Vince Power - Concert & Festival Promoter, Mean Fiddler - Spring 2001
By: Toby L
One thing that all music fans have done is to compile their fantasy festival wish list within their heads: come on, we all do it. When it's around March/April in any given year, we know it's nearing that time when the music festivals of the world are about to unveil their bills. Excitedly, the music fans unite in the joint dream of our favourite acts playing together on one weekend in the summer; we picture our top ten bands appearing alongside each other on the same stage, we visualise the atmosphere and see the crowd go wild... But we then realise that, once the festival line-ups are officially announced, our visions are shattered, as it is, for yet another year, very unlikely that Showaddywaddy will headline the main stage. A crushing pity, we know.
However, imagine if you called the shots: you're the one that carries the mighty weight and pressure of fulfilling hundreds of thousands of music fans' hopes and dreams for who they'd like to see in a weekend... After all, spending three days in Reading as a town may not be that insane in normal circumstances, so you've got to curate the ideal bill for all sorts of people ensuring that, at the end of the festivities, everyone goes home a happy camper.
However, that not your duty, no matter how much you would like it to be. One man, however, that has been at 'The Source of Live Music', picking and mixing the artists we want to see this and every summer, whether it be at the Reading/Leeds/Glasgow Green, Fleadh festivals, or at one of his dance events, is Vince Power, creator of Mean Fiddler, the concert promoters - and more.
It ain't just music weekenders that are his game, bucko - oh no! What about the fact that he owns London's hippest and most popular music hang-outs? There's the Garage, for all you indie/rock-types that like your music fast, fresh, furious and predominantly new; the Jazz Café too, which provides exactly what its name suggests, regularly providing sets from the likes of Gil Scott Heron; and don't get me started on the rest of the places that the Mean Fiddler organisation owns. Please don't... But, well, as you ask so nicely, there's the Powerhaus, Subterania, Kentish Town Forum, Power's Bar, Minibar, Bartok, Ion Bar, and Point 101 amongst some of the names. Exactly. There's a lot.
But, as this interview will reveal, there's even more to discuss ('more' obviously being the key word when describing this progressive outfit, seemingly): after all, we haven't touched upon the TV channel, the dot-com, the rise and rise of the company, the PLC, the history...
Ever since Reading's colossal artist line-up last year and, what with Glastonbury being called off this year, the pressure is on for Reading, Leeds and Glasgow to be the ultimate festivals for 2001 - how do feel about this?
'Well, I think that Reading's always been very successful - and last year was a unique year! But, yeah, this year we've got a hell of a line up, which we shall announce shortly. I think it will sell out quickly (smiles smugly)...
'Glasgow's still only a two day event; there's no camping and it's very central. The line up is slightly different due to territory: some of the stuff that wouldn't work in Scotland is occurring down here, and some stuff that works best in Scotland is being put on up there. There's always the idea that we'll do a full, three day festival in Scotland, but it wouldn't be on that site (Glasgow Green). The current event acts as a pre-cursor to that happening.'
However, these events, although containing specific zones for the beats-freaks, aren't very dance-orientated, so Mean Fiddler catered its expertise in music-promotion in order to satisfy us all by the introduction of other weekend attractions...
What inspired the inception of the dance festival, Homelands?
'We did the first, legal dance event, Tribal Gathering, and then from that we did Creamfields, leading on to Homelands. Therefore, we've had a reputation for this sort of thing since 1992. It's great really, because there's a large variety of things that happen on the site - and you can dance all night!
'I attend all of these events - you'll find me in or around the gate, making sure that people don't come in free! I do try and get around to see the main acts and I like to get to all the other stages. But, it's always a long day; most people arrive at something like midday, but I'd have been there since seven in the morning, five hours ahead of you all!'
As already seen, acquiring property in London - aside from the odd Irish and Luton situation of a venue - is most likely a vice for Vince. For many gig-goers, Power and co. were seen to have achieved the crowning glory of the 'Kings of Venue-Owners' when two of London's most popular concert-centres were snapped up during 2000.
Recently, the popular Astoria and LA2 venues in London's West End were added to the Mean Fiddler family, with talks of refurbishing the former...
'We've spent about £300,000 on lights and sound for the Astoria. We've got great plans for it; it's a fantastic venue, plus we've had everybody there. We're extending the gallery there at the moment, but it's a bit like a bottomless pit: you could spend a load of money there! You know, with the Mean Fiddler downstairs, and the Astoria upstairs, there's a combined capacity of 3,200 so there's always potential to what's there... It's a long-term thing, because every day we do try and improve it.'
How did the Unsigned nights begin every other Monday at the Mean Fiddler (formerly known as the LA2)?
'That came out of meanfiddler.com. The original venue here in Harlesden though was always a place for new music and talent. In the late eighties and through the nineties, we probably featured more new bands than other places in the country; it was something like six bands a night.
'So, yeah, the idea stemmed from the dot-com, so we could create content (in the form of live webcasts of each of the shows) and help the acts in the first steps of their careers.
'There's a tremendous amount of A&R people going down there to check the shows out! But A&R is always very secretive and they seem to just hide behind pillars in dark corners! They're afraid to say that they really like a band in case the message spreads and everyone tries to sign the same act!'
Are you always on the lookout for more bars and venues?
'Well, er, yeah! We're on a real trial now because we're just about to go public (allowing share and investment opportunity) and, in that, we'd be able to raise between ten and fifteen million pounds. That would basically be used on buying venues and bars and, yeah, the future looks good, as we go from a private company to a public company. That will give us great scope for expansion.
'Last year, we set up meanfiddler.com, which is basically an Internet site that owned intellectual rights, meaning anything done by the Mean Fiddler, such as whatever's been done at Jazz Café, Reading and those types of places, was owned by the dot-com. So, simply, Mean Fiddler sold itself directly to the dot-com. We then put the dot-com on the market.
'It will just be Mean Fiddler PLC, although we will continue doing some of the Internet stuff.
'After having the experience of being in the dot-com for a year, you recognise where the sources of income are and two things came apparent: the live recording, and selling of tickets on the Internet, which we do quite a bit of. In regards to the live recording, we've been working on the idea of a digital channel, which would be on a subscriber basis. Initially, it would probably be free to air, and then, eventually, you'd have to pay a monthly subscription to see it.
'The channel would have everything to do with music: artist interviews, backstage stuff and live footage, quizzes... Just something's that's not like your regular TV programme, something a bit more off the wall. I'd like to see it as a much more raw, and on-the-street type of affair, rather than something ever so finely produced - it's much more interesting that way. We have enough varied venues to do that.'
Mean Fiddler is obviously embracing new technologies at a faster rate than most: why do you think the Internet is such an exciting media, for example?
'I think it gives you a great opportunity to get to everybody in the world. We have a lot of our stuff put in Japanese translation and, without the Internet, we'd only be working with the UK to look at everything. With the Internet, there's no end to the possibilities...
'We're going to update the current site: remodel it with the new company when we've floated (on the stock market). Hopefully, when Broadband viewing come, there will be a lot more live stuff on there. Some may say it's not that exciting watching a band on some of the technologies out there at the moment. It's all right to watch interviews and what have you, but looking at bands on live broadcasts isn't very exciting. Whether you're a new band or whether you're Madonna, the current technology isn't that great.'
It's a fact - love it or loathe it. Although many interests are for the best in terms of promoting live music on the web, some companies are rushing out and capturing as many shows as they can on camera whilst major websites show them willy-nilly, merely hoping to add prestige to their name, as opposed to serving the viewer with quality. However, with the arrival of the aforementioned Broadband, it's likely - if every country agrees to use the innovative equipment - we could all potentially be served with superb and superior-to-TV-quality broadcasts of gigs on our screens.
However, from a man that first started work in the furniture trade, buying and selling various pieces, this is obviously quite an advancement. At least, that's what it seems like at first... The point is that Vince Power is a hard worker - a very hard worker at that. It's been regularly documented that he's a strong and hard man, some articles suggesting him to be someone that knows what he wants and goes after it almost ruthlessly. I'm not quite so sure if this is the full story.
Ever since leaving Eire at the age of 16 and working his way through a succession of jobs, I believe that Vince was long yearning for something bigger. The fact that he owned a few shops not too long into his life indicates his ambition to progress and is the first evidence of this. The very reason that he went forward and took the bold step of owning a new venue, titled the Mean Fiddler, funnily enough, in 1982, really demonstrates also some of the courage you need to undertake to reach success. In addition, you need durability and patience - allowing your product to grow, applying appropriate nurturing when necessary, as shown by the way in which he carried on with the venue, even when attendance figures in weekday nights were wavering, looking to develop it into greater things.
And, then, you need refreshing creativity - a certain substance which allows your company to be individual and strong enough to pioneer ideas that others, in time, will imitate. Mean Fiddler, have all of the above.
When you look back to the start of Mean Fiddler from now, do you feel that you've fulfilled your original aims for the company?
'I don't think so actually! I'm still very ambitious, want to get on and do things. It just all started as a hobby... I thought I'd never leave the furniture business and I was quite happy doing that, but I soon got a bit bored. I'd always liked music... One thing that Mean Fiddler has done is that it has, personally, expanded my tastes. At one time, I thought I'd never possibly like jazz, but, now, I go to the Jazz Café a couple of times a week - and I love going there!
'When I first started the Mean Fiddler, my tastes were quite... Catholic to be honest (laughs)! I was into American country and Irish music, but, over the years, we've had everybody here and it's changed my outlook on it all. The thing about live music is that, when a band goes on, they're not repeatable: they could be crap, but they could be amazing; it's that live element which is what we're all about.'
Some believe that to obtain success, you have to give up certain things along the way - what do you feel has been your greatest sacrifice in order for the Mean Fiddler to become the well renowned company that it is today?
'Family life becomes tough, you know... Relationships are difficult. It's very hard to be out all night, working bands, drinking in clubs and talking bullshit, and then still have a family! I don't have any other hobbies; I don't do anything else... I think, in the music business, your work life and your social life is rolled into one and it's difficult to divide it, really.
'I mean, tonight I'm going out: you could accuse me of having dinner in the Jazz Café, which would be great, but I could make a case out of it saying, 'I'm going out to meet someone and it's about business,' which it would probably be. Having dinner may be seen as a fun thing to do in such a place, but it's just a part of the industry, especially when it's over business. You can't do the same thing from an armchair at home - it's all about meeting people and trusting each other.
'Sometimes it can get a bit much, as in all things. However, once you're out there and you've gone into a venue and seen the place packed, with all the people having a great time, you think, well, it's great! A lot of people don't get the advantage of experiencing that in what they do.'
As much - and, indeed, as far - as the company progresses from here on in, there's a simple underlying message that Vince wants to get across to the fans:
'I want people to associate us with good music. Even in the bars that we own, such as Point 101, which doesn't have live music, but has DJs instead, we'd hope that people see it as not just anyone sticking anything on, and that thought has actually gone into it - because it has.
'I'd like people to think that we're just about good music - and that is why I want to be in here.'
He bears a strong exterior: stocky, and muscular, covered over in smart clothes. Getting back to the public perception of Power: the driven and determined workhorse. Yes, it's definitely there in his character - it can be argued, though, that for him to have generated the status that he has within his career, he would have needed such a firm and focussed stance on the way he wanted things. But his eyes, they portray a different story: unassuming, warm and friendly.
Something witnessed here today, on a raining day in his plush, recently refurbished Harlesden offices, is Vince's seldom talked-about mellow and accommodating side. He is devoted to friends and family, but, obviously, his business is his leisure. However, it was good to spend an afternoon experiencing the softer side of Power, for it could be a sight that not many are able to behold.