A Question of balance

Watching Clive Sarstedt at Titos - will gigs like this be a thing of the past?

I find, as I dig deeper into the furore that has sprung up in Mojacar and surrounding areas regarding Noise control, that the problem is not as clear-cut as it first appeared. Sure, we have a percentage of the same bunch of middle/old-aged miserable buggers that used to moan about music in the UK, who’ve moved to Spain to moan about it here.  But it’s really not that simple.

Firstly, I would advise anybody with half a brain to consider the possibility of NOT buying or renting a villa or apartment on Mojacar playa if you don’t want to hear music. It’s not rocket science. But then, moaning is the life-blood of some people. They need it to justify their existence.

The real mistake here though, is that the authorities are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Of course, we don’t want to turn Mojacar into a San Antonio, a Benidorm, or God forbid, an Ayia Napa. But a blanket restriction will not only put paid to the admittedly noisy hen and stag nights and hard dance club scene, but also decimate the ‘real’ entertainment,  the music that gives Mojacar it’s heart and soul – the live bands that appear along the Playa, mainly in the beach bars, the jam sessions, the FUN.

A real concern is the ruling that all bars (at huge expense) will have to be internet ready, so a modem can relay the sound levels to the local Police station. My God. Can you imagine the endless possibilities for abuse here? And don’t tell me it won’t happen. Who is to stop the Police wandering down to a bar and saying, oh, you reached 98 db on the 10th, 97db on the 16th, you owe us a couple of hundred Euros. I really don’t like this development. It is Big Brother in its worst form. How can you let rip on guitar, and try to entertain people, with all this garbage going on in the back of your mind, knowing some Policeman is monitoring you remotely? It’s unacceptable. perhaps I could suggest catching criminals might be a better, more productive use of their time.

We must be careful to preserve our musical heritage here. Make no mistake, it is a musical heritage.  It is precious. It’s been here for decades, and I don’t want it to disappear into oblivion because ‘Fred and Olive’ want a nice , quiet, retirement retreat.  The rest of us have a voice too.

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Kev Moore