As a musician who plays in pubs regularly, the smoking ban has certainly improved the quality of my nights out (and the state of my throat, concertina and guitar), but it certainly did reduce the number of people coming in to CERTAIN kinds of pubs. (Particularly the Irish workmen's, few jars after work kinds).

Landlords are quick to blame the smoking ban for a further reduction in numbers but that does not explain why some pubs are flourishing and some are not. And it's not just the price of beer or the breathalyser either. One of the sessions I go to is in the bar of a 4 star hotel where I am told the price of Guinness is £4 a pint. But it's always busy and sometimes very busy, it serves good food and has comfortable chairs. It's well managed, the venue supports live music and it has a lively commumity feel to it despite being a hotel.

Another is in a suburban pub which is always packed, have they just come for the music? Well maybe, but it has a very proactive landlord and staff who have been there for a while and know the customers. It has a welcoming atmosphere. All the other pubs round there look nearly empty.

Generallly, pubs that have decided to go down the good food route are usually very busy, even in the middle of nowhere.

From my perspective the successful pubs today have: Number One - an involved, active, present landlord who works to make their pub an attractive place to visit - whether for the food, the beer, the activities or the music. Absentee landlords seem to be a big contributor to empty pubs and I guess in there we can include the ones run by big property chains with managers rather than landlords.

Well that's my two-pennorth anyway.

Helen