Jack Brooks : Early Career Promoter Fund
PLEASE BAN MUSIC started as a grassroots political campaign in Reading, early 2024. Founded by the pub fireplace on a quiet winter night, two friends looked around the empty venue and discussed their deep disappointment with the prevailing musical winds blowing all around them. After a few years in exile, they returned to their hometown to find nothing but venues promoting touring cover bands, alcohol fuelled karaoke nights and the occasional visit from an X-Factor runner up to the Reading Hexagon to the tune of £50 a pop. A mischievous plan was hatched to bring ‘unpopular’ music back to the town of Reading. Music NOT for the masses, music for people who want to go out and hear something new, something different, something that says something. PBM began their complex ‘false flag’ operation on the local populace. They loudly proclaimed that all the music should be turned off, the venues to be closed and more flats to be built on them. Predictably, in our adversarial society, the people woke up and fought back, demanding that music come back better than ever. What was advertised as a organisational meeting at The Butler to progress this cause was actually a secretly disguised epic 4 band bill, with a classic surf rock inspired band dressed as Mexican wrestlers headlining.
6 monthly gigs later, 15 different acts, over 400 people in attendance, and a wide variety of genres covered, we have made our point. Funding from the PRS Foundation will allow us to continue to book bands we BELIEVE in, giving opportunities to new and exciting acts, without having to sell out and book that Oasis cover band that guarantee the promoter a few depressing ticket sales. So come on down to Reading one night, join the movement and PLEASE BAN MUSIC!