This Is What We Are About

Hey there fans! Wanted to check in and let you know that WE'RE NOT DEAD YET! More reviews of venues and bands coming SOON - but until then, let us hear YOUR stories! Email us at loveyourfans@gmail.com.

Until then, we leave you with eloquent words we couldn't have put together better ourselves:

"The ultimate sin of any performer is contempt for the audience." - the great Lester Bangs

NEW POLL!

Hey fans,

New poll up! What do you guys think about paid memberships to band's official fan clubs? Got something to say about it? Leave a comment or email us at loveyourfans@gmail.com.

Remember we want to hear from you!

The Borderline - London, UK

"Living in London all my life, I have been to many music venues both large, and small and for every dive there's generally an okay one. Now finding myself (without really looking) the same age as Morrissey and Michael Stipe, I find myself less and less willing to stand around some dark cavernous hall like the Garage in Holloway (why do they always paint the walls black in such places?) for hours on end waiting to see some band or other. These days I need the venue to be a bit more civilised before dragging myself into central London to see an artist perform. My favourite small venue has to be The Borderline, just off Charing Cross Road.

From the outside it looks like a Mexican restaurant (or maybe an English idea of one) inside you go down stairs and enter a large basement room (with normal coloured, not black walls) with a bar and toilets and seating areas for those who find a few hours standing up a bit too much. It’s a bit tatty at the edges, but then aren’t all music venues? The security is very low key and laid back. The stage is a foot high platform with ample standing room in front (if not particularly on stage, a full band can be slightly cramped). The all important sound system is clear and warm. There’s a very relaxed and intimate feel about the place and even when crowded it still feels somehow comfortable and civilised. I’ve seen some excellent artists there down the years like LA pop marvels Wondermints (in town as part of Brian Wilson’s band), Brendan Benson, Matthew Sweet, Cracker, Robyn Hitchcock to name some I remember off the top of my head, and I cannot recall a single occasion where the venue got in the way of enjoying the magic occurring on stage…and really, when it comes to London venues, that’s as much as we might hope for.

A definite four out of five."


- Mick D, ART INTO DUST



The Boderline: 4

The Middle East - Cambridge, MA

The Middle East is a four part venue located in Central Square in Cambridge,MA. It houses two restaurants and three music stages right on the corner of Mass Ave and Brookline Street. The smaller restaurant, the Corner, serves Lebanese food and holds a tiny stage in the front window, while the other restaurant, Zuzu, has a bit more upscale menu.

However the draw of The Middle East comes from its two main performance spaces. Downstairs houses a club style stage, with room for over 500 people. There are two bars, one in an elevated side portion that is almost always roped off for 21+ and one that serves non alcoholic drinks along the right wall. Bands tend to hangout in the elevated bar, mingling with their older fans. There are no barricades, allowing you to get right up to the front of the stage. The coat check at the back is cheap and efficient, and quite useful in Boston winters when it is 10 degrees outside but 80 degrees in the crowd. Downstairs usually hosts bigger bands who want a club feel show, like Cobra Starship and Brand New.

The other performance space, Upstairs, houses smaller bands.To reach Upstairs, you must walk through Zuzu and all the way to the door in the back, past the waiters' station and coffee machine. There's usually someone at the door checking IDs (shows upstairs are often 18+) and taking money. Upstairs is painted blood red and covered in cool graffiti and band posters. Here the bands often mingle out in the crowd or off to the side of the room as the shows are usually for up and coming bands. There is a small bar in the back with cheap beer, but most of the crowd is college aged and drinking water to stay hydrated. Upstairs only holds about 150 people, so shows are small and intimate.

The Middle East does a great job booking bands, and I have only once been disappointed by a concert here. Insider's tip: they offer reduced fare parking ($3) at the 55 Franklin Street Garage between 5pm and 2am. To get your parking validated, you must give your parking ticket to the bartender at Zuzu. He must stamp it AND give you asmall green ticket that you insert into the parking machine. Not all of the bartenders know about the green ticket, but it is required for the reduced fare, so remind them that you need one. I've often seen them take thetickets off of a shelf behind the bar, somewhere near an elephant statue.

I give them a 5."

- Alex D., Fake Pink Glasses


The Middle East: 5

First Love Your Fans Poll Results

Question: Do you think bands should be held accountable for their fans?

1. Yes - 17 (40%)

2. No - 6 (14%)

3. Depends on the band. - 24 (57%)

4. Depends on the fans. - 9 (21%)



Did you vote? Didn't get a chance? Leave a comment and let us know your answer and WHY YOU CHOSE IT.

Showbox, Seattle, WA

"Great venue. Classic wooden floors and perhaps a little cramped but it's a great venue, staff is usually pretty cool, have never had a problem here. There's a bar, a handicapped ramp, chairs. It's pretty cool overall and I recommend seeing any band here. I've seen Jack's Mannequin here as well as The Academy Is... twice."

- Karla S.


Showbox: 3

Wamu Theater, Seattle, WA

"I've been to this venue 3 times-- Each time security is worse than the last. The very first time the crowding was so horrible the band on stage (Motion City Soundtrack, an opener no less) stopped the show and did security's job, making the crowd step back and helping point out people in trouble since security refused.

The second time as I saw MCR in May of '07, the venue security not only ignored an obviously dehydrated concert goer, but refused to get us a bottle of water when we forced her to sit down. Finally the third time I asked a venue staffer they brought us a bottle.

The third, and unfortunately what may be the last time, venue security severely overreacted and threw out my mother.

I don't like to go to this venue because security is unfriendly and always acts like, 'It's your fault," - no matter what happens to you! Overall the staff have a poor, poor attitude."

- Karla S.


Wamu Theater: 1