England: Scott Pickett (Interact)
Interact
Fall Break: The Writing on The Stall— On Community Spaces For The Creative Young
I like to judge a music venue by its bathroom—the worse the bathroom the better the gig. Coming to London the thing I was the most excited about was exploring the music scene, and I was right to be excited because London’s music venues have the worst bathrooms I have ever witnessed. The most vile one was probably New River Studios, situated in north London it has only the essentials. Reminiscent of an airplane bathroom in the apocalypse, the sink is almost unusable because of the half-full beer cups that live in its basin and the door with a barely functioning lock is full of stickers and messages. Marked with notes which read “trans rights!” and “you look nice today :). This is the community that is housed by the venue. A group of young queer people looking for others. The actual venue is quite small and humble, the bar attached has comfortable seating and a pool table. When walking out of a loud gig one would be surprised at how quiet and calm the area is, the perfect spot to meet a friend and have a chat or to calm down after a hectic show. As well, New River Studios isn’t just a pub with a concert venue attached it also functions as a community space. They provide music practice rooms, recording studios, and will rent out their venue for low prices; they provide a space for young people to develop and socialize.
This solidifies New River Studios as what is known as a third space or a place where people can go that isn’t work or their home. A place to see friends, meet new people, or simply be. Third spaces, especially in places such as London are increasingly inaccessible as prices rise. I know that personally while living in London I would often have trouble finding places to talk to new people or even inexpensive places to bring friends I already knew. Music venues ended up being the perfect place. One free place available to young people in London is free art galleries and museums. Although the authors Jez Collins and Simone Driessen mention a survey which asked visitors about their experiences at the Tate Modern. “ Interviews with visitors revealed these venues as third places in all but one aspect: there was an absence of conversation” (Collins; Driessen). They argue that meeting new people within cafes, museums, and regular pubs is becoming more and more difficult as conversation becomes increasingly screen-focused. But music spaces differ as music provides a communal experience that cannot be experienced alone, one physically cannot experience a concert alone as there are fellow audience members dancing or musicians playing to them. There is a communal experience which satisfies all senses and builds an inherently connecting atmosphere.
New Rivers Studio, in particular, represents a historical and cultural idea within British music: the concept of DIY. Otherwise known as do-it-yourself, there is a consistent tradition within British music of musicians literally doing it themselves, whether that be by making their own instruments in the skiffle movement or young musicians and community members making their own spaces, like with New Rivers Studio. This creates a certain subculture that encourages young people to truly go out and meet others in their community, one cannot create their own community without being involved in it.
Works Cited
Istvandity, Lauren, et al. “Understanding popular music heritage practice through the lens of ‘third place.’” Rethinking Third Places, 31 May 2019, https://doi.org/10.4337/9781786433916.00015.
Scott Pickett
Major: History, English, and Psychology
Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin