Sub 89 six months on

Sarah Stead • Published 4 Feb 2010 09:00 3 Comments

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Sub89, the venue named after a dialling code, has been here six months. SARAH STEAD met the man behind it...

WHEN I went to see promoter Mike Jones at Sub89, he had just taken delivery of a new stage.

A £12,000 new stage that is tangible (and jump-up-and-down-on-able) proof of Reading's newest venue's success.

Sub89, above Bar Risa in Friar Street, opened six months ago and, ever since that roof-raising first official gig with Chase & Status in freshers' week, things have only got better.

"Chase & Status was supposed to be our first gig," Mike said, "but we got offered InMe last minute a few weeks before that. Chase & Status was unbelievable, we could have sold it out two or three times over.

"We knew that when The Fez closed there was a good live music scene in Reading, and it turns out it's still here! We're not as small as a Barfly, we're not as big as an Academy, but we fit into that gap and people have been really receptive. We couldn't have asked for a better first six months really."

Having survived, and thrived, in its first six months, Sub89 is now teetering on the edge of bigger and riskier things.

But it's in safe hands: Mike must be the most experienced 21-year-old national promoter going. He took his first steps into the industry at the age of 12 and it is with excitement that he talks about the future.

"We want more live gigs. More regular bigger names. We're extending to other genres like funk, Americana, blues, tribute bands and so on. Bad Manners was a really big success. We're ready to take more risks and hopefully people will keep supporting us."

Support is a big theme for Sub89. It's putting roots down in the town and getting all the right people on board for the ride.

Take the artwork inside (pictured above), for example: owners SubLive bought a load of paint, invited some local artists in and gave them free rein on the wall.

Mike's planning for the whole stairway leading up from Friar Street to get the same treatment, and by using local freelance promoters for both the club nights and the live music (Wonder Wheel Presents' Pete Wheeler put on Pete And The Pirate's Christmas shindig in December) Sub89 is wriggling its way into the heart of Reading's music scene.

And that's without the prestigious support slots it can offer local acts, giving them the chance to play in front of big crowds.

"We've had people saying they couldn't believe the bands we're getting to play in Reading, bands who've not been here for years like the Buzzcocks. Hopefully we're starting the ball rolling for bigger bands to come here, and those support slots are so valuable for local bands."

A new wall has been put in partitioning off a fire escape along the side of the venue and, despite making the room physically smaller, it has pushed Sub89's legal capacity up from 500 to 600.

"600 tips us over the edge in terms of bands we can attract," said Mike. "I think it'll be a snowballing effect for 2010, I'd really like to get a few of the Reading Festival warm-ups as well as warm-ups for some other festivals in the South."

Many have tried to fill the hole left by The Fez, but with its smart bar, shiny new stage and glinting 24k rig ("It's a beast"), Sub89 seems to be settling in comfortably.

See upcoming gigs at www.sub89.com

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 04 Feb 10

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ben
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Feb 4, 14:45
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Chase&Status wasn't Pete Wheelers gig ! lol, im sure he'd of told me if it was!

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Sarah
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Feb 4, 14:49
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Oops sorry!

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