Alfie Noakes

Job done - that @RussFM is a top chap. Basschat at its finest. My wife was amazed at the amount of trust going on, but it’s commonplace on here, innit? 😎

A massive thank you to Russ, who transported my Bongo from his place in the West Midlands to my buyer in Leeds. A top Basschatter, and then some. @RussFM - you’re a star.

Yup, almost certainly. PM’d.

Me too - he’s one of the (many) good guys on here.

General Discussion? Well it is bass-related. I have a bass in Devon; @Bassmonkey lives in Leeds and wants it. Anyone going that way, this Saturday (May 20th) onwards? Asking for a friend…..and myself. If you don’t ask, and all that. Happy to chip in to fuel costs.

Thanks for the photo and nice words, Gasman. It was an honour to be your first ‘Basschatter in the flesh’ but I’m sure you’ll like any of others on here too, if and when you meet them. Also, thanks for an unusually well organised festival - the stories of previous shambles elsewhere deserves its own thread. Sorry we couldn’t hang around for your set, but after three gigs in three days at our age, bed rest and the medicine from matron was well overdue 😎

I think I might 'win' for this weekend just gone, if you indeed call it winning....... The venue was an engagement party at a rugby club in a fairly rough town in Somerset. The bride to be was slightly overweight, and in a short-ish glittery red dress. The groom to be was rather thin, and appeared to be missing some of his upper row of teeth. Both were probably in their late forties. The first set went well playing-wise, but with a limited crowd reaction, mainly some head nodding and clapping but without leaving the table, or indeed even getting up. However, the bride to be was almost constantly dancing and trying to cajole others to join in, bless her. The odd one or two did, briefly, then sat down again. At half time we all felt a bit 'meh', agreed it was just 'one of those parties', and the drummer said "I hope we don't get the wedding gig". Two songs into the second set, in the middle of a (requested) Wonderwall, and a very flustered barmaid came running up to me saying "Stop playing, stop everything, the party is over". I thought Wonderwall was sounding just fine, too. None of us like it, but I'd assumed we'd hidden that fact rather well. However, said barmaid went on to explain that there was a lady who'd taken ill in the toilets and an ambulance was on its way. She also said that at a wake a few weeks ago someone else had collapsed but "the rest just kept on enjoying themselves, and I'm not having that again". Okay, noted, and we started to pack down, just as the main room lights came on. The next update was about five minutes later, when we were told that it was actually the bride to be who'd collapsed, she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped, but the deployed defibrillator had done its job, and she was coming round slowly. We asked that our collective best wishes be passed on to her, and fully observed the gravitas of the situation whilst packing down in virtual silence. She left in the ambulance whilst we carried on putting everything away and loading out, and randomly glancing in the general direction of the bar in amazement................where we could still see the groom to be, with his pint, propping up the bar i.e. certainly not in the ambulance, and definitely not hotfooting it to the hospital, to be with his betrothed. His friends occasionally put a consoling arm around him. Oh well, what works for some couples doesn't always work for others, I guess. Afterwards, we deduced that we probably wouldn't get the wedding gig after all. People, eh?

My covers band is Turnette Doone Named by a Scottish sound engineer many years ago, and long before I joined them, at their first gig. The following historic exchange works best with a very broad Scottish accent where appropriate.... Scottish sound engineer: "What's yer name?" Band: "We haven't got one" Scottish sound engineer: "Yer far too 'effin loud - turnette doone!!!" And thus Turnette Doone was created.

Our return to The Coach House, Paignton on Saturday night was well received, although it could have been just a bit busier. Still, those there were very complimentary. Second outing for the Stealth Bongo, and absolutely loving it. Also, second assault on my headstock by the guitarist’s Pete Townsend windmill impression during Won’t Get Fooled Again (as per last week, and first Bongo outing), and still no dink.

Second gig for the Stealth Bongo, and probably 50+ gig for the Mesa Subway D800+ amp and Subway cabs. Love the rig, and really loving the Bongo, which kinda surprised me. I had one before, and we didn’t gel, but boy have I gelled with this one. None more black, eh?

Just sold a Hercules hanger to Tim- first rate chap. Phil

Just sold some Hercules hangers to Merton - first rate chap. Phil

Sold a pedal to Andy, and he was an absolute pleasure to deal with - thank you. Phil