The Waiting Room 07.01.09
It’s been a strange few days over here at DCHQ. On Monday a certain NY radio station sent what can only be described as a compliment-strewn e-beg asking us to join their airwaves, affording us carte blanche on show content & tomfoolery. Yesterday we received word that this month our TWR podcasts are #1 on the Podbean site for the Radio category (with almost 14,000 listeners tuning in since New Year’s day). Then we discover we have the 4th most listened to Radio podcast on the entire Podbean site, ever.
This morning I received an email from a promoter asking me to assist in finding some information on the Butthole Surfers‘ first ever overseas gig back in the 1980s. Seems he discovered a comment I left on S,bT a while back mentioning said gig, which had been held in Newport Leisure Centre in Gwent. He’s hoping I can provide details for a book that’s being written about the band.
This afternoon I received an email from a Swedish band, who we’ve featured a handful of times on the show, telling us they’ve name-checked us in their latest song. Minutes later we get an email from a Cardiff film crew asking us to take part in a documentary they’re planning on UK anti-folk, asking to interview me + film an episode of TWR being made.
Fuck’s going on? When did we get to be the mutt’s? Madness, I tells you; madness. If nothing else it’s clearly going to be stupid busy (again) this year.
Anyway, enough of this ego-spunking. Tonight, The Woman of The House & I kick off the year with a wine-soaked show, dragging along for the ride new bands/artistes/exclusive tracks + a brand new theme tune (courtesy a delightfully silly Scottish ensemble).
In residence, then: Miss Emily Brown, Miniature Tiger, The Deep Dark Woods, Supercot, Holly Golightly & The Broke Offs, Ruckus Roboticus, Clem Snide, Lily Frost, Lenka, Jukebox The Ghost, Kitty & The Can Openers, Basket of Figs, The Kazoo Funk Orchestra & very many more.
You know what to do.
The Waiting Room: Wednesday 7th January
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&, in case you missed them, here’s the last 2 shows:
The Waiting Room: Wednesday 31st December
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The Waiting Room: Wednesday 24th December
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Ah, Newport Leisure Centre.
What a monumentally shite excuse for a venue that place was.
I remember the gig space was actually just the sports hall – it was marked out with badminton courts and stuff – and to get from the front door to the hall you walked down a glass-walled corridor where you could see into the swimming pool!
Stylish.
The BhS gig was actually in the upstairs function room of the leisure centre. Entirely unsuited, so I am lead to believe, & was completely fucking trashed by band & fans alike.
There has always been a lack of a decent medium sized venue in South Wales..
The Coal Exchange showed promise for a little while – but never really seemed to get much backing.
We’re not so badly served in Cardiff, though:
The Point is an excellent venue; Taboo has just opened but is starting to get a name for itself; Howard Gardens may be studenty & small, but it’s perfect for those in your face gigs; the Gate Theatre is just lovely; Chapter Arts Center is passable; The Sherman Theatre is a good venue; the Student Union & the Great Hall are half decent venues; Barfly’s not bad; Clwb has fucking awful beer BUT is a good loud venue.
OK, the CIA is appalling acoustically, the Millenium Stadium I haven’t been to for a gig, St. David’s Hall is shit (but the smaller bar areas are really good for intimate gigs). We also have the Four Bars Inn & a handful of smaller, proper bar type gig holes.
As for the rest of Wales, fuck them. They can just get on a bus or train & come here if they want to see a band play.
Well regardless of venues, Congrats on your success in 2009! Well deserved too
xoxox
I think being quoted in a book about a band (especially Butthole Surfers) is one of the coolest blog brags ever.
Yeah, point taken, DC.
But what’s always been missing is a decent venue on the gig circuit that – in terms of capacity – would fit in between paragraph one and paragraph two of your list.
The halls might be there but they’re not used. If a medium-sized band (in terms of popularity) are touring venues like Brixton Academy, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Glasgow Barrowland, Northampton Roadmender etc. where do they stop off in South Wales?
(Hi Tart! Sorry for steamrollering over you..)
Muruch, it wasn’t so much a brag as more an amazement at a catalogue of unconnected pleasantness. Although, I’m not sure it’ll be a quotable thing I provide (if anything of too much use) as I didn’t attend the gig. I just heard about it a day later from one of the promoters (who ran a record stall in Newport market) & kicked myself silly for not being as on the ball as I should have been. Point taken, though. It would be very cool. Especially as I discovered Kramer/Shimmy Disc & almost a decade of superb vinyl releases as a result of knowing BhS.
Tart, thank you for the kind words sweet lady. Happy New year to you & yours. Here’s to successes for everyone, then, in their related fields of (undoubted) excellence.
Dylan, yeah, I know what you mean. There’s no middle ground. Still, it’s getting better & people are starting to attend gigs more no down here. No doubt someone will start thinking out of the box soon…
It won’t be Tart, that’s for sure.
Ug, Matthew, that was execrable. Go wash your hands.
There’s a temptation to string a sentence together using the words ‘tart’ box’ & matthew’s hands, but I shan’t.
Cheers DC on all your successes. Well deserved. I think being name-checked by a Swedish band is the best one.
Cheers, Puddles/Cf&Bf, for the cap doff. I think that’s fairly cool, too. I’ve asked for a copy so I can play it on the next available show.
LOL! That deserves this young man!
Schweet!
And Dylan you can steam roller me any time, c.f. James Taylor’s “Steamroller” I can be arsed to upload two things today for this blog, xoxo
There’s now a temptation to string a sentence together using the words ‘Dylan’ ’steamroller’, ‘tart’ & ‘arsed’ but… oh, you know the rest.
Christ.
You can be as rude as you like about the Newport leisure centre but there was nowhere of its size then (late 80s) and it had a fantastic get in due to the multipurpose hall. My now wife was the arts and entertainment officer then who persuaded the council to let her put on gigs like the Butthole Surfers (along with Simon Cheap Sweaty Fun = the guy with the record stall in the market) Amongst the many other gigs she put on despite the council was one of the few RunDMC/Public Enemy shows not cancelled in 1988 tour (loads of trouble at previous gigs)
If the guy writing the book wants more info get in touch. I don’t think the council were that keen on the naked dancer on a trampoline.
Sorry for steamrollering over Muruch too – but we simul-commented so I didn’t notice til now!
Alano, you fucking beauty!
I’ll email you very shortly & put you in touch with the promoter. Looks like it’ll be your wife & not me who’ll be getting any mention/quotes
Small fucking world, eh?
Do you still keep in touch with Simon? I haven’t seen him since about ‘95 or ‘96. Fucking lovely fellah.
Matthew, your site’s becoming far too popular.
It comes to something when you can’t even slag off a venue at the other end of the fucking country without the husband of the entertainments manager coming on and sticking up for the place!
Jeez!
(All in good humour – Hi Alano!)
Actually, Alano does make a very good point. While the venue itself may not have been the most salubrious of surroundings, his missus evidentally did do a fantastic job of giving these bands somewhere to play in South Wales so we could at least get to see them, and I would like to thank her for that. Cheers!
Enough of this bad-mouthing Wales! I happen to have first-hand evidence that it’s a land of dreams and witty yet gentle exchanges of pleasantries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWk0BCeblQ