Occasionally there are quirks, or strange bits like “can you get some local postcards or local pictures” or things like that. Te one I do always remember is Rocket from the Crypt; I can’t remember the album title but it’s the one with the white cover, where the singer has a tiger on a lead in front of him. So the rider was something like ‘a few pounds of raw meat and some tepid water’, with the implication that the tiger would be in a cage on the roof. You’ve had some internationally renowned artists pass through the city walls, what do you think the attraction is for the artists playing Norwich? I think Norwich is a very interesting case; I did a little bit of research a few years ago and in terms of the size of the city, it’s actually 36th in the country, so if you put it in that kind of context, we do exceptionally well for the artists we get. For people out in the sticks, they’re used to travelling 40 minutes to an hour to get to where they need to go, so it’s not a problem. I was gonna ask you, are there any acts you managed to book that you considered a real personal coup to get here? I mean, our favourite storyline, and one that has been for a few years now is Ed Sheeran. He came here to do a competition with Future Radio, the Next Big Ting, and of course of all the acts that have been through the competition, he actually was the ‘next big thing’ and he really made it. He did three nights on the trot at the Waterfront, which had never been done before. He wanted to do something that was different and all the tickets sold out. It just shows how strong he was, and went on to do bigger and better things. And come to think of it, the first show that I did with the Darkness, there were 237 people and that was taken on as a bit of a chance, because nobody knew what they could do, or what they were capable of, and obviously they then


“And come to think of it, the first show that I did with the Darkness, there were 237 people and that was taken on as a bit of a chance”


went on to do much bigger things. When we look at the two venues, what do you see as the real difference between the two venues? Size, obviously, but they’ve both got really good facilities, and people like coming to them; we really try to look after the artists and tour managers when they come. We try to provide what they’ve asked for and need to make it a smooth day for them. We look after people; we’re friendly… and there’s reasonable bar prices, so it’s the complete package! You’ve got a number of gigs coming up over the next nine months, so what do you see as the not-to-be-missed gigs of this year? We’ve got Of Mice and Men coming up in April andI think one of the highlights of the Autumn is Jorja Smith, who’s been doing really well. She’s won a couple of awards and she’s a fantastic singer. We’ve got Reef back at the Waterfront as well, and that’s nearly sold out, so it’s really good to have them back. As we look forward, say, to the next five years, what do you see as the challenges for venues? Well, I think they’re the same challenges as the last few years; I’ve seen a number of venues around the country closing and the dangers of noise problems is one – just the licensing around venues as a whole. Houses are being built around where venues already exist and the Waterfront has suffered with that. It’s the same as it has been forever, in a way; you’ve got to make sure you get enough


people through the door to make the nights cost effective, but I think the live music industry at the moment is really strong. People are buying less music so they want to come and see music as an experience, and go out with their friends, and that’s what we provide. Finally, this April will mark five years since the untimely passing of Nick Rayns, after who the LCR was renamed. Can you give people an idea of what role Nick played for the music scene at the UEA, and even Norwich as a whole? Well I’m really pleased you ask that question because Nick was so important to Norwich’s live music. Nick had a natural gut instinct about what bands would do well. He had a fantastic persona for dealing with people too; agents and promoters liked him and appreciated what he did. He was always a man who worked on the premise that you don’t say no. Nick was the catalyst of it all happening in Norwich, and he put his money where his mouth was; he made some big offers that could have been perceived as a huge risk but his gut instinct was so good that he didn’t often lose money and he pulled in some fantastic acts over the years. It can’t be underestimated, or understated, the work he did to put Norwich on the musical map. He taught us all. Tere’s a lot of him in us, and a lot of us in the venue. He’s still here; he’s still around and we hope to continue his legacy for years to come.


EMMA GARWOOD


OUTLINEONLINE.CO.UK / APR-MAY 2018 / 17


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