{"id":18516,"date":"2017-11-14T10:20:25","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T10:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=18516"},"modified":"2017-11-14T10:20:25","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T10:20:25","slug":"battle-off-small-vs-large-music-venues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/battle-off-small-vs-large-music-venues\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle Off: Small vs. large music venues"},"content":{"rendered":"
Words, audio & images: Bernadette Galbraith | Subbing: Joanne Clark<\/h6>\n

Banquet Records in Kingston pride themselves on being \u2018more than your local record shop\u2019. I took a trip to the store to find out more about what they meant by this.<\/h3>\n

Having stumbled across Banquet Records<\/a> accidentally, it was a stroke of luck to discover they also arrange regular in-store gigs and various events. Many of the artists they collaborate with are well-established with already a desirable following. For example, folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner will be playing The Hippodrome with them Thursday night and yet, he\u2019s played at the O2 Arena in the past, to an audience of 20,000 people.<\/p>\n

It was the in-store gigs that really caught my attention though. While browsing for more information, an image came up alongside a description for them and it displayed a tiny stage with a crowd huddled round. Having experienced smaller gigs before, at Margate Winter Gardens for example, I was keen to visit Banquet Records to see how it would compare.<\/p>\n

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Julien Baker playing Banquet Records. Image: Bernadette Galbraith<\/p><\/div>\n

American singer and guitarist, Julien Baker<\/a> was the next artist lined up to play the Kingston store. Her music is a divulgence of her most inner thoughts and feelings. It\u2019s delicate and yet hard-hitting, commanding the room with just an utterance of her voice. As the crowd start to fill the room, which is no larger than the record store next door, a staff member asks us to move right up as far as we can.<\/p>\n