Swindon Music

Spot on!

One of the main reasons for going to see them I guess! I think i am going to go just to see what all the fuss about...

I think anyone expecting there would be a sudden step change in the local music scene and people attending gigs on the week following the Big Weekend have misunderstood what the potential benefits are - for a start economics dictated last week was always going to be generally quiet in town because it is mid month, in a month containing two bank holidays, and this was the first Big Weekend during a recession, so a lot of people had overspent themselves attending the Big Weekend and Fringe events the previous week.

The short term benefits included: (as Mr Garrett pointed out) the Fringe delivered a lot of very busy gigs all week long (following a bank holiday) with a lot of new faces in attendance, Beatbullyz went from strength to strength winning yet more new fans and industry interest (two years ago a local band called The View opened the Introducing stage!), The Alfonz got their new single (due for release the end of June) played on the R1 In New Music We Trust Show, and Swindon finally has it's own BBC Introducing show with many future benefits including proper tie ups with things like R1's INMWT. Also, the number of top acts coming back through the Oasis the rest of this year has increased (without getting into the whole need for a proper venue issue)

However, the major benefits and legacy were always going to be longer term and initially more 'behind the scenes' - changes most people won't see have already happened and there are things in the pipeline, so only time will tell if the Big Weekend delivered just a great weekend festival or a legacy.

Paj's comment above about those expecting an overnight, sea change is right on the money.

Glastonbury hosts (arguably) the most famous music festival in the world once a year but you don't very often hear people discussing how amazing the Glastonbury music scene is. The Big Weekend was never going to transform Swindon into a Liverpool, Manchester or London (or even Bristol or Oxford by itself.

With any luck - and over time - it will get to the point where the Oasis is having to turn down big shows due to multiple bookings and then some entity, be it the Council or commercial operator, will have to seriously consider the whole dedicated venue idea.

Beatbullyz have done themselves a world of favours by fulfilling their Big Weekend duties perfectly. Who knows, maybe they'll go on to really have a crack at things - even if not, they got the best opportunity possible and took it with both hands.

Lots of people will have been exposed to bands and venues that they probably wouldn't have been were it not for the BW and associated events. I saw people at both Fringe events I attended that I've never even seen before, let alone in Swindon live music venues. OK, they won't all come back, but some will.

I don't doubt for one minute that the BW will have a legacy... how big that legacy will be, and whether it makes much of a difference, is yet to be seen - but it won't be determined in the same month the BW happened and may not even really make itself fully known this year.

brilliant analogy!

May I clarify my comment re: how we missed a trick.

One of the major complaints I hear from Swindon musicians is that Swindon audiences are apathetic.....true? Getting people to gigs is like pulling teeth...true?

The Radio 1 show got a lot of the potential audience for local bands enthused about seeing national acts in their home town. While they are enthused we need to hype up what is going on and the great bands we have in the town already - a number a match for any that you could buy in from elsewhere.

To help the cause I offered to host "Swindon Music Radio" an online radio station playing swindon bands 24/7 and also a "Swindon Music Shop" where punters could download tracks from Swindon bands. I expect the traffic to these sites would have increased greatly coming up to the weekend as listeners from all over the net put "swindon" and "music" into their search engines (hoping to find the Radio 1 event).

My bandwidth would have allowed me to offer this - for free. Unfortunately I am not a good enough web designer to set this up alone and asked for help. It is sufficient to say that nothing ended up being built - for which I'm sorry.

So that's why I think we've missed a trick.

Yeah. Maybe we did. maybe we missed Radio 1's trick.

Even a cynical old duffer like me tuned in to the station for a few days. The R1 marketing department are wet over the increase in Thames Valley demographic, and oh, it's proof they are fulfilling the BBC's community mandate. And the DJs. yeah they're now seen as real people (especially the gritty new-music types) - they do gigs. A smart little summer dry-run for the outside broadcast crews and main acts too. Not forgetting as a bonus, the local council AND newspaper backed and hyped the thing big time - all for free! Yes. It was a winner alright.

Spotlight on Swindon. Spotlight my arse. Radio 1's One Big Advertisment more like.

Yeah, right on, Swindon would have been much better off if they'd done it in Basingstoke.

Those bastard corporations, ruining our community and lives by putting on a large scale, free music festival in our town.

Suffice to say, I couldn't disagree more with your comment. In actual fact, only last night I saw yet another advertisment related to the BW that promoted Swindon far more than it did R1 - that's 10 days since R1 packed up and left town.

I am attending a Swindon Music Forum Committee Meeting link on 10th June.

I'll be meeting with several members of the council, including Helen Miah (SBC's Head Of Culture) who was instrumental in brining the big weekend to Swindon.

If any of you have any points you'd like raised at the meeting and/or any constructive feedback, and suggestions for the future feel free to PM me or email me - damien@tic.mu and I'll collate the responses and bring them up at the meeting.

Cheers,

Damien

This could still happen!! I think it's a great idea and there's enough web designing skills in this town (cough, Adam) to help out.

I also think we could put together another SMF compliation CD or 2 and ask people like Dave Young at the vic to stick it in their jukebox...

I'm up for doing volume 2 (after doing volume 1 just over a year ago). I had a few tracks already sent to me but it all got kinda quietly shelved which was a shame...

haha just spotted this on punktastic:

"Brokencyde have cancelled their show in Southampton tonight because of issues at an American aiprort (I assume that means they missed their flight). Official word is no other dates should be affected. For those who care - and you shouldn't, this band are terrible - dates are in the comments."

Absolutely.

My comments were purely about raising the awareness of people within Swindon about what's going on. Not about promoting Swindon on the national stage.

And by the way we'd rather not shine a spotlight on your arse thank you Mr Poem....

I don't tend to go to gig's now to watch other bands (I did all this when i was in my 20's and sort of seen it all) but I go if i know the band, as i don't know much about Swindon music today, I don't what bands are good or bad . I should get out there but why do it on my own as I have no freinds that would come with me anyways .
I want to be on the stage playing not watching it.

Just my views on it from my angle .

So if playdead had of let us play I would of been there all week, I would of went with my band.

Deluk

Good job not everyone thinks that way or all of your gigs would be pretty boring for you!