Dave Grohl, lead singer of the Foo Fighters, has called on Cornwall Council to relax its noise restrictions after a young rock band said they were banned from rehearsing in their garage.
The musician wrote to the council on behalf of Black Leaves of Envy, after they claimed they were issued with a noise restriction of 30 to 40 decibels. He pointed out that this is roughly the noise a dishwasher makes from 15 metres away.
The letter says: ‘For musicians that lack the resources to rehearse in professional facilities, a garage or basement in the only place they have to develop their talent and passion. I believe it is crucial that children have a place to explore their creativity and establish a sense of self through song. The preservation of such is paramount to the future of art and music. Without them, where would we be?’
However, the council denied placing a noise restriction on the group and said it had received a number of complaints about the noise being made by the band.
A statement from the council said: ‘The council is legally required to investigate once it has received a complaint about noise. In this case we have received a number of complaints about the level of noise. We have not, however, told the band to stop playing or told them they must keep sound levels below 40 decibels. We have not prescribed a set noise level but have advised that the sound levels are currently too high.
‘We have offered to work with them to look at ways of reducing the noise levels and have suggested they consider installing some sound proofing in the garage to address the problem or possibly compromise by looking at playing only at certain times.’
