FEATURE:
A Third Summer of Love?
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Looking Ahead to Live Music in 2022
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I think that we can all agree…
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that live music is unlikely to return in any major way this year. I think there are plans for socially-distanced gigs and some smaller-scale gigs a bit later this year. Whatever happens from the summer onwards, I don’t think it will be a proper or satisfactory return to live music. So many festivals will be called off, and it seems probable many venues will be operating at a seriously reduced capacity until next year. Although there is a lot of uncertainty, stress and struggle in the live music sector, many are looking to next year and imagining a much more prosperous 2022. It would be nice to think that we could all get back to gigs by the autumn, though things are looking shaky on that front. I feel that, as next year will be the first full year since 2019 where live music and festivals have occurred, there should be some sort of larger celebration. Musicians, venues and festivals organisers will be raring to go, that is for sure! If the Government can provide financing and support for the live music industry to ensure that we can have a full 2022, then I think there will be this explosion of gigs and festivals. That said, what with the ongoing issues with visa-free touring for musicians on the continent, maybe there will be a spanner in the works before then. The BBC reported on the story recently:
“The EU has insisted it was the UK government's choice to end visa-free touring for musicians on the continent, following an outcry from performers.
Officials in Brussels told the BBC that the UK "refused" a plan that would have let musicians tour without visas.
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The response came after Downing Street re-affirmed that its own "ambitious" proposals had been rejected by the EU.
The EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the result was one of the "inevitable consequences" of Brexit.
"I very much regretted that the British didn't have more ambition for people's mobility," Mr Barnier told reporters on Thursday.
From last March, we made fairly ambitious proposals in terms of mobility, including for specific categories such as journalists, performers, musicians and others," he went on. "But you need to be two to make a deal."
Pressure has been mounting on the two sides to negotiate an exemption to the new restrictions for musicians, with performers and crews saying livelihoods could be at risk.
Since Brexit, British musicians and crews are no longer guaranteed visa-free travel and may need extra work permits to play in certain European countries.
Under the terms of the deal, British bands can tour Europe for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. But tours in Germany and Spain, for instance, will now require extra visas for paid work, while those in France and The Netherlands will not.
An EU spokesperson told the BBC: "The UK has chosen to no longer allow the free movement of EU citizens to the UK. It also refused to include a chapter on mobility in the agreement.
"These choices inevitably mean that travel between the EU and the UK - including for business purposes - will no longer be as easy as it was while the UK was a member state."
He added that the UK "refused to include a commitment on visa-free short stays", which could have meant people like musicians, sportspeople and journalists would not have needed individual visas”.
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Not to detour away from the more positive, but there is some doubt regarding musicians in the E.U. and what damage will be caused to the music industry after Brexit. Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood wrote a feature for The Guardian explaining how vital European touring was for his band – and how vital it is for musicians at the moment:
“What will playing in Europe be like now, after Brexit? I spoke to several old friends who’ve had years of experience planning Radiohead tours. Adrian, our touring accountant, said it will be more clunky and expensive. Before Brexit, a carnet (a list of goods going in and out of the country) was just needed for Norway and Switzerland. Now it would be more like playing South America, where each country has its systems for dealing with “third countries” like us. Adrian said a £10,000 guitar would need a carnet that would cost about £650 plus VAT. The costs of travel and accommodation are already high, and the extra paperwork and expenses would rise quickly for a touring orchestra.
Reading this as a musician who wants to jump on the Eurostar and go play, my heart sinks at all the new costs and kerfuffle – and I’m lucky enough to afford it. I’m worried for all the brilliant crew who have carried us as a band for nearly 30 years. They are our family on tour, many from Europe themselves, and need to be able to travel freely and work with companies across the world. All the incredible staging, sound and lighting companies from the UK that drive lots of the European festivals might find it that much harder to compete with EU alternatives. And the Dutch, German and French technicians we’ve used for decades might find it’s not worth the candle to work here.
What about the solo cellist who is going to play in Berlin for a couple of hundred euros, and sees her carnet will cost more than the fee? Will the promoter in Berlin think twice about the costs and hassle of booking her rather than an artist from the EU? What about a young violinist from Vienna who dreams of studying at one of the prestigious UK music schools, and now feels discouraged to tangle with Brexit’s “specialised expertise”? This is a tragedy of deferred dreams”.
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I hope we do not see that much sacrifice and loss when it comes to valued musicians and technical crew. I think that it is paramount live music is allowed to return as strongly as possible next year! It all gets me to thinking how best to mark a year that will be like no other. I am not sure how many venues and festivals will be lost between now and next year, but I would like to think there will be a pretty strong scene raring to go. It has been over thirty years since the second Summer of Love. I feel that 2022 could be this Summer of Love – some fifty-five years since the first. There will be the delight and relief of getting back to normal life. The appetite for live music will be headier than ever before, and we will see more live events than at any other time. On top of that, I feel a lot of the anger we feel right now towards the Government will manifest itself in a huge amount of connection between the public. Maybe the circumstances of the speculative 2022 Summer of Love will not be the same as the other two – in the sense that there is quite a bit of drug-taking and controversy. What I can see is a similar sense of ecstasy and abandonment, but done in a more lawful way. It is clear that the fever at live gigs will be immense. I can see a lot of underground clubs opening up - summer 2022 could be one of the most electric and explosive ever. Of course, this is just my prediction…so it might be way off of the mark. In any case, after such a terrible last year, many are already looking ahead to next year and picturing the scenes and possibilities! Maybe there will be a few gigs here and there before we get back to normal. I don’t think we can realistically make big plans until next year. A 2022 Summer of Love would be amazing. For music lovers – who have been without a fix of gigs for a long time -, a massive celebration and busy year for live music is...
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WHAT we all need and hope for!