MUSIC NEST
GROWNUP GIGS THAT WELCOME KIDS
Hello and welcome to Music Nest! We put on brilliant gigs that you can bring your family to. We want to create an environment that not only tolerates children but welcomes them. It's a non-judgemental, safe and inclusive space where you can watch great music together.
Coming up on Sunday the 19th of November 2023!
2pm - 4pm @ Stroud Brewery, Balcony Lounge
Moondusty - A new band led by London based singer-songwriter Daniel Orcese. An artist with decades of experience making magical music, Orcese has toured with the likes of Pete Doherty, made an album with critically acclaimed jazz pianist Greg Foat and has contributed vocals for a Paul Weller track.
Formerly the landlord at treasured London venue The Glad, Daniel’s previous project Moon Music Orchestra became the house band presiding over a decade of legendary shows and sessions. Moondusty brings former collaborators back together with fresh ideas and a renewed sense of purpose. The music evokes the shimmering sun drenched sounds of 60s and 70s West Coast America and the off kilter energy of the folk revival, all viewed through a more modern and compellingly cosmic lens. Their sound is perhaps best described by Ronnie Lane, Squeeze, Pink label Island Records – Moondusty succeed in sounding like all of you favourite bands but played with a true originality and a Shamanic Soul!
Flo Parker-Bombosch - Flo and John bring together the alternative guitar sound and gentle mezzo soprano vocals of Flo Parker Bombosch and the felted piano and artful performance of John Hare. Together, they perform Flo’s original songs of contemporary life, loneliness and affection, alongside songs touching on the life experiences of others.
Your hosts Ben and Martha
ABOUT MUSIC NEST
Kids are brilliant, noisy, full of beans, have short attention spans, need attention, changing and have all the other demands that you are so familiar with, often all at the same time! All of these things are expected and embraced at Music Nest, how can you all have a good time if you don't feel comfortable about meeting the needs of your child? We want you to be able to relax and enjoy the music without fear of being tutted by someone because you need to get up and walk about, feed, manage a wobbly, or leave the room for a bit. We want children to feel as though they can sing, dance, move about or get on with something else in an environment that isn't deafeningly loud or really dark and dingy. To help with this we'll have, toys, rugs, some craft activities and a member of staff to help.
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Stroud Brewery is a fantastic and friendly live music venue with a long history of promoting family friendly events. Music Nest takes place in the fantastic Balcony Bar on the first floor, there is step free access via a lift and wide doors for pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are baby changing facilities and a disabled toilet on the ground floor. The venue does an excellent selection of food and of course drinks suitable for children and adults!
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Please CLICK HERE to read our FAQ section as this should answer any questions you have and goes into a bit more detail about how Music Nest works!
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CLICK HERE to contact or for info on Route 49 Studio. Recording, mixing, composition and production for independent artists by Ben.
ABOUT US
Hello we're Ben and Martha and we decided to start Music Nest a few months after we found out we were expecting our first child. We realised that, like many of our friends, we were going to be finding it more difficult to watch live music for a while, which seemed a shame as it's such a massive part of our life. When we thought about it we could see no reason why we couldn't put on top quality gigs that welcomed children as well!
Ben has been promoting gigs for many years, alongside gigging and touring with his own band The Galleons and running Route 49 Studio. All this experience means we've been able to bring loads of brilliant musicians from a wide range of genres to our shows and ensure everything runs smoothly (at least the vast majority of the time!). Ben was also a youth worker and community music practitioner for a number of years and is really passionate about the power of music to bring people together.
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Martha is a fellow live music enthusiast and, as well as working with Ben to manage shows and Route 49, she's worked extensively in Youth Theatre. She has also organised many community events involving poetry and music for the family business Fireside Bookshop and is passionate about art being central to community. Having spent a lot of time working with and hanging out with babies, kids and parents she has been the driving force in making sure the space is as welcoming and stress free as possible.
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We really hope to see you down at a show some time to enjoy some music together.
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CLICK HERE to contact or for info on Route 49 Studio. Recording, mixing, composition and production for independent artists by Ben.
CONTACT
If you've got any more questions please get in touch using the form below or email us at musicnest@gmail.com.
CLICK HERE to contact or for info on Route 49 Studio. Recording, mixing, composition and production for independent artists by Ben.
Stroud Brewery - London Road, Brimscombe, Stroud, GL5 2BY
There is free parking at Stroud Brewery, it is 15 mins from the centre of Stroud on the 67 bus or it's about a 40 minute walk, largely along the beautiful canal.
FAQS
Can I breast feed my children and/or bring food? - Music Nest is a breast feeding friendly space! You can't fully enjoy a gig if you're really hungry and no one wants a hangry child on their hands! We know that snacks and drinks are vital for keeping kids happy and healthy so please feel free to keep them fed, as the venue does it's own food however we'd ask that people don't go too overboard and bring picnics, portable fondue sets etc.
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What if my child cries or makes noise? - That's what children do right? It's totally fine everything will carry on and no one will point or glower at you.
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Does the venue serve food? - Stroud Brewery does excellent food. If you'd like to eat there we recommend booking a table to eat
before the show as they get very busy at times and can't guarantee to be able to serve walk ins, or bring food up to the first floor venue.
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Is the venue safe for children? - The Brewery have hosted numerous family friendly events and staff will do everything they can to ensure that the venue is safe and welcoming. The venue will only be accessible to ticket holders but the building as a whole is a public space and working pub so we would ask that children are supervised at all times. Neither Music Nest or The Brewery can take responsibility for your children or belongings.
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How many U16s can I bring? - We want to make it as easy as possible to come and enjoy yourself but for health and safety reasons unfortunately we have to limit the number of children to three per adult.
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Will it be really crammed in? - We've reduced the capacity of the venue to ensure there's more space for people to be comfortable and move around a bit.
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Will there be somewhere to sit? - There will be some chairs available but to keep the venue safe, accessible and the space flexible for the kids we can't guarantee seating for all. We will have some colourful rugs at a few spots around the venue. Feel free to bring a cushion etc. but please be aware for fire safety etc. we may have to ask people not to sit in certain areas.
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Is the venue wheelchair accessible? - Yes and there is a wheelchair accessible toilet on the ground floor.
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I and/or my child have additional needs, will the event be suitable for me/them? - We want to make Music Nest as inclusive as possible and will do our best to welcome anybody with additional needs. Please feel free to contact us via the form or email if you'd like to discuss anything or have any questions.
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Are there baby changing facilities? - Yes there are baby changing facilities. We will try and ensure we have a few emergency extras such as wipes, hand wash and maybe a nappy or two in case anyone runs out or forgets something!
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Will the volume level be safe for children? - We will work with the sound engineer to ensure the volume is reduced to a more child friendly level whilst still ensuring a good musical experience for all. We cannot however guarantee that noise will always be within safe prolonged listening limits for children of all ages and as a result recommend considering some of the many children's ear defenders on the market today. We hope to have some on sale at events soon.
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Will there be somewhere to store my buggy etc? - The venue are used to accommodating families and there will be space to store pushchairs and buggies. The area is relatively secure and overlooked by staff but Music Nest and the venue can't take any responsibility for losses so please keep valuables with you in the venue.
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How long are the sets? - Each act will play for approximately 40 mins with a short break in between. During the break we'll be playing some good music, getting involved in some craft activities and maybe playing the odd animation or cartoon on the projector.
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How much are tickets? - Our gigs cost £10 for adults and £2 for under 16s. There is a small booking fee for getting tickets online but you're then guaranteed entrance.
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Do you pay your bands? - Yes.
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Are tickets refundable? - Tickets are non-refundable, if the show is sold out we are happy to try and arrange to transfer your ticket to someone on the waiting list and refund you if we are able to. We are usually not able to do this the day of or the day before a gig. With enough notice we are happy to try and transfer your booking to another date, but again this isn't usually possible the day of, or before a show.
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I'm interested in playing at Music Nest - Excellent please send us a link to your website and music. A video of you performing is always very useful. We try to get back to everyone but we have a massive list of people we want to play so apologies if there's a delay or we can't fit you in.
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Hopefully we've covered most things here but if you want know anything else or feel as if we've missed anything please don't hesitate to drop us a line.
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