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Post by neilcrud on Jan 19, 2008 13:47:25 GMT
Has Blu closed down or is it just the kiddie nights?
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Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 19, 2008 18:28:49 GMT
Bar Blu is closing completely as it no longer has the financial capacity to continue trading. I was made aware of this on Thursday night when a staff meeting was called and the announcement was made that closure will take place at the end of Saturday evening. I'm in the process of notifying the bands and as many of the Wednesday night regulars as I can because there was nothing said to me on Wednesday evening to indicate that closure was imminent and so I've been caught somewhat on the back foot. Unfortunately Wednesday night was the only night that was still trading to expectation as Blu had lost its club audience to The Honey Club and the financial reality is that the business couldn't stay solvent on the basis of one good night a week. My biggest personal disappointment lies in the fact that as far back as mid-November I asked to be given the Saturday nights so that I could put live nights on and I'm certain that they would have been massively successful, judging by the response I got from those of you that I spoke to on the subject. Blu didn't want to go along that route and so, sadly and inevitably, the place has had to shut. On a personal note, I'd like to thank Tony and his staff for opening their doors to us and letting us make a horrible racket for the last five years, the bands who've played, fought, split up and trashed their gear on the Blu stage and sound engineers Kev, Daz, Craig, Matty and Chris for trying to make some kind of sense of the sonic chaos!!! Most of all I'd like to thank the punters because all the times I've torn my hair out over exploding PAs, bands failing to show up and the 1001 other situations that seemed designed to propel me towards an early grave have been made worthwhile by the satisfaction of watching an audience going berserk when a band has been playing a great set. In the last 24 hours, as the rumours about Blu have circulated, I have had five solid offers from potential venues in Rhyl so it won't be long before the gigs are back on. I have a preferred option that I'm going to negotiate over the next few days and I'll let you all know as soon as everything is finalised. Once again, thanks to everybody involved at Blu for some truly memorable nights but now it has to be onward and, hopefully, upward. www.freewebs.com/bloodandlipstick
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Post by adamwalton on Jan 19, 2008 19:49:30 GMT
That's bad news, Steve.
The O.B. we did in Bar Blu is still the best we've ever put on for audience response.
Happy memories -- bar some strange man trying to force my tongue down the back of his throat in the back of a transit van.
Good luck with the next venture!
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Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 19, 2008 19:58:22 GMT
Cheers, Adam. It's a pity it's ended in this manner but the writing was on the wall pretty much from the moment the club reopened. I'm no great believer in fate or omens as such, but twice on opening night the DJ tried to introduce the feature act (the FHM Street Honeys, I seem to remember!!!) and both times the power in the venue cut out. Perhaps the big man upstairs was trying to tell them something!!! www.freewebs.com/bloodandlipstick
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Wet Behind The Ears
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Post by 0 on Jan 19, 2008 20:55:09 GMT
Onwards and upwards Steve, but as you say the writing has been on the wall for some time. I'm sure you will explore every avenue to find a new venue.
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Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 19, 2008 21:30:56 GMT
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Post by neilcrud on Jan 23, 2008 13:49:20 GMT
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Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 23, 2008 16:09:35 GMT
In all honesty, things are looking rather bleak in the short-term. A dispute between Dennis Boka, the owner of Frames, and Denbighshire County Council has resulted in the building being closed by the authorities, though Dennis has told me that he hopes that it will be sorted out very quickly. If that should come to pass it will be full steam ahead with Frames but, given the history of problems that have existed between Dennis and the local authorities, it's very much a case of wait and see. Should the problems with Frames be insurmountable, we enter very murky waters indeed. There's talk of some ex members of Bar Blu staff trying to reopen the place on a short-term basis in the absence of a long-term buyer being found quickly but this would obviously depend upon whether the terms of the closure would allow such a move. The Morville Hotel, which would have been my preferred next choice, seem very reluctant to take Wednesdays on in the light of the failure of the Leaping Cat showcase nights held there on Fridays last autumn. There are other possibilities, some more attractive than others, but these would depend upon the owners' willingness to buy in a PA. I'll keep posting as events unfold but I suspect that the situation is going to become a bit of a saga!!! www.freewebs.com/bloodandlipstick
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Post by arnoldlayne on Jan 25, 2008 18:34:19 GMT
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Post by davecox on Jan 30, 2008 13:59:54 GMT
the thing that really gets on my nerves with tryin to find new venues is the snobbery towards 'live music' all these club owners see their place as some sort of high standard harrods type place, dress smart, fancy lighting systems, red carpet outside (ie the litten tree) etc etc. they dont like the 'scruffy' lot cos we look bad on their nice couches etc etc, but we never cause trouble, yes there's the odd dodgy moment with bouncers thinkin were fightin when were havin a dance but the fact is they get a lot more grief off the pissed up, barbarian cokeheads dressed up in their nice shirts on a saturday night.
theyre fuckin well ignorant to the fact that live music is very popular and with the right promotion can have a venue packed out weekly, earning a club owner a fat wage packet, which they probably dont deserve anyway. what we need is an empty warehouse somewhere in the middle of nowhere, with a decent size generator and pa, bring your own booze (an whatever else) an play til the cows come home...
your thoughts...?
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Post by davegintis on Jan 30, 2008 14:59:13 GMT
the thing that really gets on my nerves with tryin to find new venues is the snobbery towards 'live music' all these club owners see their place as some sort of high standard harrods type place, dress smart, fancy lighting systems, red carpet outside (ie the litten tree) etc etc. they dont like the 'scruffy' lot cos we look bad on their nice couches etc etc, but we never cause trouble, yes there's the odd dodgy moment with bouncers thinkin were fightin when were havin a dance but the fact is they get a lot more grief off the pissed up, barbarian cokeheads dressed up in their nice shirts on a saturday night. theyre fuckin well ignorant to the fact that live music is very popular and with the right promotion can have a venue packed out weekly, earning a club owner a fat wage packet, which they probably dont deserve anyway. what we need is an empty warehouse somewhere in the middle of nowhere, with a decent size generator and pa, bring your own booze (an whatever else) an play til the cows come home... your thoughts...? Indeed. You can sell alcohol without a license aswell if you dress it up as a "raffle".
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Post by neilcrud on Jan 30, 2008 18:13:14 GMT
Well.. an empty warehouse in the middle of town wud be better as the said warehouse already exists in Hendre Hall (3 miles this side of Bangor) - and they have indifferent crowds regardless of who plays - sometimes packed sometimes dead.
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Wet Behind The Ears
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Post by 0 on Jan 30, 2008 19:23:38 GMT
There's an empty place opposite the bus station in Rhyl, used to be a karaoke bar or something, don't know if that would be any good
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Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 31, 2008 8:42:20 GMT
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Post by davecox on Jan 31, 2008 12:28:14 GMT
Bob (of D&B promotions fame) and myself have been in talks with the hendre about possibly using it for the dirty weekend this year, watch this space im sure you'll hear about it if we decide to go for it...
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