Tali Clarke | website | twitter |
By: Dan Salter
Regular readers will already know one of the things we’ve been focusing on this year is the health, or otherwise, of the eco-system of independent venues, so when Tali Clarke contacted us to say she’d been making a film about the sad demise of the 12 Bar, a legendary venue in Soho’s ‘Tin Pan Alley’ Denmark Street, we were keen to catch up with her and find out a bit more about the project.
(((o))): Firstly, who are you and why did you decide to make this film? Many venues have been closing, why did you choose the 12 Bar for you film?
My name is Tali Clarke and I’m a freelance filmmaker.
I wanted to make this film because live music is such a massive part of my life; not only the love for the music and experience of it all, but the communities that surround it have been an integral part of shaping who I am and who I continue to grow into. London is my hometown, and growing up and existing in such a large city can become quite daunting if you don’t carve out a small space for yourself where you feel a part of something. The venues that host these communities become like our second homes.
The closure of so many important venues during my lifetime has cut pretty deep, so my decision to cover the 12 Bar’s closing was both its importance to me and timing; it was one of the first proper venues I started going to at the age of 15 to see my mates’ bands (that and The Peel in Kingston, the Astoria and LA2 in Tottenham Court Road and Metros – all also now closed). Then when I started my own band we used to practice at The Enterprise Studios across the alley, and then hang out at the 12 Bar Club afterwards. The manager Barnet Mark would put my band on even though the guitarist’s brother would turn up, get naked and swing from the rafters right in front of my underage face. Maybe that’s why he kept letting us play, as that must have looked quite entertaining… Also the 12 Bar Club is one of the most iconic and culturally important small venues in the country, and the whole regeneration of Soho was garnering a lot media coverage; so it was likely that this film would have a much wider viewership, and not just be fobbed off as a ‘niche’ or ‘fringe’ nostalgia film, and therefore have the opportunity to have a greater impact.
I’d been thinking about covering certain elements of the live music scene, the London punk scene in particular, for a while, but I had so many different projects on that it never happened that way. Then at the end of the year, immediately after I made the decision to spend much more of the coming year on making passion projects, the final closure was announced, so I got in touch and it just went from there.
(((o))): Why are independent venues like the 12 Bar important to musicians?
These are the places where musicians start out, where they can cut their teeth in all areas of what it is to perform live, and as places to try out new things and grow as artists. It’s also places like these where you make connections to other musicians, promoters and music fans, and can become part of the communities that exist there. You can find new people to collaborate with creatively or to further each others careers, and in general just having a space where they can create, get inspired, learn and enjoy.
(((o))): It feels to us like London in particular is losing its musical heritage with all these places closing, what’s your view on that?
I think every major city in the Western world is slowly becoming homogenised, and a city like London, where its musical heritage is so important and world famous, is going to really feel the brunt of losing places such as these. There is a lot of time and money that goes into preserving other aspects of British culture, but it seems that some aspects of it (maybe the less squeeky clean among them) are readily assigned to being remembered in photographs and books, whilst making way for what are seen to be the more lucrative developments planned for the city. But the truth is is that London’s live music scene does generate a lot of tourism and money for the country; people really do come here for it, and don’t just want to see some vintage rock n roll posters behind glass at a gallery, or even a converted or preserved building where everything used to happen, they want to experience it as it should be. And it’s not like these scenes are dying out, they’re fully functional beating hearts that are more alive than ever, so the opportunity to even experience something like the ‘The spirit of ’77’ is still a possibility.
(((o))): You must have got to know the 12 Bar guys pretty well while making the film, how did they feel about what was going on & how did they react to it?
Everyone that worked there and all the regulars were absolutely devastated; this was an integral part of all of their lives, and meant so much to people. The injustice of it all being taken away from them so abruptly and with such force really hurt a lot people, and left many of them feeling pretty angry. Also the fact that they were having to leave the area of Soho entirely means that the community was being torn apart; some will all move on together, but the nature of the location change means that not everyone is able to, and the sour taste of being displaced means that some just simply don’t want to. But everyone I got to know there is an absolutely amazing individual with such passion for what it is they do that they will all find a way to continue doing what they love in some way or another.
(((o))): They’ve relocated up to Holloway, and for now outside of the ‘gentrification zone’. How do you see this move changing the spirit of what they do, if at all?
The venue they’ve moved to is much bigger, which is great for the bands, but they are also sharing the space with an Irish sports bar, so it still doesn’t feel like it’s totally ‘theirs’. They’ve re-installed some of the original décor (which the 12 Bar Club was also famed for), but some of it seems to get lost amidst the larger space and amongst the current décor. It’s still very early days, they only moved in in late January of this year, so I’m sure over time they’ll make it something really special again. It’l be totally different to the original, but I don’t think anyone would want to do it the injustice of trying to completely replicate the original anyway.
Holloway may currently be outside of the ‘gentrification zone’, but it’s only a matter of time; it’s far too centrally located to be left alone, and the trendier and more exciting it gets (which will be entirely linked to any music scenes that thrive there) the more endangered it will become for risk of the same. But I don’t want to be negative or defeatist about it all, I have faith in the regeneration of culture when forced to move on, and change is a wonderful thing, it’s just the nature of how and why it’s done, and having to look to the past as our only implication of what is to come.
(((o))): We’ve been focusing on independent venues throughout the year on the site and it is of something that is of massive concern to us, do you think there is a viable future of these types of venue?
I think these kinds of venue will become much less common, as even if they are moved further out of the city centre, the cost of running them will be a hard one to bear. But hopefully this will see a rise in other uses of space for live music and art, such as squatted venues, private property, public spaces and alternative uses of space (such as shops, rooftops or community centres being used). There’s already a very alive scene of alternative venues, and hopefully this will start becoming more widely used and available.
(((o))): Personally, what are your 5 favourite venues & why?
My 5 favourite venues that are still running are:
T Chances in Tottenham – this place is amazing, it’s a community centre with 2 bar areas, both with live music PAs. They have gigs, festivals, film screenings, community meetings, parties – the people that run it are fantastic and are totally open to putting on really diverse events. They love working within the community, and regularly collaborate with local DSI Studios and Reknaw for their sound system needs, local promoters and communities, and their drinks prices are great. Really one for the people.
The Windmill in Brixton – another great little pub with a little garden they put BBQs on in the summer and a guard dog who lives on the roof. I’ve seen everything from party pop acts to sludge metal there. An awesome, relaxed vibe, which is one of the key aspects to any live venue for me.
The Birds Nest in Deptford – a small pub with no stage but space for bands in the corner. It’s usually free entry and the locals just stay in there listening to hardcore punk on a Sunday afternoon because the staff are ace and the punters are just bloody happy to be there.
The Fighting Cocks in Kingston – this was one of my favourites growing up as I was local to the area, it’s got a separate venue to the main bar and they sometimes get some pretty big bands there. It can get pretty wild in there and has a really great atmosphere. They try to keep the cover charge low and the bar area is always rammed.
The Underworld in Camden – another favourite of mine growing up – bigger bands play here and it’s more of a venue than a bar/venue – so not really a community vibe (except for the communities linked to the music scenes that go for the gigs there), but the sound is usually great and the layout of the place means you usually get to see all the action from anywhere in the room and get amongst it.
(((o))): Finally, do you intend to make any more films around this or related subjects?
I’ve got a few different projects in the pipeline, some of which are centred around music within society. I’m also looking into the possibility of curating an event of film screenings centring on London society based issues, maybe with some talks and musical performances, so I’ll keep you updated on that! And please get in touch if you’d like to get involved.
