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The day live music died

A new layer of government bureaucracy is threatening to pull the plug on pub rock. Andy McSmith reports

A law introduced in 2003 has created too much red tape around live music, say landlords

ALAMY

A law introduced in 2003 has created too much red tape around live music, say landlords

You are in a pub, having a good time, and someone walks in with a guitar, drink flows, and the crowd starts singing some old number like, say, "I Fought the Law (And the Law Won)". Before the evening is out, the poor publican could be fighting the law, and the law will win again.

Live music is fast disappearing from pubs, clubs, wine bars, restaurants and other small venues, musicians claim, because of a law passed in 2003, when the Government was trying to eliminate teenage violence that they associated with badly organised music events.

Hopes were raised recently when the Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport ended a lengthy investigation into the 2003 Licensing Act by recommending that venues with a capacity of fewer than 200 people should be exempt.

But this week, the Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, gave the Government's reply: it does not matter how small a venue is, it can still attract trouble. Mr Burnham has agreed to revisit the issue, but not for "at least a year", by which time there could be a different government.

The law says that a publican can show football on a large-screen television, or have piped music blaring out, but if there is a folk singer or rapper in the pub, there has to be a special licence called a Temporary Event Notice (TEN). According to the Musicians' Union, small venues have stopped putting on live music because managements do not want the hassle of filling out lengthy forms.

In London, which has perhaps the most vibrant live music scene of all, there is the additional hazard of form 696, compiled by Scotland Yard, which some people suspect is a deliberate device for suppressing the forms of music that black and Asian teenagers enjoy – dubstep, hip hop, ragga, and the rest.

"It's in the interest of the powers-that-be to shut these people up," Jon McClure, lead singer of Reverend and the Makers, claims. "It's not about knife crime, it's about stopping certain forms of music that they don't want to be there."

Lowkey, a British-Iraqi rapper, added: "I've seen it doing the clubs. On a night when they are expecting the white audience, there will be one bouncer on the door. On the next night, when there is a black audience, there will be bouncers everywhere, metal detectors, you have to show your passport and give your address. that kind of thing. They just assume that where there is a lot of brown people, there is going to be violence."

"These issues exist, but it's quite patronising to put so much emphasis on music as a catalyst. What they should address before that is the booze culture and the culture in the record industry of exploitation that glamorises violence."

But Mr Bradshaw said that his department "has considered exemptions for small venues, but has not been able to reach agreement on exemptions that will deliver an increase in live music whilst still retaining essential protections for local residents".

"There is no direct link between size of audience or number of performers and potential for noise nuisance or disorder," he claimed.

His decision provoked a furious reaction from musicians. Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of the charity UK Music, and former lead singer of the punk rock group the Undertones, said: "After six years of legislation, eight consultations, two government research projects, two national review processes and a parliamentary select committee report, all of which have highlighted the harmful impact these regulations are having on the British music industry, the Government's only reaction is yet another review."

Some of Mr Sharkey's examples of how the law works in practice are almost comical. The organisers of a "mummer", under which a troupe of performers travel from pub to pub to perform seasonal folk dramas, were told they must have a TEN for each pub on their route. They cut their schedule from 26 pubs to eight, but getting the licences still cost more than they raised for charity.

Form 696, which applies in London, gained particular notoriety because it demanded the ethnic background and personal details of every performer. One councillor who organised an event in aid of a cancer trust, at which no alcohol was to be sold, was banned from holding it after he refused to fill in form 696.

Jon McClure added: "The sad thing is that the music press, with very, very few exceptions, has been completely quiet on this issue. Where are our John Lennons or Joe Strummers to stand up and say 'this is terrible'? The vanguard of British music now has been these rappers. What has made Britain great is its really varied cultures. If we could mix them, we would have some stunning music."

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Martin, of the Metropolitan Police pubs and vice squad, stressed that the question about performers' ethnic background was removed from form 696 eight months ago. A new, simplified version is being prepared, and he insisted its purpose is not to stamp out any musical genre.

"The important thing to remember is that even though we may ask someone to fill in one of these forms, and even if their venue is assessed as high risk, we very, very, seldom close them down. There were eight venues closed last year, out of thousands."

Bad form: The bureaucracy that has silenced the music

*Form 696 is a risk assessment form which, the Metropolitan Police says, gives it a clear idea of whether a planned musical event is likely to be a threat to law and order or a nuisance to people living nearby.

Although the police drew up the form, which is now being amended, it is up to local councils and to magistrates to complete it as a condition of granting a music licence. Currently, there are 70 venues in London, out of about 28,000, where no event can be held unless form 696 has been filled in.

The original version of form 696, since amended, asked after the ethnic background of all performers, and for their mobile phone numbers. It also singled out "Bashment [sic], R'n'B, Garage" as musical genres in which the police apparently took a particular interest. Some saw this as racist.

The Met says that the form is simply a tool for protecting the public, including the young people at these gigs, and that, even when there is a high risk of trouble, it is very unlikely that police will close the venue. It happened eight times last year.

But on the Downing Street website there is a petition, organised by the singer Jon McClure, to "scrap the unnecessary and draconian usage of the 696 form from London music events". It has attracted 17,405 signatures. Gordon Brown has not yet responded.

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Comments

[info]mitchellnbeard wrote:
Friday, 17 July 2009 at 11:55 pm (UTC)
too much regulation and interference. the police have plenty of powers already to supervise live music events, without all this extra disincentive for venues to support live music. earning a living as a musician is hard enough anyway. I should know, I've been doing it for 29 years
music ban
[info]jimfred wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 12:50 am (UTC)
First,the smoking ban,now the music ban.
They really want to make us sit at home,watching telly,like docile cattle.
"brown" music? Not Gordon's, that's for sure.
[info]nled63 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 01:10 am (UTC)

I was highly amused (in a sardonic sort of way) to read how there seems to be the perception that wherever there is a black/brown audience for an event, there will be violence. Er.......how about football hooligans? We should perhaps bear in mind that back in the middle '60's the "Skinhead" cult was born - a movement that was spawned in London, England, was virtually a wholly white affair with connections to white supremacism. The Skinhead movement exported football violence to an unprepared Europe, & the mayhem that ensued led the European football fans to form their own counter-groups modelled on British skinheadism. There are two reasons for the current clamp-down on live pub music: one, it's subliminal racism. Two, it's the product of a parochial, low-church Protestant, lace curtain twitching mentality so eloquently summed up in the dithering personality of this boring, tiresome & sour humoured old Scot we are constrained to refer to as "Mr Prime Minister"

UGH!
Re: "brown" music? Not Gordon's, that's for sure.
[info]mickey_modster wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 05:34 am (UTC)
Skinhead was not originally a rascist movement; it's roots lie very stongly in Jamaican music and still do. Unfortunately, it was highjacked by the far right, as many working class movements are.
As for exporting football violence to an unprepared Europe, I think you'll find they've had this diesese there for as long as we have. Only difference is, it still continues over mainland Europe.
But your right, there does seem to be a rascist attitude towards music of ethnic origin...
Not exactly what you could call a free nation is it?
[info]philip_r wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 02:00 am (UTC)
How is this less oppressive than say, Iran in the time of Khomeini? Of course blame violence on music, video games or any other damn thing and overlook the fact that violent crime has been declining over the years in spite of the fact that video games and hip hop music are recent phenomena. After listening to M.I.A. people want to go out and commit a crime? Oh really? How stupid can you Brits possibly be? Are you all just too cowardly to stand up for your basic human rights? Are you trying to emulate your already emasculated cousins across the pond? Preparing to be the next third world nation? Really what the hell is wrong with you? But come to think of it, the fear of culture and free expression in England already exceeds and has exceeded by exponential degrees what you will find in most any so-called third world dictatorship, well except for say North Korea. Really in this respect you have less freedom than people in Burma. What a joke! Welcome to the world of mega venues and television.
Kill culture > Kill Society
[info]alchemist1981 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 03:18 am (UTC)
A few brawls leads to squashing live music across the board. A prime example of Neo-Labour and It's progressive facist policies. They reply to stone throwing with nuclear bombs every time. They'll be nothing left soon. Authoritarian madness.

Anyone who has ever been on a plane can see that culture in the UK hs been in sready decline for quite a while now.

Re: Kill culture > Kill Society
[info]chrisp666 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:15 am (UTC)
Absolutely! What a dreary, grey society we have become. Your comment on the decline of culture is spot-on, but best not to go off-topic and rant about that, too. When I was young, I thought the UK was a fabulous place to live, enjoyed going to see great groups at London pubs, recommended by the wonderful Charlie Gillett, but what do we have now? Everything that is not compulsory is forbidden. What a risk-averse, dull nation we are.
Another tradition bites the dust
[info]49niner wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 05:06 am (UTC)
What are the authorities afraid of? Pub music in all its forms is a tradition that goes back a long way. It's where a lot of bands start. British popular music once thrived on it. And a few bevvies while you're listening to the band makes for a good night. No wonder the pub trade is dying on its feet.

Bureaucracy is killing creativity at all levels in our society, and this trend has been gathering pace over the past 20 or 30 years. When it comes down to it the authorities don't like people who don't bow down to them, and the lyrics of a lot of songs can appear quite subversive. In reality they often are not. It's a way for people to let off steam.

Next month it is the 40th anniversaary of that most iconic of spontaneous music events - Woodstock. It galvinised a generation. Glastonbury is a many ways a modern version - mud and all. But these major events have their roots in pub music. Pull out the roots and the plant dies. We mustn't let that happen.
Disgusted
[info]fionamacc wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 05:59 am (UTC)
If its not the pub chains bleeding dry the "local", its the government stifling any creativity and replacing it with the telly and the juke box, to do as "jimfred" said below.
Far easier it would be for the police to be empowered to close establishments that were causing trouble and then let the owners reapply for a license. That would empower the community and the police whilst putting responsibility back with the owner and far less paperwork too.
This has all got to go
[info]steerpike66 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 07:21 am (UTC)
Security is not worth this; this is horrible and bears no resemblance to a normal human society.
Lunatics
[info]cavirac wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 07:29 am (UTC)
Before retirement I worked for a brewery, we had many pubs. We had one that wanted to have a duo play on Friday nights. The local authority turned up and said as the cellars were under the pub (how strange) we would need to girder the floor and have reinforced concrete etc, costing a fortune. I pointed out that when the duo were playing they would take up space and only 50 or 60 people would be in the pub. This compared to about 90 when there was football on the telly and the boys were watching it standing up. My plea failed, the pub lost out and another venue was denied. I am not surprised at your article the lunacy has been going on for years.
the day the music died???
[info]peersrogue wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 07:34 am (UTC)
Absolutely typical of this appalling govt: are there any small joys left that this great nu liebour clunking fist has not destroyed?
[info]doug_piranha wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 08:41 am (UTC)
"The original version of form 696, since amended, asked after the ethnic background of all performers, .......Some saw this as racist. "

er..but it is a racist question - to ask for a person's ethnic origin.
what a stupid and unbelievably crass question to ask people.
A major plus about music is that it knows no borders.
It may have roots - but the branches spread far and wide.

To remove this question simply shows it was a stupid, stupid mistake.

but this is an attack on us all - never mind the colour of your skin.
what a gutless , mealy mouthed bunch our politicians are.
As long as Glynebourne and Covent Garden are okay - screw the plebs
[info]doug_piranha wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 08:53 am (UTC)
mickey-modster - knows his stuff.

Skinheads loved reggae and ska - and skinheads were not based on any racist concept.
As Mickey says - some right wing groups had a smattering of skinheads in them - equally
matched by hordes of fat , red faced blokes with ties on ( small town banl manager types )

So it is not true that a major trait of being a skinhead was being racist.

Also it is a TOTAL and unspeakably uninformed myth that football violence is a "british disease"
The European press love to rubbish Britain - I think they see us as still revelling in an Empire mentality - which may or may not be true. But so often things are dumped on Britan , which
although reprehensible, were not our invention, or occur solely in this country.

the ultras in Italy were guilty of murders and mayhem in the 60's.
Referees were shot in South America, along with huge riots after matches.
Dutch and German football fans were notorious, in fact Dutch hooligans were
considered to be far worse than the UK lunatics.

I am always keen to look the facts in the face - it is the only way to learn the truth
but looking at half the picture - only gives you half an understanding.


Do they listen?
[info]arion444 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:05 am (UTC)
"After six years of legislation, eight consultations, two government research projects, two national review processes and a parliamentary select committee report, all of which have highlighted the harmful impact these regulations are having on the British music industry, the Government's only reaction is yet another review."

Let's call a spade a spade. Do 'they' listen? No. Do 'they' care? Absolutely not. Does power corrupt. Absolutely. Stop listening to 'them', stop obeying 'them', and stop this abuse and suppression in its tracks. You stop idiotic bullying by just saying NO!
Stalin Would Be Proud
[info]gacman wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:09 am (UTC)
Yet another attempt by our Stalinist government to stifle free expression. We seem to be less and less a part of the "free" world with each passing year.
NuLab intentions
[info]chiennoir wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:24 am (UTC)
Form stopping poets and musicians at the border to wanting to know the racial profile of audiences at music events to this, a sinister pattern is emerging so plainly that anyone who cares to look can see it. Creativity in all its forms is to be discouraged and replaced with the blandness and mediocrity NuLab is trying to foist on the public. Soon it will be illegal not to own a television and tune in to the Ministry of Propaganda ten times a day.
reading this one made my blood boil
[info]acidpen wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:36 am (UTC)
what a bunch of fucking miserable bastards, how on earth can this sort of thing be tolerated, i know its a cliche but ban the opera see how they like it , how is it possible that political decisions are so out of touch with the people. as i see it, every 4 years we vote for what? some little jumped up greedy lying tossers to dream up new ways to rob us and take away out liberties...
re NuLabor's intentions
[info]chiennoir wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 09:38 am (UTC)
I should have added "Ah, but our leaders always know best."
Idiocracy
[info]peterwarrender wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 10:04 am (UTC)
This has not be done by accident. We are having our individuality slowly cooked out of us, with one law after another relentlessly suppressing our freedom of expression within our day to day existence.
It is our own fault for accepting this oppression. It will get worse and worse as we are all turned into Stepford citizens, living in pleasantville. A 1984 scenario would be a picnic to how things will evolve in the future. Musicians and entertainers will have to be as limp, as the food we are supplied with, that is massively nutritionally lacking. Can anybody be so stupid as to condone GM food,allow our civil liberties be taken away from us? under the false flag of terrorism along with global warming. Yes we can. Sadly I can admit to this also. We chatter and do nothing to remedy the situation.
Why no Strummers?
[info]blobbox wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 10:19 am (UTC)
Because since Strummer and then Acid House and then the Criminal Justice Act the government have managed to gain total control of the nations youth. Teenage rebellion is a commodity like any other and the youth have had any semblance of revolution eliminated from their minds having grown-up with ceaseless drug and sex images thrust in their faces since birth. Mickey D's are 'Just lovin' it' straight from the mouths of the burger generations to the pill-muching generation. Brave New World? Yup. This is it. Game Over.
Give 'em the Boot!
[info]rojaws wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 10:29 am (UTC)
Another nail in freedoms coffin.
Never mind cultural, social & ethnic differences.
It's high time the population of Britain stood up to this travesty of government & collectively said "No more, get stuffed".
Until the British (of whatever colour & creed) learn to stand together against this sort of Orwellian tyrany, we'll get nowhere.
It's not just NuLabour (although that shower are probably the worst) it's the whole rotten lot that lurk around Westminster.
The entire political system is completely twisted & corrupt.
ANY government these days just wants the entire population to be grey, mindless drones.
our police "masters"
[info]freeethinker wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 10:38 am (UTC)

no matter what they tell us the police see themselves as our masters. this is a fact. they are control freaks. this is also true. the police will implement (or try to) any measure they think they can get away with in the interests of as they say "preventing crime" even if the measure encroaches on our freedom to go about our normal law abiding lives free of police interference. look at "kettling" a police tactic that can imprison a person against his/her will for hours at a time even if that person has nothing to do with the situation the police are controlling. this is just plain wrong!

the police only pay lip service to listening to what the public say about the measures they employ. they listen with closed ears and then do whatever they were going to do anyway. they will not be stopped, they are the masters after all!

as well as the measures that the article above speaks of our police masters have and still are preventing motorcycle rallies, gatherings and shows from taking place all over the country. the reason they give is that there may be trouble!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7400748.stm some of the shows and rallies that have been and still are banned by the police have been going for years without incident. when one organiser who was facing ruin because of the police action tried to resist the order he had tremedous pressure exerted by the police to the point where he had to give in. the police will not be thwarted you see, they will have their way by fair or foul means.

it's been said before and sadly it's true. this country is sleepwalking into a police state.

just to be clear. i am not and have never been an activist, demonstrator or whatever (not there is anything wrong with that). i am a 61 year old mr. average. i run my own business and have always gone about my life in a normal law abiding manner. just like most of the people in the country then!

over the years i have become increasingly disturbed by the ever increasing encroachments on our freedom of speech, movement and assembly, all in the name of "crime prevention". the UK has become a nasty place. we are watched by CCTV from morning 'till night. we are photographed, video'd and listened to by all manner of agencies for all manner of reasons, most of which are to find us guilty of some transgression or other and send us a fine through the post. nice!

we in the UK are not really the types to take to the streets and protest. we unlike the French dont block ports with boats or roads with trucks or tractors to let OUR government know we are unhappy with what they are doing.

perhaps it's time we did take to the streets and emulate the french, it usually works for them.
No-one wants this law
[info]rogersbrother wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 10:47 am (UTC)
I had some dealings with my Local Authority concerning Temporary Events Notices and in the course of my discussions I spoke to both the Local Authority Licensing Department who regarded the law as being unfair and unworkable. I spoke to the local Police - who echoed the views of the Local Authority. They even suggested that I wrote to the Chief Constable in order to add some weight to the Association of Chief Constables opposition to a badly thought out piece of legislation.
And that's before we have even considered the opinions of musicians, performers or audiences!

On every front
[info]jimhogg wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 11:58 am (UTC)
Things can only get better! How many folk were conned by this shower of power hungry and controlling sharpsters? They've been closing us down step by step across every front of freedom in their obsessive attempts to create the ultimate conformist, snuffed out society, and they're almost there. One last surge should do it, because there's little evidence of a fight back. And yet, we still don't have a safe society. But we do have a bunch of self serving liars and cheats stealing the show. One thing does puzzle me though: where are the young firebrands who should be trying to dismantle this stale, crusty restrictive confection that's stifling this country?
The day live music died
[info]revelstoke wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 12:05 pm (UTC)
Nothing to do with alcohol being served in pubs then,when Andy Burnham says it pubs that put on music attracts trouble?Doh!He needs to get out more,Cutlural Secretary m a**e
Another Victory for the NuLab Puritans
[info]brumbar wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 12:17 pm (UTC)
against people whom they consider to be of no account. All this legislation was brought in as a knee-jerk reaction, and in oirder to be seen to be 'doing something'. There was already more than enough legislation to control any public order or noise problems in venues. It is simnply that there is a section of the population who just do not like either music, musicians - or people, for that matter. Nulab courts these people for their votes. The Govt. make a straightforward political calculation: Musicians and the people who go to see them are not likely to vote, and are anyway a very disorganised group of people. This means that they can be disregarded, scapegoated and subjected to ridiculous legislation designed to appeal to the Puritans among us who want to 'Put A Stop To This Kind Of Thing'. The fact that it has cost the taxpayer an absolute fortune in paying for reviews, committees, etc. etc. is also of no importance.
Gordon Brown has not yet responded
[info]loftwork wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 12:36 pm (UTC)
Gordon Brown never responds. There is a significant time lag between his alien programmers on Alpha Proxima and his human persona effector circuits which makes rapid adjustments impossible. Just look at his performance at PM's Questions. Apparently they experimented with giving the Brown android a small amount of local autonomy but it went horribly wrong. As to music legislation, on Alpha Proxima improvisational music is experienced as physical pain, so Brown's instructions are to shut it down wherever possible.
uk becomes uninhabitable
[info]viljam wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 01:01 pm (UTC)
how awful! imagine if they banned spontaneous music shows in other countries. Great popular music would die! there'd be no more flamenco except in stiff-necked shows. The police are "protecting" the public? They always come out with this sort of drivel. If they actually did a bit of policing all the time, instead of appearing in brutal droves only when there's a protest, or molesting someone in a t-shirt that causes "distress", then there would be less violence. But you hardly see police on the beat actually protecting anybody. The UK is unpoliced.They think they are above it.

As for the racism, how do they get away with it?
Keep music LIVE
[info]septimusgrunge wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 01:10 pm (UTC)
As a current muso, and have been since the 60's I could weep at the present situation. Behind every band is a music shop that employes people, not to mention the thousands of craftsmen and women who produce instruments and all that goes with it. Next they'l be banning marching bands etc.

Septimus Grunge
Re: Keep music LIVE
[info]tkandme wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 04:50 pm (UTC)
I agree that music should be kept live and the most important thing in Live music is LIFE!

There has to be some control over use of material, equipment etc. we all have to make a living.

I am a single dad with a 10 year old boy and this is the second year we have been to a major music festival and yes there is a corporate element to these events but for example at Oxegen there were all levels of participants from craftsmen and small music groups, who showed him how to play traditional instruments to major 'corporate players' , not many ten year olds get to jam with Newton Falconer and stand in a crowd beside Michael Stipe just enjoying the music!
jilted john
[info]loftfunk wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 05:20 pm (UTC)
Two three four......Gordon is a moron Gordon is a moron (repeat till fade or at least everytime you see him in Public!!!
Music and freedom
[info]ashtton3 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 06:47 pm (UTC)
There is a simple answer to our loss of freedom and our tyrannical and treasonous government, if we hang two Parliamentarians a day, in less than a year will will have cleaned house.

We can then elect a new crop of loyal and honest men and women to govern us, who will be kept in check by the knowledge of what happen to the previous crowd.

A little brutual perhaps but as they say 'spare the rod spoil the child'.
Music and freedom
[info]ashtton3 wrote:
Saturday, 18 July 2009 at 06:56 pm (UTC)
If we hang two Parliamentarians every day, in less than a year will will have cleaned House.

Then we can elect honest and hard working men and women who will be kept in line by the knowledge of what happen to the lass lot!

This may sound a little brutal but as is said," Spare the rod spoil the child"

PS As we now realize that the rise of the extreme parties is in direct correlation to this authoritarian left wing dictatorship.
This is more cultural than political
[info]philip_r wrote:
Sunday, 19 July 2009 at 07:34 pm (UTC)
The Labor party? You mean that right wing fascist phony so called left wing party of "labor"? What's that got to do with it? Do you really think that the conservative party is any better when it comes to social issues? Many of you forget already how draconian and elitist the Conservative party is. You forget how those prudes seem to abhor freedom in any personal sense (unless maybe its the freedom of getting the government to pay for your moat, or screw your employees). What short memories. The problem is that you Brits are squeamish about your own selves and that's why you put up with this crap. It doesn't matter which party. Oh well, actually it does. You have the misfortune of being stuck in a two party system. But it isn't going to do you any good going from frying pan to the fire.
[info]vanessachampion wrote:
Monday, 20 July 2009 at 01:14 pm (UTC)
What does the government want us all to do? Sit at home watching commercially sponsored TV, listen to piped and filtered music in bland theme-pubs, watch commercially sponsored sports on the pub-screen? Have we all gone mad? Who on earth signs these things off? Where is the entrepreneurial spirit in government? Where in government and the Met are the free-thinking entities who encourage creativity, community and public-spirit?
Music in particular brings about a sense of community spirit and energy, a recognition and respect of each other. If you sit in a Jazz club in Manchester or an impromptu session in Dublin, the rich and the poor, the different races and creeds all sit alongside each other and there's no need for words or agression. People respect the talent in the music.
How many in the Met and govt have been abroad, and not being able to speak the language, but sat alongside the locals in a bar while a live band plays, shared a pint, a smile and even food, and although a stranger in a foreign land, felt part of the community?
Music can transcend language, class and creed; it opens barriers, releases the doors to friendship; it makes communities closer and communication easier.
Actually the Met and government should be thinking of way to court and actively support live music on the ground, in local pubs, clubs and venues. Being part of the community rather than trying to rip it to shreds, divide communities by destroying opportunities to encourage everyone to come together and be part of their community.
They are sending out the wrong message once again, in their attempt to control a few - they ruin it for the many.
When will they learn to employ an expert with sensitivity and a brain to review these laws before they hit the fan - to make sure the Met and Govt communicate the right message !??!!!
(no subject) - [info]iq_tests - Monday, 20 July 2009 at 05:12 pm (UTC) Expand

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