TOPIC:

Volumes sounded pretty good this Saturday afternoon.
To quote DJ Mick 'Inclusive but not Intrusive'

I agree - much better

I love drinking in the Bell, and it's certainly my most likely destination for a Saturday night. However, I, and many of my friends, feel the music on Saturday nights is too loud. Last weekend I had to shout to my companion who was sat barely a metre away. A few weeks before that a large group of us ended up leaving because it was a fight to talk to each other. I appreciate that some people enjoy the music loud, but could there be a compromise, or the majority of the sound contained in one area? We ended up sitting outside in the cold and rain, which is likely to stop us coming on a Saturday evening. I don't think I'm just being an old fart, and I certainly don't want those who like the music to be denied, but surely a middle ground could be found?

I thought I'd reply to this based on my experience about a year ago i.e. before community ownership. There were ten to fifteen of us in on a Friday evening, on the raised area. We were in for a good chat and catchup; it was an international group and some people had only recently learnt English so there was particular need to be able to hear each other clearly. The music was good but far too loud for us and we reluctantly gave up well before closing time and went to the Star.

The point I'm making is that music volume is a serious matter which can cause customers to leave and possibly (but clearly not in this instance) not come back. I've not been around recently when there's a DJ on so I can't comment on efforts to improve the volume issue, I just wanted to emphasise how important it is to get this right and give volume options (based on which area of the pub you're in).

Cheers,
Geoff