ABSTRACT

In this chapter, we investigate Manchester’s open mic scene, a popular location for amateur music performance yet a scene that has been startlingly overlooked in social science research. We commence by giving a broad description of the scene, looking at the shape of a typical open mic night, the range of participants, the venues, the extent of the local scene and the much wider network to which it is connected. We then identify the conventions of the open mic night, its ethics and mores, and subsequently identify how the scene offers opportunities for a multitude of people with diverse objectives. We contend that this rather invisible social network is a particularly enabling realm, lacking boundaries of style, genre and musical competence and equally open to all who are prepared to perform irrespective of age, class, gender, sexuality and ethnicity. Accordingly, we argue that this provides a uniquely inclusionary space where participants are presented with a safe yet effective environment within which they may accrue social capital. The discussion is illustrated throughout with qualitative data gathered from 25 interviews with open mic performers and managers in Manchester, empirical observations accrued from numerous visits to open mic nights between May 2012 and May 2013, and the participant observation of Nigel Richards, a performer on the scene. Overwhelmingly, open mic events take place in pubs, usually during midweek evenings, and constitute a boost for the ailing pub sector that is being superseded by other leisure and cultural attractions within the growing night-time economy (Chatterton and Hollands 2002). No performing fees are paid and, usually, no admission is charged, though performers might occasionally be rewarded with a free drink or two from the bar. Open mic nights are sometimes staged in the main bar of a venue, but more frequently in upstairs or downstairs rooms. In these settings, décor tends towards the rudimentary, and this minimalist environment is echoed in the provision of a basic sound system to facilitate the performance of amplified music. All such events are managed by organisers who deal with equipment technicalities, timetable the evening’s rota of performances and ensure performers stick to the rules, and they take a greater or lesser role in introducing performers and acclaiming them following their act. Performers typically enrol on a sign-up sheet and are placed in the schedule according to a first-come, first-served basis, though at some venues, performers book their slot

by phone or email. Crucially, as discussed below, there are few restrictions about who may participate in an open mic event. Most of the non-musicians at the events are friends or family of performers, though other unrelated drinkers attend the evening’s entertainment. The origins of the open mic scene are difficult to ascertain; performers express only vague ideas about when these events emerged, though they are generally estimated to have become prevalent over the last 20 years. There are no obvious pioneers or any cluster of interested parties who steadily consolidated a scene, as with the punk network discussed by Crossley (2008, 2009). However, the scene is no doubt connected to a host of antecedents, including the long-lasting folk clubs that offer a more circumscribed musical fare, informal jam sessions, the DIY ethos of the punk movement, and the more recent rise of media talent shows such as The X Factor and The Voice. It differs from these scenes, however, since it enforces no restrictions on musical skill, has no key figures who may pronounce on participants’ musical ability, and revolves around no particular musical form or style.