Reckon the smoking ban and the fact people can now buy a carton of piss from the major supermarkets has had a lot to do with it... low numbers in pubs and bars i mean. Just to put my two cents worth into the debate, i am torn between the devil and the deep blue sea. On one side of the coin there is a huge soul scene going on in the U.K. and yes i would love to be a part of it for more than 1 months visit every year, then on the flip side i live in a fantastic country with great weather, plus my wife and i run our own monthly soul night here in Fremantle. We have been very fortunate to find a 120 year old venue thats so much like the old Casino in terms of atmosphere, smells etc. plus we have put 120% effort into making it what it is today with attendances around the 225 every month ie. right music policy, vinyl only and no ego deejay's to put a spanner in the works. We had John Manship over in May and he said he had'nt seen anything this good for years so we must be doing something right. Do it for the love of the scene and the music, not money, play the right mix of music and the punters will come. Good luck to anyone thinking of starting another gig. See you in April. Tony and Sue. Western Australia.