Over 18 Gigs

Sheffield is home to some of the best music venues in the country. The Leadmill has had many successful, great bands, while the Casbah and the Boardwalk tout the best new talent around. So why, with a stream of exciting new bands filling these venues, do I manage to see bands as often as Robert Smith combs his hair? The answer is printed in simple black and white. 18 years and over only.

In my opinion there seems to be a certain amount of indie snobbery associated with over 18 gigs. Any half decent band (whichever one NME decides to make a song and dance about that week), I know will immediately be over 18’s, while any nu metal/ skate dirge band playing that week will almost certainly be ‘14 and overs welcome’. A gesture by bands doing it for the kiddies? Or perhaps bands who know no adult in their right mind would turn up to listen to such tripe. Instead they decide to churn it out to us gullible young whippersnappers. Fuck off and give us some credit. I’m 16, not stupid. However there are some exceptions to the rule. Bands such as Easyworld and King Adora (don’t laugh) try to make as many gigs as possible over 14 - the only restriction is the venue itself. If there are no age limits on buying a band’s albums or singles, why should there be on seeing them live?

Maybe when ‘indie snobs’ think of teens watching their beloved bands , they picture hooded Linkin Park fans stage diving and doing that irritating ‘rock’ sign with their hands. Fair enough, but please don’t brush us all off with the Puddle Of Mud and Papa Roach fans. Some of us have taste.

One argument might be that it’s in order to cut down on underage drinking. One possible solution to this is wristbands, a system used in other countries and mentioned by many but used by few. So far I've only seen this put into practice at the Barfly, but at over 14 gigs.

The legal age of drinking in the UK is 18, much higher than other countries. If the government is going to insist on keeping the drinking age at 18, then adopting a system like America, where, even though there drinking age is 21, they still operate all age shows, would perhaps be the best one. American’s operate this wrist band system, so if you’re over 21 you get a band, which gets you served at the bar. Enforcing this system over here would enable over 18s to stagger freely to the bar, leaving us to watch the band. Yes that's right, watch the band.

Perhaps it actually escapes the venues and industry peeps notice, that funnily enough underage kids are there to see the band. If we wanted to drink till it comes out ears then we’d be teen clichés to the full - sitting at bus stops with cheap cider, hurling abuse at old ladies. Not pay a tenner to enter a venue just for the privilege of drinking.

Or maybe it’s a bit of both or none. I’m completely wrong and they’re doing us a favour and protecting our fragile minds- if the latter please explain Slipknot. Traumatising us, and not for the reasons they think.

Reports on over 18 gigs have been done to death, and will continue to do so until someone listens. But they always seem to be written by some forty year old hack, instead of a rambling teen like they should. We aren’t just moaning for fun y’know ( well yeah but shhhh). In the meantime we have a few options:

1) Obtain fake ID. Good for some, unless like me you look about 10 and have no desire to be a thirty nine year old man named Jeff.

2) Quit ya whining, and try anyway, you never know....

3) Start your own band . If you can’t see great music, make it. Unless of course you posses the musical ability of Richey Edwards, then your buggered.

4) Kidnap you favourite bands (festivals are best) and force them to play under 18 gigs. *With bouncy castles, jelly , ice cream and no boring old people. She you down the front with the balloons....just remember kids, it’s not stalking it’s selective walking....

* Note to Strokes fans, Julian is currently on crutches, he can’t run away. I suggest a big net.

Ruth Coy