Merch prices have been a hot topic of discussion within the music world for the last few years. It isn't unusual to go to an arena show and for t-shirts to be priced at £40 to £50 (although the worst I've seen was at an Alicia Keys show three years ago where t-shirts were priced at £90 so maybe pop fans have it much worse than us rock fans). Even smaller bands playing 1000 to 1500 capacity venues will have shirts at £30 which seems pretty standard these days. Why merch is so expensive is probably dependent on a number of factors including rising production costs of both manufacturing and touring. One thing that doesn't help is when venues insist on a cut of merch sales (which can be up to 30%) which inevitably drives prices up so that bands don't make a loss on merch. Some bands have been quite outspoken on this and some bands have gone so far as to refuse to sell merch in certain venues, which is a lose-lose situation all round. One person who has been quite vocal in his criticism of this practice is The Charlatans' Tim Burgess. In part response to this, he has organised Manchester's first Merch Market spread across a number of venues where bands can come and sell their merch themselves whilst keeping all the proceeds themselves. Ironically, one of the venues being used is the O2 Ritz when O2 venues are usually one of the worst culprits for this although, to be fair, I've always found merch prices at the Ritz to be ok so maybe they don't demand a cut. He has got some decent sized bands involved such as The Charlatans (duh), New Order, Ride, Doves, Inspiral Carpets, ACR and Bis as well as lots of smaller bands. Some band members are helping to man their own stalls so wandering around, you'll find plenty of musicians such as Tim Burgess, Clint Boon, Mark Gardner, Manda Rin and others.
We start off at the Ritz where the bigger bands and brands are. It seems quite busy which is encouraging. My wife and I manage to spend £100 at The Charlatans stall where I buy two of Tim's Listening Party books which he kindly signs for me. I also buy a Doves hat. I don't even like Doves, I just liked the hat! It's one of those days where you just want to contribute and make it a success, and I think I giot a bit carried away. I also pick up a few things from the Bands FC stall. Gorilla is really busy and filled with smaller, mostly local bands that still have a bit of a following such as MIlltown Brothers, Pins, Deja Vega and Riding The Low. I have a bit of a chat with the Deja Vega guys and buy a mug off them. Dogbowl and Brickhouse Social play host to the smallest bands and I do wonder how much merch these smaller bands have sold and whether it was worthwhile for them.
There are also bands playing throughout the day across various venues too. My wife and I are sat upstairs in the bar of Mother Marys when Cloudburst start playing. It is sort of an open plan place so I can clearly hear them even though I can't see them. They play indie rock with a lo fi garage feel. Some of the material is punchy and dynamic whilst the rest is much more generic. They play a pretty fun cover of Happy Mondays' 'Kinky Afro' though.
Sea Fever are playing in the Ritz. There is a mixture of people watching them and people browsing the stalls. They play forward thinking indie with electronic influences. The first full song I catch has a Portishead feel, only the beats don't hit quite as hard. Most of the other tracks are more New Order influenced. They are really good at what they do. The two singer's voices combine together nicely although taken individually, Beth Cassidy's voice is divisive. High pitched and distinctive, I liked it but my wife didn't. Iwan Gronow has a strong voice which is much more palatable, being reminiscent of Marc Almond. 'Go To Ground' closes the set and again has a strong New Order feel. Impressive.
The tunnel opposite The Ritz has also been taken over by the event and has been renamed The Tunnel Of Love.The late Terry Hall's piano is on display here and a number of guests appear to play it. There are also bands playing short sets too and The Folk Drama are one of the bands I manage to catch here. They are a folk/indie duo from Glasgow. When the guy takes lead vocals, they have a kinda Dylan feel although his voice is more Jake Bugg. Some of the female led material is more country-tinged. Imagine a more rural Beautiful South/ Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott. Worth keeping an eye on.
Unfortunately, United are playing at home today which always makes it difficult for us to get home because of the traffic before and after the match so we make the decision to leave whilst the game is still playing so we can get home with no issues. Unfortunately, this means I miss Tim Burgess, Deja Vega and Milltown Brothers, all of whom I wanted to see. All in all, it was a fun day which had quite a lot of people in some of the venues. It probably won't make any difference to whether venues continue to take a cut of merch but it keeps the conversation going and hopefully, it's given some bands the opportunity to shift some of their stock of merch without a venue taking a cut. Here's hoping it becomes an annual event.
The Folk Drama ****
Sea Fever ****
Cloudburst ***
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