Friends of Begg x Co - Tom Joyes
The Barrowland Ballroom has hosted some of the most well-known artists of all time, can you tell us about some of the most iconic performances?
The one show that I find most memorable was David Bowie when he was on his “Earthlings” tour. He played Barrowland on 22nd July 1997 (Can’t believe it was 23 years ago) I have always been a Bowie fan and he is the only performer I have ever made a request to the Promoter to meet. He was a real gent, very polite, we shook hands and he said it was a “great gig” I was a bit stuck for words!
Having worked in the industry for so long, can you tell us what music means to you?
I don’t consider myself a fanatic but I always have to have music playing wherever I am. I invested in a Linn music system for my home and use it constantly. My Spotify subscription is the only monthly standing order I don’t grudge paying. One of my regrets in life is not being able to play a musical instrument but I made sure that my daughter and son learned to play piano and guitar I just hope they keep it up.
How do you think Scotland has influenced the music industry?
Without a doubt I think Scotland has been a huge influence on the music world and has done so throughout the ages (If you want to torture a Scotsman, nail his foot to a plank of wood and play a Jimmy Shand record) Auld Lang Syne written in the late 1700’s is sung all over the world at new Year. Nowadays there is an enormous wealth of Scottish singer / songwriters including Annie Lennox, Amy McDonald, Eddi Reader, and Lewis Capaldi. Loads of Scottish bands New York Magazine “Newsweek” published an article recently about the Top Ten Music Meccas in the World. Only two were in Europe, Vienna and Scotland (specifically Glasgow).
Is there a band or artist that has not performed at the Barrowland that you would love to see?
Yes of course, we thought we nearly had Paul McCartney at one time but it didn’t happen, I was a Beatles fan in the early days and never saw them live but would have loved to have seen Mr McCartney play Barrowland. Others are Elton John, Dire Straits, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson (I think that’s an age thing)
You have begun live-streaming gigs, with bands such as Biffy Clyro, through your social media channels, can you tell us a little more about this?
“Live Streaming” is the next alternative we have to live gigs at present and to date, we have hosted a few trials including “Biffy Clyro” (who need no introduction) the Scottish Gaelic rock band “Manran” and believe it or not “The Institute of Physics” from Edinburgh University who last weekend streamed a live show with an educational twist aimed at five-year-olds up to adults.
We have a few more streams lined up including “Gun” who have played at Barrowland numerous times.
Looking forward to 2021 we have look at ways we can adapt to the present situation and make it relatively easy for bands to reach their audiences and still keep their heads above the water. We also have to think of all our own employees and associated contractors who for many years have been part of the Barrowland Family.
There are two performance areas in Barrowland. The first floor is home to “Barrowland 2” we are intending to set this up with PA, Lighting Rig, Cameras etc. ready to just hit the “record” button, this should enable us to deliver fast turnaround footage at an affordable fee for bands to hit their target market.
The second space is the one and only iconic Barrowland Ballroom which is currently having sound and light installed to cater for larger bands and online events.
What do you think the music industry will look like post COVID-19?
We are all looking forward to the day when a vaccine is found and live music gets back to normal, oh how I would love to see that. I think stage diving, crowd surfing and mosh-pits (not that I ever approved of them) are a thing of the past. I think social distancing will be in place for the foreseeable future. This will have a devastating effect on audience attendances; will it ever be commercially viable?
I am currently looking at live-streams. Biffy Clyro recorded an amazing show in an empty Barrowland hall recently which was a big success. I would like to do something live for Hogmanay but I am hitting brick walls at every turn, the whole situation is a moving target as a good friend of mine says “we are adrift at sea in a rudderless boat” a good analogy.
Going ahead into next year, re-scheduled shows will be difficult to plan as we don’t have a clue as to what restrictions will be in place regarding distancing, capacities etc. There will undoubtedly be a huge upsurge in Live-streams, the big question is can we make them viable?
It will be a challenging year for everyone and extremely hard to predict.
Do you have any albums you have been enjoying recently that you could share with us?
Yes, albeit you may not agree with my taste but please remember the “age thing”
The most recent albums I have been listening to on Spotify are: - Counting Crows “ August and Everything After”
Mike & the Mechanics “Beggar on a Beach of Gold”
Bob Dylan “This is Bob Dylan”
Amy Winehouse *This is Amy Winehouse”
Daniel Powter “Jimmy Gets High”
(They are all pretty dated EH?)
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