BEST OF THE WEST 2: KEEP MUSIC LIVE IN PUBS AWARENESS GIG
APRIL 6th 2003 – BRIDPORT ARTS CENTRE, DORSET

Last June, Pub landlord Adrian Collis of The Three Horseshoes Burton Bradstock and who has also recently taken over The Bridport Arms Hotel in West Bay, staged a successful one-day music festival in Bridport Arts Centre to promote local musical talent. Adrian was so impressed by the quality of musical performance at the 'SHOES that he decided put together a bill featuring some of the best talent in the area.

Sunday April 6th will see him follow up this idea with another showcase gig, but with a difference! The day will serve as an awareness gig for the "KEEP MUSIC LIVE IN PUBS" campaign. This seeks to highlight how proposed changes to licensing could affect music performance in public houses.

The main points of the proposals are:

 Scrapping the current "2 playing in a bar rule" which allows 2 performers to play in a pub without the landlord needing a license. This will mean that ALL performance will need to be licensed.

 The costs of attaining a license will increase

 The fee will be commensurate with the "costs" incurred by the local council to administer the license (A license to print money!!)

 Each local council will set its own "policy" so within Dorset alone there will be inconsistencies

 Bridport Arts Centre has a healthy young persons music club called "ZEST" where regularly young musicians provide entertainment for their peers and gain experience of performing in the process. Where are they going to continue to perform if the window of opportunity to play in local pubs is drastically reduced because of the prohibitive costs involved in promoting live performance?

Bands and Artistes appearing will be:

At Noon: "ZEST" – an opportunity for some of the young acts to play
Youngsters pay £1:00 only on the door 12:00 – 02:00 pm

Then at 02:30 pm onwards the main event:

 "ROADS" - a funky young blues band from Wimborne
 "HELENA" – well known singer/songwriter from Shepton Mallet"
 "MOTEL 6" – local original talented funky/rock band
 "GOTHIC CHICKEN" – Marco's excellent cover band
 "AMOR" - Well established UK blues/rock/ghetto foursome from Surrey with excellent original rock style pedigree
 Bridport's own "LITTLE DIXIE" – Mutter Slater's boys with
Special guest: "BILLY BRAGG"

Tickets for the main event, which kicks off at 02:30 pm will be priced at £8:50 per person and will be available from Monday 17th March and can be purchased from the following outlets:

Bridport Arts Centre

Bridport Record Centre

Three Horseshoes, Burton Bradstock

Bridport Arms Hotel, West Bay

Adrian said:

"Please do come along and enjoy a day of fine musical talent, which we are able to put on because these acts have "cut their teeth" in bars which has given them the experience to further their musical careers. Indeed for some musicians that earn a living playing in bars it could signal the end of their livelihood! Our own local "ZEST" young musicians club, recently awarded lottery funding is a credit to those who manage it and the youngsters that perform, but where do these budding artistes go next? The opportunities are likely to be severely reduced"

"These licensing proposals would appear to be closing doors to our young musicians when we should be focusing on opening more doors for them! It should also be remembered that our local successful musicians such as PJ Harvey and Billy Bragg both started their careers in pubs and bars."

"A petition against these aspects of the bill will be available for signatures which will be forwarded to Culture Minister: Kim Howells."

For further information contact Adrian Collis on:

01308 897259