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This week has seen the launch of the Music Is GREAT campaign, celebrating all things that are brilliant about the music scene and highlighting some of the key moments in UK music history.
Musicians from all aspects of the British music industry have been getting involved to celebrate and promote the week, and Matt Bowman from The Pigeon Detectives writes exclusively on Gigwise about his opinions on the Leeds music scene - and shares a bit of advice for fledgling new bands...
"The live music scene in Leeds is amazing. It’s definitely eclectic because you can go out any evening and watch a folk band or a heavy metal band so there is always something for everybody. The other great thing is that it has a DIY outlook so there are independent record labels, independent magazines, independent radio stations and even bands putting on their own shows. It’s definitely a hard working environment with different styles and genres going on. In Leeds there isn’t a clique and if you’re a good band then you can get on and play.
My first gig was when I went to see The Coral at Leeds Met. It really affected me as there were 999 other people around me going crazy. I think that one of the best things about being in a band is being able to control the crowd. It seemed massive when I first went there but when I went back there with my own band it seemed to have shrunk.
One of the best things about growing up in Leeds was having Leeds festival right on my doorstep. I used to work at a hotel where people like Oasis used to come and stay. Even if I didn’t have a ticket to the festival I could just walk down to the end of my road and hear the entire set.
My favourite venue to play in Leeds has to be the Cockpit. I’ve got really good memories of going out on a Friday night for the indie disco as well as going to watch live bands there. Some of my favourite gigs have been there such as the Kaiser Chiefs, The Walkmen, The Thrills, Maximo Park and Hot Hot Heat. I think that when you decide that you want to be in a band that it’s one of the venues that you aspire to play in Leeds. It’s probably one of the venues I’ve played most out of the whole country so it is very special for me.
I always give the same advice to people who are starting out on the scene. The main thing that people have to realise is you’ve got to be a good band, you can’t just be any band. The only way to get good is to practice. We used to practice 12 hours a week in two 6 hour slots. Keep putting in rehearsals and learn how to be in a band and the only way to do that is to keep playing gigs so gig and gig and gig. Gig at every opportunity, sometimes it might be 20 people and sometimes it might be a 100 people. Play the gig like it’s your big chance as you don’t know who might be in the audience. That’s how you pick up local reviews, there might be a local reviewer in the audience who puts it in the magazine which prompts another magazine to come down and review you so just keep playing and keep practicing."
The Pigeons Detectives are on their Summer By The Sea tour now. For more information and tickets,visit Gigwise Gig Tickets.
The Pigeon Detectives are backing Music is GREAT Week and as part of the GREAT campaign, a DVD and download of iconic live moments is being released featuring The Who, Coldplay, Blur and more. It spans three decades of unforgettable performances and all net profits will go to Save the Children.
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