Sue Raymond Band at the Mount

The Sue Raymond Band is at the Mount Pleasant on Manchester Road, Southport this Saturday 8 August from around 9.30pm. The band play both covers and originals, led by singer/guitarist Sue Raymond. I've seen them quite a few times - always worthwhile.

The Mount sells three real ales: Doom Bar and two changing guests.

Marcus Jones - new pubs minister

I don't put much faith in government pubs ministers. I'm sure I'm not the only person who is sick of politicians declaring their undying love of what they usually describe as that great British institution, the British pub - particularly galling from governments that operated the beer duty escalator.

Marcus Jones was appointed to the role of pubs minister a couple of weeks ago. He was also given the high street brief, and I suppose I can see some logic there. The best town centre streets are those with a varied selection of shops interspersed with cafés, restaurants and pubs, making them lively and safer places from early morning until late at night, unlike some shop-only streets that are sad, deserted places after 6.00 pm, such as Chapel Street here in Southport.

He recently said in a speech: “I want to be a proactive minister who really supports pubs. I want to get around the country, I want to talk to people and listen to their views on what’s needed to save the great British pub. I’m always very keen to get involved in the industry and support events.”

Fine words, but will he be any different?

He worked part-time in a pub for 10 years, so he'll understand that most pub-goers are a cross section of society who generally behave in a perfectly civilised manner. He helped secure a debate on the beer duty escalator in 2013, and said in the Commons: "From my postbag, I know that popping down the local for a pint is becoming more and more expensive and out of reach for many of my constituents. Incomes have been squeezed over the past five years or so, and the cost of a pint has become more and more unaffordable. Beer is fast heading towards being a luxury item."

Titanic Brewery have welcomed his appointment, saying that if they were to ask for one thing, it would be stability because of the number of changes imposed upon the industry - it now just needs the chance to get on with the business of brewing and selling beer.

So it's not sounding too bad, although it is extremely early days. He is of course a Tory, but that shouldn't really make a difference. Traditionally, the big old brewers were staunch supporters of the Conservative Party; more recently it's not political ideology but surrender to the propaganda of the anti-alcohol brigade that has led to governmental attacks upon the pub and brewing industry. The nanny statists of "New" Labour who introduced the escalator were little better, and their ludicrous music licensing laws, scrapped by the Coalition, were a serious impediment to local live music of all kinds.

Breweries and pubs are capitalist companies that provide a lot of employment and it should be natural for a Tory government to support them or, at the very least, not attack them. I'm not holding my breath on that one, not least because of the completely disproportionate hysteria that greeted the three cuts of a penny in beer duty during the last government: those people are not going away. In the real world - as opposed to the microcosm of political dogma - pubs and brewing are not, and should not be, subject to partisan politics.

Politically, Marcus Jones and I are miles apart: for example, his record includes voting against gay equality rights four times and for the repeal of the Human Rights Act. Despite all that, if he does this job well, I'll happily give him the credit that is due.

Ten facts about Marcus Jones.

Music deregulation ~ merely righting the wrong

A folk session in the Station Inn
in Whitby, North Yorkshire

Music is a natural activity, and pretty nearly everyone can sing. That doesn't mean that everyone has an inner superstar just waiting to be nurtured and released: it simply means most of us can do it.  Not well, necessarily, but then plenty of people who play Sunday football aren't very good - they still have fun though. The condition of tone deafness is actually quite rare; people often can't sing simply because they've never done it, not because they're incapable.

Because singing is so natural, the music licensing system brought in by "New" Labour in 2003 was absurd; unfortunately, it was also draconian and punitive. As I've written previously, it was nonsense that strumming an unamplified acoustic guitar in a pub could be illegal, while big screen sports with all the noise they create from both the TV and the people watching it were completely unrestricted. Even worse, a licensee who put on a solo performer without a public entertainment licence was committing a criminal offence and could be fined up to £20,000 or sent to prison. That's a high price to hear me play Sunny Afternoon. In one extreme instance, some Morris dancers who went into a Sam Smith's pub for a post-dance pint were asked to leave because the tinkling bells on their outfits constituted music for which the pub had no licence!

In a rare outbreak of common sense, Parliament has decided that venues in England and Wales with a capacity of under 200 people will no longer need a licence for live music between the hours of 8.00 a.m. and 11.00 p.m., and unamplified live music can now be played in any location under the act. The change was contained in a private member's bill introduced by Don Foster, Lib Dem MP for Bath. While this will be a real boost for live music and local performers, it will also help pubs and clubs that are seeking ways to improve trade and increase the range of entertainment available to the public.

A band in Café Matisse in Southport
(lead singer: yours truly)

The Noise Abatement Society claims there will be a "dramatic rise" in noise complaints that will "set residents at odds with local businesses", but this is an overreaction: no laws about noise have been repealed and people haven't lost any rights to complain about noise nuisance. There are no changes to local authorities' powers to deal with noise from fixed premises or land if they think it is a statutory nuisance. Organisers of music events should not be under the illusion that it is now a free for all; they can still receive substantial penalties if they allow too much noise.

It's not just licensed premises that will be covered by this change. To give a couple of the silliest examples: school concerts didn't need a licence unless they made a small charge or admitted members of the general public, and a carol concert was unrestricted in the church, but would need a licence if held in the church hall.

I welcome this release of the simple pleasures of music and singing from the stifling dead hand of the nanny state.

I've previously written several posts on this topic - click here if you'd like to read them - and you can read the full BBC article here.

Deregulation - music to the ears!

The government has finally announced proposals to remove regulations from a whole swathe of activities, including live music performances.  You can read the announcement and a link to the consultation paper on the DirectGov website, and in an article in the Morning Advertiser.  This is something I've written about before, most recently in July last year (here if you're interested), and the document echoes my comparison between acoustic music played in a pub and big screen sports ~ I'd like to think my blog is read by ministers, but I doubt it!  The consultation paper describes the current confused situation as:

"You will need a licence if you want to put on an opera but not if you want to organise a stock car race. A folk duo performing in the corner of a village pub needs permission, but the big screen broadcast of an England football match to a packed barn-like city centre pub does not. An athletics meeting needs licensing if it is an indoor event, but not if it’s held outdoors. A free school concert to parents doesn’t need a licence, but would if there is a small charge to raise money for PTA funds or if there are members of the wider public present. A travelling circus generally needs a permit whereas a travelling funfair does not. A carol concert in a Church doesn’t need a licence, but does if it is moved to the Church Hall."

The proposal is that music events will require no licences with audiences up to 5,000.  This is rather more than the 100-200 figure that some groups were lobbying for.  The document sensibly asks whether unamplified music needs any limit at all, on the basis that "no audience limit is necessary due to the self- limiting possibilities from the event’s acoustic reach", but I can't think of any unamplified event where a 5,000 limit would ever be even remotely approached.

In the run-up to the "New" Labour government's implementing the current regime in 2003, Kim Howells, a junior Culture Minister at the time, contributed to the debate in 2001 by saying, "For a simple urban boy such as me, the idea of listening to three Somerset folk singers sounds like hell."  This caused a lot of anger in the folk world and provoked West Country folk group Show of Hands to respond with the song Roots, which includes the lines:

And a minister said his vision of hell
Is three folk singers in a pub near Wells
Well, I've got a vision of urban sprawl
There's pubs where no-one ever sings at all
And everyone stares at a great big screen
Overpaid soccer stars, prancing teens
Australian soap, American rap
Estuary English, baseball caps

Apologies and attempts to claim it was a joke soon followed but I can't help wondering whether it was just such personal prejudices among many MPs about all types of live music, not just folk, that led to the dog's breakfast of regulations we are stuck with now.

This consultation is looking very positive, as the government says it is inclined to accept deregulation unless persuaded otherwise; when I work out how to take part in the consultation, I'll publish another post.

Licensing reform ~ tortoise or snail?

The Green Man from the Southport
Swords and me in the Baron's Bar.

A few months ago, I signed a petition on the No. 10 website to urge "the Prime Minister to stop criminalising live music with the Licensing Act, and to support amendments backed by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and the music industry, which would exempt most small-scale performances in schools, hospitals, restaurants and licensed premises."

Under the current Licensing Act, brought in by "New" Labour, a performance by one musician in a pub, bar, restaurant, school or hospital not licensed for live music could lead to a criminal prosecution of the event organiser. By contrast, amplified big screen broadcast entertainment is exempt. The reason given was noise levels, which is laughable when you compare the sound levels produced by unamplified musicians with the deafening racket caused by sport on a giant TV screen and the pub crowd watching it.

The reply just published is that the Coalition is committed to cutting red tape, to encourage live music and is keen to find the best way forward. A number of options are being considered and the Minister will make an announcement in due course. The full petition and response are here.

So, no further on since I last wrote about this on 28 July, when the government said they were looking into this matter "as quickly as possible". Now they say their response will be "in due course". As this rate, I expect the next announcement will say we'll get their proposals "in the fullness of time".

Live music reform plans

The government's review of the live music restrictions, which among other things makes it illegal to play an unamplified acoustic guitar in a pub without the appropriate licence, is being held up mechanics of the review. John Penrose, the minister responsible, told the Commons that the options for changing the rules are being considered “as quickly as possible”. He said a series of options are being looked at to see which one “comes out best in the business case”, whatever that means. The main bone of contention is whether exemption from licensing should be set at 100 or 200 people; I can't see why that decision can't be made quickly. 

As I've written previously, it's nonsense that strumming an unamplified acoustic guitar in a pub can be illegal, while big screen sports with all the noise they create from both the TV and the audience are completely unrestricted. If it's going to take a while to bring some common sense into this matter, let's hope it's worth the wait.

Decriminalise Live Music

The music licensing laws are a ridiculous bureaucratic farce that could only have been dreamt up by someone whose idea of live music is karaoke in a trendy wine bar favoured by footballers ~ my idea of a hellish night out. We do not need costly, restrictive Licensing Act legislation to "combat disorder" at folk clubs, pubs, etc.

The LibDems have proposed a Live Music Bill, which will exempt venues with a capacity of less than 200 from music licensing, exempt performances by two musicians or less and ban the Form 696. The Bill has passed its first reading and will be debated later this year. Please support this Bill by signing the No 10 Petition ~ to do so, click here.

The petition reads: "We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to stop criminalising live music with the Licensing Act, and to support amendments backed by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, and the music industry, which would exempt most small-scale performances in schools, hospitals, restaurants and licensed premises."