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13
Sept
Picking up or dying down: What are the issues facing Harrogate’s live music scene?
Harrogate has a long history of live music. Some of the first known performances are from Hales Bar in the mid-18th century and recitals in the Royal Pump Room when it opened in 1842 to accompany visitors at the spa.
In more recent times there has been what seemed to be the peak of local musicians in the 2000s and early 2010s at venues such as the Blues Bar, The Den and Montey’s which had live music almost every night.
But even though Harrogate is winding down from celebrating one of its biggest music festivals of the year, Love To Be on the Stray, some people think that the local music scene is fading away.
Whether it's covid, a narrowing path into the scene, or closures of supporting venues there is concern within the area of surrounding a number of issues facing the live music scene.
Simon Colgan, who opened the Blues Bar in 2000, told the Stray Ferret:
When we first took over, we were doing a little bit of live music, but we quickly realised that there's a lot of people coming into town who were looking for live music.
So, early on we escalated it to seven nights a week so we could give everybody who was visiting what they wanted.
I’d say right the way up until 2010 to 2012 there was a really vibrant live music scene in the town. On a Thursday night you could go to five or six different places, and they’d all be showing live music, and all for free.
Unfortunately, some of those places have gone bust or don’t have live music nights anymore, and the live music scene now has dipped a little bit because of it.
Live performance at the Blues Bar
Like all local scenes, Harrogate’s is reliant on bars and venues to support and give a platform to up and coming artists.
Guitarist and banjoist Mark Boyle helps run the open mic nights at The World’s End pub in Knaresborough.
He told the Stray Ferret:
I think that the open mic nights are certainly thriving at the moment. However, I think post-covid a lot of venues haven’t survived so young up-and-coming artists are finding it difficult to secure venues and repeat performances.
I was involved in a band called the Paul Mirfin Band and before covid gig offers were flying off the shelves as people were getting into contact with us three or four times a week and as a band we were getting chased by venues.
Now post-covid, it’s completely switched around, and we’re chasing venues for those gigs.
Mark Boyle performing with The Paul Mirfin Band
But it seems that there may be further issues as getting involved in live music and performing seems to be much more difficult than it used to be.
George Farrar plays in the local band White Lupara. He began playing drums aged five and credits his school and its commitment to helping him pursue it as more than a hobby.
He told the Stray Ferret:
I did a competition called Young Drummer of the Year in Leamington Spa, which is a couple of hours away and all my music teachers came to watch, and it was on a Sunday.
To see their belief in me and commitment as a teacher was really inspiring at that time.
Mr Farrar also competed in and won the inter-school battle of the bands competition called the AMP Awards. The winner of each school in the area would compete at Harrogate Royal Hall in front of almost 1000 people.
The last time this competition took place was in 2016 and was cancelled due to a loss of government funding requested by the council.
Mr Farrar is now the drummer for the official Queen tribute band, Queen Extravaganza. He also teaches music part time at his old school and notices the decline in investment from schools in music and the arts in general.
He told the Stray Ferret:
I look around at school now on a Wednesday and the music department looks tired. It seems like a lot of funding for that stuff is just going downhill or already gone in favour of other areas of academia.
It's sad because when I was at school, I wasn't academic, but I was lucky because the school recognised that and let me do music. I don't think kids really have as many opportunities like that anymore.
A band playing in Blues Café Bar last year.
Dan Mizen owns a recording studio in York and works as a live sound engineer for bands such as the Vamps and Skunk Anansie during their tours.
He sees the main issues within Harrogate are the opportunities for young artists when they leave school. He told the Stray Ferret:
I think the scene is really healthy right now. Yes, there are less venues but the talent in the scene currently is undeniable.
Finding places to rehearse and record in Harrogate is tricky and that’s the main stumbling block in terms of being able to progress as an artist.
He said his involvement with music was not so much a career option as a way of life, as he told the Stray Ferret:
I don’t think you get into a music scene, I think it’s more of a lifestyle choice. It slowly draws you in and absorbs you.
It’s like a laser beam you get drawn in towards the light and before you know it, you’re in with everyone else.
Live music at Katie O'Briens' Irish Tavern
Despite the costs, the lack of investment, the closing venues and covid, it's clear Harrogate can still boast one of the most prominent scenes in the region.
Mr Colgan told the Stray Ferret:
I have businesses in Leeds and York – much, much bigger towns with much bigger populations and a larger demographic to draw from – and I've tried to get those businesses up to seven nights a week and it just isn't there.
The support for the live music scene in Harrogate is phenomenal, it really is.
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