bassbiscuits

I average about 20-30 gigs a year, so a couple a month usually. That’s enough for me with family, kids, studies and work.

I have NYXLs on both my Yamahas which have been on for about a year maybe and still sound fine. The P bass has old Labella flat wounds on it. I bought them secondhand on Basschat about five years ago so no idea of their true age but they sound lush and have done a load of gigs with me.

Have recently discovered the Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow and fallen in love with it.

Much the same with O’Neills in Leicester. Decent pub gig which I’ve done many times over the years, can get a bit rowdy, but stuck in a pedestrianised section of The Lanes in the old bit of the city centre with a terrible job to load in. Parking anywhere nearby is also in very short supply making it all more of a mission than it should be.

And because drunk people sing and dance to it.

Likewise Mrs Bassbiscuits is very cool about my various basses, acoustic guitars, amps etc. I also cringe when I read those “have to hide it from my wife” type For Sale threads. She doesn’t regularly come to my gigs unless they are really cool ones like Alexandra Palace or some special occasion. But she’s 100% supportive of my gigging, and I just make sure that I’m useful when I am around the house to pay back her kindness.

Also Amy Winehouse at V Festival, Staffordshire, in 2009 I think. At the height of her “tabloid fodder” period unfortunately. Band started up, no sign of Amy for a good ten mins until she stumbled onto the stage. Show was an absolute shambles. Clearly was in a bad place at the time and sadly it showed.

Ryan Adams at Leicester DMH in 2015. Curiously he played rhythm guitar with his own support band which I thought was quite cool. But once the main set started he was dreadful. Seemed half asleep, lacklustre, lots of mumbling banter and pointless jokes no one could understand. He only played one song I even vaguely recognised, and that was played at a half-speed dirge. So disappointing.

Del Amitri in Sheffield Leadmill in December. Been a lifelong fan of theirs since hearing them on Steve Wright in the Afternoon back in the 1980s, but never been to see them. Time is running out to see them perform I suspect, with Justin’s Parkinson’s diagnosis. Also my missus has got us tickets for The Darkness in Leicester next year. It’s only a few miles from our house so it would be rude not to frankly.

Er not on this occasion! But I got a damp cloth out this morning and got all the grime off it.

Possibly my last gig at Leicester’s legendary music venue The Donkey. It’s changing hands next month and no certainty it will continue to host live music. We (the Andy Wales Band) stepped in last minute to do this gig, and there was a fairly good turn out of appreciative people including some unexpected old friends and familiar faces along the way. On a geeky note I was glad to be back to my Markbass head and cab after the last few gigs for which I’ve used an Ashdown head - nice sound, but just not for me. Bass is filthy and sweaty this morning - usually the sign of a good, loud, hot gig in my books.

Thanks all - some good ideas there. I’ve gone with some tape for now but I’ve got some back up ideas from you if that doesn’t work. Nice one.

Midway thru rejigging my pedalboard for acoustic guitar and realising that while some pedals adhere nicely to Velcro strips or dual lock, some (seem to be mainly the budget mini pedals like Mooer, Landlord etc) won’t stay stuck at all. The rubber bottom seems to resist anything, even gaffer tape. What’s that all about, and any suggestions to get around it? I was going to create a base from gaffer or electrical tape attached to the pedal’s metal sides and extending underneath it if all else fails. Hmm.

Yes please. Pm Incoming

Dua Lipa - Don’t Start Now Moloko - The Time Is Now Portugal the Man - Feel It Still Chemical Brothers - In Dust We Trust Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke Ian Dury - Rhythm Stick Must be loads of others over the years but they’re all ones that have made me sit up and go “ooh hello - what’s going on there then?”

Best gaffer taped to the stage too - I found this to my cost at outdoor dep gig when my cheat sheet blew away during the first song.

I don’t mind using a music stand for prompts when I’m singing - I don’t need words for every song, but a few sketched notes needed for some (off to one side rather than bang in front of me). What did annoy me was the frontman of a band I used to play with who had all the lyrics on an iPad and would stop between every song to scroll through to different songs (they weren’t arranged in a set list or anything for easy access). It was very effective at killing any momentum there might have been and emptying the dance floor in one fell swoop. I’d have rather just busked it and fluffed the words!

Set ups, action, truss rod, intonation and soldering - yep all good. Nuts and saddles - with care (I’m thinking acoustic guitar bone saddles) Fret work - nope. That’s one for the professionals.

For many years I only owned one giggable bass, and one of the biggest gigs I’ve done was a festival in Poland where I could only take one bass. Just made sure it was a reliable one. Jury’s out on local pub gigs tho. I’ve never needed a back up in 30+ years of gigging but I habitually take two amp heads and two basses whenever I can. Last few gigs I’ve tempted fate and taken just one of everything, and tried not to let it freak me out too much!