Have just heard new management now in and all changed.....anyone know if this is true? No more rock nights?

Not sure about no more rock nights or the new management but surely if they were a success it would be pointless scrapping them.

Not sure about no more rock nights or the new management but surely if they were a success it would be pointless scrapping them.

Not been for about a month but very few people went in. Was going down Wednesday but not sure if I will if its all changed into some clone West Street Bar........

Did the rock nights on tuesdays not take off
? hoped they would , its a good venue and the music was good. Not been able to go since christmas because im now living on the south coast but wondered if it was still going and if it had got any busier.

I wish I had the money to buy a bar..

Rock Heaven all night every night every day :headbang:

I hope the rock night are still on, as i have heard about it and wanna check it out.

Landlord is the same chap, he's just bought it out from the holding company. Only major changes so far -- better selection of wines, they've installed a massive projector and are showing Sky Sports, plus the place is getting a major makeover.

As far as I know there are no plans to stop the rock night.

Golden Fleece/PuressenceUK you're both right. The landlord's still the same guy, but there has been a few changes (PuressenceUK has covered most of them). As far as I am aware the Rock night will no longer be a weekly feature, but it may not be entirely dead.

I have mentioned this thread to the landlord, hopefully he will be along shortly to answer your questions.

So I take it its NOT going to be pulled down and turned into student flats like was originally thought?

So I take it its NOT going to be pulled down and turned into student flats like was originally thought?

I think it was more of a speculation, but no not in the forseable future.

So PETE has bought the lease from that holding company in Nottingham? If that is the case surprised he has gone for the SKY SPORTS approach..we dobnt want yet another clone West Street Bar. Last time I spoke to him he said he would buy if if he had the money and turn it into a rock bar.

Oh well, you hve the go with the flow of the money in the bar business, and rock just really isn't a recipe for great financial success in this town at the moment. Not sure about the Sky Sports bit......every bar has big screen and Sky sports though all competing for a very saturdated market on West Street.

I used to go in West way all the time, does anyone know if the short spiky haired guy still works upstairs in the top bar, his dad is the dj

Goldenfleece to a point I agree with you, I'd hate to see the place turned into another West Street bar, but I have had reassurance that once complete Westway will be different! All I can suggest is that you come in and see for youeself.

The rock/alternative night is not dead, just instead of being on every week it will be a monthly feature. I am really hoping that it will get enough interest, because the weekly one was, let's face it, a little on the quiet side. Its the age old saying - use it, or lose it - I'm affraid.

Pete has had lots of ideas about what he'd like to do with the place, but yes he does have to ensure the place is profitable. Weekly rock right now is not!

Career Girl - If he's the one I'm thinking of, yeah he still works there.

As has been said 'use it or lose it' means both the rock night and old skool nights have gone and there is a giant telly with sport on in the place of them.

There should be some rock and classic (i.e. less cheesy) 80s events on there in the next few months, there just weren't the customers to do it weekly.

Westways has to make money - it is almost completely redecorated now and looking much brighter. Yes it is now much like the rest of them but it's still a darned nice pub!

The gut with the spiky hair now works doors but does our thursday nights as DJ Krixx, his dad was the previous landlord, Dennis.

I have now signed the lease on a holding contract. I have been given backing, which has paid for redecoration, sky etc and the production of flyers which you should see going about shortly.

There will still be 'events' outside the normal advertised nights and if anyone should feel the need to try and organise anything feel free to drop in and talk to me at the bar, I'm Pete btw. Any events would be on a give it a try Mon, Tues or Wed basis, based upon approval by all interested parties, ie me and my backer.

The gut with the spiky hair now works doors but does our thursday nights as DJ Krixx, his dad was the previous landlord, Dennis.

I have now signed the lease on a holding contract. I have been given backing, which has paid for redecoration, sky etc and the production of flyers which you should see going about shortly.

There will still be 'events' outside the normal advertised nights and if anyone should feel the need to try and organise anything feel free to drop in and talk to me at the bar, I'm Pete btw. Any events would be on a give it a try Mon, Tues or Wed basis, based upon approval by all interested parties, ie me and my backer.

Good stuff, well good luck with all of that.

I havent been in for ages, ill have to pop in the weekend. I used to date Chris, nice guy...

I used to date Chris, nice guy...

You sound like a stalker:suspect:

Good luck Pete, hope everything goes well:thumbsup:

I would of gone to the Rock nights if i didn't live in Chesterfield. Anyone want to buy a house?:help:

Hope it works out for you. So much potential there. Will have to call in for a beer or 2 soon. Not sure about the SKy Sports approach though.....you can find that in every pub on West street. Still, a change is always a good thing me thinks........have you the auhtority to change the name? Something more snazzy....Rat and Parrot??? (always liked that name)

You sound like a stalker:suspect:

Good luck Pete, hope everything goes well:thumbsup:

I would of gone to the Rock nights if i didn't live in Chesterfield. Anyone want to buy a house?:help:

Actually, NO, thats the reason i havent been in for ages!!! if i was a stalker i would have ben in every weekend!! god you sound blonde....:loopy:

Actually, NO, thats the reason i havent been in for ages!!! if i was a stalker i would have ben in every weekend!! god you sound blonde....:loopy:

Calm down it was only a joke:thumbsup: Maybe my humour doesn't always come across very well:D

And i am blonde, how did you know...not stalking me are you?????:suspect:

Calm down it was only a joke:thumbsup: Maybe my humour doesn't always come across very well:D

And i am blonde, how did you know...not stalking me are you?????:suspect:


You better watch your back thats all im saying..., HE HE HE:hihi: only kidding..

By the way im blonde to so i dont know why i even said that.....

You better watch your back thats all im saying..., HE HE HE:hihi: only kidding..

By the way im blonde to so i dont know why i even said that.....

You must of been having a.....blonde moment! God i'm such a comedian!

You must of been having a.....blonde moment! God i'm such a comedian!


Yep that must be it... he he, anyway's hows life inChesterfield, not meaning to sound horrible but everyone i talk to say its abit crap round there....:confused:

Yep that must be it... he he, anyway's hows life inChesterfield, not meaning to sound horrible but everyone i talk to say its abit crap round there....:confused:

That would be fairly accurate!! One (of many) reasons the house is for sale. Wanna buy it?:help:

That would be fairly accurate!! One (of many) reasons the house is for sale. Wanna buy it?:help:

Sorry mate, Yorkshire girl!!! good luck with selling it...

Hope it works out for you. So much potential there. Will have to call in for a beer or 2 soon. Not sure about the SKy Sports approach though.....you can find that in every pub on West street. Still, a change is always a good thing me thinks........have you the auhtority to change the name? Something more snazzy....Rat and Parrot??? (always liked that name)

Maybe it could become Symbol: The Pub formerly known as Rat and Parrot :P

Sorry mate, Yorkshire girl!!! good luck with selling it...

Thanks, i need it.

I was going to make a sarcastic comment about being from Yorkshire, but i guess i would be lynched on here:P

Besides i'm not from Chesterfield. Some reason just ended up living here!

Thanks, i need it.

I was going to make a sarcastic comment about being from Yorkshire, but i guess i would be lynched on here:P

Besides i'm not from Chesterfield. Some reason just ended up living here!

Yep, gotta remeber you on a Yorkshire site.....:)

Where do you come from then??

Yep, gotta remeber you on a Yorkshire site.....:)

Where do you come from then??

Activate your pm...dont want everyone to know where i'm from:suspect:

Plus mods will kick up a fuss for having a conversation on a thread:roll:

Activate your pm...dont want everyone to know where i'm from:suspect:

Plus mods will kick up a fuss for having a conversation on a thread:roll:


Just at work at the moment so i have a different log in name from home, Blondielady, so if you see me on line ill activate my PM

Just at work at the moment so i have a different log in name from home, Blondielady, so if you see me on line ill activate my PM

I'm off now. End of the working day!! Speak soon:thumbsup:

Goldenfleece, and other interested parties, we are currently having discussions regarding rock/alternative/eighties night(s) at the Westway so now would be a good time if you have any constructive suggestions/ideas. Feel free to PM me.

Well last night was the first, the pilot shall we say, of the new Rock night (thats New night, NOT New rock) and I think all who attended can safely say they had a good time. Especially the two guys who sat next to the DJ box - if you're on here I'm glad you guys had fun.

Sadly, I didn't see a single forum regular down there. This thread started because Westway stopped its rock night. However, when it gets relaunced, and post it on the notices for everyone to see, and as before nobody comes.

So it boils down to the same old thing. If you want Sheffield pubs to play rock how about supporting them when they do?

Only just seen this post..thats why. How many people were down?

About 20 I think at the busy point, not enough really to warrant making it weekly again, thats for sure

The problem here is once again, I suspect, ZERO PROMOTION of the event! This was what was wrong with the nights last year, there was no promotional budget, nothing except a few forum posts. You cant just post an event on the Forum as your sole marketing attempt, as it will only reach a fraction of the potential market.

My plan for Westway last year was a full on and very focused and targeted marketing campaign for the weekly nights, which were rejected by the Management as they had no budget.

Running pub or club nights is a VERY strategic and focused business, and to attempt this with ZERO marketing and then complain not many people were in is rather contradictory. At the very very least, you need a run of flyers with a specialized distribution based on your target market. This means allocating a budget and this is the hard world of promotions we live in. If there is no budget for marketing, you may as well give up, you will have an empty bar.

'Word of mouth' alone can not fill a club or pub initially, it takes a hell of a lot of dedicated slog and hard work to get a night up and running to a reasonable attendance level. People in general seem to be under the impression outside of promotion circles that you can just open the doors and the punters flood in and fill your cash tills......MAYBE yes for an ESTABLISHED and PROVEN EVENT....but for a new set of nights in a venue which has already cancelled its similar nights from last year due to non promotion/marketing, you have a serious problem. The serious problem is not only creating awareness of the event with targeted marketing, but also now a credibility issue, based on previous cancelled events due to lack of punters.

Suggest the new Management have a careful think about this. It is INSANE to run nights with out a promotions budget and an in-house promotions team, or an independant promoter. You have to speculate to accumulate!!

It is INSANE to run nights with out a promotions budget and an in-house promotions team, or an independant promoter. You have to speculate to accumulate!!

No it isn't. When you're in a prime location, having posters in the windows which can be seen by passers by and by placing free ads in the Star and Telegraph can be great publicity. Word will spread.

I didn't have a promotions budget for the Rock Bar, the in house promotions team was the regular customers who spread the word, and it was me placing adverts in the free ads/on the forum/in Sandman, etc and it was down to the bands to spread the word. No independent promoters.

I'm putting on live rock bands at the Moorfoot Tavern now each Saturday (ooh, there's an advert...!) and have relied on word of mouth, bands to tell people, a few posters in the pub, etc. The pub is busy, packed on some Saturday nights as a result.

Starting any new regular night can take time to build up regular custom. Don't give up after just the first week. Don't expect a packed pub straight away. Good luck.

No it isn't. When you're in a prime location, having posters in the windows which can be seen by passers by and by placing free ads in the Star and Telegraph can be great publicity. Word will spread.

Starting any new regular night can take time to build up regular custom. Don't give up after just the first week. Don't expect a packed pub straight away. Good luck.

Thats true, obviously, every little helps. But from a strategic point of view having a more focused campaign which follows traditional club/theme night marketing is the way to go in my opinion. Of course word will spread, but it takes time, and sometimes time=money, and not enough time=end of story.

Posters in the window of Westway, this needs some kind of budget to actually print them up anyway, which means there IS money for promotions. Even the cost of paper and printer ink on own PC will be part of a budget of some sort.

i remain unconvinced that just posters in the window, etc is the way. There is obviously a strong element of luck in some ventures as well....and luck cannot be budgeted for or planned..it either happens or it doesnt.

I think the point that you've kind of missed here goldenfleece is that there seemed to be a demand from some forum peeps for rock nights during the week but, when there was one, nobody from here turned up.

We had folks down who saw the advertising on LJ communities, none of them 'classic' rock fans.

It was a good night though and the people who did make the effort to come along seemed to enjoy it.

Goldenfleece, I have to disagree the food for example has had no marketing, has been available 2 days and is doing a roaring trade, The X Box night doubled in attendance by event 2 and that was advertised on an A board and on here.

The theme nights are generally done by people who want to run a night asking the managment (and by the way the landlord hasn't changed since the nights last year), not by the pub it's self. The pub don't make a lot extra off these events, certainly not enough to warrant advertising. This for me at least was a rock night, by rockers for rockers and yes these nights do rely mostly on internet/mouth advertising, though there were poster in the pub and on its 8ft screen over the last 2 weekends.

The point I was making, and its not just about rock fans, but people generally complain that there's nothing to do or that its a shame something is going but when its on offer they do nothing to support it - like they just want it there for decoration. I have seen some well advertised night go to pot simply because of apathy.

The point I was making, and its not just about rock fans, but people generally complain that there's nothing to do or that its a shame something is going but when its on offer they do nothing to support it - like they just want it there for decoration. I have seen some well advertised night go to pot simply because of apathy.

Ah, a different kettle of dish indeed!! I had overlooked this aspect in my replies. This is a very difficult and intangible concept to understand, that people SO COMPLAIN LIKE CRAZY that there is nothing to go out for, and then when its provided for them, they cant be bothered. It is a trait I cant understand at all myself, and all so very contradictory. There is no cure for this it would seem...apathy has been the ruin of many a good night in the past 5 years, and as you say, it applies to both brilliantly promoted nights and others with zero marketing.

A good question is if apathy is exclusive to the rock market in Sheffield, or does it effect ANY genre? I do not have the answer to this. IT could be apathy is related to age, as many 'older' rockers seem to be effected by this curious apathy which allows them out of the house only on Saturday nights and then only to a rather staid and predictable timetable of venues.

The solution to apathy for all seems to be getting any event or night part of the socio-cultural consciousnes of a whole community of people. Nights that can achieve this sort of status are quite rare, probably being confined to the Corp at weekends, (arguably Wednesdays/Mondays as well), Fuzz Club at the University Union, Casbah Sat nights, the Nelson Sat night rock rooms, etc.

Creating something new that can permeate this stratosphere of 'rock consciousnes' is always going to be a hard struggle. It can take in some cases, years to build up such a powerful part of a community mass-consciousness. With such a selection of established entertainment, one could argue that further additions require an enormous boost, hence my marketing stuff expounded upon in earlier posts on this thread.

While some nights will always flourish quickly based on no advertising and word of mouth, etc, it would appear from many examples of recent pub./club history that such nights also die off relatively quickly.

However, I always support in principle any new event, and wish I could have been at the Westway for the other night, but as stated, take 2 days off from the Forum and I missed the announcement. Ideally, big build up needed.

All change again. I have handed in my notice at Westway and as of 24th will be having nothing to do with the venue. Thank you to all who supported me there, watch for a thread of new beginings shortly.

*Hugs* I know it was a difficult decision to make and you know my thoughts on the matter (I shalln't be airing them on a public forum).

I shall of course be following that_animal, not that I was ever actually official involved with the place, I just kinda became its unofficial spokes person on here. So if you have any questions about the old place you or any of the ads I put up previously you'll have to redirect them to the new management!

See you soon, with new nights at a new venue...........

Now I am VERY curious........where could it be!!!!

Now I am VERY curious........where could it be!!!!

Not sure yet, he's still working on that bit - there's a few possbilties!

All change again. I have handed in my notice at Westway and as of 24th will be having nothing to do with the venue. Thank you to all who supported me there, watch for a thread of new beginings shortly.

Well mate, thanks for letting me use the pub for the party last tuesday.
Was a bit quieter than I had hoped but it went ok.

Watch the cctv - it will be good for a laugh :heyhey:

Please note - my alter ego wishes to keep his identity a secret !!!

And good luck in your new venture :thumbsup: