This Is Guernsey

By Nick Mann

Firefly at L’Ancresse Lodge, the venue that is soon to be no more. (0553510)

AND so here we are again.

No sooner does a venue begin to establish itself than it is lost to development.

The end of the L’Ancresse Lodge was expected – it is a surprise it managed to hang on for this long – but that makes it no easier to accept.

There will be three more gigs and then that, as they say, is that. Unless you want a flat.

Alternative music, especially gigs that cater for all ages, has spent years being shunted from venue to venue – and unfortunately the crowds have not always followed.

So in recent memory we have lost Chandler’s, The Bowl, The Hockey Club and now L’Ancresse Lodge.

Places like St Margaret’s Lodge, the Carlton and KGV have dabbled in letting bands play, but barely got their feet wet. None was perfect, but L’Ancresse, from a musician and audience perspective, was getting there.

With Mark Guillou’s help, there was a large stage, great lights and PA and an unobstructed view from the floor. Organisers and musicians liked it and the night bus made Town accessible afterwards.

Martyn Brown from Havoc Gig Promotions said the closure was very unfortunate as all its gigs were based there.

‘The lodge hasn’t been the most liked venue when it comes to numbers at the gigs but the stage and room were probably the biggest locally other than the performing arts centre. It was great fun being able to move on stage,’ he said.

He added there were a few other venues, but they were not necessarily suited to the large variety and style of bands, in the way the Lodge had been.

‘Without the Lodge we are going to be a bit stuck but hopefully somewhere will show up.’

The performing arts centre was a possibility for Havoc, but the cost of hiring it meant a gig might not break even, he said.

Steve Lynch, singer and bassist with local band Teaspoonriverneck, said the closure was obviously bad for the music scene.

‘And I feel sorry for Mark.

‘He put a lot of effort into there.

‘I just hope he can find somewhere else. It was a really good venue and we had some really good gigs there.’

Although the closure was inevitable, it was still something of a shock, he added.

‘But we’ll all move on and try and find somewhere else.’

That is the attitude you will find throughout music and it is one everyone is used to.

So the search is on again. All we can hope for is a light at the end of the tunnel.