Billy Bragg and Jools Holland joined 500 protestors outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday to protest about those changes in licensing laws which will make it harder for pubs to stage live music. Musicians reckon the new rules will close down an important live music circuit. The protestors wore gags in a silent protest over being silenced.
Despite culture minister Kim Howell’s attempts to belittle worries about the new legislation many musician’s aren’t convinced. The Musicians' Union's Hamish Birchall, a jazz drummer, told reporters: "This Bill is proposing to criminalise virtually all public performances of live music unless it is licensed. The process of getting a licence is not going to be simple and a lot of pubs and bars that currently put on music will simply not want to be bothered with it any more. A lot of people who make a living doing small solo or duo gigs will be seriously affected. Traditional folk music really is in danger."
The proposals have prompted some members of the Union to call for its 80-year-old ties with the Labour Party to be severed, while more than 40,000 people have signed an online petition.
The new legislation, lumped in with moves to allow pubs and clubs to open 24 hours a day, has been through the Commons and is now being heard in the House of Lords.