Weather
Keeping it live
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 4th Aug 2000.
LIVE, late, great music could be back in the centre of Trowbridge soon, if pub landlord Peewee Hunt has anything to do with it.
Peewee has applied for a public entertainments licence for the 17th century White Swan in Church Street.
One of the oldest buildings in the town, the Swan has been totally transformed since Peewee took it over back in the spring. Gone are the stick-to-your-feet carpets and the truly terrifying loos. Instead, £300,000 later, the interior is all wood panelling, stripped floorboards and stone flags with plenty of space for putting on live entertainment.
Peewee's former bar in Castle Street was for many years a well-established venue for musicians from west Wiltshire and Somerset, and the idea is for the White Swan to build up a similar reputation, with live music on offer Wednesdays to Saturdays, until 1am
Peewee said: The idea is to give a midweek forum on Wednesdays for up-and-coming bands on independent labels. On Thursdays we would have folk, jazz, rhythm and blues, or blues. Then on Fridays and Saturdays there would be a combination of any of those.
Occasionally, we would use DJs specialising in classic rock, as opposed to techno rock.
Peewee's own band, the ever-popular Lucy La Stique, will be heading the bill at the White Swan on August bank holiday Monday.
Town councillors are, however, opposing the licence, because of fears about noise. Peewee feels their fears are unfounded. he says: When I ran Peewee's between 1981 and 1999 we had around 2,000 bands and artists playing there and in public order terms the police attended only three times.
Here, we are opposite The Pig nightclub which stays open until 2am, the kebab shops stay open until around 4 or 5am and people at the back simply will not hear the music.
Town planning, conservation and development committee chairman Cllr Paul Barrie said: Peewee had a successful live band pub in Castle Street and it was a big draw in the evening, so this is nothing against Peewee himself.
It is just that there are flats nearby in the street and new ones being built at the back. Live bands tend to have drums and can be quite loud.
Local Advertisers
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
