Column: Live music gives us lifelong memories and must be protected

Why the campaign to #LetTheMusicPlay is so important
Bruce Springsteen, Hampden Park - June 2016Bruce Springsteen, Hampden Park - June 2016
Bruce Springsteen, Hampden Park - June 2016

From despair to hope in a matter of days.

The launch of #LetTheMusicPlay came as venues, bands and fans faced up to the bleakest future.

Three months into lockdown, it was frighteningly clear the live music industry – indeed, the entire UK arts sector – was at the back of the queue when it came to any form of Government intervention.

KT Tunstall at Party At The Palace 2019 (Pic: Michael Gillen)KT Tunstall at Party At The Palace 2019 (Pic: Michael Gillen)
KT Tunstall at Party At The Palace 2019 (Pic: Michael Gillen)
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While our political leaders urged us to all go for a pint as pubs re-opened, and purred over the return of football and horse racing, they seemed ignorant to the very real threat facing the country’s vibrant, and crucial entertainments industry

The music industry alone stood to lose 60 per cent of its jobs. That’s 114,000 people out of work.

The Scottish Government chipped in with £10 million as a very welcome first step, and then came the announcement of a £1.57 billion rescue package from the UK Government.

Scotland’s share will be £97 million. That money must be used to support venues, big and small, across all our towns – and NOT be Edinburgh or Glasgow centric.

Glenn Tilbrook on stage at the Woodside Hotel, AberdourGlenn Tilbrook on stage at the Woodside Hotel, Aberdour
Glenn Tilbrook on stage at the Woodside Hotel, Aberdour
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#LetTheMusicPlay highlighted the fact that social distancing makes many live venues simply unviable.

Like all indoor sports and events, they rely entirely on getting the maximum number of people through their doors. And the campaign wasn’t just about big arenas built to hold 10,000.

The Hydro in Glasgow has already said it may not be able to stage those sort of events again until 2022, which begs the question – what the hell do you do with a building that size if you can only have a few thousand rattling around inside?

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At the other end of the scale sit hundreds of small venues where bands aspiring to fill the Hydro start out. They are precious and have to be wrapped in cotton wool right now – but how do you socially distance King Tuts for pity’s sake? It’s part of an intricate eco-system which is now in real peril. Without support, many will close and be lost for ever.

Mothballing may work for some big venues, but those who operate at the grass roots, many for the love of music, cannot sustain a year or more with no income.

My last gig before lockdown was in a venue that has worked hard to bring live music to the region, and carved out a great reputation.

The Woodside Hotel in Aberdour hosted Cash Back In Fife, a beautifully curated weekend which celebrated the unique links between Johnny Cash and the Kingdom. It brought Rab Noakes, Dean Owens and Fay Fife’s new band, The Countess of Fife, to the venue, along with Ian Rankin.

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Folk stayed for the weekend, enjoyed the masterclasses, explored the village, and saw some fabulous live music. It doesn’t matter whether you’re at Wembley or the Woodside, live music is something special.

Nothing beats the shared experience of being in that crowd, lost in the moment.

It’s good for the soul. It’s what makes for good mental health. And it is essential to life.

Whether it’s Springsteen turning Wembley into a village hall or KT Tunstall kicking up a hell of a storm in front of 90 folk at the Inn At Lathones, those moments give us memories that last a lifetime.

We simply cannot lose them.

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