Music / The Louisiana
The Louisiana Studio: The pub has a newly renovated space which has some historic roots
The Louisiana studio is haunted.
Well, not really. But the studio, located in the basement, has some historic roots. The hangman used to live in the room, cooking his meals in the old fireplace. While the head foreman of the jail across the road hid in the connecting tunnel during the riots when inmates tried to lynch him.
This is one of the many things that makes the studio so unique. Another is that space is used as an exhibition and a studio. Stretching across several rooms, the space was renovated during lockdown and was finished in February this year.
is needed now More than ever
The team had to build a shell within a shell. Despite the studio being part of the pub since 2000, the space had to be completley renovated with most of the funiture and gear being either built from scratch or recycled from somewhere else in the pub.
With funding provided by the Arts Council the studio is free for artists and bands to use but they will need to pay for the engineer, which they can provide if needed. This has opened up the space to a number of artists, levelling the playing field for those who may not be able to afford studio time otherwise.
The studio is fully equipped for bands and artists. Credit: Issy Packer
Despite not advertising the space, the studio has been a huge success with it being booked up for the next few months and artists including Katy J Pearson and Bingo Fury utilising the space. Artists can use the space for as long as they need with some sessions going on until 3am (this is only on rare occassions though!).
The team at The Louisiana also hopes to connect with music professionals in other countries, inviting bands to play at the studio and being able to stream it online for people to watch.
Looking to the future, the team hope to continue the free recording into next year. With the possibility of more funding on the table, there is a hope for more gear and more “toys” for the studio.
The next exhibition hosted in the studio will be Football Landscapes Of Europe Exhibition by Dave Henry, who set-out to photograph football in all of the 55 countries that make up its European governing body (UEFA), determined to shoot matches in locations that define Europe the continent and not just the game.
An example of some of the images that will be shown at the exhibition. Credit: Dave Henry
Main photo: Issy Packer
Read more: Review: Redmoor, The Louisiana – ‘They contaminate their songs with diverse rhythms and instruments’
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