UndergroundScene Forums - View Single Post - Go North Dundee

petpiranha · 23rd January 2007, 11:35 PM

The official announcement will be in The Courier on Thursday.

I'm at home in Ireland this week for a family funeral.

GoDundee will bring a lot of bands from around the UK and beyond to Dundee to play shows which I'm looking forward to. There will also be a few local acts added. To create this opportunity for new music at all, there were huge time restraints. As a result some bands probably didn't get a demo/record in on time.

Everyone who is part of this event recognises this and there will be some bands who arguably should be playing but who won't be. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. This is another opportunity for new music and there are a lot of them in Scotland (Tbreak, etc) compared to some regional areas of the country. Try not to knock this event before it happens if a band you really like or are a member of doesn't get picked. It's no reflection on your music. One man's cure is another man's poison. I discovered post-rock instrumental band Shutter at a GoNorth event and if you find one band you really like at something like this that's a result. Thats what its all about.

If everyone on the panel had drawn up their own selection of bands, they would have been all different. The people who organise GoEvents, that work against the odds to bring new music to the agenda of Dundee City Council, as well as local music journos, don't necessarily go to a lot of gigs at say The Balcony and appreciate how brilliant Avast!, Eye, Kaddish, Try Hards etc are - but that's why we have to keep talking to anyone & everyone who is influencial in our scene. Adopting a negative attitude will not help anyone. Don't be naieve and wide-eyed, but like-wise try to make positive things happen.

That I can sit at a table with someone from Dundee City Council and go 'here's a band called Avast!, possibly one of the best bands around' and they genuinely want to know more illustrates that we can't simply sit back and let more safe, mainstream music waltz to victory. When you do that you end up with daytime radio.

Some bands that have nothing to do with my label who I would have loved to see play and said so, didn't get picked because although I know they're great live, the demo doesn't convince someone who's never seen the band. And there is a definite perception that the busiest gigs in Dundee are all happening at The Doghouse, that the non-mainstream bands in Dundee don't pull crowds. Obviously that needs to be knocked on the head given the number of rammed non-mainstream gigs that i've been to in Dundee in 2006.

I'm not going to get dragged into replying to any posts in this thread - if you have a genuine question email me (mail[at]petpiranha.com) and I'll do my best to answer it. I've taken enough bullets in the back to know what to expect. But I'd rather work to make things that bit better than show apathy and let mediocrity be championed.

There's not much oxygen in Dundee for bands to survive, that's why the ones that do are fucking brilliant.

23rd January 2007, 11:35 PM	#13 (permalink)
petpiranha Registered User Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dublin Posts: 265 Band: MERCURY TILT SWITCH	The official announcement will be in The Courier on Thursday. I'm at home in Ireland this week for a family funeral. GoDundee will bring a lot of bands from around the UK and beyond to Dundee to play shows which I'm looking forward to. There will also be a few local acts added. To create this opportunity for new music at all, there were huge time restraints. As a result some bands probably didn't get a demo/record in on time. Everyone who is part of this event recognises this and there will be some bands who arguably should be playing but who won't be. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. This is another opportunity for new music and there are a lot of them in Scotland (Tbreak, etc) compared to some regional areas of the country. Try not to knock this event before it happens if a band you really like or are a member of doesn't get picked. It's no reflection on your music. One man's cure is another man's poison. I discovered post-rock instrumental band Shutter at a GoNorth event and if you find one band you really like at something like this that's a result. Thats what its all about. If everyone on the panel had drawn up their own selection of bands, they would have been all different. The people who organise GoEvents, that work against the odds to bring new music to the agenda of Dundee City Council, as well as local music journos, don't necessarily go to a lot of gigs at say The Balcony and appreciate how brilliant Avast!, Eye, Kaddish, Try Hards etc are - but that's why we have to keep talking to anyone & everyone who is influencial in our scene. Adopting a negative attitude will not help anyone. Don't be naieve and wide-eyed, but like-wise try to make positive things happen. That I can sit at a table with someone from Dundee City Council and go 'here's a band called Avast!, possibly one of the best bands around' and they genuinely want to know more illustrates that we can't simply sit back and let more safe, mainstream music waltz to victory. When you do that you end up with daytime radio. Some bands that have nothing to do with my label who I would have loved to see play and said so, didn't get picked because although I know they're great live, the demo doesn't convince someone who's never seen the band. And there is a definite perception that the busiest gigs in Dundee are all happening at The Doghouse, that the non-mainstream bands in Dundee don't pull crowds. Obviously that needs to be knocked on the head given the number of rammed non-mainstream gigs that i've been to in Dundee in 2006. I'm not going to get dragged into replying to any posts in this thread - if you have a genuine question email me (mail[at]petpiranha.com) and I'll do my best to answer it. I've taken enough bullets in the back to know what to expect. But I'd rather work to make things that bit better than show apathy and let mediocrity be championed. There's not much oxygen in Dundee for bands to survive, that's why the ones that do are fucking brilliant.