Introducing

Norwich four-piece band The Great Shakes have decided to focus their efforts on the Norwich music scene, because they have had a very mixed experience of playing gigs in London.

"We went down to London very early and perhaps neglected building a local audience in Norwich. London promoters seem happy to put on any band that wants a gig, then puts pressure on them to bring 30 or 40 people or they won't book you again," said Dan Foden, vocalist and guitarist with The Great Shakes.

"That's really hard if you are from a long way away," he added.

The band believe that in London people are charged too much for gigs and this means that sometimes only family and friends end up attending.

By contrast, The Great Shakes feel the Norwich music scene is thriving, with lots of venues, plenty of gig opportunities and more fans turning up.

"We are building a really strong following here which is really encouraging and now it's no longer just the people you know, but loads of new faces," said Dan.

The group would also encourage any future proposals for Norwich to have more live venues, as they feel up-and-coming groups could benefit across Norfolk.

A greater breed of bands

The Great Shakes are pleased that the Norwich music scene is thriving.

"There are so many more bands than there were five years ago," said Max Lutkin, bass player and vocalist of the band.

The band feel bad promoters are to blame

"In the last 18 months, we've done a lot of gigs in London, but they don't necessarily benefit you. You get more dividends from Norwich, but we are starting to build a really strong following in London now.

"We've worked really hard at it and now it's finally paying off," he added.

The band feel there are significant problems with gig promotion in London and that UK promoters could learn a lot from the United States. 

"In the US they'll consistently put on good bands and only charge $3, whereas everywhere in London is charging £5 and more for entry," said Dan.

"This lack of consistency means Londoners won't actually attend gigs unless they know the band playing. You may as well just play the gig in your house when you are starting out," he added.

The group believes these problems have made it difficult for new bands to get noticed in London, whereas in places like Norwich, they have a much better chance.

"In London there is a huge gap between the 'grass-roots' bands and the ones that are playing 700+ capacity venues. Smaller bands can't compete, because promoters are putting on bands that have got financial backing and representation," said Max.

"New bands virtually never get their petrol expenses paid, let alone receive pay for the gig," he added.

Increasing Norwich venues

While The Great Shakes look forward to carving a name for themselves in the capital of Norfolk instead of the capital of the UK, they feel there's still a need for another mid-size venue in Norwich.

"A small, very cool venue in the city centre would be amazing for bands starting out, but we also need somewhere with a bigger capacity than the Norwich Arts Centre, but not quite as big as The Waterfront. Somewhere in-between would be ideal!" said Max.