Flash@TMB

The cheezy quiz machine was in fact replaced by the pinball. And I love pinball so pinball will stay for as long as I live and breathe. The arcade machine will also remain. I don't like cheezy quiz machines, and I totally hate bandits, so neither will be permitted on-site. I'd even get rid of the telly given half a chance. The pool table is departing because nobody played it, and we would rather have a dancefloor than pool. Unfortunately this also spells the end of our pool team.

5 Reasons I hate Archies: 1) Corporate chain scum. 2) Neds. 3) Difficult to get served. 4) The noise and lack of music. 5) It's several light years to the toilet.

True, obviously his taste has lapsed since he gave Archies a good rating... but it's the touch of comic genius in the writing style that I love. He has us down to a tee. The barstaff think have an idea who it was, and the guy literally went through every specialist item we stock.

http://scottishboozing.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_scottishboozing_archive.html#moorings

It's looking like on Tuesday the 2nd of March we are unofficially reopen. We had hoped to open this weekend but the varnish on the new floor won't be dry until Tuesday. The place is looking and sounding more awesome every day.

Only two problems... We've already ruled out this particular option... Mike seemed interested in doing the work, but appeared to be seeking payment. Although we have no problem with paying for things, this one is classified under 'labour of love'. The artwork is neither urgent or even necessary. It's an opportunity for people to play a very personal part in the look of the bar. We'd prefer people to undertake this because they'd like to be involved as opposed to focusing on the payment. It would feel wrong to contract it out to a professional. Mike also made an unrelated comment that we considered inaccurate and found insulting. So you could say we got off on the wrong foot. So far I've had several good PMs from people that would like to do this, and massive interest on alternativenation.net, so I think we're going to get something sorted out. Thanks for the tip though. Flash

Sounds good. There is no huge rush and we aren't planning starting until after the bar has reopened. So we'd be OK with waiting till after exam time.

Bookings Yes I agree that they'll do well. They have an excellent formula, good reputation, and are extremely competent. I don't think they will damage anywhere else, quite the opposite. The scene in Aberdeen is still not very lively and they will only serve to improve things. Hopefully this will see more bands coming to town. If you look at the choices of gig in Glasgow, where CPL compete with several other venues the options are enormous yet business remains healthy. Aberdeen is much smaller, but we are talking 1 CPL venue not 6, and there isn't that much competition. As far as bands go, people will make their choices depending on the band and a very low second is usually the facilities at the venue. Bands themselves will choose to play a venue depending on how well it suits their requirements, the deal on offer, and whether they believe the gig will be a success. Overall I imagine it will be a good thing for Aberdeen and I run one of the competing bars!!! Flash

if you look at www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk, using the search you'll find 2 articles on the CPL thing (unless they've got wise and deleted one). In one of the articles the CPL boss is quoted saying: He said: "It is going to be competitive, as margins are being cut to the bone." "But there is some talk in the city about happy hours being phased out and the introduction of minimum pricing, which would not be a bad idea." *** This is an example of added press spin, so that read in isolation it subconciously comes across as he'll intends to offer cheap drinks but then sucks up to the council to keep on their good side. The second version of what appears to be the exact same article reads: Mr MacLeod conceded the market was tough, with many Aberdeen nightspots offering cut-price drinks. "It is going to be competitive, as margins are being cut to the bone. But there's some talk in the city about happy hours being phased out and the introduction of minimum pricing, which would not be a bad idea." *** So he doesn't like the fact that other clubs are marketing cut price drinks, and that is going to make life difficult for him because he'll have to operate on low margins. In both versions he is actaully saying the same thing, but the press spin in the first example assists the reader in interpreting it differently with the intention of adding some drama. The low margin thing is nonsense BTW, they'll be paying ~half of what independant venues do for a keg, and that's no exaggeration because a little birdie has shown me trade price lists for some of the chains. Archies sells lagers for less than I can purchase it (as do the supermarkets). Poor beggars, my wallet bleeds for them! Not. For instance I know of one chain that charges 2.60 for a Russian Vodka that we sell at 1.60. A bottle costs me 20, and it costs them 15. I know of another chain that was selling a certain Tequila for 4.00, I sell the same tequila for 2.40, a bottle retails at 52 but they are paying 25. It costs me over 40. Imagine my horror when I tasted it and found it was tipped (contained a much cheaper and inferior tequila). Thankfully one of those chains has since fled town. On the 8 clubs front it reads: He also said that CPL was "very speculatively" looking at eight other sites in the Granite City as it tries to break out of its Glasgow stronghold. CPL has 450 staff in Glasgow where it also operates the Cathouse and Cube nightclubs among others. In other words they are looking at 8 sites, but the press spin implies this means 8 venues, but I think he was just trying to say that they were looking at 8 different buildings. Flash

Hmmm I read that as, they were looking at 8 different places for the one club, and had dibbs on one of those places, but had not finalised anything yet. I mean they don't even have 8 clubs in Glasgow, and anyone with that many in one location would end up competeing against themselves however they worked it. So although it may turn out to be Esko, I think that speculation that it is definately Esko is premature. Flash

What I object to... What I object to is the Chicago Rock approach whereby they never book local bands but continually recirculate tribute bands around their own private fuckin circuit. The other thing I could live without is places that do put on local bands, but only covers bands. The old pub rock thing. When we took over the bar many people told us that Aberdonians only wanted to hear covers and had no interest in original music. That being the case imagine my surprise when I put on a band playing some original music, packed the houe out and doubled our takings... something that we have since repeated many times over to the point where we're reluctant to book bands that play covers... Yes a good covers band does fill a gap when you have no chance of seeing the original, but not every night! I agree that bands from elsewhere playing original music and traveling to Aberdeen play an important role in our music scene. And lets face it, the Chicago Rocks of this world aren't going to entertain them. So yes the local scene does constitute more than just local bands. I'd also like to see more lower to middle tier bands playing Aberdeen in addition to the odd giant of rock that makes it this far North. This situation is better thanks mainly to The Lemon Tree and Drummonds, but there is still scope for improvement. But my original point was that, prior to Drakes, where was there in Aberdeen willing to put on local bands playing original material? I can't think of anywhere. And without Drakes things would quickly deteriorate again. Thi's is what I was alluding to, although the way I typed it was open to misinterpretation. Flash

Cesars I used to go to Cesars after closing time at The Moorings on a Saturday Night. On Fridays I'd go to Satelites then the Sloe Club. Cesars was OK, nice and dark, another place where you could cop off with someone in relative private. It was quite pricey though and not the best layout, sort of a minature Palace. Death Metal afternoons were strange. I was sick as fuck when it shut though. Flash

Yeah sorry, I was pretty much out of my face from 1990 until 1997 so I don't really remember much. In fact my total sequential recall of those years lasts <5 mins which is pretty poor considering I can go up to 40 secs on 1976 alone. Please name some other non-covers bands from that time and see if we can unleash my memory, I'm sure theres some good shit trapped inside there. I remember the Big Bang thing, but I'd forgotten the Ritzy was ever called Bonkers. I don't remember much about the Big Bang itself and most of that memory is mixed up in the student torcher of 1992, reason being that on both occasions I had scored a 1/2 ounce of really nice grass. Not strong stuff like todays because we used to smoke it in joints without any added tobacco, and it made us laugh for hours. So I can't distinguish between the 2 events, in fact they may have been on the same night. Help anyone? Hmm perhaps it's too late for help I'd like to add that I didn't actually take part in the torcher, it's just I remember watching it and being out of my face as usual. I'm glad I stopped doing that stuff, the total lifetime of a stoner must have a perceived passing of ~25 mins. Flash

Frank our barman played in a charity benefit concert for victims of the Piper Alpha. They were paid more that any of the other bands on the bill... ...now this being a benefit gig you might wonder why/how they got paid. Well the reason is that the took to the stage naked and only got out the first 3 bars of 'Smoke on the Water' before people started throwing coins at them and the engineer pulled the plug. I guess I can see why they thought the song was appropriate but with hindsight a little too close to the bone! Flash

I should add... I should also add that in addition to Dr Drakes, AUBL has done wonders for the local scene. It's easy to forget that before AUBL we had no means of finding out who was out there and what they were playing. Personally I consider it more important to participate in the local music scene that worry about bringing bands up from elsewhere. Our local scene is thriving , it may even be the best in the UK - we just need to get that message out! The Moorings Bar will be devoting Saturdays and Sundays to local bands playing original material. I see us as being like a weekend extension of Drakes in that respect. Gee I hope that Garage place opens up in Poo Naa Naa. Flash

There was The Satelite Bar where Siberia is now but much smaller. They used to have a resident live covers band or jam session on a Sunday afternoon. The Moorings Bar would have a rock disco on Friday Nights and a covers band on Saturday nights. The Malt Mill had predominantly covers bands playing on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The Blue Lamp would have the odd blues or soul band. Cesars Palace hosted a rock disco on Fridays and a 'Death Metal' afternoon on Saturdays. They usually had a live band on Saturday Nights but mostly covers. They also had a rock disco on Tuesday Nights. The Ritzy/Palace hosted a goth disco on Monday nights and a rock disco on Thursday nights. Very occasionally... well once that I can remember they had a live band on during the week. It was Faith No More. I shit you not. The Sloe Club (RGIT Union downstairs where the shop is) had a rock disco on Fridays and live bands on Saturdays. There were very few non-covers bands. Tour De Force is one that springs to mind, after that I'm struggling, and Tour De Force were really more 80s than 90s. There was a sort of glam band called Fox. There was a band called Kill The Doctor - they were quite popular and pulled big crowds. There was also a very good band called Men Lie, they are back on the scene again but called Atrium now and they are still very good, we had them playing a few weeks back. Aside from those all I remember is the odd teenage death band here and there but very few of them ever got a gig outside their own bedrooms, the bars just weren't interested. The best thing that ever happened to live music in Aberdeen in uinquestionably Dr Drakes. Flash

Artists & Artwork Required Artists required... As a side effect of the rennovations The Moorings Bar will have some blank walls where historically there has been murals. We'd like some artwork to fill the spaces. The style we are looking for is an amalgamation of NY subway graffiti art, tattoo art, airbrush, custom automotive paintwork, and comic book art. The themes we'd like to explore include: sea, pirates, treasure chests, mermaids, gallions, skeletons, Treasure Island star wars canteena custom motorcycles, bikers, Ghost Rider... I have customised one of my motorcycles and I'd love for it to be featured, photo to follow... muscle cars, mad max, gothic future women of the night, Soho, After Hours alcohol music and bands but NO actual characters, actual bands etc to be mentioned or depicted ghosts 1970s In front of our stage there will be an aluminum roller shutter door like you see in front of shops in deprived areas. We'd like this door to be sprayed with a "Davey Jones' Locker" mural. What's in it for you? Well for starters you get your artwork displayed in the bar, potentially for a very long time. A few free drinks, and some discount here and there, perhaps a booking for your band, free admission, your CD on the jukeox, your special tankered behind the bar, a plaque in your honour in the toilets Basic quid pro quo type deals. We're looking for people that are mainly prepared to do this for the love of the bar and the hell of it... the same reasons that we've almost bankcrupted ourselves doing these rennovations. We'll cover the cost of all materials, and feed and water the workers during the process. We'll need to see some sketches prior to letting people loose on the walls, these can either be scanned in and emailed or taken to the bar once it opens. There is a finite ammount of space so we won't be able to commission every idea. We're looking for works of all shapes, sizes, and scale. Get in touch with me if you are interested. Flash

Artists required... As a side effect of the rennovations The Moorings Bar will have some blank walls where historically there has been murals. We'd like some artwork to fill the spaces. The style we are looking for is an amalgamation of NY subway graffiti art, tattoo art, airbrush, custom automotive paintwork, and comic book art. The themes we'd like to explore include: sea, pirates, treasure chests, mermaids, gallions, skeletons, Treasure Island star wars canteena custom motorcycles, bikers, Ghost Rider... I have customised one of my motorcycles and I'd love for it to be featured, photo to follow... muscle cars, mad max, gothic future women of the night, Soho, After Hours alcohol music and bands but NO actual characters, actual bands etc to be mentioned or depicted ghosts 1970s In front of our stage there will be an aluminum roller shutter door like you see in front of shops in deprived areas. We'd like this door to be sprayed with a "Davey Jones' Locker" mural. What's in it for you? Well for starters you get your artwork displayed in the bar, potentially for a very long time. A few free drinks, and some discount here and there, perhaps a booking for your band, free admission, your CD on the jukeox, your special tankered behind the bar, a plaque in your honour in the toilets:) Basic quid pro quo type deals. We're looking for people that are mainly prepared to do this for the love of the bar and the hell of it... the same reasons that we've almost bankcrupted ourselves doing these rennovations. We'll cover the cost of all materials, and feed and water the workers during the process. We'll need to see some sketches prior to letting people loose on the walls, these can either be scanned in and emailed or taken to the bar once it opens. There is a finite ammount of space so we won't be able to commission every idea. We're looking for works of all shapes, sizes, and scale. Get in touch with me if you are interested. Flash

Venue It was between where Drakes and The Drift Inn are now, underneath the Douglas Hotel. It's still there but disused. It would be good it the CPL place opened there but there are long odds on that option... The Venue closed in err 1989. I may be wearing rose tinted specs but it still ranks as the best venue we ever had in my opinion. Flash

Sound System installed and fired up... YEEhaaAA Well last week was a very busy week. Nick Taylor from Taylored Sound came over and installed our new rig. Believe me words cannot do this thing justice. Your HAVE to hear it. It can go from whisper quiet up until... well we don't really know how lound because the downlighters started to fall out of the ceiling at 75% power. Even then it was clear as a bell and didn't hurt our ears. It's clarity compares with a really expensive HiFi even at very low volumes. The rig has more room to breathe with the room opened up, and having the bass bins under the stage really helps. There's a set of full range wide dispersion delay speakers (same make, same quality) further down the bar and they give the illusion that the sound is still all coming from the stage whilst boosting things at the back of the house. We can now get an even volume throughout the house without deafening the people at the front. This is I truely believe the best sounding rig in town. What's more is that the jukebox will be driven through it at all times because the quality is so good a low volumes we don't need a second system. Nick also did some work on the interface to the jukebox, and this has eliminated the circuit noise, and broadened the spectrum of sound that it delivers to the PA, so even our creaky 20 year old jukebox is indistiguishable from our good quality DJ decks. We had a lot of fun listening to our favourite CDs they way they were intended to be heard. I even enjoyed listening to stuff I didn't like because it sounded so good. This system also differs in other ways from the one that we road tested before Christmas. The amps are the ones recommended by the speaker manufacturer, and the bass speakers have a revolutionary cone made from parachute material. Relocating the jukebox has also ensured that everybody in the room will have a complete view of the stage. Our new stage is much wider, and roughly ther height of the Lemon Trees at the front, but 15" higher at the drum riser. We've tried really hard to ensure that: The sound is second to none throughout the room. Everyone has a perfect view. The bar is easily accessible and facilitates speedy service. The range and quality of booze is excellent and competitively priced. The toilets are easy to access, clean, odour free, and there are plenty of cubicles in the ladies. The lighting is subdued so that everyone looks their best :O There is plenty of room to dance, and the dancefloor is immediately in front of the stage. The floor is reinforced and doesn't bounce when we're busy. There is seating for half our capacity then the seats are out. We now anticipate opening unofficially ~1st March. Flash

I think it's great news The more places to go, the bigger the scene gets, the more people become involved in it, and the better it's chances of survival. Rock survived in Glasgow through the dismal 90s because they had a thriving scene in the 80s. They had a thriving scene because there were places to go. Here in Aberdeen there was only 1 dedicated rock venue - The Venue, and 2 dedicated rock bars Satelites and Moorings. Outside of that there was a scattering of single nights, not usually on weekends. It was shite. Competition is always a good thing, expecially for the punter. Venues needn't worry either because if your place has something to offer then people will go there. If it has everything to offer then everyone will queue to go there. You just have to try harder. CPL is a chain. Chains have some advantages like large captial injection, very low purchase prices on stock, big advertising bugget, and they represent a known quality to those unfamiliar with the local scene. They also have some disadvantages like slow reaction to change and slow to mobilise. They are restricted in what they can offer, and sometimes lack soul. Personally I hope they open in the Vaults or Poo Na Nas... heh heh. Everytime a new bar or venue has opened The Moorings Bar has gotten busier. This happened with Drakes, Drummonds, Moshulu, HJBs, and it will happen with this CPL thing. Hopefully the same goes for the other venues too. I'm in this because I love the scene, and I'm trying to help build a stable scene for the first time. A new big venue opening is exactly what we all need... And no matter what, The Moorings Bar will always have a better tasting alcohol and a better sounding rig than ANYWHERE! What else is important? Heh heh. Flash

Pete I met Pete in Market Street this lunchtime. He was walking a little sausage dog??? Anyhow I took him in past the bar for a look. I think he was surprised by the extent of the changes, which is wierd considering he helped me measure up, and I recall talking at him (sic) about what the plans were. Anyhow I'm sure he'll clue you in. Flash

Depending Depending on how many weeks there are until you're on leave, you may be able to add one more to your list: The Moorings Bar is Aberdeens original Rock/Alt venue. Why bother with cheezy 70s retro nights when you can visit the real thing. It's like stepping into a timewarp. The bar is famous for the quality of it's booze, and you'll find all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to get cost effectively pished. The new sound system is arguably the best in town, certainly way beyond what you'd expect from a 200 capacity venue. There's also pinball and a retro arcade machine. I recently stumbled on this review, it sums things up pretty well and if I ever see the guy that wrote it I'll buy him an evenings worth of drink: http://scottishboozing.blogspot.com/2004_01_01_scottishboozing_archive.html scroll down to second from the bottom of the page. Flash

mmm hmmm Oh fuck yeah! The only problem is that we don't know exactly when we'll be opening, so the likelihood is that we'll actually be open 'unofficially' for a short time before we start the celebrations. There is a rumour going round that a major act might be lined up to play the bar as part of these celebrations... Flash

Latest on the refurb Just another update on how the work is commencing. We only have 1 hurdle left to clear, everything else has worked out fine. The stage had to be extended 2 feet in width, so this has robbed 2 feet from the new dancefloor. The new specs are: Stage 15 feet x 6 feet x 23" stage front. 15 feet x 6 feet x 38" riser. Each speaker stack takes up 20" of width so the visible stage length is 11 feet and 8" accross. The previous stage length was 8 feet and very off centre. The dancefloor is 17 feet x 10 feet at it's narrowist and over 12 feet at it's widest. The previous dancefloor was 12 feet by 9 feet. The new roof is installed on the building and the low centre section of ceiling has been raised. The new central heating system is installed. We've uprated the mains supply to the building to cope with the new PA. The new PA is due to be installed towards the end of next week. The new fire exit is formed. The new cellar stairs are in place. The decorator has stripped all the existing wallpaper and patched th holes in the walls. The toilets are reformed, and tiling commences this weekend. We are no longer ahead of schedule but we are bang on the money. Flash