(no subject)

[stevieannie]

Well, there was a good thing yesterday - we had been asked to play a 45min set at a "thankyou" party for the local NOMAD volunteers - NOMAD being the shelter and food project for the homeless in the area (rather than the project to foster Bedouin tribesmen in Lincolnshire).

We put together a dozen songs (including a whole bunch of Sam Baardman ones) and performed last night. It was really lovely to perform this kind of material again. As it was a small hall, and we had good PA, I could sing gently, and use my head voice extensively - which I enjoyed a lot. It was nice to come away from a gig not feeling hoarse, smoke-affected and completely drained of energy.

Tonight we are having a carol singing practise, ready for December, with Liam and Frank. I get to be a stunt soprano for this which is always a lot of fun.

And whilst on the subject of carol-singing, I can give a little more information on the whole "Public Entertainments License for carol-singing" thing: according to *our* local authority, you don't need a PEL for carol-singing. In theory you *do* need a "Temporary Events Notice" for EVERY DOOR YOUR KNOCK ON, but the licensing officer agreed that he'd only enforce that if he'd had a very, VERY bad day and was feeling extremely cranky. In reality, even he realises that it's stupid and unnecessary.

And finally, a big fat thankyou to pafuts for the YouTube link to "Code Monkey" which has introduced me to Jonathan Coulson. That cheered up my morning considerably.

Comments

Carol Singing ...

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

... I think I've come into this late. So you have probably already discussed what the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have said ...

Do carol singers require a licence?

Carol singers going from door to door, or just deciding to sing in a particular place, or even turning up unannounced in a pub and singing, would not require a licence, just as drinkers in a public house who suddenly decided to start singing carols would not be licensable. However, if a business in a shopping mall, for example, arranges for a group of singers to sing carols this will be the same as their arranging any performance of live music and a premises licence or temporary event notice would be required.

and

local authorities will be encouraged to obtain premises licences to cover public spaces, such as village greens or indeed a number of streets, on which many performances take place. No additional licence would then need to be obtained by anyone else carrying out licensable activities on such premises covered by such a licence, although the consent of the local authority holding the licence would be required and permission given to use the land. But if there is no pre-existing licence, or the premises licence does not cover the activity you wish to put on, and unless your event falls into an exempt category, a premises licence or club premises certificate or temporary event notice would be required to authorise the provision of regulated entertainment.

DCMS website - Regulated Entertainment page

Re: Carol Singing ...

[stevieannie.livejournal.com]

Thankyou!

Although it puzzles me not slightly that the licensing officer at our local authority didn't so much as *mention* this!

I'm also wondering what's happening with the owner of the pub down in Devon who got fined a huge amount for allowing the singing of "Happy Birthday" on his premises. Presumably the "suddenly decided to sing carols" won't affect the Sheffield Village Carollers, who have been singing in the same pubs at the same times for at least 3 generations...

Plus - who is issuing this license that local authorities have to get? Because the LA *should be* the licensing authority! Ack!

I'm going to stop thinking about it - there's so many loopholes that it makes my brain hurt.

We're just going to sing carols wherever we want to, and to heck with it.