Riga opened its doors in its current form in 1993, and since then we've had the pleasure of working with (in no particular order)......
The Hamsters, Eddie and the Hot Rods, John Otway, Wilko Johnson, Dr. Feelgood, The Pirates, Strawbs, Nazareth, Hayseed Dixie, Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash, Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook, Chris Difford, Peter Green, Robin Trower, Chris Farlowe, Gary Brooker, Andy Fairweather-Low, Gordon Giltrap, Donovan, Simon Kirke & Larry Oakes, Be Sharp, Reeper, Roy Mette, The Nightflies, Winterville, Ian Parker, Swindle, Splodgenessabounds, The Rockin' Armadillos, Jon Amor, The Refugees, Jackie Wilson Says, Amy Wadge, Landmarq, The Soul Detectives, The Carmen Pimps, The Trevor Burton Band, The Swamp Cats, The Magnets, The Yardbirds, Waking The Witch, Hugh Cornwell, The Electric Experience, RPWL, The Casbah Club, Graham Bonnet, The Business, David O'List, Paul Young, Trafficker, Spike and Friends, Stray, Mick Taylor, Carl Palmer, Ian McNabb, Terry Reid, Robbie Vee, Dan Baird, Eric Faulkner, Bill Hurley, Bad Influence, The Mississippi Kings, Jackie Leven, Eileen Rose & The Holy Wreck, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, Thunder, The Deborah Bonham Band, Five Horse Johnson, The Joanne Shaw Taylor Band, The Tracie Hunter Band, GMT, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Sean Tyla & The Tyla Gang, The Andy Robinson Band, Two Timers, Never The Bride, Rising Sun, Blackbud, Larry Miller, Eric Bibb, Imperial Vipers, Faster Inferno, Juicy Lucy, Rattlesnake Remedy, The Reasoning, The Gift, Colourkinesis, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, Jake Shillingford, Too Many Humans, Tiny Tin Lady, Imogene, John Young, Praying Mantis, The Sweeney, Roman Jug, Koopa, 3 Mile High, Connie Lush, Acid King, Magenta, Virgo Intacta, Papa George, Adam Bomb, Magic Pie, Nicky Moore, Hogans Heroes, Los Pistoleros, Carvin Jones, Steve Hooker, Ego Prime, The Rubettes, Porter, Nick Harper, Cells, 4ft Pimp, Karnataka, Mickey Jupp......the list goes on and on and...... Plus, the best tribute bands we can find.
In 1967, the Right Honourable Edward Short said "Radio Caroline has become the last outlaw. It may survive for a short while, but anyone who watches Westerns at the cinemas will know even the last outlaw gets captured by the Sheriff in the end"
About me: I'm Dave, the promoter - for want of a better (and less insulting) word at The Riga Music Bar (aka Club Riga) which is Southend's Premier Live Music Venue situated along the London Road, next to the Cricketers Inn.
Opening hours -
Weekdays 8.30 to 11, Fridays and Saturdays 8.30 to Midnight, Sundays 8 to 10.30.
Please note that the age limit is 18+ unless otherwise stated.
Open up to 5 nights a week, you can find what's going on by checking out the calendar and reading the blog, which is updated weekly. Or is that weakly?
For bands that are interested, we have the facility to make live recordings from the main stage with our 24 track hard disk recorder.
Fed up with listening to the manufactured famous for five minutes wonders on national radio? Then tune into Radio Caroline
What do you mean "I remember them", "are they're still going" and "Who?"
The Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force on 14th August 1967. This closed down all the "Pirate" Radio Sations that were broadcasting, except one - Radio Caroline. And Radio Caroline is still broadcasting today. OK, there's been a few gaps in the transmissions - the Mi Amigo sinking didn't exactly help the cause!!
Ah, but does it still play all thet 60's stuff all the time? Nope - you're just as likely to hear The Killers and The Fleet Foxes as you are The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Although if you do want to hear the best - and worst!! - of the 60's and 70's then tune in at 9pm every Tuesday. There are no play lists as such - the DJs play what they like, which means you won't hear Rap, Boy Bands, Girl Bands, what is now known as R'n'B, Old Skool Electro, Breaks, Drum'N'Bass, Garage, Dirty House UK, Hip-Hop, failed X Factor / Pop Idol / Big Brother Contestants, "D" list celebrities etc, that the mainstream radio station DJs are forced to play. Not heard one of your favourite records on the radio for ages? Then get in touch with the studio by phone or email and ask them to play it. If the DJs can fit the song into their show, they will.
You're in a band and want to try and get your music played on the radio? Then send your CD to Radio Caroline. Don't forget, Radio Caroline was formed because the BBC and Radio Luxembourg (the only stations around at the time) wouldn't play records by certain artists managed by Ronan O'Rahilly. So Ronan decided that if he couldn't get his acts records played on those stations, he would start his own. One of those acts was Georgie Fame.
And how do you listen to Radio Caroline? If you've got Sky then tune into channel 0199. If not, you can listen on the internet by going to Radio Caroline. Also go to this site to find out more about the stations history, who the DJs are, the schedule, buy merchandise, etc. Go on, give it a go. What have you got to lose?
Why am I banging on about Radio Caroline? Well, you're more likely to hear the music by the acts that are appearing at Riga - and other venues like us - than you are on the other mainstream stations!!
The video playing at the moment is John Otway
Here's a slide show of some of the people that have played here, mainly taken live on the Riga stage. More pictures, mostly taken by wolfie , to follow.......
Who I'd like to meet: People who want to go out and watch good live music
If you come down to Riga, or you're a musician then join this site. If you're somebody that wants to get to know me better or just interested in filling in stupid quizes, then don't bother.
Hey guys! We are launching a new service today based mainly on facebook. It
is called Nationwide Gigs and here's how it works. You message us with
details of all your upcoming gigs, and we post event invites. You will
also be helping other bands as you will need to in return encourage
fans to "become a fan" of this page. So, not only will your fans be
invited to these gigs, fans of other bands will be invited to. Since
this is a new launch, please encourage as many fans as possible to
"become a fan". The URL is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nationwide-Gigs/99666359778?created#/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Nationwide-Gigs/99666359778
The details you need to send are:
Who is running the gig? - Promoter/venue/yourselves etc.
When is the gig?
Where is the gig?
What is the full line-up?
What is the genre/type of music?
Venue phone number
Where are tickets available from?
How much are tickets?
Any other info?
You can either send all of this info via MySpace, facebook (facebook.com/julesnem) or email: mail@noiseelement.com If all of this information is on a flyer, this will be acceptable. If you have a flyer, we will also use this.
All of the information will also go out on the weekly mailing list, so encourage fans to sign up to that too @ www.noiseelement.com
Just to let you know
the new (XOVA) C.D "THE PRESSURES OF LIFE" is OUT NOW!!....ORDER IT
ON-LINE from our website. www.xovalive.com
Tell
your friends, family, and workmates.. the new "XOVA" album "THE
PRESSURES OF LIFE" is now available to purchase from our website: www.xovalive.com
Just go to the SHOP & CONTACT page and we will ship it directly to you anywhere in the world.
Hey Dave, thanks for accepting us. I checked out Riga Music Bar and it looked like a really good place to play, would there be a chance for us to play there sometime this year?
Hey Dave!TY for your Free Spirit Support!Hope you have a chance to listen to this phenomenal new release or just a few tracks/vid, from Finland, when you get a sec:)Top Download on AORHEAVEN.COM and getting AMAZING Reviews:)Heres to these Guys Touring the Universe with the rest of the best & continued success on your Music Journey as well!Look forward to your Pro Review:)Rock on & have a fantastic week!!Hugz..Lisa myspace.com/freespiritrock CRANK IT UPPPP!!
I drop you a line to tell you that some copies of The Field Where She Died, my first album, are still available, but stocks won't last... Only 150 copies left...