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Fact #74274

When:

Short story:

The Liquid Room in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, re-opens after eighteen months out of action because of fire damage. The first act to perform in the dramatically re-furbished venue is Fyfe Dangerfield.

Full article:

Q+A with Kath Mackenzie, manager, The Liquid Room

What is the Liquid Room's particular niche in Edinburgh's live music scene?
We are lucky enough to be a mid-sized venue that hosts local bands night and breaking acts as well as hosting up close and personal style events with well-known and established artists.

What have been your major events in the past year?
The opening weekend featured a DJ set from Tim Burgess at Madchester, Fyfe Dangerfield at the official launch night and Feeder kicked off the Edge music festival programme here for the month August.

How are things generally on the Edinbugh live music scene?
There are certainly more smaller venues, because cafes and local pubs have tapped into the music scene and made a real effort to support grass-roots music.

Has the arrival of new venues (Picture House etc) and the re-opening of The Usher Hall had an impact?
I would say there has been a small impact from the Picture House, but nothing from the Usher Hall as it’s a totally different market. The good news is we have an excellent relationship with the Picture House and hired the venue on several occasions when the Liquid Room was closed. We have formed a solid working relationship with all the crew there.

How do young artists get a start on the live scene in Edinburgh?
By playing as many gigs at as many different venues as possible.

How is the club and pub scene doing?
 We can honestly say that we are doing well. We offer a diverse range of events to suit all and try and keep drink prices at a reasonable level. We don’t try to be something we are not by pouring into fancy glasses and throwing scatter cushions around. We are primarily a live music venue, not quite spit and sawdust but certainly a ‘trainers welcome’ zone!!

Your plans for the future?
We spent many months excavating our cellar area beneath the venue and are creating a new venue due for completion in Spring 2011. It will be a smaller version of the Liquid Room, approx 400 capacity. Same ethos, same style, same vibe.

Edinburgh live music scene's biggest problem at the moment?
Some promoters charge too high a ticket price, forcing others to follow suit. This ultimately is a false economy making gigs less busy, creating a lesser atmosphere in the venue.
Also grass roots promoters are no longer willing to stick their neck out as much financially, meaning that there are fewer breaking acts to see and more established, more expensive gigs.

(Source : interview with Johnny Black for Live UK, August 2010)