Music does not die, it transforms. We have all heard the saying “Rock and roll is dead”, either insinuated by Lester Bangs in Almost Famous (2000), or by hearing your dad criticise your music taste every time you play anything released after 1994. The pattern is always the same — when music evolves, people mourn its supposed death.
Student bands have fallen victim to this same misconception. In an era where we have a limitless music library in our pockets, and algorithms spoon-feed us the same radio hits, we no longer need to venture into sweaty basements for live performances. Because of this, the student-band gig is written off as a dying art. As a self-proclaimed live music fanatic, this notion horrified me. I had only been in Edinburgh for a fortnight before I stumbled into my first local student gig, so I know from experience that the scene is far from dead.
My hypothesis was quickly proved by Jack Le-Men, drummer for Noise Complaint, who was quick to point out that “The live music scene is seriously popping off; it’s only getting bigger.” Even though there are many music enthusiasts in Edinburgh — when underground gigs are not properly advertised — it is easy to fall back into the default cycle of generic club nights and pubs playing Top 50 Global. As stated by Placeholder’s lead singer, Memphis Weller, “You can miss it if you don’t look for it.”
Weller also notes that compared to established music powerhouse cities, Edinburgh is not particularly notorious for its music scene. Nonetheless, this does not limit the number of venues that find themselves in this city. The members of Noise Complaint have affirmed that they feel more supported by the city and its venues than by the university itself. Places like Sneaky Pete’s, Mash House, La Belle Angele, West Nic Records, the Jazz Bar and Cabaret Voltaire consistently offer spaces for student-bands and local artists to showcase their art and connect with audiences.
In order to find opportunities, Olivier Sher Pena, guitarist for Sugarman, emphasises the importance of putting yourself out there —talking to people and establishing connections is both how you get started and how you build a community in the student band world. Every student band fights the same battles, and though you might expect this to breed spiteful competition, most musicians cultivate spaces where they can collaborate. What’s more, booking and filling a venue is infinitely easier when bands team up rather than going at it solo. The real secret to surviving the local scene is solidarity, not rivalry.
Nevertheless, bands do not operate without their struggles. Aside from the expected balancing of deadlines and other extracurriculars, finding free time to rehearse between band members and the financial strain of funding gear and rehearsal spaces, as well as finding gigs and financing them, have shown to be a consistent source of stress, as both Weller and the members of Noise Complaint noted. If only venues would offer student-friendly hire rates, create student deals on drinks and entry fees, and overall try to make performance spaces more accessible, both stakeholders would benefit: bands get much-needed exposure, and venues get a guaranteed inflow of enthusiastic student crowds. Money does make the world go round, but it’s important to highlight that student bands really do it for the love of the game, since this endeavour tends to be a money sink more often than not.
Universities are natural hotspots for young people full of ambition and creative chaos. To claim that the student band is a dying art is to forget that all big bands start small. At its core, music is about connection. It’s how bands are formed, why they pour their soul into 30-minute sets. But a scene can’t survive on passion alone; it needs a crowd. Most gigs are self-made and organised by the bands themselves, so get out there, look past the algorithms, and support your local acts before they’re playing arenas!
Help keep student bands alive, and go to support Placeholder, Sugarman and Noise Complaint, the same artists who helped me bring this article to life. Buy a ticket, bring a friend, and go prove us right.
Photos by Maria Clara Bia
