Local bands

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Am I right in thinking that in America, people are far more likely to watch/support local bands than they are in the UK? I might be all wrong on this, but it seems this way from reading ILM. I realise that the size of the USA lends itself as breeding ground for localized scenes, etc. and this would seem to be a great thing.
Am I also being London-centric in assuming that this does not really happen here? Not that other cities in the UK do not have popular local bands, but that perhaps people are less apt to take the time to go out and watch them. Certainly in London, any show put on by a band with a modicum of interest attached to them seems to be attended predominantly by industry folk. And how is the state of play in New Zealand, Australia, France, and other places with concentrations of ILMers?

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno about anywhere else, but I tell you what, it's fuckign shocking in Devon!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll trade you a Libertines 7" for a Pseudo Podium demo!!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 12:58 (twenty-two years ago)

This has always made me laugh: MJ Hibbett on local bands.

― Jez (Jez), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry - wrong link, it should be:this.

― Jez (Jez), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

North Herts seems to have a thriving local scene cos most big bands don't often come to play apart from in Bedford Esquires or the Square in Harlow, which are awkward to get to.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

i always saw being interested in your local scene as a necessary component of being interested in independent rock music. when i was younger i was as devoted to local bands and going to shows as i was to national acts. at some point, i realized i was in the minority, and there were tons of kids who didn't give a damn about the local scene, but were just waiting for mogwai to come to town.

― j fail (cenotaph), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

where are you from , j fail??

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't the dichotomy more between big cities (where you access to national acts) and less populated areas (where you only have access to local bands) than between US and UK?

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Big big cities still have "local" bands, no?

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but there's less reason to support them. Why go see Fuckburger at the high school battle of the bands when Creed is playing at the Downtown Coliseum?

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

There are bands with huge solely local followings in NYC, but I'm hard pressed to think of such a case in London. Bands just seem to shoot up out of nowhere and into the NME or whatever-it seems much more instant and somehow less gratifying.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

May I also be the first to say FUCKBURGER ROXX UR ALL GAY?

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Detroit always felt pretty damn fickle but, I guess, in comparison to what you guys are describing, it's very supportive. And the fact that all the local bands are now "national" or "international bands" makes it a bit confusing. But, before all the NME, etc., business you'd see pretty much the same people at all the local shows and things were generally supportive but not HUGE in any sort of way. In retrospect, it was very supportive but I always had the suspicion that local shows were just an excuse for everyone in the "scene" to be in the same room together (i.e., people usually weren't there to see the bands, especially since band x would be playing next Tuesday down the street). I imagine it's a bit like what was described in Please Kill Me.

My guess is that a popular "local" band in London doesn't stay local for more than a show or two, whereas bands in a city like Detroit (or Omaha or wherever) actually do have time to develop a local following before they're snatched up by some eager record label. New York is a HUGE city with literally a billion bands so that's another story altogether, there is everything from popular local bands to bands which about to sign to majors to bands which aren't popular locally but signed to....etc. etc.

I will say that Detroit does get most of the touring acts and, for as long as I can remember, one could easily go out once or twice a week and see either a good local or non-local show each night -- often times you'd have to make a decision between the two. Now that I'm not going out as often there's lots of shows I wouldn't mind seeing -- like GSYBE and Black Dice tonight -- that I just can't both to make it out to.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

One weird thing about the "local scene" around here (Lexington, KY) is that there are a whole shit-load of really really great bands, but due to...

A) a severe shortage of venues
B) an absurd lack of interest from the community

...it's not something that equates to a great "scene". So now, we've got all these cool groups (indie groups, hard rock groups, jam bands, hip-hop groups, jazz groups, electronic groups, and variations thereof) playing around the region without a really centralized "home base" that NYC or LA or OC or N'Awlins or Hotlanta or Cincy bands have. It's a weird feeling to drive 300 miles and play to hundreds of people who get into what you're doing, but then play in your own hometown to barely 50 barely-pretending-to-be-interested-in-the-music-when-they're-actually-looking-at-some-girlz-aZZ.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus (I know it's totally cliche, but it's also true)..."every band is a local band somewhere".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 26 March 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

twelve years pass...

Local band tonight have a keyboard player and he couldn't make it tonight...but they brought the keyboard anyway and it's sitting unplayed on stage

― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Saturday, 19 September 2015 01:43 (ten years ago)

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