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BRIDGEHOUSE II
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| Viewing Page 1 of 1 (Total Posts: 19) |
| Author | Comment |
Little T
 Jan 29, 08 - 9:17 AM |
Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Many venues seem to have almost sold out to Tribute acts these days and i am wondering what others think of this. Should we have Tribute acts play here? or should the Bridge House name be more associated with new up and coming talent? Please let me know your thoughts  Thanks Tony |
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pelbetty
Jan 29th, 2008 - 2:20 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Personally I would be against tribute bands. Why listen to bands playing other people's songs when there is so much talent out there in new bands. If you want to listen to Led Zep, Thin Lizzy etc play their albums. Perry. |
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Bobbie
Jan 29th, 2008 - 3:41 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Must admit that I agree with most of what Perry has to say. There are quite enough places that fill the need for tribute bands (the Standard and Riga Music Bar in Southend are two that spring to mind) if that is what presses your buttons  . However this doesnt mean the exclusion of covers bands ... I am really happy with bands playing other peoples material I am just not too keen on people pretending to be someone who has probably passed on ... and in some cases not doing it very well!!! Anyway that is my opinion and I dont suppose everyone will agree ... sorry 
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Little T
Jan 30th, 2008 - 2:15 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
I Think it is a fair point that you raise Bobbie. There is a difference between covers bands and tribute acts. Im sure we all enjoy watching bands play live even if they are playing other bands songs. I guess it is the "Tribute" aspect that annoys some people, and the same aspect that turnd some people on! Thus far then we seem to have an opinion that suggests that Cover Bands are ok, but Tribute acts are not wanted here? Anyone else like to join in and have there say?  Tony |
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Rockula
Jan 30th, 2008 - 5:11 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Well, I don't think general 'cover' bands need any help judging from the number of pubs who ONLY book cover bands leaving less room for original talent. But a decent tribute band to a band who you can no longer see live 'cause they've disbanded, died, etc. may be a different thing. I've seen 'The Clashed' a couple of times and enjoyed it. But no cover band or tribute band should be booked whilst there are sufficient people attending the other gigs UNLESS they are one of the support bands. There. That's my tuppence worth. 
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Bobbie
Feb 1st, 2008 - 9:35 AM |
Re: Should the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
But lets face it Rockula, be it right or wrong, the majority of the punters coming out for a drink want to hear a set that they recognise and (heaven forbid  ) can sing along to!! Doing original numbers is fine and obviously unless bands do them they will never become the familiar numbers that we all know and love but the only way an all originals band can make money for a venue is if they already have a big following of friends and family.Maybe it would make more sense to book the more populist cover bands and have the original bands as support so they reach a wider audience?? 
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UndercoverPete
Feb 2nd, 2008 - 2:22 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Original bands for some venues is the kiss of death. From my own experience playing original material is an up hill struggle, after you've played the venue a few times the interest builds up, try a new venue and its back to square one. I've talked to a number of venues and they tell the same story, so its a gamble that can sometimes pay off. Where it seems to work best is where a venue caters for a specific music taste eg. punk or rock n roll. Tribute bands do well but they often charge large fees. Anyone interested in the original band is a potential customer for a tribute act so they tend to draw crowds. With the exorbitant admission price for many popular bands it creates an avenue for tributes and some of these are ****ed good, Who's Who, Limehouse Lizzy, Counterfeit Stones and the Jamdrc to name a few. Many venues assign a particular night for tributes and charge on the door for them. With cover bands the variety on offer usually tempts people in whereas the original material bands tend to get offered tickets to sell. It could be argued excluding tribute and covers bands will present a venue full of dreams, trouble is the nightmare might have reserved a seat for you. Mix it up, give all bands an opportunity, bums on seats will no doubt sway the decision. |
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Stu
Feb 3rd, 2008 - 10:52 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
With the possible exception of tribute bands who are dead or defunct, it'd be nice to say a big **** off to covers and tribute bands. If you've got a talent, you should be writing your own stuff and finding an audience for it, not merely taking the tainted shilling and filling the need for half baked ******* to be able to singalong when they're ****** up. New music for real music fans. Sadly it's the real world we live in and not the 1980's anymore, so new music isn't as easily or enthusiastically lapped up - so to keep a venue open and balance the books, (and more importantly) keep up having real, original music nights, it might be a case of having to 'lower yourself'  and have a designated plagurist night.
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UndercoverPete
Feb 3rd, 2008 - 12:32 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
I guess you're not a fan of Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies? Bands cover other bands, like it or not, the Pistols started with covers, Clash covered plenty, Snuff, Dickies, it goes on and on. Its not always a negative thing. I'd love it if I could produce songs that everyone adored but that just don't happen for me. What we do is add a little of ourselves to other peoples music. We're not trying to be like them we're just acknowledging some great tunes and the punters (who to the most part haven't paid to see covers bands) enjoy it. I know where you're coming from Stu but unfortunately that's not my reality. |
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Stu
Feb 4th, 2008 - 1:26 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
No, Pete, I hate tribute/covers bands. Fine for family weddings and social club cabaret - but they should never have been let near live music venues/pubs and I'd personally like to skin the Bootleg Beatles alive as I believe they kicked it all off as an acceptable thing. A couple of odd songs at the end of a live set because you are a new band and don't have a full set, fair enough. A random or experimental cover in the middle of an established bands set - no problem. But, like it or not, covers and tribute nights in live venues are effectively killing creativity and innovation, as it's more financially rewarding (and less hard work!) to play covers than to try selling your own songs to a crowd. I don't really know who's to blame, punters for being fickle *******s and only wanting to see something they know, Venue owners who caved into this new tradition for easy money, or the bands who have given in and are happy just to be able to play and get paid for it. |
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Bobbie
Feb 5th, 2008 - 2:48 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
I am sorry Stu but do you honestly believe that anyone who has a musical talent, whether it be as a vocalist or instrumentalist, automatically has the ability to compose a decent melody and write meaningful lyrics. Well I am sorry but I dont think this is the case!! Lets face it in most of the big bands that have featured original material it would only be a couple of members of the band that do morst of the writing eg Jagger/Richard: Lennon/McCartney and then there are countless other well known bands doing original material that was written for them as they do not write themselves .. does this make them worse musicians?? Then of course there are always covers in the charts of the "hits of yesterday" by younger bands .. does this make them plagiarists? As for the comment that the Bootleg Beatles instigated a rush of covers bands .. well they may have been one of the first tribute bands but as someone who was probably watching covers bands before you were born I can assure you that covers bands go back well before the Beatles. I will add that although I am adding my opinion to this debate I have no musical talent whatsoever, do not play, only sing if you want the bar cleared! But then arent punters and people on the periphery of the music business aloud an opinion too???? 
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Stu
Feb 6th, 2008 - 11:14 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
"do you honestly believe that anyone who has a musical talent, whether it be as a vocalist or instrumentalist, automatically has the ability to compose a decent melody and write meaningful lyrics." No, but if they can't come up with something half decent between 3, 4, 5 or whatever people in a band, then maybe they should consider weddings and funerals only and not put themself in front of an audience of people who might want something original. "Then of course there are always covers in the charts of the "hits of yesterday" by younger bands .. does this make them plagiarists?" Yes. Isn't music about being creative, inspiring and expressing yourself? How can you fully do that if you are only singing other peoples words? That **** is for X fator and fame academy. Hits of yesterday are inspired only by cash hungry managers wanting a step on the ladder of 'success' for their young 'pieces of meat' band. It's only my opinion, I'm not offended if you disagree. |
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Bobbie
Feb 7th, 2008 - 10:05 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Hi Again Stu, Its a good job neither of us is offended cos I cant see any way we are going to agree,  So in your perfect world four or five members of a band with very little writing ability will get together and hash up some mediocre song and inflict it on the unsuspecting public (that is me by the way .. I am that public)... hmmm Also in your great scheme of things where would you put songwriters? People who do not want to perfom, who maybe cannot sing or whatever but make a living writing songs which others then perform? Should it be made compulsory that if you write a song you and only you can be the one to perform it?? Finally, I accept your comment about one of the reasons for being a musician is to be creative and inovative but surely it is also to be entertaining and to bring pleasure to others (not all professions are lucky enough to be able to do that) I personally would rather hear a band doing their renditions of other peoples songs, putting their own spin on them and their own arrangements, but in an entertaining way than listen to a series of self indulgent under par originals. Please understand this is a sweeping generalisation and I do not mean there are no bad cover bands or that there are no good originals bands. I am just saying that in my mind a good covers band would beat a bad originals band any day of the week!! Over to you Stu ....Lol 
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Little T
Feb 13th, 2008 - 11:57 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
It seems that this thread has caused quite a stir! I think our position has to be that we are in the entertainment game and that we have to consider all aspects of it. Having said that i think that most of the tribute bands about would be out of the question for us down to the fees that they command. I see cover bands differently though. I think we have room at the venue for a "Workers Party" on a Friday night, and possibly on other occasions also. One thing is for sure, we take our responsibility of the Bridge House name very seriously and are determined to see as much new talent play our stage as possible, as without venues providing this, in the future there will be no cover, or tribute bands playing anyway. |
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Dave
Mar 14th, 2008 - 10:26 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
There are many tribute bands doing very well, these are usually tributes to the bigger namers, ie The Beatles, Madness, The jam and so on. there are some tributes who provide the feel of the original without trying to be an exact copy, they bring their own interpretation of the music, and often play songs never or very seldom played live. this sort of 'trib' is often not welcome at the bigger venues who want the 'carbon copy' tribute. |
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Tony Clark
Jun 11th, 2008 - 9:09 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Interesting debate! I'm surprised at the apparent strength of feeling on both sides of the fence. My view would be that surely there should be a place for all bands, wether they be tribute acts, cover bands or bands doing their own material. As long as the gig is entertaining and the performance standard is high does it really matter? I'd like to clear up a couple of misconceptions though. Being in a tribute band is not usually the "easy route". It takes a lot of hard work to emulate another players style and sound, I've been in two tribute bands to date and the experience has raised the level of my own playing. The first was a Steely Dan tribute and the second (and current) is a tribute to Ian Dury and The Blockheads. As for doing it for the money! Somebody is having a laugh! Both of these tribute bands were recruited from good platers who were also fans of the music. The music was performed in the spirit of "this is what we are into, hope you like it too". I've never played in a band for the money. And I'm not writing this in case the tax man is reading it... All the best Tony |
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Little T
Jun 12th, 2008 - 10:23 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
HI Tony welcome to the message board. It seems that so much has happened at the venue since this thread was started, i guess from our end we have more experience on board now to maybe add a more valid point in either direction. I mentioned earlier in this thread that we are in the entretainment game, and to that end i guess our bottom line is we want great entertainment for those who travel to our venue. The second aspect has to be that whatever entertainment we have brings in the people that will provide enough takings to keep the place alive. Covers bands at present are proving a little difficult as generally they play the same venues at regular intervals. This means that we are having to try and take these people away from an environment which they are very used to, and try to entice them to our place. Secondly, for most of them it is a case of "Oh where are we playing tonight, turning up, playing and taking there wages" which means very little imput with regards to promoting a gig to help the venue. The end result of the above leaves us very vulnerable in the short term, and may in time (if attendances do not improve) see us have to pull general covers bands. The best exception to what is written above thus far for us is probably "The Blox" who will be playing here this Sunday (15th June 08). Performance wise the band are exceptional, with a sound that is very, very close to the original artist "Ian Dury and the Blockheads", and they promote their gigs with professionalism via the internet. Ultimately it will be the public who decide such matters by turning up, or staying away! From our end we hope people turn up Sunday as they will see a very professional act put in a superb performance which should see eveyone who attends leave happy. Which is what we are all about. Hope to see as many as possible here for "The Blox" on Sunday Little T |
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Nick - Iceni Promotions
Jun 16th, 2008 - 1:00 AM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Why not have " cover bands " & "tribute acts " ? although it may not be everybodys cup of tea if the music is played to a decent standard and people are prepared to pay a quid or two then the only answer has to be yes bring em on , at the end of the day its about getting people through the door of the Bridge House . personal opinion although respected is totally irrelivent, The Bridge House name is a name that needs to be carried forward into a new era , and if it's going to take "tribute acts" to progress then -whatever it takes ! |
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Little T
Jun 19th, 2008 - 12:42 PM |
Re: Shoud the Bridge House have Tribute Bands Playing Here?
Thanks Nick I guess the message is this is the new Bridge House and must move forward with the times, which is very good advice. "Paul Rogers Tribute" act booked for Sat 11th Oct 2008. Rock On Little T
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