I think it all depends. How were these shows booked? If an already healthy, busy venue allows you to play there then they are really just hiring you to come and play for their customers and therefore there isnt much of a courtesy involved.

I will however say that I have been to pub gigs or open mic nights and really wanted to hear the artist playing and haven't been able to thanks to people chatting around me and that really annoyed me. I can imagine it's even more annoying to be on stage.

Most concerts are too loud for conversations like that to be audible.

That's one thing that really pisses me off. One of my friends is an aspiring singer-songwriter and i was at one of his gigs in a pub in town a couple of weeks ago. In the pub there just happened to be a load of women there on a work party and they did nothing but talk loudly and laugh during his set and not pay any attention to the music. My gang had to sit down at the back because there was nowhere else to sit and i could just about hear him over the sound of women talking and he was playing an absolute blinder and giving it 200%. I just wish people weren't so ignorant.

This is the thing though. The pub are just hiring for entertainment. In a way they are booking background music. The group of women would be there whether there was music on or not, so nothing changes.

I like to think I'm not ignorant as such in these situations. I mean, I have a strong interest in music so I'm gonna listen to the band in the pub, but chances are I went there to sit and talk to my friends, so I'm gonna do that too.