Old Brown Jug versus The Travelodge

We now bring you news of the developing battle between historical pub The Old Brown Jug and hotel franchise Travelodge, an argument which looks set to run on and could yet see the end of live music in the venue. Within three weeks of opening the Travelodge launched official complaints about The Old Brown Jug complaining about late night noise coming from the pub and beer-garden disturbing its customers from their sleep. The multi million pound hotel chain want the council to launch an investigation into the pub's live music and premises lincense. Local newspaper The Sentinel recently spoke to a representative of the Travelodge who issued the following statements: "The Old Brown Jug creates tremendous noise nuisance for guests staying at the Travelodge and has done since the hotel opened...the quality of our customers' sleep is paramount...We will be seeking to ensure that noise levels are reduced at a reasonable time and times are adhered to...we are working with Newcastle Borough Council to seek a review of the Old Brown Jug's licence."  If live music were to be stopped at The Old Brown Jug, the loss in revenue could be disastrous, and would more than likely seal the pub's fate. The fact that Travelodge have invested over £3 million in their Newcastle branch, would make one assume that they would have thought about things like this before building it. You'd think that they'd take into account the fact that a very popular establishment, a stone's throw away, that regularly hosts live music, might just concievably be heard from their building. Apparently it never crossed their minds, and they're now trying to act like it's The Jug's fault for playing too loud. Frankly this whole argument is ridiculous, and likely to end badly for the Travelodge. A very popular pub, and a staple of live music in the area, it's vastly unlikely that a massive corporation of cheap, tacky, aesthetically challenging franchised hotel will enjoy much sympathy over a long standing and yet still buzzing venue, in a hugely predominantly working-class town. A Facebook campagin has recently been started to express support for the Old Brown Jug and contempt towards the Travelodge's stance over the issue.

The online campaign issued a call for arms stating 'PEOPLE OF NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME - MUSIC LOVERS, BEER LOVERS, DJS, MUSICIANS AND PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME - UNITE AGAINST THIS WITH US - WE WILL NOT BE BEATEN!'  At the time of writing the facebook group had well over 2000 supporters and the community is clearly taking a stand, hopefully some form of compromise can be reached, as the loss of The Old Brown Jug would be a truly bitter blow for live music and for the development of creativity in this great area.

You can join the Facebook campaign here: Stand Up For The Jug, Stand Up For Newcastle

Oceansize Live at The Sugarmill - 30th September

Blending post-rock with elements of alt-indie and prog, Oceansize are an extremely hard working band who regularly tour the UK and fortunately keep Stoke on their radar, and can often be seen tearing up The Sugarmill in Hanley. This time around the band are promoting material from their release earlier this year 'Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up', as diverse a record as the rest of the bands' back-catalouge but with the amps well and truly turned up, probably their heaviest work to date. Live the new album sounds as vital as ever, 'Build Us A Rocket Then..' and 'Silent/Transparent' are particular highlights, the latter being introduced as "one of those special track 7's" and it was certainly one of the most special tracks in a rivoting and glorious setlist. Having said that the band were keen to entertain long term fans and dipped into their previous records to great effect, Everyone Into Positons' 'Music For A Nurse' was even more emotionally charged and affecting than it is on record, personally that was quite the feat seeing as it is one of my favourite songs of recent years. As you'd expect from a band aptly called Oceansize, their setlists are often structured in a very rise and fall fashion, one minute drawing you in with the beauty and tenderness of their constructions, the next smacking you in the face with a thick wall of dark sounds. With their style of spacey post-rock their music is perfect for live performances, their tracks swell and swell, becoming even bigger than on record, ocean sized even. The set is closed with the same track that they closed with the last time I went to see them, the phenomenally grandiose 'Ornament/The Last Wrongs' a wonderous way to end such a breathtaking show. Long live Oceansize.