Nosmo King

[bri]

Hi all
I know we're only into the 2nd weekend of the smoking ban - in fact it hasn't really started yet for tonite, so there's only one nite to judge from. The reason for this post is that I'm seriously considering going out gigging again and I was just wondering if any of our gigging members on the forum have noticed a change in attendance figures...bigger audience, smaller or about the same? This is in England.
We're goin' out to our fave bar tonight, so I'll get a small idea from that, but just hoping for a few pointers and thoughts on the subject. I personally do not smoke - and never have - but it certainly doesn't bother me that people do smoke in my vicinity. After all, being a gigging muso for most of my working life, I was brought up with it...and very rarely died from it. So, it truly never bothered me.
Bri

[mark]

Well Bri
Last week a club cancelled my booking saying numbers were down and the smokers kept disappearing every 25mins to go out and smoke. Today I bumped into one of their members and he said the new committee have cancelled all entertianment for the year and have put up their alchol prices.I think this club will vanish.
I will keep on as I believe as one door closes another always opens.
Regards
mark

[Tiny]

hi bri
yepp sadly there are a lot of lad,s i know up at
my end of the wood,s, are having the same prob,s
as mark..... the work is slowly getting worse, even down
at the local pub a lot of the lad,s are getting pack,s of
beer and having session,s at home now, saying stuff the
pub,s, it might be an idea bri to see if you could get a resident
spot at a hotel, there seem,s to be quite a few lad,s i know
ie solo..duo,s that are doing this and seem to do well
just a thought all the best rgd,s Tiny

[Tubbs]

Over here in ireland lads the pubs are doing bad since the ban, the trendier pubs don,t seem to be affected too much where you get the alco pop brigade, but music in pubs as a whole has slowed down, i know 3 or 4 publicans who are calling it a day.

In my opinion, proper air filtration systems would of done the trick in pubs and clubs, what will they ban next?

George orwells predictions creep closer..........

[guilty]

The smoking ban came in on July 1st here in Melbourne and numbers have been up........yes!....... more punters through the doors. The majority of smokers don't mind stepping out to the (sometimes heated) smoking enclosures and I think everyone is enjoying smoke free bars. I think it will bring a lot of non-smokers back to pubs & clubs.

[pdiroma]

In Florida, USA, the smoking ban did affect us at first, but as people got used to it, things
picked back up. They go outside..

[shyamwestwind]

I imagine it must be mixed feelings all around. Its tough not to smoke after a drink and though I'm not a smoker now, I can relate to those who go the pubs, have a few drinks and a few ciggies. The smell of beer and smoke , the dim lights the music
the mounting decibels all form a great mix to make a great lively pub !! Smoking is harmful - we all agree but I feel we should be free to chose our own poison and if the others dont mind partaking of the same poison, let them. We live only once.
I guess all thiese arguments are too late - the ban has been enforced.
We do not have any ban here in India, - it was there on paper but never got enforced!!!
Come!!!!

[bri]

My wife and myself went out last night. It was freezing here in Blackpool and as we arrived at the Queens Theatre Bar several smokers were standing outside having a ciggy. My wife, who is also a smoker, went out three times during the evening. No shelter at all, let alone a heated one, and the ash tray is at the other end of the building. So, the poor old smoker can have a gay, if he/she is willing to go out in the cold, rain snow, whatever. And what about when the first girl gets attacked through standing outside because of this stupid ban?
I live in Blackpool, of course, and its life blood is tourism. None of the hotels or guesthouses are now allowed to let people smoke on the premises, as they are both business and public premises. Guesthouses and most hotels can't afford (nor do most of them have room for) an outside shelter, so what happens now? I wonder if the people will stop coming here. This ban would be all very well if it had been properly worked out, but it hasn't and already it is starting to infringe on peoples livelihoods...as regards Mark. The government is wrong in going half baked into this. AND, how long is it going to be before the moaning portion of the non-smokers start moaning again about the price of their pint going up because of falling figures at the bar?
No, I (as a non-smoker) think this ban is totally wrong and what is infuriating is that the ones who make the rules then go off to their bar in Parliament, order their double scotch and soda and smoke their heads off. Talk about "Do as I say."
Just gettin' a bit of phlegm off me chest.
Regards all
Bri

[Tubbs]

The climate for nipping outside for a smoke is, unfortunately, not as good here as it is where you are mate!!

guilty said:

The smoking ban came in on July 1st here in Melbourne and numbers have been up........yes!....... more punters through the doors. The majority of smokers don't mind stepping out to the (sometimes heated) smoking enclosures and I think everyone is enjoying smoke free bars. I think it will bring a lot of non-smokers back to pubs & clubs.

[Tubbs]

Exactly the same here bri mate, politicians, they do my head in!!!

bri said:

My wife and myself went out last night. It was freezing here in Blackpool and as we arrived at the Queens Theatre Bar several smokers were standing outside having a ciggy. My wife, who is also a smoker, went out three times during the evening. No shelter at all, let alone a heated one, and the ash tray is at the other end of the building. So, the poor old smoker can have a gay, if he/she is willing to go out in the cold, rain snow, whatever. And what about when the first girl gets attacked through standing outside because of this stupid ban?
I live in Blackpool, of course, and its life blood is tourism. None of the hotels or guesthouses are now allowed to let people smoke on the premises, as they are both business and public premises. Guesthouses and most hotels can't afford (nor do most of them have room for) an outside shelter, so what happens now? I wonder if the people will stop coming here. This ban would be all very well if it had been properly worked out, but it hasn't and already it is starting to infringe on peoples livelihoods...as regards Mark. The government is wrong in going half baked into this. AND, how long is it going to be before the moaning portion of the non-smokers start moaning again about the price of their pint going up because of falling figures at the bar?
No, I (as a non-smoker) think this ban is totally wrong and what is infuriating is that the ones who make the rules then go off to their bar in Parliament, order their double scotch and soda and smoke their heads off. Talk about "Do as I say."
Just gettin' a bit of phlegm off me chest.
Regards all
Bri

[Tiny]

ere!! ere!! tubb,s
i,m behind you on this one mate!!! *anker.s

[weegeo]

we played a gig last nite that is normally packed by 7:45 and no matter who is on it`s always been the same last nite it was half full [or half empty lol] reason being we play on the first floor so everyone has to go down stairs to stand out in the street.I think the smoking ban is probably morally right but it`s enforcement doe`s impinge [good word that wonder wat it means ??] on our basic human rights,the question being if the Gov:thought smoking was bad for you why then did they allow smoking for so long??? i would only smoke the odd cigar so it doesn`t really affect me in that wat but what smoking has done to me is give me a death sentence by association with all the smokers in the clubs over the past 41 years but i have no regrets life is good at the minute Sorry not as jokey as my usual postings

[themd21]

Gotta say no probs whatsoever on the smoking ban in N.I. from my point of view.
Everybody has just took to it. The craic outside is brilliant! Entertainers have just got used to having a fluid audience! It's like Belfast has always been....wonderful town , beautiful people! Most bars & clubs have spent a little on smoking areas such as beer gardens, awnings etc.
Hey c'mon my clothes smell clean when I go home, I have now a clean smelling car.I can finish a gig without my vocals collapsing.
If nicotine was not socially accepted it would be classed among the most addictive of drugs.For all the entertainers who feel that smoke creates an atmosphere lets see what your talent creates!

[guilty]

My ninemsn home page has taken a poll today asking "Would you rather go out to a smoke-free pub?"
Yes = 36,391 No = 8,249.

In relation to Tubbs' comment regarding climate, it does get reasonably cold down here in winter ie. We do get ice and snow. Most of the decent venues have built smoking rooms which are under the roof line and accessible from inside the hotel. They have the outer wall open to meet regulations and provide heating to help keep the poor old smokers somewhat warm whilst having a puff. It seems that publicans in your part of the world haven't catered for the smokers all that well.

Let's just hope none of us lose gigs due to this new law. I am feeling confident that all will be good.

[shyamwestwind]

I was just wondering, cant we have pubs with designated rooms for smokers and non smokers ? They could have good effective exhaust systems in the "smoking rooms" to make life a little better for the smokers. The non smokers can have their fresh air.
The bands could play in either of these and pipe in their music into the other room. The smokers might be tempted to quit the habit if they" saw" the grass geeener in the other side !!
Such options could have been tried before legistlating a total ban.

[bri]

I'm sure they could do it Shyam, but we all know it'll never happen.
Regards
Bri

[midimart]

Here in Nottingham, the clients have dropped and some of the pubs/clubs have stopped live music.

There was an article in the local news paper here "The Nottingham Evening Post". It stated, in the last two weeks, since the ban started, there has been a rise in pub violence. This was due to members of the public pestering the smokers "outside" the pubs to move on....

This has then escalated into small fights due obviously to alcohol and four stabbings have taken place with 23 other drink/smoke related issues have been reported.....

I can see this type of incident will keep EVERYONE from their local pubs/clubs even more than smoking inside....

[Tubbs]

Fair enough guilty mate, but what you gotta realise is that the culture in ireland and the uk is unique to the rest of the world, when i lived in England, and all the uk. members will tell ya, a lot of the pubs had whats called Tap Rooms, where mainly people would play darts etc. and you always had a couple of old men with they,re half pints and roll ups sat chatting in the corner, who incidentally risked lives for they,re country in the last world war, being told to stand outside freezing they,re *uts off to have a smoke, same here in ireland, old men who live on they,re own in rural areas whose highlight was to go out on a weekend and have a couple of jars and a smoke in the comfort of the pub, being told by a bunch of morons that you can,t do this, can,t do that!! A lot of pubs have catered for smokers regards shelters, but if you wanna hear some music, you miss half of it nipping out for a smoke, if governments are so concerned about our health why don,t they give the 6 euro mark up they have on a packet to the health system, or just not sell them, ban them!! Don,t think so, do you? Tight-fisted publicans would,nt put proper air-filtration systems in when they had the chance, so they are as much to blame as anyone!! It,ll be decibel levels for music next, then that,ll be banned, cos its bad for ya lugs (ears), then what do we do?

guilty said:

My ninemsn home page has taken a poll today asking "Would you rather go out to a smoke-free pub?"
Yes = 36,391 No = 8,249.

In relation to Tubbs' comment regarding climate, it does get reasonably cold down here in winter ie. We do get ice and snow. Most of the decent venues have built smoking rooms which are under the roof line and accessible from inside the hotel. They have the outer wall open to meet regulations and provide heating to help keep the poor old smokers somewhat warm whilst having a puff. It seems that publicans in your part of the world haven't catered for the smokers all that well.

Let's just hope none of us lose gigs due to this new law. I am feeling confident that all will be good.

[guilty]

Fair enough too Tubbs.......we have the same return servicemen in this country with the same habits. Yes...publicans did have the chance and the ear damage thing is a can of worms we best not touch on.

[dingadong04]

i hve noticed the crowds getting smaller ( snow whites 7 friends came in last night ) ..but here in Belfast i think it has more ta do with the weather than the smoking ban ( It has been raining non stop for the ages ).. the up side is that a lot of non smokers are comin into the bars.. so swings and roundabouts.. i smoked 80 a day and i loved every one of them .. i then was told that , my then 1 year old , son was asthmatic.. i stopped smoking my partner still smokes but never in the house ..because of this i have seen the benifits of the smoking ban .... i ,m not going ta be a hypocrite .. but lets be honest ( and i v,e said this before ) the club , pub, hotel or any other gig will be more healther than all the places that we have all played.. so hopefully all the young singers , bands , djays .. can enjoy this smoke free atmosphere .. its their time .. its their music ..the clubs , bars , pubs will all fill up again ..maybe not fir us but we have had our time lets enjoy wats left have a bit of craic ..sure if ya don,t ..we can always log in ta midimart and cry our lamps out ( Complain ) and just ta finish,, this ban has added a cupla years onto my career ..the only problem i have ..ya can smell every thing ..lol