Entertainment: Playing the Horn
After 30 years of hosting live acts the Horn in St Albans, Hertfordshire, named Music Pub of the Year at the 2008 Publican Awards, staged its first festival last weekend.
A dozen bands lined up, with groups from Oxford and London joining the up-and-coming acts the Horn has become famous for showcasing, keeping the music going from 2pm on Saturday till the early hours of Sunday.For a venue that's used to organising live music 364 days a year, the all-dayer was still a challenge.
"We certainly learned a lot from it," says manager Sam Henry. "Next time, for instance, we probably won't pick a bank holiday weekend - too many people are away."
Despite that, the festival attracted an audience throughout the day, with people coming and going and fans following the away bands. It attracted publicity in the local press and on local radio and Radio 6 as well as being advertised in the pub and on the Horn's website.Sam and the venue's promoter, Adrian Bell, linked up Equitruck, organisers of Oxford's Truck Festival, to stage the event, which was billed as Equitruck on Tour.
Getting the bands together took "a lot of legwork" says Sam. "There were a lot of different promoters involved." But the biggest problem was making sure the groups were off and on in time - and did their soundchecks - and Sam hired a stage manager he knew to take care of that.
"It was a logistical nightmare," he says. "I'm just glad I didn't have to do it myself!"
The festival's line-up followed the Horn's winning entertainment strategy of having a wide variety of music that would appeal to all kinds of people and all ages.
In a typical week the pub might provide a stage for local groups in a 'battle of the bands', up-and-coming acts, acoustic music and tribute bands.
Formerly the Horn of Plenty it first became known for live music in the 1970s. Its fortunes received a boost 10 years ago when Adrian became promoter and set out to make it "the place to come".
In March the pub's efforts were rewarded with The Publican's Music Pub of the Year title - an achievement anyone passing by can be in no doubt about thanks to the giant banners that now adorn the building.
Sam, who has been in the trade for 20 years, has been manager at the Horn since last year and plays his part by ensuring the pub's standards are a step ahead of other live venues.
"It's a question of making sure the place is always clean and tidy and, for instance, all the lightbulbs are working," he says.
"We are a proper pub, not just a music venue, and do a good food trade at lunchtimes, too. We are really two different businesses, and that helps us I think."
