Norris

When we took the gig it didn't register that it was Burns night. I arrived first to find a very loud piper in full flow on the stage! We therefore had a slight delay getting the kit in. The plate of haggis, tatties and neeps with whisky sauce while we were setting up was very nice though. We are not a Scottish music band at all, but we did play a few songs by Scottish artists or fabricated tenuous Scottish links to the songs we did. I don't think we upset too many of the folk in tartan, although one guy did ask if we could play properly. When we said no he just said "Ah, crack on then" 😂 The place was quite busy and very hot when we started around 4pm. It was a bit of a relief that it thinned out slightly as it went on. We were all starting to flag a little by the time we finished though. The trusty Stingish bass and Rumble were in action again. I also gave my Solovair boots a run out for a change - not quite as comfy as my DMs yet though, so I'm glad to be at home in my slippers now 😜

Looks like there are a few of us then!

Whatever bass you can think of, Sire have made a cheaper copy - and usually decent quality

Sterling Ray-5 (£449 from Anderton's) Retrovibe Stinger preamp (£95 from Retrovibe) Darn it, broke your budget so you can't sound as good as me 😜 ... unless you buy used... Edit: ah - just noticed that's too tight string spacing for you. Ah well.

Twee but catchy

The guitarist just messaged with another gig for the book. He didn't really fancy it so slapped an extra 50% on what we normally charge, and they went for it without hesitation - sweet! A fat wedge always helps the night pass quicker 😂

Boost/cut/whatever - it's a great upgrade over a cheaper pre. It transformed the sound of my Sterling Sub5.

Standing room only at the Griff and Coton Club in Nuneaton. We were half expecting an empty room, but far from it. It seems we had drawn a few in - we overhead one woman say it's the first time she had been in the place in over 30 years! 😂 A really good crowd. It took a little while to get them dancing, but then they didn't stop. My sound was strange in the first spot, which I put down to the really low ceiling in the "stage" area and fact I wasn't on top of the amp for a change so could hear it better. However then I noticed the knobs for the mids had been knocked up accidentally. I set them back to flat and all was well in Rumble world again. Many compliments and shaking of hands afterwards. The only slight disappointment were the cheese and onion cobs - we've had better.

£200? Is it the 1970s?! 😂

No, but it does help to remove the existing solder, meaning there's less left to heat and keep melted. Especially if you're struggling with an underpowered iron.

Maybe a solder sucker might have helped. Cheap ones are only a couple of quid.

That does look an interesting venue! Nice to hear from someone else that uses the same kit most of the time 😂

You can only laugh sometimes. As long as it doesn't become a habit 😂

We packed the Conny at Thurmaston - standing room only, so happy with that. Plenty of dancing going on too. We even got complaints from staff who were on a night off, but had to help out because it was so busy 😂 I have pretty much settled on the Stingish bass as it's now just so comfortable to play, and I think I prefer a 2-band pre tbh. The Rumble v3 500 combo certainly isn't going anywhere. Even the black DMs are getting to be standard gig equipment. Just the one gig this weekend. I quite like a slower start to the year after all the December/Christmas/NYE rush just gone.

Is that the one that was up for sale on here a few months ago? I oggled that a few times! Nice

... and what a great bit of kit it is, the Ferrofish B4000+. Sounds great even through the line input of my PF-85. Thanks again @bass_dinger.

Another seamless transaction with @ash, this time buying a Ferrofish B4000+ organ module from him. It arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. Thanks again!

Good to hear!

They were just hellraisers, not beer drinkers too iirc

The ZZ Top song or the Motorhead EP? 😂

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

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.

"Have you improved?" - one of the stranger questions I've been asked. It turns out he thought we had since he last saw us. Anyway NYE proper (we played last night too) was a great night. The place was rammed, plenty of dancing. Mrs Norris even had a couple more glasses of prosecco than she would normally drink. The small stage extension I was on made for an interesting sound. (Photo taken during drum solo) The place had apparently not been as full since covid. Fabulous night, lots of nice comments and compliments. Have a great new year!

We've done this New Year's Eve Eve gig for a few years now and it's always a sell-out. It's in the small village of Twyford and seems that most of the villagers were there, probably for the excellent buffet! I'm glad I took the day off as we do it all again tonight...

I read that and didn't actually register what it was. I have a set of Roland PK-6 pedals sitting here too... ... I just checked my old PMs - I bought those pedals from @ash 😂