Our jumping off points are The Bedford in London and The Cable Club at Pressure Point in Brighton.
The Kashmir Klub has entered the history books as one of the legendary London venues. Any mention of it will usually bring to mind two things – the very best in acoustic music and, Tony Moore. And when the Kash closed down, Tony moved his activities south of the river to the Bedford in sunny Balham.
‘I was invited to take charge of developing the music and entertainment at the Bedford. It was wonderful to have a chance to build on my experience and reputation from The Kashmir Klub and particularly exciting to be able to try and do so in such a fabulous venue.
‘I’d played keyboards with Cutting Crew in the 80s and then went on to release a number of solo albums (the most recent was last year as a tie-in to supporting Diana Ross at Blenheim Palace) so I knew first hand the difficulties of finding suitable gigs for a solo acoustic act in London. This is how the Kashmir Klub started; as a unique environment for developing a new generation of long term singer/songwriters and giving them a platform to be seen and heard at their best. And we’ve carried this concept through to the Bedford. "Most gigs will be as a result of a demo"
'We put on music four nights a week. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights, the show takes place in our beautiful Shakespearian Globe Theatre. These are more varied nights where we can accommodate all kinds of line-ups. On Wednesday nights we put on a very special acoustic show in the gorgeous Tavistock Room.
‘Across all of our nights you can expect an incredible diversity of music, passion and energy. Plus some of the most inspired performances you could hope to see. A blend of new and emerging acts, just signed artists about to break and some big names. For example, Pete Townshend and The Finn Brothers played here in 2005.’
Tony’s reputation for offering the best new talent a chance to play in front of an understanding, musically aware and receptive audience led to the old Kashmir being on both A&R and performers ‘must visit’ lists. Has this reputation followed him to the Bedford?
‘Yes it has and I’m delighted that the Bedford has now come to be regarded as one of the most unique and special venues in the country. In 2004 it won the best pub in the country award and has twice been voted best pub/club/venue. We have a sound system that is second to none, an amazing production and sound crew, packed audiences, a wide mix of music industry attendees and a brilliant atmosphere.’
‘It’s important we get the right acts playing and most gigs will be as a result of a demo being submitted or on personal recommendation from associates within the industry. To aid the process of choosing acts we have a group of creative individuals called ”The Booking Team”. We all listen to everything and are very honest and direct. If something seems to work for us we will find a date.
If it doesn’t we are very straight with people and let them know immediately. We know that music is subjective and that all venues have a different music policy so we try not to mess anyone around and make sure we let them know how we feel, asap. Acts that have been chosen to perform recently include Beulah (now signed to Universal) who made her live debut with us, KT Tunstall, Lucie Silvas, Judy Tzuke, Lighthouse Family, and many more – we have over 20 acts a week play here.’
Amongst the ones to watch out for over the coming months, says Tony, will be Foy Vance, a singer/songwriter from Northern Ireland who’s destined for big success. ‘She has a powerful voice, writes well crafted songs and displays the heart of a true musical poet. Also Beth Rowley, a beautiful and fabulous singer. Her bluesy voice sounds so mature and commanding yet she is still young and most people are truly surprised by her control and timbre. She is a show stopper.’
So, your best advice for gig-seekers is?
‘Never submit more than three songs. Choose the venues you send material to and don’t “blanket” market yourself to the wrong places. Make sure your website has downloadable pictures and a short but well written biog that can be copied and pasted. As for the music itself, if in doubt a simple production is better than a badly recorded big production attempt. The voice sells the song, so make sure vocals are in tune and in time. And finally, never forget the three P’s - Passion, Persistence and Patience’
"I’m not interested in agendas or haircuts, it’s the song I’m after"
Another venue carving out a niche for itself as somewhere both industry personnel and (therefore) up and coming acts are likely to be seen is the Pressure Point in Brighton . Simon Parker, who runs the venue’s successful Cable Club nights shares a writer/performer background with Tony, but he’s chosen to plug his nights in and turn them right up to 11.
‘Cable Club nights are essentially showcase nights for unsigned bands. I’ve been in bands for way too many years and I decided that I wanted to set up an artist friendly showcase. I felt that the Pressure Point was the area’s best mid-size venue so we got together and here we still are over three and a half years on!
‘Having gigged extensively myself, I was fed up with the lack of care and attention given to local music. It’s all important; everything from the background music before and between bands to the compatibility of bands on mixed bills.
‘It all goes towards the overall impression of the night, in addition to the more obvious things such as making sure the sound is right, that the lighting is half decent and – most importantly – that the bands get treated well, especially if they are first timers. These are the kind of things we try to get right on every one of our nights.
Simon is currently promoting a Cable Club night every Thursday, plus roughly two more Wednesdays each month. They also present ‘all ages shows’ (for the under 18’s) during the summer, Easter and Christmas breaks.
‘It’s a very varied mix across our nights, though each night will “make sense”. Most of our nights are unsigned, so expect the unexpected. Anything from indie, lo-fi, pop, electronica, americana, punk, and metal. And we do put on occasional acoustic shows, too.’
How do we get a gig at your place, then, Simon?
‘If a band wants to play Cable Club they need to send in a demo. I’m not interested in agendas or haircuts, it’s the song I’m after. My tastes are very varied so it doesn’t matter if it’s a 20 minute dirge or a one minute punk classic – if it’s great, send it in. There’s also a Cable Club radio show on Brighton’s Radio Reverb (soon to go FM) plus I have regular meetings with A&R so even if I can’t give you a show, if I like it I’ll do my best to give it some exposure. So proper demos please – none of this myspace malarkey!
‘It’s fair to say local acts are easier to promote but if I like it I’ll scratch my head and try and work out a way to do it. Bands like Transition, My Luminaries, Fans of Kate and The Race all played here last year and they aren’t from the town. You’ll have to be VERY good though.’
So, who would you class as VERY good at the moment?
‘Bands like The Kooks, who are probably my tip for “the band most likely to” this year, closely followed by Little Trophy, Winteria, Turncoat, The Mojo Fins, The Recoil and The Educated Animals’.
Finally, one last piece of Simon advice.
‘Don’t gig until you are ready, don’t record until you are ready, don’t have a crap drummer or vocalist and pay no attention to record companies!’
We’ll be visiting more venues soon. If there’s one near you that we should feature, email magazine@mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk
This article originally appeared in M19, published March 2006.