I saw the Presidents of the USA there in august 2005 and it was brill. Such a good venue, really intimat, one of best gigs of all time. Don't close it down!!!
I have returned to Northampton after 5 years away and cannot believe what I'm hearing. Most of town has become an intimidating dump after dark. We need to keep The Roadmender open as it is a rare creative oulet for youth culture.
There are very few quality venues near Rugby, particularly of this size, i think its very important to preserve smaller gigs instead of larger all seated high capacity gigs where the atmosphere is lost.
Great live music venues, like the Roadmender, are an important part of any local music scene and help to encourage people of all ages and races to become involved in something amazing! Without venues like the Roadmender I doubt the UK music scene would be nearly as vibrant and diverse!
I've been to some of the best gigs in this place. It'll be a disgrace if it's allowed to shut. It serves not just Northampton but the rest of the County. Paul from Corby
A great place for our youngsters to see new bands, some on their way to being famous. A lot of towms would be proud of a venue like the Roadmender. I suppose the council need the money to build more roundabouts, and put up more traffic lights. The money involved must be a minute percentage of what is collected in council tax.
OK so you close it down and you save a few bob. Then what? Young people with nothing to do hang around the streets, they get hassled, they get moved on, they get angry and disenfranchised. Then what? You spend more money than you saved in increased policing, repairing damage and having more pointless meetings debating why you have the problem. Get wise NCC. You have a gem here in this facility. Do not let penny-pinching politics allow it to be lost as part of a false economy. Young people need places like this and so do older people like me who still love music and the arts.
Roadmender is known throught the country as an excellent venue, something the town can be proud of. Council will be letting down the whole county down-we badly need this venue
It would be very sad to see such a good venue closed down. I suggest the Council think hard about the concequences of ceasing to support it would have on the young people and people who enjoy music and art in Northampton. More young people on the streets, less creativity and less culture in Northampton. These are things the Council will be allowing to happen making Northampton a very boring dead end town indeed!!
The Roadmender is THE most improtant venue in this town for new talent and local bands. Where will people go to see the likes of Oasis, Manic Street Preachers etc.. The Derngate? Although I'm sure the amount of money being spent on the Derngate and Royal Theatre has been rationalised by the middle aged and middle class I seriously doubt it will ever cater for the young people of the town who want to see bands at a reasnoble price.
In a town full of to let boards and empty shops it makes no sense to close more places. Roadmender is the best venue Northampton has to offer. Closing it will deter more people from coming in to Northampton and put the kids that are already here on the streets. The council needs to get a grip and start concentrating on what this town has to offer instead of closing it all and forcing people to go to Milton Keynes. Don't close it and turn this town in to a ghost town.
Living in Milton Keynes which has no live Music, the roadmenders was the place to go to. Have had a lot of great nights at various gigs and club nights over the years, hoping for so more in the future.
A drama project at Roadmender in 1970 got me off the streets and away from trouble. It is insane to withdraw funding from this crucial facility which continues to inspire and entertain people of all ages.
The council is being incredibly stupid and short sighted in its proposal to withdraw funding to the Roadmender. It is the only venue in town that caters to arts which fall outside of the mainstream. It is an incredible asset to the town, and I despair that the council are unable recognise this.
Northamptons council hasn't got a clue about anything.
Why do they want to close everything, turn offers down and generally do everything they can to keep Northampton from moving forward?
Northampton is a good place but could be so much better. Does the coucil even care about our town?
We need more places like The Roadmender not less.
I travelled from Essex to see The Fall on 21.10.05 at Roadmender.I stayed in a local hotel and had a great time in Northampton.Roadmender is by far the best venue I have EVER been to (out of hundreds).It CANNOT close!
The Roadmender is such a bit part of our lives, ive had some of the best nigths of my life there. Closing it down will only make more young people leave the town they already have doubts about.Music is a huge part of our culture taking away the Roadmender is just wrong!!
I've seen some great gigs at the Roadmender, most recently Maximo Park and The Rakes back in May. Any venue that can pull so many punters from miles away (I'm in Nottingham) needs to stay open! One recent Fall gig that I couldn't attend saw fans from as far afield as Cambridge and Cologne in attendance!!
Support for the Roadmender all the way from Gibraltar!
Keep it alive, great place to hang around and a necessity for the development of upcoming music talent. Without places like these you wouldn't see half the great british rock bands there are out there..
I think (and hope) the Council have underestimated the publics feelings on this. Their failings have been highlighted enough in the local press recently and if they do this they'll be a laughing stock-the largest town in the country needs a place like the Roadmender. HAVE THEY THOUGHT THIS THROUGH? NO.
Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay, Spiritulized, Subways, The Magic Numbers, Paul Weller, Hard-Fi, Keane, Travis, Supergrass, The Zutons, Kaiser Cheifs, Maximo Park, The Future Heads, Goldfrapp, The Rakes. Where would we see people like this if the Roadmender closed?
Its amazing how a council that has failed in nearly all areas can dismiss someone elses business plan as falling down.
If they need to raise money then get rid of the Dead Wood at the top of the council that have been promoted to their level of Incompetance, don't cut off a Living Branch.
A Cabinet is made from Dead Wood, I hope that there is Life inside that will think again and save the Roadmender.
what a surprise! people who have no idea about what's going on destroying something that works and bring important experiences and joy to people. Save The Roadmender! It's obviuosly important to people lives!
The roadmender is an excellent venue for some acts which might not get seen in this area otherwise. To close it would be a blow to the live scene for the whole region.
what do the council think they are doing ? trying to take all the culture out of northampton thats what ! The roadmender is a vital part of northampton and has been for around 70 years . If the council let it go they are pulling the heart out of northampton. There is no place like the roadmender in town which caters for everyone. where will we go to see great bands such as hard fi , the magic numbers,dizzie rascal,kieser cheifs , the zutons ,futureheads, oasis , coldplay, and goldfrapp ( to name but a few ) that have passed through this amazing venue in years that have past . No other venue is like this for getting all these huge acts. the roadmender team is as strong as ever and they really work hard to bring us some top quality acts its seems such a shame for all there hard work and effort to go to waste on the councils stupid decision. if roadmender closes the council obviously don't care about us the people of northampton and what we want.And i won't be supprised if the whole of northampton turn there backs on the council for good after making such a ridiculous decision . keep roadmender open for many years to come !!!!!!!
Having worked there for a couple of years and been to more gigs and events than I can count as a customer I can say with some confidence that the Roadmender serves a very important role in Northamptonshire and would be sorely missed if it weren't there.
Wow!! what an amazing idea we will cut funding to a service that can keep the youths of the streets instead letting them run amok. Therefore adding to the epidemic in this town that is anti social behavior and violence. Therefore being resultant in the further stretching an already streched police force and also costing the council more in police funding and damamges. At the same time depriving a venue of entertainment for individualas from all walks of life ....... what a brilliannt idea !! (in case u havent figured it out and it woulnt surprise me in the slightest if some of u hadnt i was being sarcastic ...........U bunch of numtpies!!)
The roadmender has been the main music venue in this town for years, it would a crime to see it go and with it an important, if not the most important music and arts venue this town has EVER had. and will EVER have, damn the man! SAVE THE ROADMENDER!!!!!!!
Seen many bands there. Now we have hardly any music venues why not destroy another one? Is there any other big venues in Northampton to attract the bigger bands of the past. No! For a town of this size it is quite frankly a joke to close another facility. You moan about the kids running amok then you close another centre which could be used to entertain them! Joke!
As someone who works within the music business In Northamptonshire, with up and coming talent i know the importance of the Roadmender.
Our Premier venue yet it's up for closure?
A blow to the music industry and local music industry that we cannot afford to make.
Not to forget the importance culturaly to the town.
A massive Disservice to the people who frequently use it, a disservice to the youth of northampton and a disservice to the town.
This will surely let the people down, anything of missfortune that happens here will be Northamptons Undoing
Do NOT close this venue - it has been a mainstay of the Midlands live music scene, especially in a town bereft of other notable venues for bands, both up and coming and seasoned pros.
Hello,
Im my many years of going out at night in Northampton, I have watched the town center area become more and more violent, and more and more full of pubs and clubs catering to those who like to wear the same, hear the same, see the same and drink the same. This has two problems. One, Northampton is becoming so bland that it could be argued to be nothing more than a central point on the motorways. Two, with everything being so similiar, it doesn't challenge the mind at all, and so those who society and education has failed and let develop into uncaring and unthoughtful citizens, focus on 'challenging' themselves through fighting and vandalism. The Roadmender has been a shining beacon of difference in a town that has the main problem of a lack of difference, and a lack of culture. Those who use the Roadmender are the Northamptonians who value things, and therefore the type of people who can help to save the town from itself. It helped me develop and resist the pull of conforming with those around me who did not value things, and will continue to help and be supported by adults and youngsters who place importance on important things. Please realise that funding needs to be maintained for the future of the town, and of course, to be an excellent venue for Northamptonians.
I cannot believe that in this day and age a council would be looking to take away a community resource that helps keeps people of many ages off the streets.
Besides being a wider cultural centre, it has provided much musical enjoyment over the years and been one of the few places that young people of all ages have been able to experience music and culture.
I think closing the Roadmender would be a sad and short-sighted mistake.
