Are Outkast right? Five historic music events that started in small rooms
At the most recent Rock And Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, rap group Outkast were made an official part of music history.
During their speech, they gave the usual thank yous, but Andre 3000 also took a moment to give a brief ode to little rooms. “Jack [White] he’s one of my favourites man, we love you man,” he said, “One thing he said, he said something about ‘little rooms’, and we started in a…”
Andre cut himself off with tears, the memory of sitting with his rap partner Big Boi penning lyrics all those years back being incredibly emotional. It was all a bit too much for Andre, and as a result, all he managed was, “Little rooms. Great things start in little rooms.”
If ever there was a statement that could sum up the music industry, it’s that. There’s magic built within it, and yes, in order to harness that magic, you need the boring stuff, such as suits, contracts, and the business itself, but the most important thing you need is little rooms and the right people in them.
Creativity bouncing off the walls, hopelessness in absolute free flow, not making music because you want to be famous, but making music because doing so comes as naturally as breathing. It’s these rooms that harness the power of creativity, and it’s here where great things have truly started.
There are too many magical moments in little rooms to highlight in one list, but here are some big events that are worth shining a light on. These are the little rooms that the music industry wouldn’t exist without.
Five great things that started in little rooms:
Led Zeppelin’s first jam
Led Zeppelin were easily one of the most influential rock bands to ever grace the stage, and they knew they’d struck gold the moment they first jammed together. Hidden away in a basement in Chinatown, the four of them got in a room with no real plan – just a bit of a feel-it-out session.
At first, it all felt a bit aimless… until they broke into a Yardbirds cover and suddenly everything clicked. They’d found something special, and they knew it.
“I remember the little room, all I can remember it was hot and it sounded good – very exciting and very challenging,” recalled Robert Plant, “Because I could feel that something was happening to myself and to everyone else in the room. It felt like we’d found something that we had to be very careful with because we might lose it.”
Fatboy Slim plays The Adelphi
An ode to the small venue. When Norman Cooke (Fatboy Slim) found out the Adelphi – which was the venue he signed his first record deal at – was celebrating its 30th birthday, he knew he had to come back to play and celebrate. The result was a sweaty party, an ode to the Hull music scene, the power of creativity, and the wonder of small venues.
“There were 180 people here for that gig,” recalled Adelphi’s general manager, Paul Sarel, “The rule from Norman was he’ll do it, no cameras though; nobody takes any photographs. The only person to break the rule was Norman because the PA went down because there was so much sweat in the room, and the safety device kicked in.
It took about five minutes to fix, but during that time, the audience started to sing ‘Caravan Of Love’, which is this a acapella song by The Housemartins. He goes, ‘Ahhh, oh my god, I’m sorry I’m breaking all my own rules,’ and he started filming it.”
The pub rock movement
Before we had punk, we had the pub rock movement. Music is always supposed to be accessible, and that means that people should be able to see their favourite bands perform live. This was incredibly tricky in the ‘70s, as popular rock bands were given the God-like treatment, as they played to sold-out stadiums and festival fields to crowds so vast that you couldn’t see the individual band members on stage. Music was becoming more inaccessible than anyone ever thought it could, and a rebellion happened in the form of the pub rock movement.
In small rooms dotted around London, fans rediscovered the power that a good gig could have. They were watching the likes of Iggy Pop jump across tables, knocking over glasses and singing in their faces. This was the injection of energy that music needed, and the punk movement wouldn’t have reared its head were it not for this period.
Sex Pistols first gig
Speaking of the punk movement, while it can be hard to say for a matter of fact when the movement officially started, one of the most pivotal events was the first gig that the Sex Pistols ever did. This gave listeners the release they needed in what was a relatively dire time, and it showed everyone that the punk movement was a force to be reckoned with. A historic review of the gig captures the chaos that ensued in that small room at St Martin’s College.
“‘Hurry up, they’re having an orgy on stage’,” wrote Neil Spencer, “Said the bloke on the door as he tore the tickets up. I walked to the front and straightaway sighted a chair arcing gracefully through the air, skidding across the stage and thudding contentedly into the PA system, to the obvious nonchalance of the bass drums and guitar. Well I didn’t think they sounded that bad on first earful–then I saw it was the singer who’d done the throwing.”
The Beatles shows in Hamburg
What was the secret behind the Beatles’ success? There were plenty of different factors at play, but one of the biggest moments was when they played on The Ed Sullivan Show in America. “It transformed America,” said E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt, “On February 8, there were no bands in America; on February 9 we had Ed Sullivan and on February 10, everybody had a band in their garage. It was literally overnight.”
Their live show wouldn’t have been half of what it was were it not for the time they spent in Hamburg. This is where they really stepped into their own as an outstanding live act, and they unlocked the secret to performing, which they used to take off in America. The small rooms in Hamburg are very much responsible for shaping the Beatles and giving the world the greatest band of all time.
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