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4th November 2006
The Club, The Way it is, the way it was and and how it should and will be and the fun along the way by ProDaz,
Wow Ive just counted how many band nights the AlternativeSkegness team has ran this year, 12, thats a years worth of gigs in 8 months, and damn have they been some great times, some bad times and the damn nasty times, not just the nights themselves but the organising itself at times but if anyone asks if it was worth it, Ill reply fuck yes Ive had a fucking great time, Its been worth it all, all the hassle, all the bitching, all the tears, all the paranoia, all the uncertainess and all the unorganised times.
This brings me back to July 1st last year, My 1st ever night out at the rock club, I was dragged out by some mates as I used to be a bit more to myself back then and not come out at night much, I was glad they brought me out, I had a great time, I got drunk saw some great live bands, had the time of my life with my mates and I got kicked out for missing a group hug by about 10feet lol, Then I helped get my mate home because he was as pissed as me, boy was that fun. My 1st thought was I had a great time, cant wait til next week. We had Alternative nights every week back then, Band nights every 2 weeks under the old regime of 2005. So it was edged in stone, I became a regular at the rock club, which at the time was the beach bar and the library, from going to the club alot of people would say I came out my shell, I think the same, it made me who I am today because I had alot of fun and went through aload of shit like getting mugged after the rock club one night etc, but for the most part it was all fun. I was a heavier drinker back then as well so that helped hehe. Fast forward to like october or november 2005, The Club was lost because of some unfortunate consequences and it left me and all my mates with nowhere to go and listen to rock music and have a good time without getting hassle for having long hair and liking metal and punk etc.I made so many friends at the rock club and they all felt how i did that we needed a rock club here in skegness, All we were left with were house partys and for a while they were fun but the novelty wore off because theres no thrill in them compared to seeing live bands and your mates and getting drunk and having some damn good nights. Even back then I wanted them back so badly but never did I think one year later I would be running them near enough on my own and being praised for it.
In January, Some of us got together and campaigned to get some more alternative nights back, we went as far as asking other venues to see if they would host them, they werent listening, this all led to the creation of this site and then that led to us getting a DJ night back and it was packed, Just for a DJ night, No live band just rock music, a load of alternatives and a group of friends. My 18th Birthday was getting ever closer was just a matter of 10 days away and My mates Nick & Stacey wanted to give me a birthday I wasnt going to forget soon, They went to the beach bar and asked if they could put on some live bands for a mates birthday and thankfully it happened, They organised a gig with 5 bands in about 4 days, How they did it I dont know as I wasnt a part of it at the time but they did a damn good job, Stacey and Nick formed a team to run the Nights after the success of My Birthday which by the way was jam packed to the roof and it showed that there was a demand. I asked to do some DJing out of curiosity one day and that led to the question that would eventually lead to me doing something I love, Nick asked me to help out running the club with him and stacey, I said yes, I said hell yeah. Unfortunately Stacey one of my best mates had to move away and that led to me and Nick being a team running the club. We pulled off our 1st gig as a team in March and it went well and The rest is history, AlternativeSkegness was born.
Now its been 8 months since maybe more, in that 8 months weve had some good nights and some bad nights. Although we have accomplished some pretty neat things, Weve booked some awesome bands Stain of Death, The Cucumber Pilots, Dirty Protest, Social Directive etc, Booked some big bands, TorsoHorse, Kamikaze Sperm and now the BiG! Weve booked bands & artists that do something a little different than the rest like Bosco Feltz, PhoBias & others, We secured the 1st band night down in strikes in more than 20-30 years perhaps and we managed to secure a permanent home for the band nights down there, Strikes is more suited to a rock club feel as its a dark and dreary underground club which suits the underground music scene pretty well. We also pulled off a successful acoustic night amongst other stuff.
For the better part of the year my team partner has organised the bands and ive helped out with DJing and running the website and putting some posters up here and there, Ive had alot on my plate this year with moving out of my parents, living on my own and holding down a full time job to support myself but I always made time to help out. Ive booked like 2 bands and they have both gone down very well, No complaints from anyone. Sometimes though beyond my control the running of the club has been pretty unorganised though, no-one can argue that, Ive always wanted to run it 4 months in advance but couldnt physically do it my self, Nick couldve though but didnt for one reason or another, Bands booked days in advance, Bands cancelling days in advance, No PA, No equipment, No organisation, No respect get me? People complain but theres nothing I couldve done at the time.
Now people can say thats the music business and I guess yeah thats true and Ive only been in it for less than a year but I get told the music business is driven by ''egos, frustration anger and resentment thats what drives music - ANGER!''
Now ive been around certain people throwing tantrums, losing tempers, people shouting at others to try to get things done, paranoia, resentment, not one of these things gets things done, if it did this year wouldve gone smoothly and no problems at all but it hasnt, its gone ok and weve somehow pulled it off, Dont ask how, I just dont know. I couldnt disagree more though not one of them things works or has any right to work to get things done, at least not running a club it just causes people to bitch, moan, complain, whine or not co-operate, and it has full right to. if someone was shouting at me for stupid reasons then Id be a bit insulted.
When I came onboard to me it was a fun project, a new hobby and a chance to be around the thing I LOVE, music, To me it hasnt changed, now my counterpart worrys, panics, loses his cool over nothing and shouts and loses his temper, and gets stressed out if something dont go right or go his way, thats not how things should be, if you stop having fun then whats the use. To me the club should be about the music, it should always remain that way and always about people having fun and give them a good night and also our job is to get people in that club buying drinks, Our personal preference of music is regardless because if people like it and want to hear it they should get it. Ive always thought like that because i want as many people in that club as possible. The way to run a club is be organised, keep calm, stay positive, have a good team to back you up, have everything sorted well in advance etc and from now on its going to be done like that whether I do it on my own, whether my counterpart stays to back me up or a new team is born, this is the way it is going to be done. People have come up to me and said you should book SMOKESCREEN! surprise they are booked for february 10th 2007, along with others. If you like something come and tell me, if you dont tell me as well, all oppinions are welcome, I dont welcome bitching because I have no time for it anymore, Its not how the club is going to be run, If something goes wrong like a band cancels or we have no PA then I will not panic, I will remain calm and do everything I can to make sure people still have a good time, If I have to improvise I will, Ive improvised before and Ive had fun doing it, but the key to it is remaining calm, It works so much better.
Now it looks like its just me doing this now, am I prepared im not sure but im going to give it a go, Ill probably assemble a team of some sort, Ive already started a new promotion called UNDERGROUND! Promotions, more details will be coming on that soon but its a radical project and could be good news for a lot of local bands out there wanting more exposure, this means you phobias, social directive, adventurers etc. Im going to run AlternativeSkegness under the UNDERGROUND! promotions banner and when my time is up someone else will run AlternativeSkegness but I dont see that happening for the forseeable future if all goes well, Im looking to get some sponsors for the club, a proper budget for bands/marketing and promoting etc, and the long term goal is to get some big bands and also to give people a damn good night out.
Will the door charge return? Ive been asked, I'd ask you if you would pay but instead Im going to give you all a good reason to pay because in the long run it may have to return eventually, Im going to make it worth it though ill put on some damn good nights and hopefully get some DJ nights and a more regular slot in there, and perhaps also look into additional venues, The future is looking promising people and im dedicated to it. Why? because I love doing it, I love to see my mates, I love to have a good time just like the rest of you, Im not just the organiser but im a fan as well. Ill remain having fun, when the fun goes then it aint worth it, if it ever becomes a hassle then Ill step back and let someone else have a go. but lets not think of that. None of this has been or is possible without you lot though, keep coming out, you will not be dissapointed, I can assure you that. I thanks everyone whoevers been there to help, my team-mate nick, if this is the end of the run then its been a good run, wish me luck in my ventures and be there for me if I need you. If anyone volunteers any help I am not going to turn it down because everyone needs help, I may be asking for help sooner rather than later so thanks for when it comes to it, I am grateful. This has not been meant to slag off anyone or offend anyone, Im just telling the Blatant truth.
Anyway what a time and what a time it will be. You aint seen nothing yet people. Stay tuned because the lineups for the next few gigs are pretty exceptional, and your all invited to my birthday gig on February 10 with SmokeScreen coming because you asked for them.
As soon as a new team takes over you will get things done different. And that is what we intend to do. The fact is, if you want the old club back go and ask Dr Who.
The major difference is the music. While I commend the old hosts for promoting new music, I feel that is better done by a live band, and that we therefore play plenty of music that everyone recognises. Of course, I will happily play obscure demos and rare tracks, but to play an entire night is pointless. I am surprised how good the response to my sets has been – a blend of classic rock, brand new indie and old school punk. We hardly ever get requests which means the listeners must be happy and its great to watch from the box when the person I dug out the track for, jumps to their feet in glee. This has happened with tracks from the Yardbirds, Exploited, Rancid and The Pretty Things. I'm sneaking soul, Jazz and ska in slowly – this isnt Sugarcubes*, we play more than Kerrangs top 10! Subsequently the underager whiners who shouldnt be there have been hassling Daz, so sod off and adjust your cheap eyeliner.
To set the record straight, some silly eavesdropper has spread it the Sex Pistols are playing here. The fact is, Marks friend knows the Pistols and could well get them should they ever reform.
It was a great shame we were drug raided but so was everywhere on the night of March 10th, and 4 premises are in trouble!
Our policy on bands is to let the audience be the judge. Everyone deserves a chance to play, if I feel that a band isnt good enough I will advise them to come back in 6 months with a tighter sound. On the other hand I am very tough on bands who cancel at short notice or have trivial excuses – they will not be given a 2nd chance. The March 10th gig suffered badly from cancelations.
Sadly Stacey has moved onto pastures new and as the oldest and by far most experianced team member I will be running things for the near future with Daz helping out with DJ'ing, PR and running the website.
Have fun and see you April!
Snowball
*middle of the road “rockers” club that dont even play Guns N Roses or Led Zeppelin and tend to think Evanascance is heavy music!
An article on the club by Nicholas 'Snowball' Briggs
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