WHO? WHY? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? HOW?

Every area of a working musician's life - regardless of what level they're at - is dictated by the requirements of the mainstream music industry. Whether you're recording your 10th album for EMI or playing 4th on the bill in some grimy backwater toilet, you're playing by The Man's rules.

Situation Normal, established by members of Edinburgh band Maya29, aims to be a grass-roots alternative to the commercialised and often exploitative mainstream music industry.

In 2001 we brought live music back to Edinburgh's Meadows Festival for the first time in several years. This happened almost by accident - we asked the festival's organisers if Maya29 could play - they said, yes - and did we know any other bands. We did.
7 bands played that year.

The following year we were asked by the Meadows Festival to organise live bands once again - and a year's worth of solid gigging meant we had made contact with many excellent bands. 16 bands played over the weekend on a dedicated music stage.

For the Meadows 2003 we staged the biggest live music event that the festival had seen in its 29 years. There was a music tent (to ensure protection from the elements) and 19 bands played over the weekend. These bands had all submitted demos (we received about 90!) the idea being that the event should be open to bands who had not previously played there. Maya29 did not play!
This was the first event organised and promoted under the Situation Normal name, and our unofficial launch.

Situation Normal once again organised live music at The Meadows Festival in June 2004 (all the bands that year were recorded, with a view to compiling a Meadows Live CD), and in June 2005 we staged Edinburgh's Biggest Free Gig at the Meadows Festival once again, with the 19 bands who performed being chosen from 186 demos!

In May 2004 we began putting on a live music night, imaginatively called Situation Normal Live, which operates on a very different basis to most other gig nights. The gigs feature two or three local bands and a band from outside of the area, in order to facilitate gig-swapping and make links with musicians & bands across the UK.

Bands who would like to play at Situation Normal Live must be able to offer a gig-swap in return.

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