Chatter @ Gigs

BrianD

What the hell is going on? You pay good money to see a gig and instead of watching the performance everybody chats to each other over a pint. As the band plays louder the audience raise their voices so they can continue their conversation. As per usual, I had to turn round and tell some bunch of guys to keep it down. Ironically, these guys were having a full blown conversation about their music collections. Someday, I will get thumped when I tell someone to lower the chatter.

It was unbelievable at the Phantom Acoustic night. You could barely hear the bands play with the background chatter. These are bands who are played on Phantom and often requested on the station. Yet when they play on stage they can't be heard because of inane chatter? There are constant complaints about "rip-off" ticket prices at gigs and yet watching and listening to the gig seems to be the last thing most people are doing!

I'm baffled.

SimonMaher

Captain Angry Strikes Again!

Someone riled up Brian D and I want to know who it was!

I know what Brian means though, it can be a total headwreck when somebody is chattering away right through a gig. I could never figure it out either. I think though some people just dont think its a problem when they are at a gig because they can hear the music, and continue their conversation. They have no idea that someone else may actually want to listen to the music being played.

Ive developed a plan whereby if I really want to hear a gig, I will be sure to squeeze my way up the front where the chatters are drowned out, but if its a loud gig already, I can stand anywhere. Except of course for the fact that Im short, so I generally have to squeeze up the front anyway to see whats going on. Damn you tall freaks.

And just in case anyone thinks this is just a Dublin or an Irish thing, was at a gig in the Rock Garden in London a couple of years ago and it was worse still. And it was 20 bills sterling into that gig!

And nobody is allowed to thump Brian if he tells them to be quiet. Just obey :-)

Regards,

Pete Reed
92.1 Phantom FM
reed@phantomfm.com

therecklessone

I'm told Manchester is a nightmare for this. I've even been told of people standing facing away from the stage and having conversations! In venues the size of Whelan's...

monkey lover

I heard on one of Damien Rice's websites, that during one of his slower songs (aren't they all slow:dunno: ) he had to stop and he actually told the people talking to shut the f*ck up. Apparantly he got a round of applause for it too!

Who is so ingnorant to pay so much money to see someone play and then not listen at all?

roxy

I think the artist should take control, and indeed take advantage of having the power of a PA behind them. I think it's possible in some cases to smoke these chatterers out. Remember when you were in school (c'mon Pete, try at least) and there was chatter in the classroom? The more effective method for teachers (I believe) was to suddenly stop talking. The silence exposes the chatter in an unflatteringly blunt way. And so the chatterer is embarrassed at suddenly being the only source of noise in the room and so stops talking, possibly while blushing.

I know there isn't the same control when you play a venue but still, I think the musicians could give it a go.

On the other hand, I remember hearing about a Damien Rice gig, in the UK somewhere I believe, where he blew his top completely at the talkers in the audience. I think it just resulted in everyone laughing at him.

Maybe that's just coz it's hard to imagine taking orders from a scutty wee manchild like Rice.

Also, I recently atttended a gig where there was some minor chatter. And I was wistfully thinking of solutions for the problem. I concluded that there should be a condition on the ticket that anyone found engaging in full-blown conversation will be hauled out unceremoniously. Alternatively, each patron could sign a contract at the point of entry, guaranteeing to transfer the contents of each their bank accounts to a slush fund set up in my name if they are found to be talking about ****e, regardless of the volume at which they are doing so. Because you know we can hear you, even though you think you're whispering. An alternative to the bank account contents, possibly involving liquidation of assets, shall be set up to cover the bummy students who don't have a bank account full stop, never mind a bank acount containing money.

All this flashed through my mind when I should have been enjoying the music. That's the level of distraction we're dealing with here.

trent_derby

I think a key factor in these things is the audience in question, when a crowd are going to see a relativly large band that they have forked out some hard cash for you can generally hear nothing but the band.

Its a very distrespectfull thing that people do at "Small" gigs but ive been playing around dublin since i was 17 (im 23 now) and it hasnt gotten better, but saying that it hasnt gotton any worse, the main reason is that there can be 3 or 4 plus bands at a gig, band number ones crowd are quiet when band number 1 are on, when the second band come on, the first band are down with their friends getting congrats and then that starts the ball rolling.

Its really bad i know but its just the general nature of people, i dont see it going anytime soon either.

McGonagles

Originally posted by monkey lover
Damien Rice ... had to stop and he actually told the people talking to shut the f*ck up. Apparantly he got a round of applause for it too!

There was a great example of that at a Katell Keineg gig in Whelans
a few years ago. A bunch of suit-and-tie wearing office drones, who
looked like they just decided to include Whelans on their after-work
pub crawl, were having a loud conversation while most of the rest
of the crowd were trying to listen to Katell and her acoustic guitar.

After a few songs, Katell stopped, pointed the talkers out (they
were still talking during this!), waited until everyone was looking
at them, and asked them to "please, shut the fk up!". They gave a
"uh, does she mean us?" look, we clapped and cheered, and after
about 10 seconds they all turned and left.

There's plenty of time to talk at gigs between acts (or between songs
if you really have to), you don't have to swear a vow of silence as soon
as the house lights go down.

Last night was incredible, especially with all the acts being known to
(presumably) most of the audience, from airplay on Phantom, and mostly
playing songs that even a casual Phantom listener would have heard.

memaeve

Originally posted by Pete Reed
Except of course for the fact that Im short, so I generally have to squeeze up the front anyway to see whats going on. Damn you tall freaks.

Join the club Pete.

I was saying that myself last night, it was weird that people even bothered to come if they were jsut going to talk their whole way through the gig. Obviously, you can't expect everyone to be quiet the WHOLE time, but at least talk quietly if you have to talk.

At a Berkeley gig in DeBarra's, there was a guy sitting right in front of the stage with his back to the band chatting away goodio. Tommy stopped the whole gig to tell him to shut the f*ck up. Needless to say everyone laughed, the guy got very embarassed and kept his mouth shut for the rest of the gig.

xm

helen

In the Spirit Store in Dundalk they have a brilliant attitude towards audience noise..the minute you walk in there are posters requesting silence throughout the performance and if people insist on talking derek the( the booker in the spirit store) asks them to leave.. As a result the audience there is always really attentive and it's a gorgeous venue to play..

jonny

i saw nina hynes at a gig recently. before one of the songs she said " i want to dedicate this song to the girl in the orange dress with the nice breasts...shut the **** up"... maybe thats not the exact quote, but it was along those lines. kick ass nina!

DerekD Goldfish

There is only one thing worse than people talking too loudly at a gig its when they spend the whole gig complaining that the artist inst as good as they used to be.
I saw televsion in the village recently the sounded amazing looked really old but they are old so not much of a surprise.
A number of people in the crowd spent the whole thing talking only reacting to tracks from marquee moon or adventure.
people complaining their new stuff if sh*t they look desperate etc. I mean were they just expecting to hear a rehash of a 28 year old album and no new stuff. I moved away from one group of muppets and ended up near another.
Olso i saw Nick Cave last year but it was seated and i was stuck at a table with 3 people talking about how they had seen hin in the mid 80's when he was still good etc. I cant stand this if you think an artist is past than dont go to see them live or at least dont spend the whole gig complaining about it.

McGonagles

Originally posted by jonny
kick ass nina!

She sure does!

And she is playing a big gig in Dublin soon.

More details on the message board on Nina's new website:
http://www.ninahynes.com/

cawo

whelans and such places are becoming quite trendy lately, i work with a self-confessed (albeit very nice) snob who was telling me how she went to whelans and couldnt talk to her friends cos the dj was playing nirvana TOO LOUD and somegoth bitch stood on her new boots...
im not saying its all down to people you wouldnt normally associate with alt. music venues, im just ranting... i resent paying in to a gig and having some FAH_BULOUS woman tell her FAH_bulous friends about her brand new and very pointy louis vuitton bag she insists on stabbing me in the boob with......its not at all pleasant....

Cherry

People who insist on 'chatter'ing at gigs should have their tongue stapled to their own arse.

Groovy Mover

I agree - that bugs the hell out of me. Why would you pay into a gig and not bother your arse to listen to the bloody thing??

I think Nina has it right - embarrass the hell out of someone and everyone else will be worried that you'll do the same to them so will shut the hell up! You could ask for silence like Rice and people will probably shut up for a minute or so - but embarrass the hell out of them and they'll shut up for the night!

acquiescefc

Went over with friends to see Damien R at brixton academy. Damien after a few songs said 'if anyone wants to listen to him fine, but if they dont he will give them their 15 quid back after the gig'
My mate said she was so surprised he had the arrogance to say this 'in london' as she knows what 'london crowds' are like and they were always full of suits talking thru bands playing.
He(Damo) got a bit of slagging I heard for this but fair play to him.

Saw him at glasto last wkend and missed the start due to having to find wellies to purchase and was stood quite a way back. Typically there was some pricks round me talking at the top of their voices about their feckin holidays and making pretend 'yawning' sounds as damo was playing.

I guess its generally a problem at singer/songwriter type gigs and will never change. I do like the idea of 'noise police' in venues, jesus if people can be made to stop smoking at gigs surely this isnt beyond possibility.

Had a bad experience at a gig recently that actually put me off a certain band on these boards due to all their mates who had got on the guestlist that werent interested at all in the music and just chatted. Said I wouldnt go n see me again but have recently changed my mind....because they do ROCK.