u/ProTharan

You might remember me posting here about Space Jam. A new night at Club 85 where musicians put their names into a hat, get randomly placed into bands and then have to make something happen together on stage in 10 minutes.

Well, our first one took place last Wednesday!
We’d only sold 12 tickets, so we thought it would be a nice, small introduction to the idea. Then people kept arriving. 54 musicians turned up, and we made 11 completely different groups performing throughout the night.

We had guitarists, bassists, drummers, singers, saxophonists, a trumpet player, keyboards, cajón and even a modular drum machine. Some people were experienced performers, others it was their first time on stage, and most had never met their bandmates before that evening.

The random combinations worked better than I could have dreamed of. People turned up without knowing exactly who they’d play with or what would happen, and completely threw themselves into it. The room was incredibly supportive, and it genuinely felt like the beginning of a little local music community, with everyone staying until the end to see the different creations being made on the spot.

Coming off the stage, we had people being approached to join their bands, high five’s, laughter and positivity, and a massive smile across everyone’s faces.

Thank you to everyone from here who encouraged the idea, shared the original post or came along.
We’re doing it again at Club 85 on Wednesday 16 September. If you’ve got an instrument gathering dust in the loft, this might be your reason to get it back out.

TLDR: Thank you!

I’ve lived in Hertfordshire for around four years now, and one thing I’ve always wanted is an easy way to meet other local musicians and make music together. So… instead of waiting for it to exist, I thought I’d start Space Jam – a new community jam night at the legendary Club 85 in Hitchin.

I’ve attached a short video because it’s much easier to explain than in writing.

The concept is simple:
🎸 Turn up with your instrument (or just yourself if you’re a singer).
🎲 We’ll randomly draw bands from a hat.
⏱️ Each group gets around 10 minutes on stage.
🎵 Improvise, jam, or just see where the music takes you.

The goal isn’t to put on a perfect performance. It’s to create a welcoming community where musicians of any ability can meet, make friends, try something different and have a great night. Whether you’ve been gigging for years or you’ve only just started playing, everyone is welcome.

Guitarists, bassists, drummers, keyboard players, singers, brass, strings, percussion… if you love making music, we’d love to have you.

📍 Club 85, Hitchin
📅 Wednesday 12th August
🕢 Doors open 7:30pm
💷 £5 on the door

The £5 simply helps cover the cost of hiring the venue, the sound engineer, and the amazing Club 85 staff who help keep this independnet live music venue alive. This isn’t about making a profit. it’s about creating something sustainable that can hopefully become a regular home for local musicians.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, I’d really appreciate you helping spread the word. Share it with your bandmates, music teachers, friends or anyone who loves playing music around Hertfordshire, the
more musicians in the room, the more fun it’ll be.

if you’ve got any questions at all, just drop them in the comments. I’ll be keeping an eye on the thread and I’m happy to answer anything, and hopefully look forward to seeing a few there.