By Garion Wakley, edited by Martha Evans
We caught up with local full-time musician, Natt Davis, to understand how recent lockdown restrictions have brought the live music industry to a standstill.
Natt Davis, a Bristol based musician (pictured above), has seen a lack of income and an increase of free time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We chatted about how he has been coping during these troubling times, and how he believes the music industry is changing, ahead of his first official gig since lockdown.
Q: How long have you been performing live for?
A: I’ve been playing live for 10 years professionally, with 5 of those being full-time.
Q: How often do you usually play at venues or pubs?
A: Normally around 3 or 4 gigs a week, it’s never more than 6 or less than 2.
Q: How many times have you performed since lockdown?
A: I’ve only done two so far, one acoustic set in a back garden for someone’s birthday, and another public outdoor gig. I’ve got my first indoor pub gig tonight though.
Q: In what ways have you adapted since the lockdown started?
A: I’m in the process of moving my music to be more online based, instead of the previous live platform. To do this I’ve started building a recording studio in my house and have been recording tracks to compensate for the lack of live shows.
Q: How do you think the music industry has been affected by lockdown restrictions?
A: The live music industry has been greatly affected. All venues were shut down within a day of the announcement, and have been for months, with some reopening for music under strict restrictions. It’s becoming harder to host big events as a lack of paying customers caps the talent that can be afforded. I feel more musicians are now recording at home and setting up studios, as well as a vast amount of jobs being lost such as sound techs, stage managers, tour managers, agents etc.
Q: With the rising use of streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music, how do you see the music industry adapting?
A: I see streaming as a way of gaining listeners and reaching new audiences, rather than a way of making money. Unless you have thousands or millions of plays every month it isn’t very profitable in itself. However, it does mean your music reaches more people, which in turn creates a fanbase which may purchase merch or tickets to live shows, creating profit through other avenues. You can use social media to sell products, as well as your own website or bandcamp. A lot of bands and artists are being forced to become like a brand nowadays, creating a need for them to keep up with regular content that engages fans in what they are doing, along with a need for a faster production of music.
Q: What do you think of the new Gorillaz project of releasing songs instead of albums?
A: I think this is really interesting and supports the idea of using the music as a means to advertise the brand. Regular content keeps fans engaged and entertained, as well as keeping the band current. There are difficulties faced however, as without albums there is no room for filler songs, meaning every song has to be of a high quality as it is a standalone release.
Q: Do you think the live music industry is getting the support it needs?
A: From the government? It’s hard to say really, however they have just announced some funding plan to keep venues open. They have helped a lot of self employed musicians with grants and whatnot, although I understand that will be coming to an end soon, so as long as gigs can still happen then it seems to be okay. Before covid I would’ve said no as the beer tax has been steadily rising, I think we have one of the highest rates of beer tax in this country, which affects venues and their profits, which in turn affects how the artist gets paid. It also makes it harder for these venues to function and be profitable enough to stay open, we have seen an amazing amount of venues close the past few years due to being financially unviable, yet many of them were busy on a regular basis. In regards to support by people, pre-lockdown, depending on the area, I have had a great following to my shows, especially at my regular venues. I guess it depends on the type of area you play, I find the best places are out of the city, where there is hardly anything else going on. Since lockdown I think people have been very supportive of musicians who have been streaming their live shows, which is great.
With Natt’s first proper gig just around the corner, the feeling of nervousness and anxiety is creeping in. Being such a veteran at performing, these feelings don’t tend to arise before shows, however the long time off has broken the routine Natt previously found himself in and resulted in a change to the norm.
During the first couple of songs Natt appears to lack the usual confidence he shines with, as he mentions to me how his voice dries up quicker when nervous, resulting in some of the high notes in songs being reserved for the second half of the performance. With plenty of water on standby, he slowly gains more confidence, before belting out the lyrics and showcasing his unique guitar talents, including various flared techniques and using a beer glass to play his instrument. The lack of crowd interaction creates a different kind of show than normal, as Natt mentions after the performance how he chose a different song selection, due to people being restricted to their seats.
As the show draws to a close the crowd applaud, as people mention how they appreciate a slight bit of normality during these strange times. The inhabitants of the pub comment on how good it is to have some live music back in their life, as Natt thanks those for attending and supporting him once again.
The show was a success, despite the unnatural nerves and adaptations to the set, and left everyone in attendance feeling somewhat relieved and fulfilled.
A: I think this is really interesting and supports the idea of using the music as a means to advertise the brand. Regular content keeps fans engaged and entertained, as well as keeping the band current. There are difficulties faced however, as without albums there is no room for filler songs, meaning every song has to be of a high quality as it is a standalone release.
Q: Do you think the live music industry is getting the support it needs?
A: From the government? It’s hard to say really, however they have just announced some funding plan to keep venues open. They have helped a lot of self employed musicians with grants and whatnot, although I understand that will be coming to an end soon, so as long as gigs can still happen then it seems to be okay. Before covid I would’ve said no as the beer tax has been steadily rising, I think we have one of the highest rates of beer tax in this country, which affects venues and their profits, which in turn affects how the artist gets paid. It also makes it harder for these venues to function and be profitable enough to stay open, we have seen an amazing amount of venues close the past few years due to being financially unviable, yet many of them were busy on a regular basis. In regards to support by people, pre-lockdown, depending on the area, I have had a great following to my shows, especially at my regular venues. I guess it depends on the type of area you play, I find the best places are out of the city, where there is hardly anything else going on. Since lockdown I think people have been very supportive of musicians who have been streaming their live shows, which is great.
With Natt’s first proper gig just around the corner, the feeling of nervousness and anxiety is creeping in. Being such a veteran at performing, these feelings don’t tend to arise before shows, however the long time off has broken the routine Natt previously found himself in and resulted in a change to the norm.
During the first couple of songs Natt appears to lack the usual confidence he shines with, as he mentions to me how his voice dries up quicker when nervous, resulting in some of the high notes in songs being reserved for the second half of the performance. With plenty of water on standby, he slowly gains more confidence, before belting out the lyrics and showcasing his unique guitar talents, including various flared techniques and using a beer glass to play his instrument. The lack of crowd interaction creates a different kind of show than normal, as Natt mentions after the performance how he chose a different song selection, due to people being restricted to their seats.
As the show draws to a close the crowd applaud, as people mention how they appreciate a slight bit of normality during these strange times. The inhabitants of the pub comment on how good it is to have some live music back in their life, as Natt thanks those for attending and supporting him once again.
The show was a success, despite the unnatural nerves and adaptations to the set, and left everyone in attendance feeling somewhat relieved and fulfilled.
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