Arts Fest or Noise Fest?
Posted by Norman Stanley
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Who's bright idea was it to organise a fire juggling and percusion band show on the marina to start at 10.30 pm on a sunday evening?
What a racket. Not only did local residents have to put up with pre show music that could be described as whale calls set to drum and base, but then we were subjected to the old pan lid and dustbin bangers till gone 11pm.
Now I've nothing against these so called artists but some people do have proper jobs and need to get some kip on a Sunday evening.
By all meams use the Marina as a venue, and put on a show for the sake of the festival but lets have the noise kept to a minimum after 10pm.
For the sake of the people who may need their beauty sleep some common sense would not go a miss.
Posted by Mick
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
I presume that the late scheduling was down to the organisers of the Arts Festival, Norman (your name sounds familiar?). If, as I suspect, you are asking why this event was put on so late in the evening then I honestly couldn't tell you, but no doubt there was advance warning of it in the festival programmes that you may have seen dotted up and down. I do feel however that you are unnecessarily and insultingly dismissive of the performers themselves; in my opinion it is a thoroughly cheap and nasty jibe to refer to them as "so called artists" without "proper jobs". Every society needs its entertainers. (And may I humbly suggest you come along to the Electronica Fest at Machpelah Gallery this Saturday 26th June, if you really want to know what a "racket" sounds like - and no "drum and base", I guarantee it.)
Posted by Mark O'Leary
Monday, July 12, 2004
I wasn't involved in the event (neither organising, attending nor suffering from the noise), but I suspect the scheduling was strongly influenced by a desire for lighting/fire effects to contribute to the spectacle: it simply wouldnt have been dark enough any earlier.
Those suffering from lack of beauty sleep for those two days in the year could perhaps lobby the arts festival organisers to run next years events in the winter, when a 7pm start might prove perfectly feasible. Alternatively, earplugs cost only a few pence - or you could give in and try and enjoy the show.
I'm sure those local to the marina arent alone in having to make a minor sacrifice to ensure the success of the (recently threatened) festival. Doubtless our sleep would be blissfully uninterrupted if we had no cultural life in the area...