Sky Arts
The Live Revival
Celebrating the re-opening of live music venues across the country, The Live Revival is a wonderful tribute to the country’s compact but iconic music venues. With a mixture of interviews, archive footage, and empty-venue performances, the show certainly has us all itching to get in front of the stage once more.
Unlike many music documentaries, they have nailed the balance of interview and music. They have also included some full-song performances, which would usually receive a barbaric cropping during the edit. The interviews (with bands, venue owners, and the Music Venue Trust) reach back to early performances and routes into careers in music, whether as an artist, crew member, promoter, or venue manager. Alternative models are discussed, such as the community ownership model for music venues, which could be a great way to save venues that were barely surviving before their doors were locked shut.
The Railway Inn in Winchester struck a particular chord with this writer, as it has featured so often in these pages. Paraphrasing Frank Turner, there would be still be massive bands playing arenas without grassroots venues, but they would all be chosen by someone like Simon Cowell. Skin also says that the quality of British music would degrade without these venues.
The first two episodes are already available and the final episode will drop later this week. Featured in the first episode are legendary venues the 100 Club, King Tuts, Mono, The Sugarmill, The Cluny, Rock City, Omeara, and The Railway Inn.
Watch the series, support your local venues, play music!
Written by Fenton on
