The Ironworks

[SMEE]

Is it just me, or does The Ironworks venue seem to be struggling to attract decent acts. Seems to me that all they seem to get these days is has beens, tribute bands or unknowns :020:

[strathyjags]

i wouldnt say so amy macdonald,van morrison etc are known acts,i was there on sunday night at the almighty,great gig,just a pity not a lot of people there

[SMEE]

Van Morrison aside (although, in saying that, when was his last hit?), I wouldn't class Amy Macdonald as anywhere near being a "successful" artist. She has had a couple of songs that charted, so did the cheeky girls! The Almighty are the kind of has beens I was referring to

[tm4tj]

smee, your glass really is half empty.

Who in your opinion would you like to see at the Ironworks?

[SMEE]

My glass IS half empty when it comes to The Ironworks. The amount of times I have heard of poor attendances at gigs there would seem to back up my point. Am not even thinking of my own music taste.....but people in general. People in Inverness wont just turn up for the **** of it anymore. Some acts that played there before were good, like Kasabian and Primal Scream (not my cup of tea but a good level of act to aim for). Why cant they get acts like Stereophonics, David Gray, Arcade Fire, franz ferdinand?

[+The_Sponge]

Biffy Clyro's only Scottish gig sold out in under 2 days

[SMEE]

Biffy Clyro arent my cup of tea BUT....I can understand them selling out the gig. And thats the type of acts they should be looking to attract

[Scotty]

maybe its the 'management' effect .........

[Scarlet Pimple]

Maybe the tickets are too pricey.

[RiG]

We Are Scientists was sold out I think.

[Hamish]

Why cant they get acts like Stereophonics, David Gray, Arcade Fire, franz ferdinand?

Are these not on the verge of 'has-been' status also?

[RichieKass]

It is very hard to attract a lot of 'big' acts up north still, which isn't helped by the relativly small capacity of the ironworks in comparison to the SECC in glasgow or similar. If a promotoer is planning a tour it has to be in his interest, ie profitable and that means butts on seats to boost his markup. I don't think the Ironworks has done a bad job, it has had acts such as Kasabian, Amy macDonald, Biffy Clyro who were all very big on the festival circut last summer - so imo they cannot be deemed to be has-beens. They also pay some attention to local music and often give support slots to local bands if their promoters are putting on the show. My only beef it the pay for support acts - absolutely disgusting to think that what i get paid for a 3 three hour recording session is nearly 4 times more than what an entire band gets paid for playing the ironworks. In fact I played there with The Breech a wee while ago and tix were ?20 a head and they sold 800 odd tix, support bands were paid ?30. That's exploitation if you ask me.

[SMEE]

Why cant they get acts like Stereophonics, David Gray, Arcade Fire, franz ferdinand?

Are these not on the verge of 'has-been' status also?

Eh...........Naw!

[Hamish]

Why cant they get acts like Stereophonics, David Gray, Arcade Fire, franz ferdinand?

Are these not on the verge of 'has-been' status also?

Eh...........Naw!

Come on, Stereophonics and David Gray? They had their day about 10 years ago...

[SMEE]

Stereophonics are in the middle of a tour as we speak!

[Hamish]

Stereophonics are in the middle of a tour as we speak!

So are the Almighty apparently...

[tm4tj]

From Wikipedie

The UK folk-rock scene had known about Gray for some time before his breakthrough into the pop mainstream in 2000, but after a few marginally successful releases through the 1990s, Gray's breakthrough came with the worldwide release of his fourth album, White Ladder, in 1998. This was a critical and commercial success and included his best-known songs: "This Year's Love", "Babylon" and "Please Forgive Me". In August 2000, "Babylon" hit #5 in the UK singles chart; it remains his biggest UK hit to date. In the United States, the album received a boost from jam-band leader Dave Matthews, who made it the first release by ATO Records, the record company he co-founded. "Babylon" was also the first of three US chart entries for Gray to date. In Ireland, White Ladder remains the biggest-selling album ever.[1]

[SMEE]

Stereophonics are in the middle of a tour as we speak!

So are the Almighty apparently...

So are Bad Manners and many others....but like The Almighty....they arent exactly a chart act these days

[Hamish]

Stereophonics are in the middle of a tour as we speak!

So are the Almighty apparently...

So are Bad Manners and many others....but like The Almighty....they arent exactly a chart act these days

That was my point - neither are the Stereophonics. They're certainly not nearly as popular as they were i.e., they've had their day.

[SMEE]

Erm..sterophonics have had 4 albums since 2001 ALL going to number 1 in the chart....most recent release being 3 months ago. As success goes...ad say that suggests they are still very relevant!

[SMEE]

Just for the record....am not a Stereophonics fan!!

[DaveDargo]

I can't see that many "big" bands coming to the ironworks.  "Big" bands would play at stadiums or venues that hold more than about 1,000 people.  Most schools probably have bigger assembly halls than the ironworks!

[Proctor]

They need to sort their security out as they are exceedingly unfriendly and unhelpful and generally unsupportive of having a good time. I attended their foam party in the summer and the foam made my wrist band fall off. I was grabbed by a security guard on my way to the toilet who thought I had snuck in even though I still had my band in my pocket and could easily have shown him. I tried to but he wouldnt listen to me.

[SMEE]

I can't see that many "big" bands coming to the ironworks.  "Big" bands would play at stadiums or venues that hold more than about 1,000 people.  Most schools probably have bigger assembly halls than the ironworks!

Lots of acts (including the biggest names in the bizz) often like to play new material etc to an intimate crowd. They should aim for acts with albums coming out before a full scale tour commences

[strathyjags]

makes you laugh,no doubt most people here slagging the place offh,asnt been to support the place and see it suceed,even if it sto see a band you only like2-3 songs from,people are slagging ticket prices but how many people would go down the pub in 1 night and spend ?30+ on fags and booze in 3 hrs yet wouldnt spend ?15 on a band like the almighty