Denmark Street Festival Photos

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Full disclosure: I'm a terrible guitar player. Work for Reverb.com as their UK Marketing Director and prior to that was Head of Digital Marketing at Andertons for 6 years. 
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  • Looks awful 
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  • Good job you didn't go then. :)
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  • KiniooKinioo Frets: 19
    Well, last time I went to Denmark street hoping I get some good selection on second hand pedals, maybe trade something in etc.....massively disappointed !!

    Literally only few shops left there, every second shop has been closed down (empty units) or converted into kebab or hair saloon ?!

    (I understand that this is due to the costs - as its very hard to compete with on-line shops etc.).

    C.
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  • Guitar_SlingerGuitar_Slinger Frets: 1489
    edited December 2017
    Times have changed, unfortunately. When I started playing, young "_Slinger" (I didn't have a guitar then) would flick through ads in Guitarist, Total Guitar and maybe Guitar Techniques before realising they were owned by the same company, so I only needed to buy one magazine. But you'd have an idea how much stuff costs and would go up and down Denmark Street, to buy it at the best price you could.

    Nowadays, you "fuckin' Google it" as the kids say. .

    Even at guitar shows of yesteryear, people would see a sign saying "£20 show special" and throw their money at whoever was selling it, just in case they were missing out on a bargain.  These days, you can whip out your phone at the show and the internet tells you either not to panic, as you could go home and buy it for £19 including postage, or to leap on the show special as RRP is £30.

    Denmark Street has changed with the times, and it's sad to see places like the Alley Cat bar (beneath Regent Sounds) closing as people like Ian Siegal and Matt Schofield have been known to play at the blues jam.  But  there were probably people complaining 30 years ago that the live music scene around 1960s Denmark Street wasn't what it used to be. At least somebody's tried something different/positive with this festival.

    P.S. if you look for an old Guitarist video on YouTube (Yngwie Malmsteen shredding busking) that's me on Denmark Street,, standing him with the blue biker jacket.
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  • AlexCAlexC Frets: 2396
    I used to work in Soho in the 90s/2000s. Loved Denmark Street. And I don't think people 'trying to establish a sense of community' is awful. Good on people for doing something. Good on people for turning up. Good on people for celebrating something in cold, miserable, decaying Britain.
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  • AlexC said:

    something in cold, miserable, decaying Britain.
    Good line mate... there's a song in there somewhere...
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  • Yeah I think it goes without saying that Denmark street isn't what it once was, but the reality is that it never will be that again. The internet made sure of that.

    BUT there are things that a physical space, a human community can offer that the internet can't. Low prices is not one of them. But cool events that bring like-minded people together definitely is one. A handful of the shops on the street (including ironically the one that was until a month ago a hair salon - and is now full of killer instruments and great staff) have got a vision for doing more stuff to make Denmark Street a destination again, including intimate instore events as well as big stuff like the festival. Personally, I'm behind that 100% - it's a welcome rest from the multitude of Guitar shows in the UK - which are awesome but somewhat homogenised. 
    Full disclosure: I'm a terrible guitar player. Work for Reverb.com as their UK Marketing Director and prior to that was Head of Digital Marketing at Andertons for 6 years. 
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  • It doesnt help that half the shops had their floorspace effectively halved at the back due to crossrail.
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