Bridging the gap from old to new

By Will Walder
BBC Wiltshire

The Roundabouts are one of the new bands to watch out for in Trowbridge

West Wiltshire has always had a succession of acts which have kept the scene in the area well and truly alive.

With some bands going their separate ways and with the closure of two of the main venues, what now?

It would seem that all is not lost and a fresh wave of artists have started to make their mark.

Along with a new venue and established acts making their, could this mean that things are taking a step in the right direction?

When you hear that two of the stalwarts of the Trowbridge music scene have called it a day, it makes you think that it must be in a bit of trouble. This is especially true when you think that there have been a fair few bands splitting up over the previous few months.

The Perfect Excuse played their last gig at Peewee's in September 2009, closely followed by the news that Battlewitch were splitting up to do other things.

This came as quite a blow to the scene in West Wiltshire, especially as we've seen bands like Sharp End First and Showing Off To Thieves decide to finish up and venues like Terry's in Trowbridge and The Riverside in Bradford on Avon stop putting on gigs.

there seems like there is a real generation gap...there's not a lot of home grown bands Andy Stallard - Music and Stuff

Andy Stallard from Music and Stuff is worried about the lack of new bands coming in to fill the gaps left behind by these bands and says the local scene has been dying down and there have been less and less gigs.

He is still looking for the new generation to come through and says the scene has been hit by the current crop of bands splitting up and heading off to university.

It is not all bad though. Casino Drive, The Volt and The Haiku are still playing locally and letting people know about the talent there is in the area, whilst there is new hope in a night which has been set up at the Trowbridge Civic Hall called The Fried Egg Club.

On the band front, The Roundabouts are an exciting new band who have been played on BBC Switch, whilst Floppy Hair Oh Yeah! have built themselves a reputation as being a fantastic live band who cannot be missed.

If you are looking for singer/songwriters, look no further than Georgie Vale who was brought to the attention of BBC Wiltshire Introducing by The Roundabouts, and definitely has a massive future ahead of her if she fills the potential she is currently showing.

There has been concern for the music scene in West Wiltshire over the past few months, but the signs are good and it looks like there could be a resurgence of music from the area.