Sorry about the Dad joke, I couldn’t help myself – Jani here 🙂

31 years ago, on 11 June 1992, if you’d taken a chance on an upcoming band, you’d have been up close and personal with a little band called Suede at The Joiners for £4. The late Mint, who ran the Joiners at that time I believe, had an uncanny knack for spotting the ‘Next Big Thing’.

This weekend past, playing at the O2 Guildhall, the band name checked The Joiners as the first place they felt like ‘a proper band’. They remembered that tiny gig so long ago even after many years of super stardom.

At £45.50 a ticket, to a 1700 capacity venue, it would have been a slightly less intimate experience than in 1992, although by all accounts a brilliant gig (I was, of course, working at our venue both nights so missed it – perils of running a venue!).

I remember once meeting somebody who had taken a chance on a random band called The Pink Floyd Blues Band at a small pub in London somewhere, he told the story over and over, that little gig ended up being one of the most memorable things that ever happened to him! Yes, they dropped ‘The’ and ‘Blues Band’ but it was one and the same. Can you imagine?

A bit like meeting your true love or best friend, you just never know which random act will lead you to something you never forget and that changes you profoundly – it all starts with leaving the house and getting out there.

Remember this when you’re deciding whether to come and see live music at a grassroots venue!

Small venues are – and we are not exaggerating – facing extinction in the current financial climate, still reeling from the effects of the pandemic.

Southampton has an amazing music scene, but that relies on local people coming out and buying tickets. Don’t let the music die, come and see the next big thing soon. Worst case: you have a good night out watching a band that stays obscure. Best case: you get to say you saw them before they were famous.

Either way – you won’t be sorry.