Recession Live Music Sessions
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An evening of live music at The Comedy Pub. It sounds unlikely, but The Comedy Pub is in fact a superb small venue for bands and is in an excellent central London location. And what's more, you usually get to see at least four bands for a fiver. Surely a bargain, no?
The Comedy Pub is just off Leicester Square, and the action takes place downstairs in the basement bar. The way these nights usually work is that a promotion company runs the whole evening. In this case it was Dead or Alive. The promoters provide the bands with all the necessary sound equipment and a sound engineer, and they have someone on the door to collect the money. Bands usually have to send in a CD or MP3 before being accepted, then the bands get a percentage of the door money according to how many people they bring in. The usual format is four or five bands, each with a thirty minute slot, and with a fifteen-minute changeover in between.
What this means in practise is that you tend to get competent, unsigned bands eager to please by playing their best songs in their half-hour slot. Each band also brings along a small crowd which, when multiplied by four or five, means that there is usually a good-sized, appreciative audience bringing a healthy, lively atmosphere.
So after partaking in a few after-work beers last week, a few colleagues and I headed down to The Comedy and arrived in time for the first band of the evening - Random Acts of Blindness - an entertaining five-piece with a good sound and some very nice guitar work. They were swiftly followed by the slightly more whimsical - but equally entertaining - Revelin Sky. Both of these bands can be checked out on Myspace, as is the case with practically all the bands that play on these nights. In fact if you Google them, you'll usually find all sorts of links with where you can find out more and download MP3s.
Then there was a bit of confusion as the Block Rats seemed to be a no-show. The night was getting on and I was forced to leave to take advantage of a 2-for-1 Pizza Express voucher (there is a credit-crunch on you know). So I didn't get to see the elegantly named Jack Shakespeare but some of my friends stayed and said he was also very good.
All in all, a very good evening for a mere fiver. Excellent value for money in a superb well-run venue. If you fancy some entertaining and varied live music without having to shell out loads of money, then check out what's on at the Comedy Pub.
What this means in practise is that you tend to get competent, unsigned bands eager to please by playing their best songs in their half-hour slot. Each band also brings along a small crowd which, when multiplied by four or five, means that there is usually a good-sized, appreciative audience bringing a healthy, lively atmosphere.
So after partaking in a few after-work beers last week, a few colleagues and I headed down to The Comedy and arrived in time for the first band of the evening - Random Acts of Blindness - an entertaining five-piece with a good sound and some very nice guitar work. They were swiftly followed by the slightly more whimsical - but equally entertaining - Revelin Sky. Both of these bands can be checked out on Myspace, as is the case with practically all the bands that play on these nights. In fact if you Google them, you'll usually find all sorts of links with where you can find out more and download MP3s.
Then there was a bit of confusion as the Block Rats seemed to be a no-show. The night was getting on and I was forced to leave to take advantage of a 2-for-1 Pizza Express voucher (there is a credit-crunch on you know). So I didn't get to see the elegantly named Jack Shakespeare but some of my friends stayed and said he was also very good.
All in all, a very good evening for a mere fiver. Excellent value for money in a superb well-run venue. If you fancy some entertaining and varied live music without having to shell out loads of money, then check out what's on at the Comedy Pub.
Here Is The Writer : Lucho Payne
Lucho Payne works at UBS as an IT Consultant, and has spent the last eight years working in banking and investment management in The City. He regularly attends gigs and concerts, and his favourite venues are the Astoria, Borderline and the 100 Club. He occasionally plays guitar at various venues around town as one half of the acoustic duo "Fagan and Payne".
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