closed, maybe they wouldn't be the band they are now?

Here's what they sound like

And this is what you can expect from us.

The Saturday List #425 - Ten Reasons why we need to Save The Midland Hotel in West Hendon

The Asset of Community Value(ACV) application for The Midland Hotel in Hendon is coming up for renewal. This gives the pub a degree of protection from the greedy developers, who are hell bent on removing every community space from the Borough of Barnet and London in general and replacing them with 'luxury flats', that never seem to end up housing anyone on the waiting list in the Borough of Barnet, but do line the pockets of the people who put them up. 

So why should everyone in the London Borough of Barnet support the proposal to renew the Midland Hotel ACV?

Here are ten reasons.

1. The case has already been made and proven. This was done in 2018, when the original ACV was granted for five years (the normal term of an ACV). The only thing that has changed is that, in anticipation of the expiration of the ACV, the developers who own the pub, got rid of the tenant and have closed the pub. They are hoping that this will undermine the case, but in fact it makes it stronger, as it means we can demonstrate that there is a large gap in the community for a pub/community space. 

2. The pub hosted many community events. These events are now homeless. One good example of this are the regular events The Barnet Eye blog would arrange at The Midland. We'd hold our community awards at the pub every December, this was last held in 2019. Sadly Covid and the owners intervened. Now we are homeless and have nowhere to do this. You may ask "What are the Barnet Eye Community Awards?" - We asked local people to nominate local people, campaigners and good people who deserve a shout out and a pint on us. We'd give them a certificate and they'd get a mention on the blog. The best thing of all, was that it gave nice, decent people a chance to get together and mingle. We devised it to build community and the Midland Hotel was the heart of the awards. Click here  to read about and watch the video from the last awards. 

3. The pub hosted many charity events, raising money for great causes. I attended many such events and even organised a few myself, for charities such as MacMillan Cancer relief. Charities rely on such events for funding and to do this, spaces are needed.

4. Local people need a space to chill out, relax and talk. If we want to build a sense of community, we need spaces for people want to get out, have a drink, a cheap bite to eat and a chat with friends. These friends becomes a mutual support network. Such things keep many of us sane and happy. 

5. There is no other convenient pub in the locality. I did a search on google for pubs in the locality, this is the map. It is extremely handy for people using Hendon station, who might want a drink or a sandwich after a stressful day at work. Before covid, over 1 million people a year were using the station, and numbers are creeping back up to those levels. It is a busy location, but there is literally nothing else in the area for locals and commuters passing through. I am amazed that the developers could not see the potential for doing more with the pub as a pub.  For commuters arriving on a train, when their bus is not coming for a while, the pub also provides a handy refuge. 

6. With the closure of the Midland, the west of Barnet Borough has no music pubs. My band has played at the Midland Hotel numerous times, usually at least 3-4 times a year. We'd always put on two or three other bands with us, often young artists, giving them vital live experience. Music contributes 4-5 Billion a year to the UK economy. It would contribute nothing without artists starting off at such grassroots venues, that is why we need to protect assets of community value. My band has been playing regularly in Camden Town at The Dublin Castle since the pandemic. That is the nearest music pub accessible by the Northern Line Edgware Branch. Barnet is the mopst populous Borough in London. They are bidding for the London Borough of Culture. To my mind this is ridiculous, if they can't even protect the one music pub on the western side of the Borough. In 2015, this blog launched the Barnet  Save London Music Campaign at the Midland, specifically to stop music pubs from closing. 

7. A society that doesn't value community is a society that will fail. We need to build bridges in our community. Not everyone goes to pubs, but for some they are the absolute centre of their life. The best pubs are local pubs, where you will know a few people and have someone to chat to when you are feeling down. They are open every day of the year. For some people, in these desperate times, they will go into a pub and have a half just to warm up and see a friendly face. In times where many cannot afford to pay for heating and are stuck on their own, is it too much to give them a bit of respite from this, without walking miles in the rain? Pubs are communities and the people in them look out for each other.

8. Pubs provide employment opportunities and economic activities. Working in a bar is a very transportable skill. For many teenagers, doing a few shifts in a pub is a great way to legally earn some money. Pubs also employ cleaners, chefs and require maintenance that also keeps people in work. They support the local business community. Many commercial deals are done in pubs, staff have events and drinks etc.

9. People need spaces for Funerals, Weddings and other events. On several occasions, my band would turn up to the Midland Hotel to perform gigs, to find that there was a wake in full swing in the pub. Local people saying adios to friends, in the manner they lived their lives. This is absolutely key. Both our drummer Graham and myself had our 50th Birthday parties at the pub. I would have had my 60th there, had it been open. I had it at the Bohemia in Finchley instead, that is a great example of what the Midland should be with committed owners.

10. Well situated local pubs are good for the environment. Barnet Council should be actively encouraging anything which puts facilities as close to people as possible. If there is a good pub at the end of your road, you won't get in your car. The Railway Hotel is in a brilliant location, being next to the rail station and next to a bus stop. It is less than 20 minutes from central London. One of the reason I've promoted dozens of gigs at the pub is because people can easily get to it. Our band had built a good following in Hendon on the back of local gigs there. 

So what can you do to help? The answer is simple.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO RENEW THE ACV

Yesterday, my band launched our Xmas single. It is fair to say that the band wouldn't exist without the Midland Hotel and other such grassroots pubs. My band is playing next Saturday 23rd December in the Dublin Castle in Camden, another great music pub (click here for a ticket). I love the Dublin Castle, but we need such venues in our own Borough. Please check out our new video, sadly, we won't be playing this in Hendon this December, as there are no venues.

The #SaveLondonMusic Campaign calls for urgent action from the Mayor of London to protect our night time economy

There are few sectors that have suffered more than live music in London. It is not just venues closing their doors with no notice that is an issue. The staff that earned their livelihoods working in the music sector, especially freelancers, have had no income for the best part of eighteen months.

Many have had to take other jobs just to pay bills. Without skilled staff, it is impossible for venues to function. There were many venues that were just about surviving in London prior to Covid. It seemed to many of us that live music had turned the corner, venues were busier than they had been for many years, but for many businesses there were huge challenges. These have only become more difficult.

The policies of Mayor of London has not been helpful to the live music industry. Whilst we understand the need for policies to address poor air quality, few musicians working grassroots venues are well off. They need to shift large amounts of equipment. Public transport is not a realsitic option for many. Many have old vans or estate cars, often with diesel engines, that are non compliant with the legislation. The ULEZ means these attract huge charges. As musicians often have to arrive early for soundchecks and can’t get out until the show is over and the club is cleared, they can find that they need to pay two days ULEZ simply to do a gig. The Mayor needs to, as a matter of urgency, update his culture strategy so it can properly respond to the challenges facing the night-time economy, the live music scene and the creative sector in general in the aftermath of the pandemic.

For musicians who have had zero income from music for the last eighteen months, this means that playing is not viable. They have no cash in the bank to buy newer compliant vehicles. No one comes to London for its beaches or its sunshine. People come to see our music and theatre shows. A policy that makes this unviable is not a policy that will work for London.

There are a myriad of other problems for performers at grassroots venues. Parking is another huge issue. When you need to unload amps, drumkits, etc you need to park close to the venue. I’ve done this a thousand times and know just how difficult it can be in central London. It has never been a concern of the powers that be. They have just taken it for granted that musicians will take it on the chin. Covid has changed all of this. As musicians have been forced to find other jobs, many working in completely different sectors, they will think long and hard about returning to a business where they simply cannot make a living.

If the Mayor of London is serious about seeing London get back on its feet, he needs to take the issue of getting musicians back into London and getting clubs and pubs back to pulling in the punters with live music.

If we are going to address these issues as a City, we need the Mayor of London to lead the charge. There are so many issues to address and such a diverse collection of live music venues and people working in them, that no one size fits all policy will address all of the issues. Venues in outer London boroughs face a completely different set of issues to the ones in the West End and City. For many there is an opportunity as people may be reluctant to take public transport into town. As a Londoner living in a suburb (Barnet), this is a mixed blessing. I’d love to see more music on my doorstep, but if we lose our music scene in the West End, that will be the end of London as a major music hub. No one should want that.

What the Mayor needs to do is commission an audit of London venues. This should be done with the express purpose of identifying which venues have survived, which can be reopened, what are the challenges facing the venues and how these can be addressed and miigated. We need an emergency fund to support venues and a fund to assist musicians get ULEZ compliant vehicles. A buy back scheme for non compliant diesel vehicles owned by musicians, with assistance for leasing or finance for new vehices would be a good step towards addressing the issues raised by ULEZ.

This is not simply asking for a handout. Every band playing in Central London at grassroots venues generates anywhere between 75 and 1,000 tube and bus fares for the Mayor. Often TFL will make more money from a show than the musician performing. Many of these punters will have meals in West End Restaurants, meet for drinks in pubs and bars before and after shows and spend money in shops on the way.

We need this benefit to be quantified. The Mayor has a major challenge with TFL finances. It is very much in his interest to understand how live music can help him fix the hole in his budget. Of course he could just sit back and let the live music sector try and muddle through. This would be nothing short of criminal negligence of a part of the economy that has generated billions for UK PLC.

Although the Mayor of London is the primary player in this, as the night time economy falls under his powers, national government, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the culture secretary Oliver Dowden need to put aside their differences with the Mayor and work to put London back on its feet. The same is true of our regional cities who have their own issues.

Any audit should be based on identifying practical solutions to the problems faced by the live music sector. These can only be properly identified by talking to venue owners, promoters, musicians, crew and ancillary staff. It should also encompass music studios, support companies (equipment hire etc). These are all part of the pot that makes the London music scene tick.

We formally invite the London Mayor, Amy Lame (the London nightlife Tsar), The London Assembly, our London Boroughs and our London MPs to support this process as a matter of urgency. The Save London Music Campaign will be writing to all of these to get this process in motion. We call on all the industry organisations to back this. We also encourage our friends in the other regions of the UK to do the same with their local Mayors and authorities. We simply cannot afford to wait. This needs to be kick started today.

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This blog was originally posted on the Save London Music website

The first green shoots of the post lockdown world but we need a proper strategy to help the night time economy

 As the owner of one of London's largest independent music studios, I probably have as good a view of what is happening in the London music industry. The artists that use our studios are drawn from just about every genre of music that we see performed in the capital and we tend to be aware of trends before anyone else. We make a point of talking to artists, retweeting them, liking and sharing their posts on Facebook and in normal times, going to see them perform. In normal times we might expect to see 200-300 bookings per week in our 17 studios. Some of these are one hour personal practice sessions, some are lessons, some are amateur bands and young people starting out and some are professional musicians rehearsing for gigs.

At present, we can only accept bookings for solo practice and for professional musicians. We've been seeing about 10-20 bookings a day. About a half are solo musicians. Up until a couple of weeks ago, the professional musicians have largely been rehearsing for live stream events or just keeping up a degree of gig readiness. This week, we've seen a change. Bands are starting to get real bookings for real events. Some are for outdoor performances in gardens of pubs. Some are post May 17th gigs, when indoor social distanced gigs can take place. I've already bought my first tickets for Ronnie Scotts.

Today, we saw a large number of bookings and conversations with the musicians revealed that they are for proper, paid work. We have seen over 30 bookings in a day for the first time since lockdown hit. I've spoken to half a dozen bands that have not been in for over a year some not since 2019. It seems that small Jazz outfits are especially sought after, not least because these are well suited to small scale gigs with food. I am delighted that some of our favourite artists have gigs lined up at such venues as Crazy Coqs, Ronnie Scotts and the 100 Club. 

One of our more regular customers have taken 21 bookings for Butlins in the Summer. To me this is fantastic news. As government assistance is coming to an end, we will start to have to pay rates and as the furlough ends find work for our furloughed staff, we desperately need to get our booking levels back to the pre covid levels. We are lucky, we had a strong balance sheet and have not taken on debt, but I know many of our friends who run studios are not in such a good position. I'd urge all bands, artists, drummers etc, to book a few sessions as soon as they can. Non pro bands can rehearse and record from 17th May. If you book early and pre pay, this will help your studio of choice get by. Many of us have booking systems that take pre payment, so it will do us a big favour. For many studios that have been closed, there are big costs associated with reopening, so it would make a difference. 

We've been blown away with the response of the artists who use us. When lockdown was imposed, most were happy to defer pre-paid sessions until lockdown was lifted. We have sessions deferred for over a year. One artist, who is reasonably well off, pre paid for 50 bookings in advance last March to help us. He still has some outstanding, but is insisting on paying for the sessions he'd booking now. 

I feel far more positive about the situation in the London music scene than I was three months ago, when Lockdown was imposed. That doesn't mean things aren't grim and that we wont  lose many loved studios, venues and other arts related organisations, but I feel that it won't be as bad as I feared. 

What I find very worrying is that the two main candidates for London Mayor have not proposed policies to Save the London music scene. There are three types of situation for venues associated with music. There are those like us that are secure, there are those that are gone already and there are those that are teetering on the edge of the financial precipice. Those in the third group need a lifeline. It would also be worth seeing if there was any way that some of those that have closed will be brought back. Whilst it would be nice to give cash to organisations such as us, that are surviving, the best thing would be to ensure as many venues survive so that musicians need our services. We need someone in City Hall who understands the supply chain in the music industry. A saved venue putting on a show with a main artist and support every night is providing work for hundreds of musicians a month. So a small amount of help for them will make a huge difference. Those gigs bring trade into London, provides work for backup staff etc. They generate work for studios like us. 

The Mayor urgently needs to address the problems that  a 24 hour congestion charge causes for working bands. We were asked to supply equipment for a gig at the 100 Club. As it finishes after midnight, that means we have to pay two lots of congestion charge. This money comes from the band/promoter and makes the whole thing less viable. It also adds management hassle for us. If London is to have a credible night time industry, they need to encourage musicians, not tax them to the hilt. If you do two such gigs a week, the additional 'congestion charge' adds £50 to an artists costs. Over a year, that is £2,500 in lost income. Most working London musicians simply cannot afford such costs. I've never seen congestion in London at 1am, but I've seen lots of musicians driving home from gigs. Sadly, neither the government or the Mayor are in the slightest bit interested in this. The sad truth is that it will make many gigs unviable. 

The green shoots are there for all to see in the hospitality industry, but unless these shoots are nurtured in the post lockdown world, they will soon die back. We need a strategy tor bring London back.

Open Letter to the Prime Minister concerning support for Live Music Venues and other Arts venues

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing to you on behalf of the #SaveLondonMusic campaign regarding enhanced support for the arts, music and creative sector. Our campaign was started in 2015, with the aim of protecting, preserving and enhancing the live music scene in London. Until the lockdown, we have been seeing a real resurgence of live music in London. London is the heart of the UK creative sector. The UK music sector contributes £5 billion to the economy, but the true contribution is far higher, extending the soft influence of the UK globally.

The live music sector, along with theatres, cinemas, museums and all manner of other creative projects have been hit hard by the lockdown. Having no income since the middle of May has meant that many venues are now in a critical position. Staff and freelance workers have bills to pay, which means many have had to take on other employment to make ends meet. Whilst the government have acknowledged this with assistance on rates, grants and loans, for many the situation has made a difficult financial position critical.

If the UK is to recover from the economic effects of Coronavirus, it is essential that our live music scene, theatres, museums and galleries are not only retained, but ready to bounce back without the burden of huge debt. Without them there will be little night time economy and scant reason for tourists to visit the UK. Every pound spent supporting the industry will be a sensible investment that will ensure the UK bounces back and retains its position of global leadership in arts and creative industries.

We are specifically asking for the following support.

1. Emergency grants to be made available for all venues who are threatened with closure. These should be based on the ongoing expenses that venues face, such as non furloughed staff, rent, rates (where applicable), utilities costs, insurance and additional costs associated with limited reopening (ie assistance with costs of sanitisers, etc). We would like to see bounceback loans covered by grants, so the industry is not weighed down with debt.

2. A government guarantee to make good the income lost from limited reopenings (ie the government buying seats to remain empty), and other innovative ways to help the industry, such as sponsorship of performances.

3. A review of parking restrictions etc around venues at show times. Specifically in London, the congestion charge extension will be very bad for musicians, concert goers and support staff. All such staff should be able to apply for an exemption.

4. Infrastructure grants for venues to improve accessibility. Whilst many venues may not be able to reopen, it is a great opportunity to do necessary improvement works. This will mean that when the economy is fully reopened, the UK will have an even more attractive offering.

Whilst we realise that these suggestions have a cost attached, the cost to the economy of losing our world beating entertainment sector is likely to be far greater in the long term. Arts and creative industries are one area we lead the world in. As such, they should be a top priority for your government as we try and put the UK back on its feet.

Yours Sincerely

Roger Tichborne
#SaveLondonMusic Campaign
www.savelondonmusic.org

This letter was originally published on the Save London Music website
http://savelondonmusic.org/open-letter-to-the-prime-minister-concerning-support-for-live-music-venues-and-other-arts-venues/

The Save London Music Campaign calls for urgent action to support live music during Corona Epidemic

London has seen an amazing renaissance of live music in  the last couple of years and the Govt & Mayor have taken many of our suggestions on board. However, Corona virus is a very clear and present danger and threatens to stop this in its tracks. There are three main areas that are being hit

1. Venues and promoters. People are not going out, so money is not being spent. Rent and staff costs still have to be met. Unexpected expenses are being incurred and whilst some of these will be met by insurance payments, these often take a considerable amount of time to resolve

2. Artists and bands are seeing a huge interruption to income streams. Most have little contingency for this. Costs have been incurred and not all of these are recoverable.

3. Freelance support staff, casual workers and zero hours bar staff etc are not getting paid. Many will be hit by huge tax payments due in June for self assessment payments.

Whilst the virus will pass, the dent in the income may completely derail the fragile recovery we’ve seen. The campaign will be calling for serious action to address this from the local and national government. Music is a huge part of the UK economy generating £5.2 million last year. The government needs to urgently allocate funds to support all of these sectors, to ensure that when the epidemic passes, we still have a viable live music scene in London.

We are calling for the following measures to be available.

1. The Government and London Mayor to establish a hardship fund to assist artists, staff and freelancers who have seen income disappear due to cancellation of events.
2. Deferral of the second payment of Self Assessment of income tax, due in June for all workers affected by the Corona virus. We would like to see the 2020 payment spread over the next five years
3. Grants available to venues and promoters to tide them through the worst period of the crisis. We would suggest that this is set at a level to cover any shortfall in paying staff, rent and utility bills.
4. As many venues may be closed during the worst of the epidemic to the general public, grants to be made available to assist with any urgent safety or infrastructure works. This will mean that the venues will be improved for the period when the epidemic passes. This will also provide work opportunities.
5. Funds for mental health charities, to support artists affected by stress related to worries arising from the Corona virus.
6. A hardship fund with emergency funds and loans to assist musicians, artists and promoters, hit by large, unexpected costs as a result of the virus. Whilst many organisations will be insured, there are often delays in receiving these payments, which cause terminal damage to the organisations finances.

The music industry contribute a significant amount to the UK economy, providing a serious amount of money for the UK treasury. It is time for the treasury to invest some of that money back into the sector, so that UK music industry is well placed to continue to thrive when the situation recovers. 

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This statement was released by The Save London Music Campaign this morning at 11am - http://savelondonmusic.org/the-save-london-music-campaign-calls-for-urgent-action-to-support-live-music-during-corona-epidemic

General Election Commentary - #SaveLondonMusic Campaign - How both the Tories and Labour are failing the UK music industry

There is a General Election in less than a month. I am disturbed by the complete lack of discussion about how either the Tories or the Labour party are going to make our economy fit for purpose for the 21st century. None of the party leaders have any experience of running a business or generating wealth. My expertise is in the music industry. I have first hand experience of how the music industry can generate prosperity/

You may ask "what does a dyslexic, punk rock guitarist from Mill Hill know about such matters?".  I would answer that as I've directly created fifty jobs in Mill Hill, a little bit. You may ask "What are these mythical jobs?". The answer is quite simple in 1979 I started a music studio business, that has grown into one of Londons largest music studios. I was extremely lucky that my parents were in business and had spare workshop space. This meant that I was able to rent suitable space cheaply. By 2008, I was employing eight people directly at the studios. We realised we had to change with the times. We invested a million pounds in a new, purpose built studio block. What happened next? It transformed our business. We now employ 14 people directly. However that is nowhere near the whole story. We have a ballet school that operates from the site, which also employs 4 people. We have a violin school which employs 4 people. We also have two vocal coaches associated with the business, as well as two drum tutors, a sax tutor, two piano tutors and a guitar tutor. We also have people doing private lessons for dancers, pilates and general fitness. These are all people directly working with or through us. We also have several organisations that have set up using us as a base. They use the studios for all manner of purposes and take advantage of the free wifi we provide. In total, there are around 50 people working with the studios, this is not including the business based in the space above us.

What has this got to do with the General Election and economic policy? Well creating 50 jobs in Mill Hill is no mean achievement. It was not the result of the governments economic policy or the council having a plan to make Mill Hill a world class music hub. In fact I can honestly say that everything we've achieved has been in spite of, rather than helped by government policy. When we hear about the Conservatives saying they are the party of business, I nearly fall off my chair laughing. They have done absolutely nothing for the music industry in the UK. By definition, the sector is high risk. The percentage of artists that become millionaires is minuscule. The vast majority of working musicians live a fairly precarious existence. Money is earned at small gigs in grassroots venues. Last year I contributed to a Parliamentary enquiry into live music. Many of my suggestions were noted, but nothing at all has happened. Venues are still facing the same pressures, many being lost to 'luxury flats'. Every one of these that shuts loses the local musicians a wage. Music Week reported that the UK Music Industry had grown spectacularly in the last year

We are proud to be a key part of one of the UK’s fastest growing and most successful business sectors https://t.co/ZrQVbB6ykF

— MillHillMusicComplex (@MillHillMusicCo) November 20, 2019

As for Labour? Well We've had a Labour Mayor for three and a half years. He has shown zero interest in the London music scene. He appointed Amy Lame as a nighttime Tsar, but she has morphed into the invisible woman. She's not even bothered to get in touch with the Save London Music campaign, to see what we can do to improve the situation. Our friends at Bally Studios wrote an excellent article for our website explaining why Ms Lame has not been effective.

It really wouldn't take much to radically transform the situation. The Save London Music Campaign has a manifesto for preserving London's venues.

1. Special protection for important London music venues from redevelopment. This should take two forms. The first should grant important venues the same protection as listed buildings. The second is that where large infrastructure projects destroy venues (such as the Astoria), the venue should be re-sited elsewhere in equivalent or better premises at zero cost to the operator.

2. Established venues should be protected from noise and disruption complaints from neighbours. Soundproofing etc should not be the responsibility of the venue, where the venue is an established music site.

3. As creative industries are a key component in the UK economy, tax breaks, planning assistance and grants should be made available to any company or individual investing in infrastructure to support creative industries.  This should be done with a view to ensuring the UK maintains its leading position as the centre of world music.

From a music perspective the following should be available.
* Capital Tax allowances for investment in venues and studios
* Free or discounted planning costs for studios,  music venues and other music related companies (such as instrument manufacturers etc).
* Rates holidays for start up businesses involved in the music and creative sector. A six month period of zero rates and a six month period of 50% rates would give businesses a great
opportunity to get off the ground and generate employment
* Offer grants to creative industries to assist with the costs etc of starting a creative business, specifically for assistance with the cost of consultants for noise control and other issues which
are specific to the music industry.
* Enact legislation to ensure that major new developments include an element of light industrial space suitable for creative industries and studio space at low rent.
* Offer mentoring and assistance to young people wishing to set up SME’s focussing on the creative sector.

We are also working to actively set up new grassroots music venues across London and support other individuals and organisations with the same aim

We've shown that in Mill Hill, music can be a key part of the local economy. When will the political parties wake up to this and start supporting the industry.


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Please join us on Friday 13th December at 8pm at The Midland Hotel, Hendon, for the Barnet Eye Community awards and annual Xmas party. We are also looking for nominations for our community awards, click here for details. Free admission

Information every working musician needs to know in the event of a Hard Brexit

The London Music scene is facing a huge threat from plans for a hard Brexit from the EU. Due to the UK departure from the Customs Union and new rules on free movement of people, working and tax arrangements, musicians deriving income from the EU, be it through sales/licensing, merchandising and touring need to be aware of what will be required.

For many bands, operating on tight margins, this will present a massive challenge and will most definitely have a big impact on the London music scene.

Many UK based artists and bands rely on earnings from touring in the the EU, selling merchandising and playing gigs which enable them to make ends meet We have been asked to share the official guidance document with our customers. This is the governments advice for musicians who live, work or tour in the EU concerning what legal changes will be required following a hard Brexit scenario.

There are many changes that UK based musicians and UK citizens living/working as musicians in the EU need to be aware of. This is recently released government guidance. There will also be implcations for UK acts which feature EU citizens. This document, put together by UK Music (the industry wide organisation supporting musicians) contains recently issued government guidance.

https://www.ukmusic.org/policy/brexit/uk-music-guidance-in-the-event-of-a-no-deal-brexit/

As No-deal Brexit will pose an immediate challenge to the ability of bands to tour and perform across Europe, it is important for musicians to be fully aware of these rules. For many, touring in the EU is an important source of revenue, vital to ensure that musicians have an income stream capable of supporting a career.

Of particular relevance is that  when touring in Europe it is likely equipment, instruments and gear will have to be declared on a customs document called a Carnet.

You can find European Commission advice here:  https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/file_import/travelling_en.pdf

The Save London Music campaign will share all information we are made aware of in updates and  Keep up to date with whats going on at our Facebook page.

This article was first published on the Save London Music website

The Mill Hill Music Festival starts on Friday, so get your tickets ASAP

The Mill Hill Music Festival will be kicking off this Friday, nine days of the most amazing music in Mill Hill. Some of the shows are free entry and some are ticketed. There are still a few tickets left for all events, but the BBC Elstree Band playing "A Night at The OSCARS" and Charles Court Opera performing HMS Pinnfore have nearly sold out, so we advise that you get down and buy tickets ASAP if you want to make sure you get in for those events. I'm always heartened when we get such a great response for the Opera, which is has become one of the keynote nights.

Here is the full festival planer (Thanks to Barnet Music)

Here is what you can expect from the BBC Elstree band, firm festival favourites on Saturday at The Hartley Hall




And here is a little bit of MHMS Pinafore from Charles Court, which is also at The Hartley Hall on Monday Night



Another event which is selling well and you really should check out if you love Jazz is the Alan Barnes Octet. Alan is an absolute icon in the Jazz world. Here's a little bit of Alan in action. He's playing on Thursday week.

If Klezmer is your thing, we have Stewart Curtis on Monday night. Here's a little snippet of Stewart Curtis doing what he does best!



The Festival is opened by The Hendon Band of the Salvation Army, who are well worth checking out, opening the festival at Hartley Hall.
 


Our party nights features 60's soul legends, The Foundations, best know for no 1 hits such as Build Me Up Buttercup and Baby, Now That I found you. This will be at The Mill Hill Golf Club


The Opening night also sees the Ron Lewis Partnership, playing their brand of Feelgood inspired Rhythm and Blues at the Adam and Eve for Free


Support will be a short acoustic set from Mill Hill's finest, The False Dots starting at 8.30pm sharp.




For full details of the festival including how to order tickets, check out the Festival website


The Festival finishes back up at The Adam and Eve with a firm festival favourite, for all you Reggae Lovers, with Joe Angel and the Pamodzi band.



Please checkout all events and full details at the festival website
https://millhillmusicfest.co.uk/progboxoffice/

Tickets are also available from Mill Hill Wines on the Broadway

.
We hope to see you there.

The Saving of the Midland Hotel - How to run a model community campaign

John from The Midland receives an award

Is there a future for pubs and live music venues in London? Before we consider any issues about campaigns, we need to consider this fundamental question. The evidence I've seen this week confirms what I've long believed the situation to be. On Saturday night, at the #SaveLodonMusic/Barnet Eye Xmas Party and annual community awards, we presented The Midland Hotel in Hendon with Barnet Eye pub of the Year and the Campaign to save it with the community campaign of the year. I had a long chat with John, who is the Landlord. I've known John for a good few years now, but it is actually the first time I've had a proper conversation with him. The Midland was formerly owned by Greene King breweries, who sold it to developers three years ago. John explained that since he became a free house, when Greene King sold up, he's been making far more money. This surprised me, but John explained "Under Greene King, I was a tied Landlord and had to pay a fixed rate for the beers. Now I can shop around, I can get most at almost half the price and offer a better selection of beers". John has been highly supportive of the #SaveLondonMusic campaign, welcoming us on numerous occasions for gigs at the pub. It is clear that far more people are using the pub and the work John has done has massively improved the ambiance. He's brought in a table tennis table and transformed the ambiance. It has taken time. Sadly in September, the developer, who had not spoken to John of their plans, dropped a bombshell, as a planning application to knock down the pub appeared on the Barnet Council planning portal. The Barnet Eye blog immediately issued a rallying cry to the local community to object to the plans.

At the heart of the community

That is the background to the campaign. A thriving pub business up against a developer who simply sees the site as a way to make a quick buck (or a million of them). It soon became clear that Barnet Council had been working quietly with the developers for a considerable amount of time behind the scenes on the plan. The Capita run planning department had apparently been advising the developers that there should be know problem getting their plans through. It really is quite astonishing that a local authority should not have considered the impact on local people, but that appears to be exactly what happened. There have been many worries about the effects of outsourcing the running of the planning department and the conflict of interest between the council making decisions and advising developers. The case of the Midland would seem to us to be a prime example.

As a result of the Barnet Eye blog, a flurry of objections were posted on the Council website. Once local people became aware of the issue, a group to Save The Midland was formed. The primary focus initially was on getting as many objections as possible, as this was the number one priority. This was highly successful, getting an unprecedented number (over 600) of objections. Local councillors were contacted, who in turn involved the local MP. Local community groups, both formal and informal were also involved. The next step was to get the pub listed as an asset of community value. This gives the pub a degree of protection from redevelopment, putting major roadblocks in the way of development. Local groups and campaigners made submissions. This then went to council and was granted this week.

This has been a major victory. Of course there are still many things that could happen. The planning application is yet to be officially determined, although it would be perverse if this was now granted. There may be appeals etc. But what the campaign has shown is that when a community gets together, it can change things. My expectation is that this is not done and dusted yet, but I think that ultimately the Midland is now highly likely to survive. The developers are still getting a decent income from the pub so have not lost money. I hope that they realise that they are actually sitting on a great asset, and whatever they do, they put the pub at the heart of it (although I know of few developers who actually think like that).

I think that the Midland Hotel Campaign is an absolute model of how to run a successful campaign.

Here are the key elements.

1. Kick start the campaign using all available social media resources, such as Twitter, Facebook, local bloggers, local Press and local radio. All of these have been deployed by the Save The Midland campaign.

Please join The False Dots and @KidWondR at The Midland Hotel in Hendon at 8:30 on Sat 13 Oct for the @Barneteye blog 10th Birthday Party. Sign the petition to #SaveTheMidland pic.twitter.com/8tOH1ndbij

— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID (@Barneteye) October 5, 2018

Like we need more luxury flats in Hendon !! 😡
Please post objections - details in the blog.
99% is ....... The Barnet Eye: Urgent - Developer plans to knock down the Midland Hotel in Hendon and replace it with luxury flats: https://t.co/g84rq0q3CA

— BarnetHousingAction (@BarnetHaction) September 4, 2018

Dismore joins campaign to save Midland Hotel Hendon https://t.co/EBNVYbkGDf

— Saving London Pubs (@PubsSaving) December 4, 2018

Currently 574 objections overwhelmingly against turning the pub into luxury flat. Fantastic. Let’s get it up to 600 objections to save the Midland Hotel Pub in West Hendon. #SaveTheMidland

— Calvin Casino (@calvincasino) October 18, 2018

2. Set up a committee to manage the campaign. Make sure this includes local people who are directly affected and also people with direct experience of running campaigns. For the Midland Campaign, an absolutely vital aspect was the support of local councillors, notably Councillor Helene Richman, who is a qualified Lawyer and has proven invaluable in ensuring that the campaigns arguments are legally sound. The Rev Julia Candy from St Johns had an influential role in gaining cross community support and should be acknowledged.

3. Ensure that the absolute maximum number of objections are posted. The Save The Midland Campaign actually set up an "objection station" in the pub with a laptop and someone to help locals object. A local council cannot ignore these. If more than five objections are received the scheme has to go the planning committee. If more than 500 are received, councillors will realise that the people who elected them are taking a major interest.

4. See if listing as an Asset of Community Value is feasible. This is the next best thing to being listed to preserve a building. It is worth checking out the details of the Midland application, as this is a model for how to do it.

5. Run local events to raise awareness. The Barnet Eye organised a party, which resulted in a packed pub and a whole stack more objections to the scheme. Ensure that all users of the pub make representations. The ACV application for the Midland had support from CAMRA, The Save London Music Campaign, the Montague Road Association and local residents. Angels Fancy Dress also provided a list of social events at their local pub.

6. Remember the job is never done. I suspect that every pub under threat can expect to have to fight for years, or even decades. Until the planning laws are adjusted to reflect the distortions that skyrocketing property prices are causing in our communities, we will see more not less of this. The Midland is a successful local pub. The only logic for knocking it down is that a developer can make a quick buck. If developers know that an authority is not going to facilitate this, then maybe, just maybe they will think twice. That is why it is so important to fight. Why not pop into the Midland for a pint over Xmas. We will be and why not become a Facebook friend


If you need any help or advice in how to help save your local music venue, please contact the #SaveLondonMusic campaign for advice and help