12 Months without Live Music
There were several reasons why I was strung out on 12th March 2020; I was wired after a day’s caffeine indulgence (this is coming from someone who very rarely touches the stuff – suffice to say, I was full of twitchy, nervous energy), I’d had a shit day at work and pertinently, I was all too aware that Coronavirus was running wild across the world, with mounting infections, increasing deaths and a feeling that no-one knew how to combat it. At the time, UK Government guidance was nonchalant and typically from the British stiff upper-lip area of pomposity; wash your hands while singing happy birthday to thwart Covid-19 apparently – didn’t really work though did it boys? Other countries were already fully locking down while the UK was still operating as normal. It’s not without exaggeration, globally we were entering a time of uncertainty and a situation that hadn’t been experienced for a generation – a virus was spreading far and wide, it was (and still is) like living through a dystopian film.
So, pitching up to see hardcore band, Turnstile, at The Mill in Birmingham didn’t feel like the best idea at the time. A sweaty, poor ventilated venue seemed like the perfect breeding ground for a deadly respiratory disease and an imperfect place for people to be congregating in. My frazzled, caffeinated mind was in a spin. My wife and I chose a high vantage point once we arrived; one reason was to watch the bedlam of a punk show with a birds eye view and the other was to keep out of the crowd as much as possible – you know, Covid and all that. The gig was incredible – check out our review here – and for a brief 40 minutes, the unbridled chaos of the Baltimore outfit and their heaving masses out front, helped take my focus off the anxiety of a pandemic and whatever the future might hold. You could say live music did its job.
Leaving The Mill after Turnstile’s smash ‘n’ grab performance, I had a sneaking suspicion that live music would be off the menu for some time, along with any other recreational activities that involved large crowds. On 16th March 2020 there was an announcement that all unnecessary social contact should cease and by 23rd March, the UK was locked down, with a stay at home order and almost all retail and hospitality businesses closing, other than essential shops. Offices became abandoned, as their work forces began an indefinite period of operating remotely. And you know the rest – over 120k dead in the UK alone and over 2.5M deaths worldwide at the time of writing. It goes without saying that Coronavirus has affected us all in ways never thought possible, with life being far from normal since its initial detection in Wuhan, China back in late 2019.
Not in my wildest dreams did I think that a full 12 months would pass without seeing a live performance and with the way things are currently, it doesn’t look like that’ll change until the end of June in the UK. Reflecting on a year without live music feels a tad trivial given the disruption to people’s health, the growing death toll and economic fallout from Coronavirus. However if you think of all the acts that haven’t been able to tour, create or release music and the monetary deficit that has been felt far and wide by all those involved in the music and arts industry – it’s more than not being able to see a band, it’s people’s livelihoods that have been turned upside down and inside out.
There’s been some wonderful initiatives to pump financial support into bands and artists; Bandcamp Fridays being one of them, where the website waivers all transactional fees the first Friday of the month, ensuring artists get 100% of the profits. In the terms of a live music substitute, numerous performers have aired live streams to commemorate album launches or just for the hell of it. At first I was a little sceptical about a virtual gig, however after watching the likes of Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters, Run The Jewels, Gorillaz, METZ, Bartees Strange, Parquet Courts and several others put on extra special performances, with full production, it’s certainly been the next best thing to getting up close and personal with your favourite acts. Plus it gives the music fan an opportunity to check out someone they’ve not previously seen and maybe wouldn’t go to a live show of – hey there Gorillaz, I mean you! Although, Damon Albarn and his animated chums were brilliant and I’d most definitely love to see them perform, for real (can they do that, they’re a cartoon band?) once we’ve battled back against Covid-19.
In my adult life, I’ve never gone this long without seeing live music, even when I was unemployed for a short time 10 years ago or was travelling (hint: both periods meant limited funds), I still found a way to go to a show, who needs to eat right? I’ve had moments where I’ve been pining for that sweet release of seeing a band in the flesh, while being joined in perfect union with a crowd singing along, and that collective feeling of joy. At the beginning for this year I was becoming frustrated at this lengthy period of enforced live music abstinence and was bitter at the thought of the gigs cancelled or postponed we were due to attend…Rage Against The Machine, Thom Yorke, Show Me The Body, Gender Roles. But it’s about perspective, and it’s important to remember those that have lost loved ones and been affected by this terrible disease. If the worst thing to happen to me in the past 12 months is not being able to go to see a band – I feel like I’ve got off really lightly.
Live music will return, normal life will return and one day, hopefully very soon, we’ll all be back in that field, in that venue, as the lights go down, as the music kicks in and it’ll be bloody glorious.
