Gary Beaumont
WE are often shocked when we hear about inner city kids who think that meat and vegetables ‘grow’ in plastic shrink-wrapped containers. But the same can be said about music.
In these times of reality TV and TV talent shows like La Voz and X Factor, there’s a perception that you can take random people off of the street, put them in an audition and then magically, after a few weeks of intense coaching, out the other end comes a fully-fledged international superstar.
Well I’m sorry but not how it works.
Really great music comes from talented musicians, singers and songwriters who have slogged their guts out performing in bars, cafes, and small music venues to audiences of all sorts and sizes, honing their craft and building up a following. Then, with a bit of luck, comes a record deal, the road to festival appearances and maybe even a stadium gig or two.
Unfortunately that essential part of the equation, the small live music venue, is under threat from over-zealous local authorities, an apathetic public and spiralling costs.
Without these small venues, bands like The Beatles, The Stones, Coldplay and Muse, would never have have become such huge acts. And let’s not forget the music business is a multi-billion-euro industry, employing tens of thousands of people.
Our region boasts some great venues, run for the most part by keen music lovers at very little profit: places like Louie Louie’s and King Creole’s in Estepona, Sala Farandula in Algeciras, Paris 15, La Trinchera and Sala Eventual in Malaga, to name but a few. They deserve our support for providing an opportunity to see the great bands of the future up close and personal for less than a tenner.
That, my friends, is where music comes from. So support your local venues and enjoy some great music at the same time.
Some recommended gigs: 9 March, Mr Sipp, Louie Louie, Estepona; 10 March, Sexy Zebras, La Trinchera, Malaga; 12 March, Dorian Sala Eventual, Malaga; and 19 March, The Vaccines, El Tren, Granada.
