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Witney youth gig flops
ANOTHER Friday night gig for teenagers, organised by Witney Town Council, turned out to be a flop.
Only two young people turned up at the town's Langdale Hall, outnumbered by the musicians playing on stage, and the plug was pulled on the event after two hours.
The future of the gigs, branchild of former mayor Chrissie Curry and aimed at 14 to 18-year-olds, is to be reviewed in meetings this week.
The first one had to be cancelled because of a clash with a Friday night disco at the town's youth centre.
Town clerk Sharon Groth said today: "There was no clash this time and we publicised it through the local schools.
"It's a disappointment. All I can think of is that there was a rainstorm over Witney last Friday night just as the gig was to go ahead and the town was very quiet that evening."
Tickets costing £5 were available in advance at Music Stand, Rapture, the town hall, and Corn Exchange office and the bands, Peppermint Vandals and Callum, were playing free. It started at 7.30pm but was abandoned at 9.30pm.
Ms Curry was not available for comment. The council's public halls committee and newly-formed town youth council will have the future of the events on their agendas at meetings this week.
10:25am Monday 12th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: Elaine, Oxford on 11:50am Mon 12 May 08
Not sure how well it was publicised. My daughter and her friends always love to go to gigs like this but they weren't aware that it was taking place
Not sure how well it was publicised. My daughter and her friends always love to go to gigs like this but they weren't aware that it was taking place
Posted by: Becky, Witney on 1:46pm Mon 12 May 08
I live in Witney and I have seen no publicity about this event at all, anywhere around the town.
I live in Witney and I have seen no publicity about this event at all, anywhere around the town.
Posted by: Pete (local musican) on 2:10pm Mon 12 May 08
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends.
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends.
Posted by: DanOxford on 2:50pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]Pete (local musican)[/bold] wrote:
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends. [/quote] '...messing about in their ends?' '...nite'?
When adults can't string a sentence together without 'Yoof Speak' then we might as well hand the running of the Country over to 'Youths' and be done with it (not that they'd do any worse a job of it than Gordy and chums).
All this Leftie 'empowerment' cr*p is half the problem- schools with students selecting teachers... 'Student Voice' panels...how no-one refers to 'children' anymore... I'm a fully- paid up adult and I've yet to have the local cinema ask me and my mates to be closely involved in deciding what films they show, nor have I received a questionaire from the Council asking me how I can be dissuaded from 'hanging around' causing a bl**dy nuisance because I'm 'bored'.
Teenagers have considerable 'pester power' and a relatively large disposable income, and are easily influenced by peer group and marketing executives- [bold]THIS[/bold] is the real reason behind their exaggerated social importance.
Good on the Town Council for trying, and hopefully some of the more positive local teenagers can get involved in some of the planning, but I don't think the tax- funded Council should worry too much about whether putting on something is 'patronising' or not. If national trends are anything to go by, theTown Council's market reserach would have concluded that providing bags of cheap cider and fags in local parks would be what the 'Youth' sector wanted.
Pete (local musican) wrote:
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends.
'...messing about in their ends?' '...nite'?
When adults can't string a sentence together without 'Yoof Speak' then we might as well hand the running of the Country over to 'Youths' and be done with it (not that they'd do any worse a job of it than Gordy and chums).
All this Leftie 'empowerment' cr*p is half the problem- schools with students selecting teachers... 'Student Voice' panels...how no-one refers to 'children' anymore... I'm a fully- paid up adult and I've yet to have the local cinema ask me and my mates to be closely involved in deciding what films they show, nor have I received a questionaire from the Council asking me how I can be dissuaded from 'hanging around' causing a bl**dy nuisance because I'm 'bored'.
Teenagers have considerable 'pester power' and a relatively large disposable income, and are easily influenced by peer group and marketing executives-
THIS is the real reason behind their exaggerated social importance.
Good on the Town Council for trying, and hopefully some of the more positive local teenagers can get involved in some of the planning, but I don't think the tax- funded Council should worry too much about whether putting on something is 'patronising' or not. If national trends are anything to go by, theTown Council's market reserach would have concluded that providing bags of cheap cider and fags in local parks would be what the 'Youth' sector wanted.
Posted by: DanOxford on 2:50pm Mon 12 May 08
[quote][bold]Pete (local musican)[/bold] wrote:
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends. [/quote] '...messing about in their ends?' '...nite'?
When adults can't string a sentence together without 'Yoof Speak' then we might as well hand the running of the Country over to 'Youths' and be done with it (not that they'd do any worse a job of it than Gordy and chums).
All this Leftie 'empowerment' cr*p is half the problem- schools with students selecting teachers... 'Student Voice' panels...how no-one refers to 'children' anymore... I'm a fully- paid up adult and I've yet to have the local cinema ask me and my mates to be closely involved in deciding what films they show, nor have I received a questionaire from the Council asking me how I can be dissuaded from 'hanging around' causing a bl**dy nuisance because I'm 'bored'.
Teenagers have considerable 'pester power' and a relatively large disposable income, and are easily influenced by peer group and marketing executives- [bold]THIS[/bold] is the real reason behind their exaggerated social importance.
Good on the Town Council for trying, and hopefully some of the more positive local teenagers can get involved in some of the planning, but I don't think the tax- funded Council should worry too much about whether putting on something is 'patronising' or not. If national trends are anything to go by, theTown Council's market research would have concluded that providing bags of cheap cider and fags in local parks would be what the 'Youth' sector wanted.
Pete (local musican) wrote:
If you want youths to go to gigs 'to get them off the streets' then you need to get them to organise there own gigs as any person (no disrespect to organisers) wants to patronized into going to some friday nite baby siting service to stop local lads and lassies from messing about in their ends.
'...messing about in their ends?' '...nite'?
When adults can't string a sentence together without 'Yoof Speak' then we might as well hand the running of the Country over to 'Youths' and be done with it (not that they'd do any worse a job of it than Gordy and chums).
All this Leftie 'empowerment' cr*p is half the problem- schools with students selecting teachers... 'Student Voice' panels...how no-one refers to 'children' anymore... I'm a fully- paid up adult and I've yet to have the local cinema ask me and my mates to be closely involved in deciding what films they show, nor have I received a questionaire from the Council asking me how I can be dissuaded from 'hanging around' causing a bl**dy nuisance because I'm 'bored'.
Teenagers have considerable 'pester power' and a relatively large disposable income, and are easily influenced by peer group and marketing executives-
THIS is the real reason behind their exaggerated social importance.
Good on the Town Council for trying, and hopefully some of the more positive local teenagers can get involved in some of the planning, but I don't think the tax- funded Council should worry too much about whether putting on something is 'patronising' or not. If national trends are anything to go by, theTown Council's market research would have concluded that providing bags of cheap cider and fags in local parks would be what the 'Youth' sector wanted.
Posted by: dave smith, witney on 12:13am Tue 13 May 08
which band were meant to be playing??? thanks
which band were meant to be playing??? thanks
Posted by: elaine, Oxford on 9:37am Tue 13 May 08
Dave, one of the bands playing was Peppermint Vandals, who are a really good band, so what a shame for them that no one turned up. Again, I believe it was because of lack of promotion.
Dave, one of the bands playing was Peppermint Vandals, who are a really good band, so what a shame for them that no one turned up. Again, I believe it was because of lack of promotion.
Posted by: Wob, Witney on 11:40am Tue 13 May 08
I expect the 'children' were far too busy drinking cheap booze on recreation grounds and being loud.
I expect the 'children' were far too busy drinking cheap booze on recreation grounds and being loud.
Posted by: jimmy, witney on 1:32pm Tue 13 May 08
So by providing a facility for young people is being a leftie?! Giving young people a voice is being a 'leftie', by trying to improve young people & empower young poeple to take responsibility and then developing into a decent citizen is being a 'leftie'. Is leftie in the dictionary? I prsume you welcome back local floggings and hangings to the town to rid us of the young and people from outside the shire. What rubbish. Its a good idea but maybe the wrong venue & it is summer so maybe wrong time of year?
So by providing a facility for young people is being a leftie?! Giving young people a voice is being a 'leftie', by trying to improve young people & empower young poeple to take responsibility and then developing into a decent citizen is being a 'leftie'. Is leftie in the dictionary? I prsume you welcome back local floggings and hangings to the town to rid us of the young and people from outside the shire. What rubbish. Its a good idea but maybe the wrong venue & it is summer so maybe wrong time of year?
Posted by: Ian, Witney on 12:11am Thu 15 May 08
Hello, I am an 18 year old music technology student. I am heavily invovled in witney's music scene and strongly believe that the council trying to put on gigs is a complete waste of time and money. I didn't even know this gig had happened till I saw the article in the Witney Gazzette. I think it's pretty poor and it was certianly overpriced. I put on my own gigs and always have great success. I am currently have a work placement at the Carling Academy in oxford working in promotions. I think the council should leave it to the people who actually know what they are doing. They are plently of promoters in Witney doing a fantastic job.
Hello, I am an 18 year old music technology student. I am heavily invovled in witney's music scene and strongly believe that the council trying to put on gigs is a complete waste of time and money. I didn't even know this gig had happened till I saw the article in the Witney Gazzette. I think it's pretty poor and it was certianly overpriced. I put on my own gigs and always have great success. I am currently have a work placement at the Carling Academy in oxford working in promotions. I think the council should leave it to the people who actually know what they are doing. They are plently of promoters in Witney doing a fantastic job.
Posted by: Bare Nang Music, Witney on 4:44pm Fri 16 May 08
[quote][bold]Ian[/bold] wrote:
Hello, I am an 18 year old music technology student. I am heavily invovled in witney\\\'s music scene and strongly believe that the council trying to put on gigs is a complete waste of time and money. I didn\\\'t even know this gig had happened till I saw the article in the Witney Gazzette. I think it\\\'s pretty poor and it was certianly overpriced. I put on my own gigs and always have great success. I am currently have a work placement at the Carling Academy in oxford working in promotions. I think the council should leave it to the people who actually know what they are doing. They are plently of promoters in Witney doing a fantastic job. [/quote] Cheers Ian,
Good to know the gigs we put on are appreciated by band members as well as the paying audience.
Our turnouts are always fantastic, never any trouble and a real pleasure to organise.
Martin
Ian wrote:
Hello, I am an 18 year old music technology student. I am heavily invovled in witney's music scene and strongly believe that the council trying to put on gigs is a complete waste of time and money. I didn't even know this gig had happened till I saw the article in the Witney Gazzette. I think it's pretty poor and it was certianly overpriced. I put on my own gigs and always have great success. I am currently have a work placement at the Carling Academy in oxford working in promotions. I think the council should leave it to the people who actually know what they are doing. They are plently of promoters in Witney doing a fantastic job.
Cheers Ian,
Good to know the gigs we put on are appreciated by band members as well as the paying audience.
Our turnouts are always fantastic, never any trouble and a real pleasure to organise.
Martin
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