#save le pub

[lepubisforlovers]

In 1992, I jumped at the chance to open a venue where individuals could act like individuals, where you weren't thrown out for not wearing 'shoes' on a weekend night, where the staff were actually nice to the punters, where music (any music) came first and foremost, where - when most pubs had a fight a night - violence would not be tolerated, where creativity would be nurtured and encouraged. Where we could hold film nights and photography nights and live music nights and raucous hip-hop & old-school funk nights and fantastic indie discos. Where we aspired to have the best jukebox in the UK (we did - Bob Stanley told me!). Where bands could hang out and swap stories and instruments and arrange to borrow each others equipment so that everyone could play. Where, in essence, we weren't looking to make a quick buck from a bunch of 'townies' - rather, giving the people of Newport a venue which they could call their own. That was 22 years ago. To lose it now would be an absolute fucking travesty! #savelepub

 Kieron Dineen

[lepubisforlovers]

I can't believe we are having to go through this again. It is so unfair that yet again Le pub is under threat of closure. It is beyond belief that a pub that has been in its location for over 20 years is threatened with closure, just because of some awkward local residents. Le pub has aways been in Caxton place so why is the council allowing it to be under threat again. Growing up as a teenager in Newport, I started going out into town on the weekends and realised that the wetherspoons-type places weren't for me or any of my friends. After we bought tickets for one of their gigs we found that Le pub was somewhere where we could spend every weekend enjoying our favourite music, watching local and upcoming bands in our own pub. That is how all the regulars feel about it, it is OUR pub and it's always going to be special to us. It's always been a haven for regulars and new faces (like I once was) who wanted somewhere safe, fun and secure away from the awful pubs Newport had to offer and most importantly for us to enjoy good music. Le pub has always been run by staff who look after their regulars, there is never any trouble because the same crowd visits every weekend, knowing that the staff look after their customers so well. Sam Dabb has been a well-known presence behind the bar for the whole time I've been coming to the pub and as manager she has shown a passionate belief in the welsh music scene. Without her dedication, Newport would not have had some of the greatest gigs that I have ever been to nor would any bands love the venue and insist on playing there every time they tour. I've spoken to many bands over the years who appreciate how Sam and her staff take care of them and love the atmosphere and appreciation that the crowds in Le pub show them. Le pub cares about promoting bands and has kept Newport on the map as a location for tours for the last 20 years. Without it as a venue Newport's music scene would have died a long time ago. Now, at the ripe old age of 33 I still go to Le pub every weekend because it's my favourite place to go. I've spent the best times in there and will always feel like it's the perfect place to go out in Newport. As a teacher, I often hear parents slating Newport, hating the idea of their teenagers going out in the evening because they have a bad impression of our city centre. I always tell them about Le pub as a safe place to go, where their teenagers can watch gigs and they can feel reassured that there is somewhere to go in Newport that will take care of them and allow them to enjoy their love of great music. It would be a real tragedy if Le pub was closed down and the next generation couldn't fall in love with the place, as I did all those years ago.   --  Jo Morgan

[lepubisforlovers]

I literally grew up at Le Pub. Every Thursday morning of my summer holidays was spent waiting downstairs for my mum to get the delivery in. I don't know if you've ever noticed the height of the tills, but I once ran into it, and the corner of the drawer cut the top of my head. Between moving house, moving schools and generally just growing up, the presence of Le Pub in my life has always been a constant. Some of the best gigs of my life have been there, and it's where I discovered, my now favorite band, Larry and His Flask. The staff are like family, in some cases literally, and are some of my favorite people in the world. Now, as I'm old enough to truly enjoy Le Pub for what it is (a pub!!) I know that I will never find anywhere I love as much. As I'm starting to explore venues and pubs, I find myself comparing everywhere to Le Pub. I'm yet to find anywhere that is so friendly, or with the same atmosphere. 

But now I have to leave. With university dawning, Le Pub can no longer be my weekly hang out. I'm so excited to go and explore a new city, make new friends and find somewhere almost as great to hang out. But the thought of leaving behind a Le Pub-less Newport is something I refuse to think about. 

Le Pub is a home and a family, and now it needs us to be there for it, like it's always been there for us. 

Kristy.

Occasional staff member, full time daughter. 

X

[lepubisforlovers]

I have gone to Le Pub over the past 10 years or so in various capacities.... As a punter... I have seen some of the greatest performances by some of the worlds fantastic acts over the past few years. These have ranged from... International bands: Great Lake Swimmers (who used the video footage I took at the Le Pub gig as promotional material on their Website), The Long Winters, Dolly Varden, Centro-Matic, Jon Langford UK bands:              The Rockingbirds, Thee Faction, James Warbourne, Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra, Welsh artists:         Paper Aeroplanes, Lone Pine, Redlands Palomino Company, The Ash & The Oak (who I subsequently released CDs by on Country Mile Records) 

 In addition to the excellent live music Le Pub, the bar is stocked with interesting beers and the bar staff are always friendly. I am yet to take anyone there who hasn't come away having had a great night out... As a band member... Whenever I have played the venue with my band (The Grief Brothers) the people at Le Pub have always been great. No matter how low down the bill the band appeared, we have been treated equally to the headliner. There is a genuine feeling of community at the venue and everyone looks out for each other. Any technical issues were dealt with straight away and bands sharing equipment if necessary. As a promoter... I have put on a number of live music events at Le Pub over the years. Sam has always been extremely helpful and accommodating while Matt has worked wonders on the PA sound. Bands like to play at Le Pub and it has deservedly gained a reputation as a "good gig" so it is never difficult persuading a band to join the bill for a night there.

In Summary... Newport is known internationally for its music scene and since the loss of TJs, Le Pub has become the premier venue for live music in the city. Nowhere else actively encourages up-and-coming bands to play live (and eschews the cover groups that make easy money in every pub across the UK). The Council should be encouraging the fantastic work of Le Pub rather than wasting money persecuting the owners for trying to do something positive in an all-too desolate city centre.

- Ray, Country Mile Records

[lepubisforlovers]

We're lucky to have such a wide range of arts on offer in Newport and over the last four years we at Comedy Port HQ have been luckier still to work with the team at Le Pub to form a series of fringe events as part of our annual comedy festival. The Le Pub folk really know what they're doing and have worked hard to create bespoke, totally brilliant and sometimes way out there events for our audiences and theirs. We couldn't be happier to have them as part of our little Comedy family. We really love Le Pub, and we so very much want to work with them again and again and again and see them stay open to continue providing vital places for new and exciting talent in South Wales. Their commitment to programming underground and emerging talent is so very important to the cultural scene in Newport, it's evident in all the outcry of support they're receiving now but also in the faces of all the Newport folk who hold it dear to their hearts. There's nowhere quite like it, and we can't imagine it can ever be replaced. Newport needs Le Pub and we do like a Trevor Nelson or two. #savelepub  - The Comedy Porters @ The Riverfront Theatre

[lepubisforlovers]

It is only when I imagine the horrible thought of Le Pub not being around that I realise how much of an influence this amazing place has had on my musical 'career' (if thrashing around on guitar and bass to modest crowds counts as a career, that is).  It's incredibly easy to take these places for granted, places where you are likely to meet your next bandmates (I did), or your next favourite band (more than once), or your old favourite band who got really good and came back to show it. 

Le Pub is the first place I felt comfortable enough (ok, I was shit-scared really) to get up on-stage and play guitar. No-one laughed, no-one took the piss; a few people even said 'well done'. Ten years later (shit!), it's always an absolute pleasure to come back to Le Pub and play to a few more people, with better songs, slightly better ability, and much more confidence. It really does feel like coming home. 

Small, perfectly formed, and greater than the sum of its parts: long live Le Pub.

- Katie Gatt, Personal Best / Bedford Falls

[lepubisforlovers]

I’m writing about not one of the greatest venues in this city of Newport, but THE ONLY real music venue in this city. This place has been a hub for music goers year upon year. The community this place has is truly something special and has helped numerous bands go onto to greater things over the years, from headlining main stages at Reading and Leeds to frequenting Glastonbury to starting off my own band get a record deal. It’s extremely important that this music venue does not die.

I have toured the world seeing every music venue possible and sure they’re not all perfect but with Le Pub every band that has been there, heard about it or talks about it, speaks very highly of it and holds it dear.

Without the venue there, a huge chunk of peoples lives will dissolve and the music scene in Newport will wither and die. Le Pub is key and vital, just as vital as oxygen for the music scene in Newport to survive and keep going.

As many may know there’s not a lot for young bands and young musicians to do in Newport and venues like Le Pub give them opportunities to get into this world. This is how I started with the addition of TJ’s, I cut my teeth at these places and it really helped me understand and be involved in the scene. Without it, who knows I may have been roaming the streets finding something to do with my time.

I cannot stress to who ever is reading this that Le Pub is a key part to our community, not just in Newport but to the world. We must not loose another great venue, otherwise we will be reduced to all the ‘pop-up’ music venues such as Meze or WH54 or Bassment. These are venues, yes, but they are not true music lover’s venues, they are mere businesses.

- Mikee Gregg, Nights

[lepubisforlovers]

To whom it may concern, I am writing to you today to voice my support for Le Pub, Newport - a live venue and meeting place that acts as an epicentre of youth culture and the musical arts in South Wales. As a music journalist (I have worked professionally for over 15 years, for national publications including Kerrang! and Rock Sound) and a South Wales native, I can say, in all honesty, that young people who are passionate about music and seek a career in it later in life would have a much harder time reaching their goals were it not for venues like Le Pub, that provide a meeting place, a community base and a venue for idea sharing with like-minded peers. With the sad recent closure of TJ's, for the youth of Newport, Le Pub is now the only place left to do this. My involvement in the South Wales music scene has continued long after moving away from my hometown of Cardiff precisely because South Wales has such a uniquely tight and supportive music community. Which is why so many Welsh bands have found such prominence on both a national and international level in the last 20 years. There is a wealth of musical talent in the region that will no longer continue to flourish without appropriately run venues. Le Pub is of a size that gives young musicians a chance to test out their skills before moving onto bigger and better things. It also regularly hosts international acts that act as inspiration for local budding musicians. I'd also like to speak about the responsible and hard-working owners and managers of Le Pub, who are beyond dedicated to providing a safe and fun space for young people who might otherwise be hanging around, doing nothing productive with their evenings. The owners are also dedicated to working within the local community to ensure the venue is not a blight on the area. To close Le Pub now would be nothing short of tragic for young musicians in South Wales, and a shame for Newport, as a city, to let down its local music lovers to such a vast degree. Should you wish to discuss this matter further, you may email me on: [email protected] Thanks for your time, Rae Alexandra