All Activity

Agreed, you really have to make the best of it. All bands are going to be faced with a gig that goes south sooner or later. Just don't carry around a lot of guilt over it. It's usually not the bands fault Daryl

One open-mic night near my friend's house where we rehearse. Hoping to go there soon.

The ZZ Top song or the Motorhead EP? 😂

Yes I’m impressed with the build quality. It’s nice hunk of maple - perhaps they were a bit more selective on woods for the anniversary series.

I don't notice any drug activity within the band, however I do get concerned with the amount of alcohol consumed. Daryl

Hope the old problem clears up quickly...

I've not read all of the posts, but the vast majority of them seem to be about things people do not like rather than prejudices. The definition of a prejudice is "opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience." Here's mine. Bass players have poor reading comprehension ...🫣

Dave, I think this was our 4th year playing The Precinct on New Year's Eve. I think the owner is a cousin of our band leader. Another nice touch, the chef prepared meals for the band after the show. Daryl

Looking at the JO5, it hasn't got a separate battery compartment so it means removing the control plate to change the battery. @kiat, what batteries are you using, and where do you get them from? And how many hours of playing do you get out of them?

I’ve found that it’s the so called “normal” people who when they take stuff like coke that then become a-holes, punks/skins/bikers/metallers, whatever they’ve been taking whenever I’ve been around I’ve never seen anything like that. Even the hardened football hooligans on the punk scene seem to be able to keep themselves in line when drunk/drugged.

Nice! Where you based?

Well, there’ll be a cuppa, bass natter and mebbe some biscuits awaiting when you do!

Altho i come from a background of rock music, bands and bikes i've never really found myself around people that take drugs so i never really know how they react especially coke. My friends were more beer drinkers than hell raisers. (see who gets that 😎) Dave

I'm ruining a clean sheet. . . picking up 2 cabs tomorrow. . . . and looking at a couple of basses next week!

They only seem to sell roland items, and their vat number is real, so probably real, even if it is a private house. Maybe they just get demo stuff

On to the next gig and don't look back. Very unusual for a New Years Eve gig to sink. Nice basses. Happy New Year Marksbunney Daryl

That sounds very positive! Nice - and very good of you to share it with the staff

I like that. Giving some of the tips to the bar staff is a very nice touch. Towards the end of our gigs we always thank the venue, organiser, bar staff and of course the audience for spending their hard earned cash to buy tickets for the show. Dave

Ok, New Year’s Eve gig with Electrik Soup last night. We’re a 90s/00s indie classics band, and we were at The Hare & Hounds in Claygate, nice to get out of that London for a change. Kick-off was 9pm, but we had an early load-in because the venue was doing a three-course dinner. I gave the vocalist a lift and we got there around 5pm; rest of the band were already in with kit and PA set up. I got my bass rig up but couldn’t soundcheck until later. Fortunately, we had a band tab, so some complimentary food was very welcome. No booze for me though as I was driving. I was using my TC Electronic BH800 bass amp with a SpectraComp in one of the Tone Print slots, honestly, how good are they‽ Great definition across all notes and it really cut through nicely, even with 2 guitars. Punters drifted in and out earlier on, but it started filling up properly around 9. First set got polite applause more than anything. It was the acoustic set that really warmed them up, and then we absolutely stormed the second electric set. The Guvnor had asked us to give the usual “get your drinks in” announcement at 11:30pm as the bar shut at midnight. We finished the last song with about 20 seconds to spare before the countdown, then went straight into our own take on Auld Lang Syne. Started off mellow and ended in a raucous thrash 😁 Audience loved it. Loads of nice comments afterwards. We played really well overall, no major mistakes. A couple of intros got extended, but the band just rolled with it and no one would’ve known it wasn’t intentional. Load-out was brass monkeys. First time this winter I’ve had to scrape ice off the car windows. All in all, cracking NYE gig and a great way to see the year out. Gear: Shuker 3 → Getaria wireless → TC Electronic BH800 → TecAmp 2x12 (upgraded speakers). DI to PA from the amp. Footwear report: blue ASICS trainers.

Coke has a lot to answer for too. It turns people into arrogant a***holes. We've played a few times in places where there's a bit of a "culture" - only the once though. We don't need that kind of hassle.

Thanks Dave, I think New Years Eve gigs are " slam dunk" for most bands. For me the fact the dep drummer did a good job was a huge relief. I'm looking forward to doing more shows with him. Our band leader thinks he's a good fit for the band. They think he has the right stage presence for the band . He just needs to do a few more gigs with us to get more familiar with the songs. Tips were generous an extra $125.00 for everybody. We don't do this but a punter walked the tip jar around the room. We also give some of the tip money to the bar and wait staff. Happy New Year ! Daryl

Have I told you lately - Sir Rodney