This is the story of the pistol that has been at the forefront of the fight to save the UKs small music venues.
The pistol in question is actually Glen Matlock, founder and bass player with the Sex Pistols. He is a man who, after almost five decades of touring, is no stranger to venues large and small (not to mention the ones they were barred from, or chucked out of).
He has become a passionate advocate of preserving the UKs music venues, especially the smaller ones. According to UK Music back in 2018, we had lost 35% of our venues in the previous decade - and one can only imagine that this is even worse after Covid.
Agent for Change
In 2018, a law to give more protection to music venues got the backing of more than one hundred MPs and peers. It was also supported by large numbers of musicians, including Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Davies and of course, Glen Matlock.
The idea is to protect venues from agents of change, such as when new housing is built next to an existing venue, with new residents complaining about the noise! The idea in a situation like that, is that the emphasis would be on developers to provide better quality sound proofing to reduce the impact.
When Matlock attended a press event outside parliament in 2018, he was approached by Kevin Brennan, then the MP for Cardiff West. It turned out he was also a keen musician (appearing in the parliamentary house band - MP4) and they exchanged numbers. Brennan sent Matlock a copy of the draft white paper and invited him back to the Houses of Commons.
The bill appeared as a private member's bill, with cross-party support and was passed, although this was only the beginning of what is needed. As Brennan explained, "So the principle has been established. But it doesn't mean there aren't still other pressures on venues like planning to financial viability rates."
Matlock also points out that these issues are exacerbating the problems for the music business, he sees caused by Brexit. He is thankful for people like Brennan, who has been championing these causes, say he is "one of the few people in parliament who had talked about the effects of Brexit on touring musicians.... There's been a huge knock-on effect, not just for musicians, but for trucking companies, catering workers, lighting guys. There has to be a better way through it."
Shepherds Bush Hall
Matlock later appeared on Brennan's debut indie-folk album, The Clown And The Cigarette Girl - and also at the launch event at a small venue in Canton, Cardiff. Brennan is no longer an MP, but works as an aide to the Welsh First Minister, Eluned Morgan.
Matlock continues to record and tour, and tour. He shows no sign of slowing down, and has continued his support for the local music scenes of the UK.
Earlier this year, when he learned that a venue in his part of London, Bush Hall, was in danger of closing down, he rallied some troops to offer support. The troops he managed to raise were nonother than Steve Jones and Paul Cook - meaning he had three-quarters of the Pistols back together. John Lydon was probably never going to happen, they haven't spoken in fifteen years or more, and ended up in dispute in court over the Pistol miniseries - they got the younger folk-punk singer Frank Turner to fill in instead.
They played two shows at the Hall, built in 1904 as a dance hall, and in its current guise since 2001, to raise vital funds. Matlock said, "bigger bands shouldn't forget how they came through and if they can help out in some way, they should." It must of have been good, as the Pistols decided to carry on and do more shows.
The Sex Pistols: Anarchy In The UK (live at Bush Hall, 14 August 2024)
More than that, Matlock has been out this month, supporting his most recent album, Consequences Coming, by playing small venues in towns often missed from the usual tour schedules. He has been to places like the Tivoli in Buckley (Flintshire) and the Clwb Crown in Merthyr.
Get out and support your local venue whenever you can!
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