Opinion: Bruce Springsteen, And The Sunderland Stadium Dilemma
By Hannah D'Arcy on June 26, 2012 in Music
For the past three years, Sunderland’s Stadium of Light has been a staple of the stadium tour diet, hosting the likes of Take That, Oasis and, er… P!nk (I’m sure she put on a very good show). This year has been a strong one for Sunderland council, booking Coldplay, Bruce and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, who’s tickets seem to be selling as though they come with a free ebola virus.
The gigs this year have been so exciting that Nexus felt the need to strike, though thankfully delayed action for the Springsteen gig. On Thursday at least, the metros were born to run. What? 80s music, 80s joke.
The buzz around the superstars who’ve set foot in our grey, industrial town has been so loud that earlier in the year, it reached the ears of The Guardian, who decided to tell us all that the stadium was the “jewel in Sunderland’s crown”, prompting a fantastic response from Field Music’s Dave Brewis on this very site. In fact, that article absolutely incensed pretty much everyone who associates themselves in any way with the music scene in Sunderland and our little community proved how wonderful we can be again.
As far as Sunderland Council are concerned, we have a music venue. We don’t. It’s a football stadium.
The stadium gigs are always going to get mixed reactions in Sunderland. The positives speak for themselves – the gigs bring in revenue to a town that sorely needs it, they put us on the map, even if only for a couple of weeks and, let’s not beat around the bush here: Bruce Springsteen, THE Boss, was in SUNDERLAND. It’s still unbelievable.
The worry is, however, that as long as the stadium can attract artists of this magnitude, crowds of that size and media coverage of that amount, as far as Sunderland Council are concerned, we have a music venue. We don’t. It’s a football stadium. The council are knocking down our only venue, Independent. We have no means of attracting out-of-town bands anymore, unless they’re multi-platinum selling and just happen to want to gig outside of the football season. The jewel in our musical crown should not be a place where, from August ‘til May, the most musical thing going on in it is 50,000 people singing “The referee’s a wanker”.
Still… Bruce Springsteen was in Sunderland. That’s mega.
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Opinion: Bruce Springsteen, And Sunderland's Stadium Dilemma | http://t.co/RhRDCVe9
Opinion: Bruce Springsteen, And Sunderland's Stadium Dilemma | http://t.co/RhRDCVe9
I've been at it again…never happy RT @kyeotv: Opinion: Bruce Springsteen, And The Sunderland Stadium Dilemma http://t.co/c2Zy8LMi
There's a canny article here by @LittleBabyNowt about if Sundeland's stadium gigs are hurting local music… http://t.co/wWcg7URI
There's a canny article here by @LittleBabyNowt about if Sundeland's stadium gigs are hurting local music… http://t.co/wWcg7URI
It’s all well and good writing about the problems with the local scene and telling us something we already know.
What we need is some initiative to correct, establish or kick start a scene for Sunderland.
Without getting too much into it it seems to many musicians in Sunderland there is a clique, where they/we are not invited to participate. The bands who get the press, get the promotion, and have the friends in the right places, have the best of it.
With the best slots in town being filled by this bunch of “my mate’s in this band and they are good” – what is left for the wider populous of musicians in the city?
Of course this is opinion, an opinion some share, and some disagree with, whilst the clique has been of benefit to those in the clique as well as highlighting Sunderland as a musical base, it does not benefit the ‘others’.
You complained that not enough attended the Watchers in Plugged Inn, you said it was promoted, WELL, yet no one turned up. Maybe the problem was not the promotion itself or the venue etc, but the target audience. If i wasn’t subscribed to certain Twitter and FB accounts, i wouldn’t have known that gig was on, nor that you reviewed it.
But, outside the circle, no one really knows anything about music in Sunderland.
Sunderland Live works because of the council and the Sunderland Echo. They market towards the ‘populous’ of Sunderland. The Stadium gigs are successful because of the advertising to the public.
What i’ve seen with more local gigs, is a whisper in a fishbowl.
Until we start being inclusive, then every will think of Sunderland Music as exclusive.
I know what you mean about the cliques, but they aren’t town or region-specific. Every ‘scene’ has cliques and there’s so many walks of life where knowing the right people will get you where you want to be. At the end of the day, the best friends a local band can have are other local bands. Then they can form their own clique if they so wish.
Another thing that I personally think about the Sunderland clique (I’m going with the assumption that you’re referring to the likes of The Lake Poets, Natasha Haws and other Sunderland acts that are getting a lot of press – correct me if I’m wrong) is that it’s very inclusive. There’s also a lot more cross-over than there was last time Sunderland had a burst of music and it’s much less divided than it used to be where there was essentially The Bunker camp and the Beats Happening camp. Unfortunately (and I used to be in this position when I used to gig) if you’re not signed to a local label, friends with a band or a promoter, how are people supposed to know about you unless you promote yourself?
Yes, you have to subscribe to Twitter or Facebook accounts to find out about gigs but before social networking, you had to pick up a magazine and read the listings, or happen to be looking in whatever window the poster was up in.
As regards to the council-promoted gigs being more successful – compared to the independent promoters in and around our city, the council has an abundance of money – our money – and have the means to promote their gigs to the wider population. Focussing on The Watchers gig, I felt that Alex did promote it well, with the tools she had at her disposal. We live in an age now where the majority of promotion is done through the internet and social networking, hence we’re able to have this discussion in the first place. A 19-year-old girl isn’t going to be able to get Look North to pop down to Plugged Inn to preview a gig for her. And you say Sunderland Live was a success? It didn’t look busy to me. I got a Red Hot Chili Peppers ticket on Sunday direct from the ticket office for £10 because they’d sold so few. It’s nothing to do with the advertising. It’s whether or not people can be bothered to go to the gigs or not. And that has very little to do with cliques.
Back in 2004/2005, when Sunderland music was RIDICULOUSLY clique to the point of snobbery, there was a gig on virtually every night. And there was always an audience. Though I understand and empathise with the complaints of some local bands, I just can’t believe that the demise of our city’s music scene can be blamed on it being too cliquey.
@country_jim Yep yep. Have a look at the comment on this: http://t.co/vSjxTuHK (And my reply…)
There's a canny article here by @LittleBabyNowt about if Sundeland's stadium gigs are hurting local music… http://t.co/wWcg7URI
Thanks for your reply Hannah. I can’t disagree with you as your point sare well made.
I think frustration, at losing out on gigs, missing out on reviews of a wider collection of acts from Sunderland and surrounding areas, and seeing the same people playing the many venues and events that could promote a wider range of talent very well, glazes many eyes. And when you say the scene is decaying when many of us see no scene at all, it incites a little fire in the belly.
I can see the clique we are currently talking about becoming the same way as 2004/2005. As, to be honest, these thoughts have been in the minds of myself and musicians in the area for over two years, and have steadily progressed.
As far as Sunderland Live and the Chilis etc are concerned, my main argument there was the fact it aims at a wider audience than those involved in music journalism and promotion in the North East. They target the ‘public’.
Alex at Lone Wolf is doing great things for bands with her gigs and i’ve enjoyed 2 myself. So I do not want to imply that I am unhappy with young heads in the local area. My only concern is the disillusion that there is/was a Sunderland Scene.
In response to your suggestion that people form their own clique, I think that’s just creating more problems, more exclusivity. What we need is no cliques, more a music collective. And in that vein, there is something starting in Sunderland that will hopefully be the spark of something worthwhile and substantial. With club nights featuring local talent, DJs playing local music, photography, recording and dare i say it, a home for Sunderland Musicians.
To sum up, you know the clique, you know the people in it, you probably know a few bands who aren’t in it and I doubt you know of any other cliques in Sunderland. I am not blaming the demise of the local scene on it being too cliquey, I am suggesting there won’t be a scene unless everyone is included.
I really do empathise with your feelings regarding losing out on gigs and coverage. It is a shame that there are a lot of bands out there who get less recognition because they don’t know people in the loop. I do believe though that part of working is networking.
The point I was trying to make with this article was that Sunderland kind of doesn’t have a ‘scene’ anymore, mainly because of the lack of venues here. Many of ‘our’ acts now go to Newcastle and be part of the ‘scene’ there. (Sorry for all the inverted commas, but I think the word ‘scene’ has lost all meaning to me these past 24 hours) I guess therefore you are right in that respect regarding the importance of a clique – it’s much easier for a Sunderland act to get a gig up the road if they have friends there.
I must say, I’m not part of any clique. I like what I like and don’t bother with what I don’t. I’m in touch with or friendly with certain musicians, to start with because I’m fans of their work but mainly because they’re nice people who I get along with. I write for KYEO because, before I had my son four years ago, I wanted to be a music journalist and I love to write. I know X-amount about local music because some of my favourite bands are from the north east and that in turn led to me writing here.
I think our arguments agree on a lot of points. As regards my Watchers review and my “complaint” that it was empty – I think that is linked to the cliquey nature of this town. Had it been someone like B>E>A>K playing, I have no doubt it would have been full. So I do agree that little separated groups are frustrating, as a musician and a music fan. But I also don’t think it’s fair to attribute the success of acts to who they know either.
I’ll be honest, I just want more music! I want kids to be inspired to start a band and play to their friends. I want to be able to go out on any given night in Sunderland and be able to hear live music, just like you can in Newcastle. I’m always going to want to see the bands I love, but I just miss being able to go and see A BAND. That’s what I want for Sunderland, not a ‘scene’, just something. I think we can probably agree on that!
Hey Hannah,
I appreciate your passion and it’s obvious you’re well versed in the area’s musical pitfalls, progression and positivity. It’s grand to have a conversation about my own grievances with someone who is open to viewpoints and outlooks.
It’s not a simple case of finding a solution, as it’s hard to identify a problem with so many factors attributing to the ‘slump’ of the scene. Maybe through critical debate we may at least make a good step forward towards something we can all see is a good thing.
As for your yearning for something great, or at least something good in Sunderland, it’s a hope i also share. I’d like to see everyone get a chance to show off, and as you know, not everyone is going to be outstanding, or capture the essence of the music going public, but somewhere in that group who haven’t yet had a chance, there could be something there. I hope we get to find out one day.
Again, cheers for this chance to voice some aggrievances and also giving me another viewpoint to consider when we look at the “scene’ we are all involved in.
All the best
Hello,
Loved this debate like, until i looked at Hanna’s twitter, It’s a shame your twitter isn’t as open minded as your posts on here seem to suggest.
Opinions expressed on your twitter feed don’t feature in this post at all. Why can’t you be objective in this arena like?
Here’s some snippets of the glorious insight/childish complaints you have shown;
“LittleBabyNowt: Am I the only (former) musician that doesn’t blame my lack of success on not being part of a clique? ”
Thing is, if it was all-inclusive, it wouldn’t be a ‘scene’. If bands don’t get gigs, its generally coz they’re crap.”
You don’t get anywhere in the arts without kissing some arse and knowing the right people. Part of working is NETworking.”
My favourite is this;
“Latest one is some commenter on my Bruce article for KYEO. I replied think I won. *smug face*”
Nah you didn’t win anything mate, there wasn’t anything to win, it was an objective discussion from Enfield without malice or personal insults. Plus, I didn’t think he belittled anyone’s success, just bemoaning the state of things.
If any actual evidence was needed that the ‘clique’ – yes i know, clique clique clique like a camera – is indeed exclusive, then people need only refer to your twitter feed to see a mass gabble about this post and these comments. It’s actually comical.
The same people saying the same things to each other, agreeing wholeheartedly and generally patting each other on the back, in a well done hurrah for keeping down one person who commented with an opinion that differs to yours, yet that opinion is supported by the majority.
If it’s music journalism you wanted to get into then I think the NME caters for your brand of rhetoric. If it’s honest, objective observations you were going for i think we can agree you’ve failed.
And aye, LakePoets well done. You got on a roster n that, but still, your music is a bit boring innit. I know it’s gonna be hell on but hey, i think this music craic is important and this debate is interesting.
Well done to Enfield for committing to his opinion not just on here but in other social circles. Not stating a personal opinion then taking to twitter to rant off like a kid who got a bad critic.
Well there’s an argument for protecting your tweets! Indeed, I did post those tweets. In my defence, the reason for the initial one was because the first comment here added to a series of “the chosen few” rants I’d seen by the same person on Facebook. It wasn’t meant to be insulting, though I appreciate that the “I think I won” comment was churlish and immature.
I wasn’t trying to engage in a ‘pat-on-the-back’ conversation, with topics like this there’s people who agree with you and people who don’t. I’m also not ashamed to admit that I didn’t expect Enfield to respond this morning in such an open-minded way, a way which made me then enjoy the discussion we were having as opposed to last night, when I was frustrated by it. I stand by the comments on my Twitter, except for the one I said was childish. If bands are good enough, they get gigs. Some shit bands get gigs too. You do have to do a certain amount of brown-nosing and networking to get anywhere. I really don’t see a problem with either of those comments. As for the all-inclusive comment, that was in reply to the suggestion of a “scene”. Lesson learned though. I was frustrated because this article was supposed to be a piece regarding our lack of venues, not going on about scenes, cliques or anything like that and I felt like it had been taken the wrong way. In hindsight, I do wish I’d waited for a response as it turned out to be a far more enlightening conversation than I anticipated.
The whole thing was worthwhile in my opinion.
I’m not gonna read twitter as personal 180 character post aren’t exactly full of context and are never taken the right way when viewed from the outside.
I think everyone said what they need to, and it was a pretty impassioned conversation to be honest.
Ha, I think I’ve posted enough for the year!
Again, all the best
Thanks Enfield
Same to you mate. Sorry if I caused any offence and thanks for taking an interest in my article. You should read today’s Narc for an interesting take on “The Clique” (I think that word has lost all meaning for me now!)
Take care
[...] Last June, following Bruce Springsteen s fantastic performance at Sunderland s Stadium of Light, I wrote one of my first ever pieces for Keep Your Eyes Open a relatively short opinion piece musing on the relationship between Sunderland City Council s need t…1. [...]