My friends, we are under attack. Our way of life is being threatened and we are reaching the point of no return.
We as fans of live music perpetrated by more than one man and a computer are being discriminated against.
Our scene, our beloved scene is being whittled away by the powers that be and soon, we will be no more.
This is the sad truth of living in Johannesburg today.
When I started going to live gigs over a decade ago, there were almost more venues than gigging bands- we had awesome places like Roxys (OK, maybe not that awesome), Purple Turtle, The Doors, Cool Runnings, Tokyo Star v1.0 and many others- today we have The Bohemian, Rumours and The Buck and Hog in Joburg, and a handful more in the East and Pretoria.
While our bands and artists are getting more and more talented, their outlets for expression of their music is dwindling. And its your fault.
Yes, you!
You, who only listen to bands who play a certain genre
You, who fork out hundreds of rands to watch an international band so far past their prime they are coughing dust on stage
You, who wont pay R 50 to watch three local bands
You, who has better things to do
At the end of the day, the owners of these venues, no matter how passionate they are about music, need to put food on the table- and if they aren’t making money they have to take action. And us rock kids, being genuine salt of the earth motherfuckers, don’t mind partying in a dingy low-ceilinged bar, whereas the ‘pop’ kids need over 8 laser lights and ‘fwame-froewers’ to jam out with their clams out- so these venues get sold, converted into coffee shops and businesses and we lose another place to play.
One of Joburgs great venues- great in terms of history and personality, not sound quality or decor – The Bohemian – Is in danger of closing down.
It is Johannesburg’s 3rd oldest pub, and was established in its current form in 1983. Thats as old as me, and I have spent at least half of my life attending and playing gigs at ‘The Boh’
We owe it to ourselves as the Joburg Rock Crew to at least try to stop the closure of the Boh. We need venues, we need a place to meet each other, we need the cheap draughts and pool tables, we need venues. We need venues. We. Need. Venues.
Who reading this does not have at least one story or memory from the Boh? I remember smoking a blunt and drinking a bottle of whiskey outside the Boh with Pat O’Gorman a week before he died. I remember playing a gig there and having two girls make out on stage- much more entertaining than our songs at the time. I remember watching my friend Cami go from being a clumsy kid to an accomplished musician on that stage. I remember my friend Greg mixing our show so drunk he couldn’t even see the stage. I remember streaking down the street and later hooking up with a fellow streaker. I remember reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones and stopping hating my brother in the Boh.
I don’t want these to be my last memories of the Boh. We may be able to stop this, and save a venue- nay, an Empire.
Damn the Man, Save the Boh
Revolutionary Throwback 