Bouncers

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't posted yet!
I'm really into the idea of discussing bouncers and how they affect a night out. I, too, have had experience with being turned away because of the way I was dressed (mainly to do with the fact I was wearing trainers). I also had a friend who was turned away from a club for wearing shorts in the summer but I think it was more to do with the fact that he looked like he could cause trouble. This club was a student club so they had no dress code and this seemed quite ridiculous as it's a sort of "anything goes" kind of place.
To research further, perhaps those of us who work in bars/clubs could ask the bouncers we work with what they look for when turning people away/kicking people out? We could try and determine what prejudices, if any, they hold and how they affect their decisions.
Sorry again,
G x

bouncers idea - my experience

Hi all,

I think the idea of looking at bouncers and the effect they have on an event, and the people that attend. Picking up on the points in the Telegraph article, they interview the owner of Proud Camden, who goes into detail about what the bouncers at his club will look for when they are deciding whether or not to let people in. He says bouncers who work at his club

'judge guests based on two things. One, whether they look like they're going to be "difficult in the club" - "badly behaved or rowdy" - and two, whether they will be "ill suited to the other people in the club" - "such as groups of men hassling women".'

This caught my attention because I had an experience at Proud Camden only a few weeks ago where I was initially refused entry, but later allowed in after my law graduate friend said that she wanted to speak to the manager as the bouncer’s decision was not fair at all! The reason he gave was that I was wearing tracksuit bottoms (which were black and not at all inappropriate looking), even though I was going to a grime night where Bonkaz was playing and 90% of the men in the club were dressed in tracksuits, even full grey tracksuits with cap, the exact reason I wasn’t being allowed in. I was not drunk, or in a large group (3 of us) and was convinced that there were sexist undertones in his decision, if not also a racial aspect, as it was predominantly black people at the event, music associated with and made by black people and a black bouncer.

Just thought it would be helpful to share this experience as it directly corresponds with looking at not just the power of bouncers and the undertones of their decision making, but also the acceptance of different people within different musical subcultures. Like in my experience, I may not be the obvious type of person to go to a grime gig, and this definitely affected my experience there, and how welcomed in I was.

Article on Bouncers

Interesting article asking bouncers what goes through their heads when deciding who to let in: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10846836/What-the-bouncers-really-thinking-when-he-refuses-you-entry-from-a-nightclub.html

Adding to Jyoti's List of Nights Out

Just thought I'd another type of night, I'll add more as I think of them. One thing I've been thinking that I mentioned last Monday was that it might be best if we went to each other's typical nights out rather than our own. This would increase objectivity by minimising preconceptions and also would probably be more comfortable to do as it would be less likely to involve us humiliating ourselves in front of people we know haha.

Psych Nights:
-Elitist attitudes regarding fashion, music and status
-Focused mostly around music and dancing rather than socialising  
-Often open til late or all night
-Organised by musicians known to most attendees
-60's or other vintage clothing
-Large drug culture, mostly cocaine or heroin

Thoughts on Bouncers Idea

I like the bouncers idea as they can have an important effect on the atmosphere of an event and often enforce rules that probably don't officially exist. How do you guys think it would be best to put this idea into practice? Maybe we just try out different ways of dressing or talking or try going into places in different groupings based on gender or race to see if we're treated differently? We could even take it a step further than bouncers and look at the way other members of staff at an event treat you based on the ways you behave or look. A good experiment might be: can you get in on the guest list by dressing or acting a certain way? haha. The only thing is I think we should be careful about staying away from exploring literal rules rather than unwritten social norms and behavioural constraints; studying the behaviour of staff could start to slip into that.

exclusion and doormen

Hey guys,

Hope you're all good. I've just read up on all the blog posts this week and I'm really into the idea of bouncers and how venues actually exclude people. Just as that is a very political aspect of nightlife, in terms of who and who they do not let in. This is especially relevant with all the stuff that has been going on at DSTRKT for having a racist door policy.

I know at the bar i work in, the bouncer doesn't allow people in with trainers etc, but although he is an extension of the authority of the club he also works on his own opinion, sometimes he just doesn't like the look of someone, or thinks they don't suit the crowd the bar want. This could be something interesting to delve into and test out.

K

Article about Producing and Consuming Nightlife

Hey Guys!

I found this article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/40542703.pdf
its a pdf, so it might just download right away if you click on it haha

but if you don't want to read, here is my little summary:

The article is basically about nightlife in a general sense, and how individuals produce and consume it within a post industrial city. Sociologists and Ethnographers have used venues in the past to study marginalised groups as well as how economic shifts have resulted in regenerated a city's downtown into a thriving nightlife.

Grazian, a professor at University of Pennsylvania believes that the production and consumption of nightlife is a game of "trickery", with the producers of specific events using lighting, decor and dress code to construct different nightlife spaces. Many consumers know they are in a constructed environment and "suspend disbelief in order to enjoy the urban nightlife". I think Grazian can shed some light on some subculture music venues as they may add an air of hyperreality, as well as how space may influence behaviour.

Although this article focuses mainly on "popular nightlife" ie clubs, restaurants etc. It does depict how many of these nightlife venues are exclusionary; (dress code, some racist door policies, price of admission). This is important as it limits the "heterogeneity of the clientele". Not only that but it does portray how some leisurely activities like going to listen to your favourite music at certain venues feed into the growth of the post industrial city and capitalist society.

I think this article generally adds a context to leisure in terms of nightlife, but may add to our experiment. For instance, it touches upon how the use of aesthetic and auditory aspects may influence patrons behaviour at certain venues. It also displays how exclusionary tactics are implemented meaning that certain venues and nightlife experiences are out of reach to some. These are all aspects we want to touch upon while we are doing our experiment-whether when we are observing at specific gigs or engaging with the activities around us.

Hope you guys are doing well :)
Charlotte

Exclusive or inclusive?

Hi all,

Been a little while since I last posted- sorry for that. I've suggestsed the use of open mic nights to make a performance of some description. In terms of music I am a bit of a jack of all trades master of none- but I have a few songs to test an prescribed audience. I can do it at my work in Camden which is a rock and ska pub in Camden. Any help would be very welcome! Let me know in comments what you think whether we can get decent information via this media.

I'll also be attending Fabric's grime night in March which features Bugzy Malone alongside groups such as 67. I can gain information firstly by contrasting the reception of a specific, cult, artist in Bugzy Malone- I saw him in June at the Stone Roses gig in Manchester. So the impact of a home city in terms of politics (Bugzy Malone talks of the struggle and to an extent neglect of the north in the grime and political scene). But also, he was a last minute replacement and struggled to convince the audience in an indie setting, as did Public Enemy- both we technically brilliant nonetheless. I am interested to see the variation and diversity in the crowd at Fabric which has become a highly charged political viewing after its initial closure. I am unsure about whether I should be a voyeur or engage on a larger level- let me know in comments if you have any suggestions.

So what I am really looking for in these two activities is whether music fits the venue, or the venue fits the music. The link to politics here is subtle but important- there are many things which define audiences- the price of drinks, the nature of smoking in venues and of course the clothing. The Stone Roses gig with BM was largely white and male (of course I am included in that), Fabric I would imagine attract a far more diverse crowd. During my visit to the Camden Roundhouse, the producer Conrad (who works in rap, house and D&B) did however state that his gigs do not attract members of the LGBT community. How inclusive and exclusive are venues? And also whether or not that is good or bad in all cases

I'll try to do another update before we next meet.

Skrt

Émile

Article about the presumption of punk and metal subculture

Hey Guys!


Iv found an article:

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0011128791037004007
(you may have to log into shibboleth to see it)

The article may not be entirely relevant to our experiment but provides a lot of information about why subcultures (here specifically punk and metal) are not just apolitical leisure.

if you don't really want to read it, it basically describes how musical subcultures, (primarily in the USA) are no longer seen as "sanctioned generational conflicts". Rather, they are now being monitored by hospitals, police and other agencies seeking to "protect" both the youth and the community. This is because Punk and Metal subcultures are now seen by these institutions as gateways to drugs, violence and antisocial behaviour.

The most unbelievable part of the article is where the author describes the creation of a story of a young boy who liked heavy metal, had a messy room and dressed in ragged clothing but had no sign of mental health or drug related problems. The story was then reiterated to 14 hospitals where they asked the professionals whether they would admit him on just this information. 83% said they would. This is pretty good evidence as to why subcultures are more than just music, the way outsiders react to them is extremely political, because defying cultural norms has meant that there is a presumption that individuals who engage in this behaviour must also be part of a group of authority hating drug addicts.

I know this may seem a bit like an unrelated rant but I think the main points of the article are relevant to our experiment. Just as subcultures defy norms we are going to defy norms within particular subcultures! The fact that subcultures can be kind of demonised by outsiders I think puts a context to what we are doing and just displays how they aren't just apolitical leisure.

Hope all is well! :)
-Charlotte

Bouncers

Hi Bloggers!

I was thinking today, about the power and authority security guards have in deciding who gets let in to different nightclubs/venues. The bouncers are the ones who ultimately decide who gets let in or not to each venue and are the enforces of the 'rules' once inside.

Firstly when in the queue for a club, bouncers judge those wanting to get in on many superficial areas such as race, gender, wealth and nationality based on assumed preconceived stereotypes. There is not limit effectively to who bouncers can and can't let in which puts them in ver powerful positions.

For example groups of guys are more likely to get turned away in the line then a group of girls.

I was wondering if there was some way we could maybe test this as an intervention to see if there are many hidden codes and conventions to being let in?

What do you guys think?

Harry x 

Camera Equipment

Hey guys!

Iv just been doing some research on the kind of equipment we could use for our experiment. Iv been looking at button cameras on Amazon as they are small enough we can pin them to our clothing and they don't seem to be badly priced ranging from about £15- 25. Was wondering what you guys thought about getting maybe two of these and sharing them between us when we go out to different gigs? Or I could check with the media department to see if they have anything we could use from there which would be covert enough.

Here is what I have found so far:



and




Im not really an expert with cameras haha so I don't know whether the pixels or whatever they may be called will be good enough for darkly lit places. As for audio, if the media department doesn't have that either we can easily get it from Amazon also.

Let me know what you guys think :)

Char

Useful book?

Just came across this book, could be helpful with the music aspect of our project.

Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation by Thomas Turino

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Iy5bQL58m08C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=politics+nightclub&ots=aeqQPsPm-k&sig=73koJjIph8esvoWg6iQ4BJwod4E#v=onepage&q=politics%20nightclub&f=false

K

We're onto something

Hi everyone,

Having just read Kim and Georgia's blog with reference to Patrick's- I think that the use of space is a better idea than merely venues for music. We can use art galleries, pubs, bars, even offices.

So essentially we are looking at how environment is a conduit for etiquette. Plenty of scope and ability to really register the effect of the aesthetic which is of course linked to the course.

Discuss more today.

Stay safe

ÉGA

WASSSUPP

Hey guys,

Me and Georgia are in the library now, guess coordinating with each other is proving harder than we thought and a few of us have deadlines on Tuesday so fair enough.

Georgia suggested a silent disco, in which we observe the way people dance and interact with each other and how the music influences their behaviour. The idea would be to have a silent disco but have people play their own music or pick their own song from a selection we give them. So we can have some degree of control. This may allow us to explore further the idea of differences of music sub genres. Just an idea, and this could just help us further centralise our main focus. This is just a rough idea for project in the end rather than our main concept.

Going on from Patrick's post as well, we like the idea of how spaces dictate behaviour, not necessarily relating our project exclusively to music spaces could be an option as well. To explore behavioural norms in museums, art galleries, smoking areas who knows.

let us know what you think

K & G x

You're off!

What I like about these posts so far is that they're really discursive and people are really trying to figure out what is political about this project as well as trying to figure out its scope and how to focus it.  It's great to see this.  Some people in the group are not yet actively blogging so get your skates on, Kim, Harry, Georgia, Clare and Charlotte.
So obviously you guys need to sit down together as a group tomorrow and hammer out exactly what you're focusing on.  After that you need:

1. A rationale - what's important about this project?  What is political about it?  You're already discussing this so you just need to pin this down and stick with it.  Don't agonise about it endlessly. Make a decision and get on with it.  It will save you a lot of time later on. You need a collective statement that says exactly what you're going to do and why you're doing it. 
2. An actual project plan.  Something has to happen in the real world.  The focus should be on drawing attention to your issue and doing something to change something.

And by the way, don't forget to hyperlink your URLs.  If you don't, chances are no-one will cut and paste the addresses and your observations will go unread!

Pre-game ideas for tomorrow

Hi everyone,

I found both Jyoti's and Patrick's contributions thorough and shrewd in how we make this concept into a project. Jyoti was right to point out that venues change depending on the night- I can certainly witness that at my work on evenings. I have a few ideas of how to view venues, but that will be discussed in person.

I went along to the event I posted the other day at Camden Roundhouse which discussed the idea of diversity in music and whether or not it is overblown. For example, a producer Conrad noted that at his gigs (DJ) there are few people of the LGBT community. Diversity can be exclusive, as well as inclusive, as the niche merely does not appeal to every single community. So in terms of the politics of leisure, there is the immediate idea that some areas of music have the chance of becoming mainstream whilst many do not. However, the rise of grime in the UK is a remarkable transition of being a genre centred around oppressed or forgotten communities, to Skepta winning the Mercury Prize in 2016.

How have the politics affected that change? I would need to do more research to have a nuanced answer on that matter.

We are of course meeting this Sunday, so if anyone wants to put on last minute thoughts to induce some conversations tomorrow, go for it! We all clearly have ideas and interests in this topic- even if we don't use everything I think part of the point of a project is separating the simply interesting and the relevant information we should present.

Best wishes and stay safe

ÉGA

Marx, Aristotle and Marcuse on Leisure

Loads of interesting stuff in here http://www.marcuse.org/herbert/booksabout/00s/06Dogan_Baris_Kilinc_Tez.pdf

Field Notes on Different Types of Nights Out

Hello again,
This doesn't have to be formal, but as mentioned in my last post I think it would be a good idea to come together to casually brainstorm our observations of nights out from different subcultures/music genres. Add your own one if it's not already featured but if it is then feel free to just add to it. :)

Popular Music
- Central London usually
- Sometimes reservations are needed
- DJ not of great importance
- Lots of singing along to chart hits
- Big groups of friends going out together
- Gropey men
- Things usually shut no later that 3am, people usually start drinking kind of early at 9pm
- People usually wear what's in fashion at River Island and topshop, lots of girls in dresses and heels, guys in either jeans and tshirt or button-up shirtand nice shoes
- Everyone dances in groups with their friends, even people at front may have back to DJ
- Mainly alcohol and cocaine too 
- People sometimes go out with the prospect 'to pull'

Techno 
- Parties can go on for days at a time, people come at odd times, drop in and out through the night
- DJ of HUGE importance, you are expected to know who is on and what label they are on
- Not unusual to go alone just for the music, large rowdy groups not usually let in on the door
- Venues differ, can be illegal warehouses/squats or normal clubs too
- People face the DJ and dance towards them, not much group dancing
- People occupy more room on the dance floor for some big moves
- As people spend a lot of time there, some bring supplies like food and blankets
- Fashion wise, anything goes! Usually casual though, trainers (definitely no heels), jeans. Also lots of gothic, industrial inspired bdsm wear. Generally on the darker side of things, not much colour worn. However I do feel like you could wear anything outrageous and nobody would judge.
- Queerness accepted and there is usually a large visible LGBTQIA+ community at these kind of events
- Sex! Sometimes there are rooms where people go for that
- Drugs!!!! No specific drug of choice really, that differs in different areas of the world. Sometiems even psychedelics are used
- General code of respect for women, I feel like its much less likely to be groped at a techno night than it is a pop night

Punk
- DIY Clothing  - leather, plaid, tartan, denim, fishnet, mesh. Fashion is almost a uniform here
- Venues include, pubs, bars, gig venues, even peoples front rooms
- Mosh pits - code of conduct in the mosh pit where if someone falls you pick them up
- it's all about the music, again, you are expected to know who is on
- Alcohol predominates as substance of choice

Initial Thoughts

Hey pals!

I've just finish reading the posts by Emile and Patrick. And just to respond: I really do like the idea of looking at venues and how they govern peoples' behaviour on different nights out, although as Patrick said, this could get quite messy as venues usually put on a variety of things. However perhaps we could use this to our advantage? We could focus on one venue and see how behaviours change on different nights perhaps?

When this was first suggested the main thing that sprung to mind was the politics of leisure. Obviously, subculture is a huge part of the politics of leisure, as it dictates how you spend that leisure time. Going out usually seems apolitical, as it can be seen as a form of escapism from the mundane elements of every day life, but this is what's interesting. How different groups and subcultures view going out/leisure time, I think, provides a lot of other information on their ideas of things like; race, gender, work, class, sex. Nightlife is possibly one of the most straight-forward ways of looking the politics of certain demographics, as it is the 'freeist' one can be in their everyday activities. The main element though, is music. Music is the glue that holds subcultures and leisure together. The music you listen to on a night out is usually the core and dictates what kind of activities go on, and music is one of the easiest ways to differentiate between subcultures. This is kind of where it gets a bit convoluted I think, as we've mentioned 3 broad concepts; the politics of subculture, music and nightlife/going out. However, ultimately, what I think we are looking at, is the politics of leisure in the form of nightlife, how that differs in separate subcultures, then using music and a defining criteria for what those subcultures are. This is just my interpretation of it though, so please do add your suggestions!

But now, how we go about exploring that, is something we need to think about. I like what Emile said about looking at venues, as it is one element of a night out. However, there are a lot of other criteria that could be explored, like fashion, drugs, dancing/group behaviours etc.... Please feel free to list other ones too.

To get started on this I feel like it would be a good idea to brainstorm some of our own experiences on different nights out, till we all decide a specific factor we want to look at. I'll put up another blog post and we can write down our observations. Think of it as really basic casual field notes. :)

Initial Ideas

Hi Guys,

I agree with Emile that we should focus on how people behave rather than actually on music itself. However, I think that just investigating venues might be hard as most venues cater for a variety of different types of events. I reckon it makes more sense to focus on the differences in peoples behaviour between these kind of events than between venues, although venues does work as well and we could always do some combination of both.

The two things I think we should first establish to make sure that this project doesn't become messy and unfocused are a precise political aim and an easy way of putting this into practice.

My idea for our political aim is to uncover the hidden rules and norms that govern seemingly “every day” behaviour in artistic spaces supposedly designed for free expression like gigs etc.  I agree with Emile though that there isn’t necessarily any reason to limit this to musical subcultures. I’m sure we can all think of some other types of artistic spaces where social expectations limit or constrain behaviour in ways not immediately obvious. For example, in an art gallery can you truly observe art as you would if you were alone, or do social pressures effect the way you behave in this space? It’s interesting that in a space designed for viewing art, you yourself are probably quite aware of other people viewing you. For instance, you might feel embarrassed to stare too long at a nude painting or feel that you must dress or speak in a certain way compared to how you would in other places.

I think this aim gives us a lot to write about when it comes to essays and allows people to follow their own interests whilst not being too unfocussed. There’s a lot of room to write about the different histories of various types of spaces/subcultures and how and why the norms and rules we uncover have come into existence, like what we were talking about in class with the origins of grime and reggae. I also think this would be quite easy to put into practice. It shouldn’t be hard to go to different events or spaces and test the limits of what is acceptable behaviour (without being complete dicks obviously). 

I saw the other day that the group "inner u", that put on that party that Jyoti posted in the group chat the other week, posted a literal set of rules for the clubbing the other day. Its also quite obvious that a lot of the rules have come about as a reaction to things like women feeling threatened when clubbing: http://fliphtml5.com/homepage/qbpd

Welcome to any suggestions 

Hi everyone

"Rising Futures: Participation Now! 11am-4pm. FREE for 16-25yr olds at the Roundhouse on WED 15TH FEB!
Wired4Music, London’s network of 16-25s all interested in music, are taking over the Roundhouse for a day of debate, discussion and action on the theme of diversity in music.
If you would like to attend please email daisy@sound-connections.org.uk with the subject RF2017."

I will be attending this event- I recommend you all do so as well if you are available.

May I please just stress the need for communication as so far we have not progressed in the past week.

Speak soon and hope everyone is well

ÉGA

Ideas...

Hi everyone,

Of course we are all over the place during reading week so if we could use this blog to commmunicate I think we can get a solid project by the time we return.

I was thinking along the lines of a investigation into the venues rather than the music. What sort of people go, what they drink, how they dance or move. Those  sorts of things. The origins, culture and political meaning behind performance and space rather than a more messy project of subcultures

Then we can all explore our own tastes but still come together for a synoptic project

Very open to suggestions as always

ÉGA