Musicians might not be able to tour the nation's venues, but Gigwise can - metaphorically speaking, at least. In a recent article, an assortment of contributors have written "love letters to our independent venues" - those that form the beating heart of the nation's industry.
Cardiff is (inevitably) represented by my regular haunt Clwb Ifor Bach, whose expansion plans are understandably on hold, while there are also tributes to the Night & Day and the Deaf Institute in Manchester, the Thekla in Bristol and the Chameleon in Nottingham - all places I'd love to see a gig. To be honest, though, I'd love to see a gig anywhere at the moment - any cavernous, characterless box plastered in corporate branding and serving up lukewarm cooking lager for £5.50 a pint, surrounded by gormless, chattering numpties.
That's partly why the article - presumably intended as a celebration - was actually a painful read, for me at least. It was a tiny sample of all of the venues up and down the country whose doors are currently shut - many of which, in all likelihood, will never reopen. Here's hoping that none of these tributes end up being eulogies.
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