Tuesday 4 January 2022

JANUARY 2022 NEWS - 4 Jan 2022

Well we've made it - 50 years of history, great nights, friendships, marriages, divorces and possibly even a few conceptions (not during a visit.....hopefully)

Scotland's Longest running Rock Club is now into it's 50th year so a Happy New Year to all. 

Granted not the start we had hoped for with a wee bit more uncertainty and Scot Gov deciding that nightclubs should be closed again after only being able to operate from August 2021 despite at least from our side many precautions, ventilation, as safe an environment as possible and insistence on many basic things such as masks, track and trace and other mandatory points despite the massive increase in facebook lawyers and medical experts turning up at the door to simply be told their facebook degree is not accepted at our school. 

We do find ourselves with a bit of a mission once again to build up the confidence for people who decided staying in for Christmas was what suited them best possibly didn't realise at the time had a massive ripple effect on every part of the night time economy right down to those business who look after getting you looking a million dollars to go out. 

Although we can't operate the nightclub until further updates we are re-starting the live music in January once again in safe seated operation. It does mean that capacity is cut once again but hopefully this will help the confidence re-building process that needs to happen otherwise many a venue will be lost or struggle and that will be more damaging than what covid has done in the last 2 years. 

I'll be up front and say we are not immune from that just because we've managed to hang around for 50 years. We once again need every bit of support once again whether it's a share on facebook or your bum on a seat at a gig in January onwards with all important advance ticket to show that you are coming. 

We appreciate things can change in an instant now with isolation by the household load being the major thing as Omnicronic takes over. The same can be true our end if a band member has to isolate causing a gig to reschedule. We certainly will try our best to ensure everything can go ahead as planned but please understand it's a knife edge we are walking so please be patient also check in with the latest on the event listing as it's the FIRST to be updated then via social media on the run up to the event. 

We hope to see you at what has had to be revised month to deal with a few things mentioned also work within the guidance issued just last week. 

As it stands :

FRIDAY 7th Jan - Rock covers from DIRTY BETTY

SATURDAY 8th - Rock Covers from THE SIGNS

FRIDAY 14th - tbc soon

SATURDAY 15th - Rock Covers from JOJOCOKE

FRIDAY 21st - Covers from FASTFORWARD

SATURDAY 22nd - Original Band THE SCARLET REBELS on tour with support tbc

FRIDAY 28th - tbc soon

SATURDAY 29th - STILL MARILLION

A Scottish Gov review is due on the current plan of attack on Tues 11 Jan for following 3 weeks into Feb which may have a ripple effect on events in second part of the month and early Feb will keep you all updated but as you can imagine we are now back to a point we never thought we would see again, and the constant wait and see what Scot Gov will do or adjust pretty short notice. 

It makes planning more that 2 weeks ahead nearly impossible again. 

So yet again we call upon your patience to see what we can do and can't do in the given timescales and ask to keep checking the website events listings FIRST and FOREMOST. 

Simply pulling the plug, moving or deciding too quickly can be just as damaging to an already fragile confidence situation which we have learned very quickly in the last two years of juggling and spinning plates to balance the need of the business, bands wishes, financial burdens but most importantly the safety of all who attend the club. 

Simple things like bands booking a flight months in advance to save a shilling now becomes financially crippling if there are any last minute changes so bands wait for clarity that sometimes never comes. However there is a point of making a decision sometimes a month or two ahead that has to come. Sadly in the case of XSLF that were coming over in March fits into that, coupled with lack of confidence really affecting advance sales will just let you see the tip of the iceberg we have to deal with weekly. So when you roll these factors in with many more it means certain things have to be cancelled or postponed well in advance. Only if there had been another 20 or 30 sales in the bag after tickets being available for good part of two years could have made all the difference to the decision and helped cover fees associated with any live event to go ahead. 

Anyway lets leave it there for now and hope to see you hitting the website for all the details you need for the weeks and months that lie ahead. 


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