I will give a mid star review because people in the dining area were obviously enjoying the food, and I have to say the cider was divine (thank you!). And there was definitely a happy vibe in some parts of the venue away from the "sound" But my friends and I came along to watch some live music and it was so loud in the room where the bands were, it was physically painful, and I've never had to leave a room almost instantly because of that before (and I attend regular live music events). We could not see the bands we wanted to for this reason. I noticed other people leaving the band room to sit outside, and even heard some of the musicians come out of there saying "I can't hear anything!" and looking distressed. Your staff were kind enough to hand out earplugs and everyone going in wore them but SO DID the musicians on stage to protect themselves. I'm sorry, but there was something very wrong with the room, the layout/setup, the acoustics or the mix for the volume to be so very painful. Going to listen to live music should not require ear protection in a small venue like that. Nor should musicians playing have to plug their ears which then stopped them hearing themselves or band members. It was meant to be fun but it was not an enjoyable experience and quite shocking to think that this is what "listening to live music" entails. That your staff were handing out earplugs, means you are aware of this problem. Please can you reconsider your sound levels or acoustics as we would gladly return for live music if it was possible to be in the same room as the performances.