Part of Leicester’s Music History
The Nite Owl used to be a cafe-discotheque and music bar at 31 Newark Street Leicester which operated through the 1960’s and early 70’s until it was burnt down. Rumour suggested the involvement of notorious London gangsters the Kray twins. The Sangha Building was built on the ruins.
All-nighters were one of the Nite Owl’s specialities, with Owlin’ Robin as resident DJ. Musicians from Leicester and further afield often came in late, especially on the way home after their own gigs, adding to its friendly and very engaged atmosphere, giving Leicester’s very active music scene its late-night focus. There were other clubs and venues – notably The Il Rondo Ballroom at 21 Silver Street which put on shows by just about every well-known band of the 1960’s and 70’s except notably The Beatles.
Nite Owl Promotions:
This later-day Nite Owl started out video’ing musicians in Leicester, then posting onto my YouTube channel and Facebook page, as my way of helping to promote live music that I like. My selection criteria were gigs I wanted to attend (for which I bought tickets), and songs that made me want to turn on the camera. This is random, so I often miss the beginnings of songs, and prefer instant uploading to editing.
The recordings are totally real , as it sounds on the night – complete with stupids in the audience shouting at each other, and the weird things some bands do on stage. Which led me to include some of my own opinions along with the videos; and helped Nite Owl to develop a methodology for how we think bands could engage better with audiences, and how gigs ought to be run – self-opinionated? Oh yes! But the product of decades of gigging myself, and common sense.
Nite Owl is about helping musicians we like, to get even better.
All of which led inexorably to Nite Owl sponsoring Leicester’s excellent The Soundhouse music venue (in January 2023, please note their uber-smart t shirts and hoodies).
We will also be promoting own shows, striving to give the magic of live music its best possible chance to flourish.