Why don't venues matter anymore?

I grew up in a city desperately short of good music venues. When a musician of any worth came to town, they would pack as many people as they could into the local entertainment centre, put on a show - two if their name had any stature - and catch the next plane out. Watching videos of Faith No More at the Brixton Academy and Radiohead at the Astoria in my youth helped me escape, as I dreamt of the day I'd finally be able to watch bands I loved in an atmosphere that complemented their music.

When I came here ten years ago, that was the first thing I did. Granted, my introduction to Brixton was during an early Coldplay gig, but forgive me, I was young. Nonetheless, the ornate interior, the sloping floor and the decent acoustics had me hooked. I've spent countless nights indulging myself at the Academy since, not least a few months ago when Faith No More returned to their spiritual UK home.

And there are other great places to see music in London. Until it was taken from us the Astoria was grimy enough to make you think you were are hardened rocker. Shepherds Bush Empire can put on a show, the surrounds of Somerset House make it a treat for a week every summer and the acoustics of the Royal Festival Hall are enough to bring joy to the most tonedeaf eardrums. I'm sure there are others out there that I can't wait to experience.

So why is it that so many decent acts show such disregard for where they bring their fans? To me, the venue is second only to the setlist. Yet the number of times a great show has been beaten lifeless by an appalling venue astounds me.

The past year is not short of examples: Sigur Ros have a majestic sound that they chose to lose to the hollow, cavernous roof of Alexandra Palace; Antony Heggarty's voice requires an intimacy and delicateness rarely found outside concert halls, yet he and his Johnsons sat us in the sterile concrete walls of Hammersmith Apollo; the moody soundscapes of Stuart Staples and Tindersticks would be best embraced by a lavish theatre, but we were forced to feel like second-rate festival-goers as their headline show made use of a vacant slot in a lifeless tent in Hyde Park. I won't even begin to talk about arenas.

We're so lucky to live in a city with the wealth of fantastic live music venues that London has. I for one would appreciate it if the bands we love would pay a little more attention to it.