When Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour recently turned up at The Neptune Inn near Brighton to play their open mic night with his daughter, Romany, the only real surprise was that no one was really surprised.
But then, open mic nights create a unique environment. They can be boundary-less, communal affairs, often diverse and experimental. A swing back in time to pub singalongs, DIY basement parties and round-the-fire acoustic gatherings where anything goes and everyone’s welcome.
They are, essentially, the musician’s playground. A chance to play, learn and grow. And if all goes well, you might secure yourself some gigs. That’s precisely what happened to Todmorden-based singer-songwriter, Rebecca Spooner, 18.
Rebecca: “I’ve always loved music but, at 14, being a big Ed Sheeran fan and stuck in the house from a big old pandemic, I decided I’d teach myself guitar and write some songs. And I haven’t stopped since. I was around 17 when I started doing proper open mics and gigs. My first open mic was at the Trades Club.
It has really allowed me to find my style of songwriting. ‘What does the audience respond well to? What do I enjoy performing? How do I feel when I perform?’ After every performance, I feel a little bit more confident and stronger with who I am and what direction I’m going in. And the audiences locally are always so lovely and friendly.”
The Trades Club’s monthly open mic night offers an opportunity to play at a renowned gig venue with a world-class technical set-up. Elsewhere in Calderdale, The Golden Lion runs a really popular open mic in the main room most Thursdays, The Grayston Unity hosts a traditional unplugged-style open mic on the last Wednesday of the month and there are a number of pubs running similar events, including jam nights, in the area, The Albert in Hebden Bridge being one of the best you’ll find.
Andrea Broug and her friend, Heather, have also become regulars at open mic nights, playing under their collective name, Belle. Andrea goes to a lot of folk gigs in the borough, many of them at Wadsworth Community Centre, and her folk band have performed at a number of ceilidhs.
“There is so much diversity in the local music scene. There’s everything from folk to electronic music – and everyone is welcome. That first gig or performance is always the scariest, but once that’s out of the way, your confidence grows and your performance skills improve. So don’t be afraid and sign up for that first open mic night and do that first performance because it will pay off.”
In November 2022, Ian Pepper started running an electronic-experimental open mic at The Puzzle in Sowerby Bridge, cunningly and quite brilliantly titled Technical Difficulties. Such nights, now commonly referred to as EMOM (Electronic Music Open Mic) have sprung up across the UK, extending the open mic opportunity to the full gamut of electro musicians, programmers, synth aficionados, sonic de-constructors and general knob-twiddlers.
Ian: “People come along expecting to be challenged and surprised. Not everything is going to be something you enjoy but equally you’re likely to hear something you’ve never heard before. I place great emphasis on Technical Difficulties being a safe place for people to explore and experiment.
“I wanted to create a bit of a home for people who would not be so easily accepted at a regular open mic and for bedroom musicians to come and share, sometimes for the first time, their own work in front of an appreciative and open-minded audience.”
Open mics are not just about honing an act or developing a talent. Those are certainly key motivations – and the majority of famous musicians have come up through the open mic circuit at some point – but open mics can be good for the soul too. They afford a platform to unleash your inner creativity – to let it all out. And they are a very welcoming, social environment. A space to meet likeminded people and forge friendships. They can be great for your mental health. Songwriting partnerships and entire bands take shape through the open mic network.
According to counsellor Louisa Harvey, as quoted in an article for Happiful: “You enter a space where the point is to be reached, and to reach back in response, and to be a part of something larger, beyond oneself, but also rooted in community.
“The term ‘self-help’ betrays the fact we need to feel a part of something, to belong, to be in a community with people at the kind of distance that our neurodiversity, temperaments, confidence levels, and introversion-extroversion might suit.
Open mics are potentially loneliness-busting, relationship-creating, emotionally moving, inspiring places that represent an honouring of courage, vulnerability, creativity, laughter, and meaning-making.”
Ian Pepper has many highlights from his Technical Difficulties nights. When pushed, two moments stand out in particular.
“One person brought along electronic wands which controlled his music like conductors batons. He handed them out to the audience who proceeded to wave them around playing the music with them changing it’s interlocking parts by swiping the air with each individual baton.
“Another time, local legend, Miss Airedale, was playing a song on his omnichord while a frisky little dog scampered around the stage. Just as he was singing the line ‘you can’t hold it in, you’ve just got to let it go’ the dog did a big poo right in front of him.”
Open mics, you see. Anything goes.
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Some quotes from this article also appear in A Beginner’s Guide To Grassroots Music in Calderdale. Keep an eye out for a copy in venues, pubs and community spaces throughout the borough. You can also read the magazine online or download it. The publication is part of CultureDale’s Youth Music Takeover initiative.
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