It's ancient history now, but for those who are interested :
Update on the Tuesday night sessions at the Cricketers
We said we'd be back !
The sessions began again, with a Grand Opening Night on
Tuesday 1st October 2002 at 8:30pm
As usual, all musicians are welcome to join us, but we can now invite members of the
public to listen ! There may be some food to be laid on and we hope to have some prominent
guests who have been active in the campaign nationally - we'll publish information when we
have it.
What happened to the only weekly English music session in the South-East ? well following our successful St George's Day celebration, Greenwich Council acted to stop us meeting.
Two of their officers secretly invaded the open event, just before the presentation to "Musical Traditions" (£500 to support the recording of traditional music) and to Vince, the Landlord (a specially cast bell to ring "time", unfortunately without a rubber clapper).
They found members of the public "tapping their feet". The implication was that as they were being entertained, we must be performers, and wrote to say that the session has to stop. They also objected to music being freely available. Click here to view the letter.
After the enforced cessation of the session, we continued to play with only two
musicians in an evening (very strange for those of us unused to playing whole sets
practically solo) and lobbied the local council as well as joining the anti
"two-in-a-bar" lobby.
As a result the Landlord was invited to reapply for an entertainment license and certain
of the requirements viewed sympathetically (ie the council agreed to use the discretion it
should have used all along.)
We expect the license to be in place by mid-late September.
If you want the legal background, visit this SCoFF site. For up to date information on the campaign against this daft piece of legislation and to fax your MP, visit twoinabar.co.uk