People chatting at gigs

[ATFC Seagull]

I don't think I've ever been to a gig that wasn't loud enough that it didn't matter. But if its some sort of chilled-out acoustic set it does seem pretty rude, and a bit pointless.

 

[big nuts]

And don't get me started on the cinema ...... staggering fall in manners. Every time I go now I encourter people talking, not just the odd whisper, right through a film. So bloody thoughtless.

Go to the Duke of York's a far more polite and refined clientele. You shouldn't get any talking during the show plus the added bonus of a fully licensed bar and more comfortable seating.

 

[tonymgc]

When we went to see The Cribs last year there was some goon shouting into his phone for 20 minutes like a bad Dom Jolly skit. Eventually he gave up & went outside.

 

[Hillian1]

I was at the Komedia last Friday and during the middle act the whole place was just talking amongst themselves.

to be fair though he was bloody rubbish.

 

[happypig]

I must apologise here; every time I've been to the cinema in the last couple of years I've fallen asleep and started snoring.

 

[bhaexpress]

Is it just me or has this increased dramatically in recent times?

I've had to ask a number of people to stop rabbiting recently. At a Hot Chip gig I had one goon who was stood in front of me keep turning around and talking over my shoulder to his mates who were behind me. I had to politely ask some gents at an Avi Buffalo gig to refrain from talking. Their music is quite delicate and these chaps were really pissing a lot of people off. I also ended up having a blazing row with a girl who could not stop talking to her fella during an LCD gig. I asked her politely, but she told me to f*** off. Charming eh?

If these people's chitter chatter had value then fair enough. But, the girl especially, it was seemingly words for words sake. Nothing she said seemed to have any worth and she seemed compelled to say something as opposed to nothing. I did tell her this, then she got a bit nasty. She got very nasty when I asked her is she understood the idea behind 'sometimes less can be more?'

Should I ever own a venue you can rest assured that Tubthumpers will have a no talking and no camera phones policy at all times. The night club Berghain has a no mobile phone policy. If they see you with one then you're out the door. They have yet to ban talking.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Just appalling how ignorant some people can be, I reckon you showed a lot of restraint there.

 

[Wilka]

God I f***ing hate people who pay to go to a gig to only then talk all the way through it.

If your not interested in listening to the music f*** off to a pub and have a chat with your mates.

I have to say it seems to have got worse in the past few years.

I avoided going to see Elbow at the Brighton center for that very reason. I can only imagine the place was full of people waiting for them to play "one a day like this" who would be chatting away during the older stuff.

 

[The Large One]

At gigs where people talk through intense acoustic or quiet music, I'm of the opinion they're only there for one reason - for the cachet of being seen at a particular gig. Whoever it was earlier that said the woman told him to f*** off when he told her to belt up - she honestly has no place at the gig. The contempt with which she is treating her fellow gig-goers is astounding.

Has it got worse over the past few years? Not necessarily. I used to promote a band who played amped-up acoustic music, so parts of it were very quiet. I'm convinced some people (let's get it straight here - women) turned up just to be seen to have turned up. They had no interest in the music, anyone else's enjoyment, or indeed, anything - apart from themselves and their oh-so-important yakking. At least the band would stop halfway through a song now and then and ask them to be quiet. Sadly this would then lead to an open argument between the woman and the people in the band; the woman feeling particularly aggrieved that she can't carry on her conversation.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Given attendance figures for gigs has rocketed in recent years I can only presume that the new breed of gig goer does not know the protocol. I also think that 'mobile phone' culture plays a part. Folk seem compelled to communicate these days, even if there is not anything really worth saying.

 

[Icy Gull]

Ezio Lunedi of Ezio is great at stopping the yakkers. As they mostly play at small gigs and are mainly acoustic, I have seen him just stop playing, at which stage most people turn and look at the stage, look the offenders in the eye and tell them very loudly to "shut the f*** up", worked a treat on both occasions

 

[Spider]

I think part of the reason is a kind of musical tokenism - "I've seen this band". What a lot of people forget is that standing through 90 minutes of music requires some effort (perhaps not quite the right word) - most people only listen to music otherwise as an accompaniment to whatever else they're doing.

I f***ing hate talking at gigs. It just makes no sense because it shows without question that you're not interested in seeing the band. But at least you can hang around until their most famous songs, film it on your phone and say "I've seen...". Whilst I was watching Beach House last year a bloke behind us spent the entire set telling some girl he was with about other bands he had seen and then moving onto comedians. It was excruciating.

 

[n1 gull]

Go to gig, meet friends, get leathered, dance or jump around, chat, laugh, go home.

I don't think I've ever gone to an accoustic gig (don't think I ever will) so maybe the rules
are different

 

[Marc]

I'd be lucky to hear ANY talking at the gigs I go to as I'm too busy getting destroyed in the mosh pit!

 

[Pantani]

I have to agree wholeheartedly with Herr TB on this. So many people chat through gigs these days. I have been in a number of arguments in recent years because of this issue. It is definitely more of a problem in Brighton and London than the north though, from my experience, we are just too trendy in the south to actually bother to listen to anything.

And as for mobile phones and digital cameras really do f*** off. It is time for venues to insist on the three song rule for punters as well as press photographers. That being you get to take pictures for the first three songs and that is it. At a recent PJ Harvey gig I ended asking someone not to take any more pictures as I'd had enough of watching the entire gig through her view finder, to her credit she did stop but it was really annoying.

 

[New Carpet?]

Is it just me or has this increased dramatically in recent times?

I've had to ask a number of people to stop rabbiting recently. At a Hot Chip gig I had one goon who was stood in front of me keep turning around and talking over my shoulder to his mates who were behind me. I had to politely ask some gents at an Avi Buffalo gig to refrain from talking. Their music is quite delicate and these chaps were really pissing a lot of people off. I also ended up having a blazing row with a girl who could not stop talking to her fella during an LCD gig. I asked her politely, but she told me to f*** off. Charming eh?

If these people's chitter chatter had value then fair enough. But, the girl especially, it was seemingly words for words sake. Nothing she said seemed to have any worth and she seemed compelled to say something as opposed to nothing. I did tell her this, then she got a bit nasty. She got very nasty when I asked her is she understood the idea behind 'sometimes less can be more?'

Should I ever own a venue you can rest assured that Tubthumpers will have a no talking and no camera phones policy at all times. The night club Berghain has a no mobile phone policy. If they see you with one then you're out the door. They have yet to ban talking.

Grrrrrrrrrr.

Quality post.

Huge pet hate of mine at gigs as well. I remember seeing Explosions In The Sky at Concorde 2 a couple of years ago and having to head to the front from the middle simply because so many people around me were talikng through their epic instrumental stuff. I had to make a similar move when I saw Grizzly Bear last year. I've no idea why, but it seems to be a particularly bad trait with crowds at gigs in and around Brighton.

Think the only thing I hate more at gigs is when people in the crowd persistently heckle the band between songs calling for them to play a certain track, more often or not their "hit" record. Let them play their own set!

 

[Pantani]

Go to gig, meet friends, get leathered, dance or jump around, chat, laugh, go home.

I don't think I've ever gone to an accoustic gig (don't think I ever will) so maybe the rules
are different

Volumes at gigs have decreased quite dramatically at gigs in recent years, it does not need to be a particularly quiet gig for you to be able to hear the incessant ramblings of the person next you .

 

[Pantani]

Think the only thing I hate more at gigs is when people in the crowd persistently heckle the band between songs calling for them to play a certain track, more often or not their "hit" record. Let them play their own set!

This too, the band have rehearsed a set. They are not going to change it just because some pissed twat wants to hear their favourite song. Normally a song that lets everyone else know how cool they are and how long they have been in to the band, and how I like that b-side off the second limited edition 7" best. Wankers!!

 

[Superphil]

Maybe we should just go and see very loud bands? I've seen Motorhead a number of times. You could fire up a 747 at one of their gigs and you would not notice.

100% agree with you on this thread HT, however, I have experienced this at a number of 'head gigs too, pisses me off totally. The worst example I can think of was at the Led Zep 'reunion' show at the O2, there was a bloke, no more than mid 20s, talking all the way through the first number (Ramble On ?) and telling his mates how he couldn't believe they'd started with whatever song it was, I told him to f***ing shut up or piss off at the end of the song, got a lot of appreciative comments and thumbsup from those around us. He did indeed f*** off.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I completely agree, I hate it when people talk over the singing. Had this constantly at Pistols gigs, even to the point some even try and compete with the lead singer over the lead vocals, especially at choruses.
I'm surprised more bands don't leave the stage because of it.

 

[Gully]

The thing that pees me off at a gig, although this is more common at festivals, are the people who insist on sitting on someone's shoulders...thus blocking the view of the stage for those unfortunate enough to find themselves behind them. I suppose that I am lucky in being fairly tall, rather than five foot squit, so I am more conscious of blocking the view of people unfortunate enough to be stood behind me.

When it comes to the cinema, apart from knobbers talking all the way through, what hacks me off are the people who rustle bags of sweets and crisps or slurp those bargain barrels of cola during the film...why can't you do it before or after the film and not spoil the enjoyment of everyone else?

Aaarrrgghhhh....and relax!