I didnt go to the conference but have heard good things about it and I saw some great stuff at the Sanctuary at at the Adam and Eve.

If they sort the tech out I reckon Gigbeth is a good thing that I would go to again

Did noone else think it was a wash out?? And as for the opening ceremony… the small crowd was kept waiting for ages with technical faults, the acts were rushed – Nizlopi playing only 3 songs?? and it generally being a shambles on stage with the right hand speakers turning off and on!

Do all 34 sponsors experience the festival for them selves? and if they did would the invest next time?

What is this Sugary Babes of which you speak?

As long as he sings “a good heart”.

I See What They Did There.

Ah! I’ve found it! He’s talking about the Xmas Light Switchon at Millennium Point!
http://www.brmb.co.uk/Article.asp?id=495887&spid=365

On Saturday November 10th, bestselling girl group, the Sugababes will ‘push the button’ on the Retail Birmingham Christmas Lights Switch On 2007 at Millenium Point.

Thanks to us here at BRMB they will also be performing, along with McFly, Leona Lewis, Scouting For Girls, Booty Luv and Aaron Yorke at Birmingham’s largest free pop concert this year!

PLUS Elliott and Caroline will be your hosts for the evening.

It’s set to be a fantastic day for the whole family, with music and entertainment, fireworks and much more.

What: Retail Birmingham Christmas Lights Switch On 2007
When: Saturday November 10th
Where: Millenium Point
Time: 3pm – 7.30pm
Cost: FREE!

How could anything compete with that! We might as well all just give up and go home, I reckon.

Re-stating what we already understood from your first post still doesn’t change the fact that the metaphor he used to express it was a half-baked one, anyway.

It’s only just occurred to me that he mentioned a “30,000 strong crowd”. That seems even sillier than the silly fiscal numbers quoted. Which venue is this, now? I’d missed that bit.

Oh, I do hope he comes back.

“What young person would want to pay £60 to see a bunch of ‘C’ list bands and students from South Birmingham College in half- empty venues, when, if they hung-on a week, they could see the likes of The Sugarbabes, Scouting for Girls, McFly and much more for free in the city centre – with a 30,000 strong crowd ?”

Hello. your chosen ‘acts’ are hardly inspiring me here….. me smells a promoter….

There is a sense, not just in Birmingham but across the country, that the music industry is seen by those in power as not a serious industry like, say, making cars. This is despite the millions it earns not just from the music itself internally and in export but in legal fees, publishing and licensing, plus the whole infrastructure needed for live performance. An example that might be cited in this could be the recent B1 CD thing done, apparently, with minimal consultation of local music experts.

Unfortunately Mr B makes the mistake of assuming all persons responsible for city-funded projects are faceless bureaucrats (hence my use of the phrase in parody) who are just playing around with the industry because it makes them feel more sexy than touring car factories. This is a daft attitude to take as while they are undoubtedly persons of that ilk within the establishment there are also those who are trying to bridge the gap. Having met Clare a few times and talked to her about Gigbeth I can state, regardless of the (I’d argue pretty unmeasurable) success of the weekend she’s coming at this from an intelligent, well thought out and, above all, useful angle.

I’d encourage anyone with an interest in this to take her up on the offer for a chat.

clare.edwards@lsc.gov.uk

That doesn’t make a lick of sense as a metaphor though, does it?

That Gigbeth, it’s just like ‘Bob Says Opportunity Knocks’. Only sexy. or something.

Plus: Next time I see you I will hit you or tell you off or wag my finger or similar for falling into use of such a crappy stock phrase as ‘faceless bureaucrat’. You may have escaped from me on Saturday but this run of luck will not last.

Nothing to add to this really other than to say I’m looking forward to both the conference (this city should have a regular music conference or two) and the festival itself.

Dave

He’s obviously never met Clare Edwards who runs Gigbeth.

1) The reason why people would want to attend smaller gigs is because they want to find out about and hear new and lesser-known music, rather than the music played on the radio all the time. This is so evident I can’t believe the question has even been asked.

2) Surely the big-budget big-production efforts the above correspondant has mentioned are much more like X-Factor than normal-sized gigs in normal-sized venues? I can’t understand the comparison in the slightest and would be intrigued to to see it explained.

The only McFly gig in Birmingham I can see is a sold out NEC one on Nov 30th. Have I missed something?

What young person would want to pay £60 to see a bunch of ‘C’ list bands and students from South Birmingham College in half- empty venues, when, if they hung-on a week, they could see the likes of The Sugarbabes, Scouting for Girls, McFly and much more for free in the city centre – with a 30,000 strong crowd ?
Who’d want to pay £85 to hear Ruby Turner and Feargal Sharkey bore the anecdotal musical pants off everyone except a bunch of pencil-neck public servants ?

It looks as if the ‘X Factor’ has permeated the LSC, BCC, Business Link, AWM. Now it seems that every clumsy,public servant from the arts, leisure , entertainment and media sectors is aching to be the next Simon Cowell or Sharon Osborne.

Gigbeth: absolutely superfluous !