Terriersound Studio

13/10/2024

I am not as vocal as I used to be, this will be an exception. These are my only opinions, although I’m sure many know where I stand, and hopefully agree. And being around for over two decades, with my own band for about the same amount, I feel the need to stress this.
Rene was a de facto face of the scene for a long time. Not the only one, but I can count the faces/teams on one hand, for a long time. We also know he co-runs the Garage, about which I say many times over: Where else? Some venues pop up here and there, but a place dedicated to metal and the alternative scene is not found anywhere else locally and, not to diss other venues, but in the bigger picture we don’t need another one. Which leads me to the next point.
Clashes: They are a blight. Some might disagree, mentioning options or diversity, but we can’t afford that. We have many bands and splitting the already limited attendants makes it unsustainable for both the venue and the bands. I have a smaller backline footprint than the average band and even I would see the financial stress of it. And most bands don’t organise their own shows too frequently, except a few (not mentioning names, learnt that the hard way, but they know who they are). I organised and participated in many shows, and it’s not the first time I wasn’t paid/compensated simply because the attendants did not hit the critical mass. And the worst occasion was when there was a clash; that night I ended up with a financial loss, so I never personally organised again. Screw it, not worth the stress, and that was ONE event, so just imagine opening a venue every occasion and stressing every time whether enough attendants will come up to keep the lights running, and this is the same issue which (in part) killed the myriad festivals we had, especially pre-COVID.
What can one do? You can’t go to every event, I certainly cannot (anymore). But if you can, go. We’re a small community which needs its own peers to support it. I can go on forever, but this will probably do.
Oh! And please, don’t say anything about not being your style, metalheads listen to music across the entire genre unless you’re some ultra-elitist (those too I can count on one hand). Sure, you can always stay at your home under the duvet and watch shows and listen to your selection of music, absolutely! It is your right! No one is forcing you, not even this body of text (so please spare the defensive comments). But as Rene succinctly put it:

‘Support the scene. Crocodile tears will be useless when all of this is gone.’

[Picture from a 2021 show, attached for engagement, because of algorithm shenanigans]