Practising music on your own in Newcastle can be simple. You just buy your equipment, get set up, and away you go. For musicians who would want to practice with a band, however, starting is not so simple. There are many concerns here that can make the experience complicated, hurting your progress, seeing trouble with the neighbours, or creating an uncomfortable fit.
If you’re in a band in or around Newcastle, and renting a specialised practice space isn’t realistic, don’t worry, you still have avenues to explore. Here we’ll look at some of these, maybe even helping you on the way to performing at Cluny Recording Studios or NX.
Inner City Concerns
For bands who want to cut down travel time and be more centrally located for their day jobs, areas like Arthur’s Hill and Jesmond can seem like the best bets. While offering strong advantages to life outside of playing, however, they can also not be the perfect fits for music. Terraced houses, while convenient, can be cramped and often feature poor sound insulation. If you manage to find a place not directly surrounded by other homes, though, this can still be a great choice.
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A Less Central Solution
For bands looking to really make some noise at all times of day and night, it can be best to seek out less central locations in places like Callerton or Urpeth. This will make daily commutes more complicated, but can offer more spacious homes at lower costs. In addition, less closely located homes can reduce concerns about breaking the noise pollution rules set out by the Newcastle council.
Retrofitting Your Location
No matter your choice, most homes will require some level of modification before they become perfect fits for your band’s needs. This might seem intimidating, but keep in mind that these modifications can ultimately help boost the valuation of your home if you did eventually want to sell. Modern online sales platforms like We Buy Any Home factor these changes into their rapid systems. These guarantee sales on any property as well, so you won’t need to sell just to other musicians to capitalise on any changes to your house you make.
If you do manage to find a perfect, more central location, then your biggest concern is likely to be soundproofing. Rugs, heavy curtains, soundproof windows, and acoustic panels can all do a fantastic job here. They don’t need to be perfect, but they do need to put you under the required noise threshold.
In more rural locations, bigger concerns can come from power draw. This is especially the case if you choose to use your space to include larger speakers, amps, and subwoofers. Each of these adds extra strain, so you might need to get an electrician to look at rewiring your practice room to avoid tripping any breakers or creating a fire hazard.
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Regardless of where you find yourself in Newcastle, there are options for you to build a practice space for your band. Plan well ahead of time, factor in the cost of making modifications in addition to rent, and you’ll be much more likely to enjoy a smooth experience. Who knows, one day you might even find yourself among the ranks of The Animals or Geordie.