Yeti Love Discuss: The Boileroom & UK Live Music
With Guildford venue the Boileroom facing the possibility of closure, TMMP caught up with Peter James Hamilton of acoustic fast-risers Yeti Love to discuss the Boileroom and the state of the UK’s live music scene.
This interview is part of a larger TMMP feature which can be read in full here.
What is your general opinion of the Boileroom?
The Boileroom is one of those venues that bands on the circuit would always have played. These venues are important to us (bands and musicians) as we all cut our musical teeth on them! Whether it was a good gig or a bad one, these are the venues that taught us our craft!
They’re also hugely important to us socially and culturally. What happens when they all shut down? Where do we go?
How did you feel when you heard about the Boileroom’s current problems?
Sad! Very sad! Places like the Boileroom should be embraced by the public and the local councils. These places are good for social morale. Also, how many people have met the person they spend the majority of their lives with at a gig? Just makes me sad to think these places are shutting down all over the country.
What would happen if the Boileroom were to shut down? What impact would that event have?
It means there’s one less place for people to gather. Come up with plans for the future. Meet the person they’ll fall in love with. Form a band. Find their new favourite band. Take down a tyrant. Build up a hero! It could make Jack a very dull boy!
What is your favourite Boileroom-related memory?
We were lucky enough to support Mr Nick Oliveri there. It was heaving. You could see the sweat running down the walls. People singing, drinking and dancing all over the place! Good times!!
How do you feel about the state of the UK’s live music scene right now? What could be done to improve things?
Musically, the national scene is fine. There will always be people drawn to music and being in bands. The problem is finding places to play.
The only places to play that should be stopped are the pay-to-play places. That pisses me off!! In which other business would you get together a crew, drive hundreds of miles, bring your tools, fix a problem (boredom) then pay the client?
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Yeah! Go see local bands in local venues!
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