Apathy in the UK

Okay, while I'm on my soapbox, how many people agree with me that metal fans in the UK are too apathetic sometimes? Again don't get me wrong, I've always thought it's the fans that make the metal scene what it is, it's pretty safe to say that as a collective metal fans are far more passionate about the music they love than most fans of other genres, for many it's not just music, it's a feckin' lifestyle and the fact that we have such a dedicated fanbase is what allows the metal scene to thrive and prosper and be immune to the currents and trends that dictate much of the music industry.

So on the whole it's pretty good, but still things could be better I think. Example, with a lineup that included Paradise Lost, Anaal Nathrakh, Discharge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Sabbat, Lawnmower Deth and many many more, how the hell did Damnation Festival struggle to sell just 3,000 or so tickets? They had to downsize the event, if they hadn't they'd have lost a huge amount of money and it'd probably be Damnation festival finished.

Damnation happens to be one of the best up and coming festivals the UK has to offer, which is a good thing cos not all of us like the sorts of bands that Download put on every year, Damnation every year has had a killer lineup and all for £30 for the day. Yet people were posting on the Damnation forum things like "meh, not bothered, there's only 5 bands I like". 5 bands you like? Of that quality? For 30 quid?! You got a bargain there mate, but people are just apathetic towards things like this. With the lineup Damnation had people should have been biting their hands off, but they weren't, and it nearly resulted in us losing a hell of a good festival.

Another example, someone I know used to put gigs on in Leeds, he'd get all sorts of cool bands playing, frequently organising all dayers with 10 bands or so for a mere £4-£6. Yet hardly anybody showed up, was only a small venue anyway and was only half full! He also used to put on club nights, and daytime events where people could go in free of charge, have a beer and listen to decent metal, but for those events there'd frequently just be 6 or 7 people there! Eventually he gave up, the events are no longer happening just cos people couldn't be arsed to get off their backsides and support them. And Leeds ain't exactly short of metallers, in fact when I was at uni there were loads of us who would've killed to have stuff like that going off, the nights he put on played the sort of stuff we always wanted to hear but none of the other clubs would play, but when it actually happens, nobody shows!

It's a common story, but at the end of the day if people don't support the scene it won't survive, we're privileged to have so many good bands, we're privileged that festivals such as Bloodstock and Damnation provide plenty of variety for the UK metal festival scene. But we have to support it, if we see something cool that's affordable and within travelling distance we should get our arses down there! I mean Terrorizer are still putting on Grindhouse events up and down the country in places like Birmingham, Wakefield, Manchester, Reading, Durham, the one in Wakefield I go to quite often and it's £4 in for a full day of pretty decent bands usually, what more can you ask for? Can't see pop or indie fans getting a deal like that, but as I say, if people don't support such events and the bands involved they're not gonna stick around.

So all I can say is support your local scene, go to gigs, go see local bands if they look cool, support up and coming festivals if you like the look of them, the UK metal scene is as good as it's been for a long time if you ask me, and we damn well invented metal anyway, we need to keep it good!

Okay, rant over, I'm DEFINITELY putting my soapbox away this time!

I agree with this on the Bloodstock forums for example (inferior forum as it may be to this) at the time I went this year they were already whingeing " its not so good as last year" and some fans (when some of the bands had to pull out for some reason or another) didnt go simply BECAUSE of that! IMO its pathetic if you pay so much for a fest (which is still comparitively cheaper then Shitload and Thonisphere) why not see it through? I mean I went and saw bands some of whom I hadnt thought much of before but when I saw them live was totally blown away by them. Message there is if you pay to go to something GO! What do you have to lose you'll still have a good time regardless! Support your local scene or lose it!