Hot Banana Music shop opened just after the May 2013 Festival of Folk in Holmfirth town center. Having found an empty shop that had previously been the only music shop in the area I almost by accident acquired a rental agreement but soon discovered that the whole building was in need of serious internal renovation. As I had been in the building trade most of my previous life I decided to give it a go and made a deal that I would do up the building myself but that I would be rent free until opening. The real problem ensued when I realized after the building work had been done, as I only had £600 left to open and stock the new prospective music shop and the idea of group tuition and hiring out the spaces for other teaching groups became the main source of income for the shop in the first year and also led the birth of “Anarchy in the Ukelele” a group that was in full swing with around 30 players before I realized I didn't even know how to spell the word ukulele so F*** it I thought and printed T-shirts with …Ukelele instead of Uk(U)lele anyway. 

After crunching the numbers and trying desperately against the rising tide of internet companies selling cut price goods to make a go of the retail musical instrument trade, I eventually diversified into providing an Open Mic night and monthly events at the shop with music and alcohol licenses. 

Also making a huge noise each year around the time of the Folk Festival by providing an alternative fringe event named “The Anti Folk Festival”. Some genuine consternation arose from this name, but the only intent was a humorous side hustle to the main event on which weekend of the year brought folks and folkies from all over the place into a normally very, very quiet town, where on a normal Saturday it wouldn’t be unusual for me to only sell one 40p plectrum in the entire day! (not kidding!) and sometimes I just gave one away!

Only a swift change in licensing laws put pay to the five year stint of anarchy and gigs at Hot Banana leaving me no choice but to shut up shop in 2018. 

R.I.P. Hot Banana Music shop :// but not the business name as it was too good to leave behind and after achieving my degree in Music Production has now been re-branded into my music production business name here.

As well as Anarchy in the Ukelele, a number of spin off groups ensued as the shop and events brought together a bunch of like minded local musicians and the motivation to just do stuff and enjoy the hell out of it, and whyyyyy not. :))))?