Check One Two! – The Return of Live Music
Written By Maddy Chelmis
After some 18 months deprived of our live music fix, bands are finally taking to the stage again! It’s no secret that musicians were hit hard during the worst of the pandemic. With their main source of income now a huge heath hazard they were forced to become inventive in how they could continue making money and how they’d share their craft with the world. Queue the onslaught of online gigs that were a decent attempt at replacing that live feeling, but couldn’t quite capture that same energy…of course. It’s impossible to encapsulate the thumping of the speakers that vertebrates through your chest, the furnace like temperatures as you’re crammed next to strangers yet feel connected like old mates, the roar of the crowd as that first note is played, and the unmistakable ringing in your ears as your step back out into reality after being transported to a whole other universe for a couple of hours through a screen; but needs must.
It was painful seeing much loved venues struggle to keep their doors open as COVID ran rampant across the world. Every threat of shutdown, each plea for support felt heart wrenching as we all awaited the day in which we could return to these hallowed grounds and the presage of that not happening was terrifying. Thankfully with community support from avid live music fans, some venues managed to stay afloat, but of course some tragically went under. These losses truly highlighted the disregard for art and culture within our society, something that kept a lot of peoples spirits up during the hardest parts of the pandemic; it shone a dismal light on the sinister (yet not surprising) motivations of the government and their careless monetary habits. But I digress…
Let’s talk about what live music means to a lot of people. To me, live music is complete escapism, it’s a small rift in reality that I can travel to to find respite from the franticness of everyday life. As soon as I step into the venue, my worries are left behind. I’m flooded with pure ecstasy as I weave my way to the front of the stage for the best spot in the house. Screaming my favourite lyrics at the top of my lungs, dripping with sweat, the music’s loud but the love is louder. One of the best parts of gigs is the overwhelming sense of community. Each person packed into this dingy little room is here for the same reason, what each individual will get out of the experience may be different but the collective motivation for being there remains the same: to listen to music. These people never feel like strangers, even being ragged about in the mosh