I have been using myspace now for a little while and find it an incredibly usefull tool for bands seeking to promote themselves and for finding like-minded artists. As much fun as this is, it is no good for looking for venues in cities to play in, so i thought i’d do this blog to help musicians who want to play in Nottingham get an idea of whats going on.
Open Mic Nights
For many bands/artists, the open mic night is often the first port of call, and there are quite a few in nottingham.
On a Monday night The Golden Fleece (http://www.leftlion.co.uk/bars.cfm/id/36) on Mansfield Road hosts an open mic night (this is where we did our first gigs, nice one Bruce!). Bruce Myers hosts the event (www.myspace.com/brucemyers (http://www.myspace.com/brucemyers) which has a varied line up and usually a featured artist who gets a half hour slot. it is run on a first come, first served basis, so it is usually best to contact Bruce in advance as the night often gets booked up very quickly.
On a Wednesday night Sausage (http://www.itchynottingham.co.uk/venues/299.html) hosts an open mic night for artists/bands to showcase their act in front of an audience.
On a Thursday night The Lion inn (http://www.pub-explorer.com/notts/pub/lioninnnewbasford.htm) (Basford) host a lively open mic night from about 8pm. All acts are welcome, but be sure to contact the venue in advance (0115 9703506). All musicians get a free pint!
On a Sunday night The Frog And Onion (http://www.ents24.com/web/venue/34549/Nottingham/Frog_&_Onion.html) (Forest Fields) runs an open mic night hosted by Nick, Paul and Rich from Nottingham based band Trickster. Another eclectic session, generally culminating in a jam at the end featuring anyone who wants to do it! As usual all are welcome on a first come first served basis, and you get a free drink for your trouble.
Pubs
The Bell Inn (http://www.thebell-inn.com/whatson.php) is a good venue in the centre of Nottingham for up and coming bands. it is very jazz friendly, but if you are a more mainstream (i.e. not a jazz band) you may get in on the strength of a good demo on a Wednesday/Thursday night. The Bell is always free entry and bands are generally paid an agreed fee. You will need to supply your own P.A.
Bunkers Hill (http://www.leftlion.co.uk/bars.cfm/id/18) used to be a pay-to-play type venue, where you hired the upstairs room and took the door money. I’m not sure if this is still the case, as i haven’t been for a while. it has recently been refurbished, and i know that a lot of bands do play there, so it may well be worth a look.
The Frog And Onion (http://www.ents24.com/web/venue/34549/Nottingham/Frog_&_Onion.html) have live music every Friday. all types of music considered, contact them with a good demo. always free entry, bands are paid a fee and you will need a P.A.
The Golden Fleece (http://www.leftlion.co.uk/bars.cfm/id/36) sometimes have bands on a Sunday, often jazz, but do consider other acts, contact with a good demo. it is always free entry and they have an in house P.A. fees are negotiable.
The Lion Inn (http://www.pub-explorer.com/notts/pub/lioninnnewbasford.htm) cater for a variety of musical styles. There is always jazz on a Sunday played while they serve sunday roasts! Friday and Saturday you could see a covers band, a blues band, a ska band, a funk band, all sorts really. This is a very popular venue and often gets booked up for the year as early as february! This is a free entry venue with a fee and you will need a P.A. and contact with a good demo, but be prepared to wait!
The Loggerheads Inn (http://www.touchnottingham.com/business/list/bid/3013605) is a little venue tucked away behind Nottingham’s Broadmarsh Shopping Centre. They are currently pushing to book a lot of bands so contact them quickly with a good demo. P.A. is supplied and fee is a percentage of the bar takings.
The Malt Cross (http://www.maltcross.com/home/) is a great venue in the centre of nottingham, with regular events on every Saturday for bands, and Tuesdays for acoustic acts/ singer songwriters. Enjoy The Ride on Saturdays gets very busy as it has a good reputation as a live music night. The night costs £5 on the door, but bands can have a minimal guest list. Fees are negotiable and there is an in house P.A. with an engineer and a V.J. who can project images onto the wall behind the stage while you are playing, it holds about 3-400 people.
The Maze (http://www.ents24.com/web/venue/1725/Nottingham/%20The_Maze_Forest_Tavern.html) is another good venue for up and coming acts. it had closed down for a while, but is open again now and seems to be putting on more nights than ever. Friday night is generally a band night with the main band at 11pm and sometimes a support band on before. The main band will agree a fee prior to the gig, with the supporting act it is more of a showcase gig, which can lead to future gigs at the venue. it is outside town slightly (about half a mile), situated on the Mansfield Road, but is well known as a music venue. Contact with a good demo. P.A. and in house engineer supplied.
Although this is by no means an exhaustive list of venues in the city, these are some of the ones that i feel could be of use to up and coming acts. if you would like me to add anything to this list, fell free to contact me on my bands myspace (see below). To be honest that is the other reason i have posted this blog, so as people can tell me what venues they have played, and how they found them.
if you find this blog useful, and are from another city, please post me some details of venues that we could play in your town. i would encourage all unsigned bands to do this type of blog as i think it will help the greater musical community, and thus music in general.
once again thanks very much for reading this blog, i hope it has been of use to you.
all the best, colm.DSC.
www.myspace.com/deepsoundchannel1
