chris_b

This. My version is, every gig is the Albert hall. Several times I've been asked to join bands because the band leader liked what he saw, and one of them was the proverbial man and a dog gig. Every time you have a bass on your shoulder you should be giving 110%.

And the 70's. I used to go up to Denmark Street on a Wednesday afternoon, to buy the early edition and get to the good adverts before the rest of the country.

No. . . . if the audience doesn't turn up you are playing to the promoter and trying to prove to him that you are worth booking again. . . . on a better night or in a better venue.

We were on a wedding and the singer was playing his usual, blues/soul set and not going down well at all. He kept complaining about the disinterested audience. In the interval I took him aside and pointed out they were not an audience, but wedding guests and his second set should reflect that! Talk about the bleedin obvious!! He dug out some proper songs and the second set got a much better response from the guests.

I felt sorry for one couple whose wedding reception we played. We were a pretty authentic Chicago blues band and they said we've got a gig, a wedding!!! Me, alarm bells ringing, "A wedding? We can't do weddings, we're not a wedding band!!" They said, Yeah it'll be great. The bride's father is a big fan of the band. We set up in a big barn in mid Surrey and played the whole night to an empty room. As far as I could see, the reception took place in the car park!!

Ahh Melody Maker!

I gig with a band who plays Hi Ho Silver Lining, All Or Nothing, Hi Heel Sneakers and others because of the reaction. The crowd goes crazy!! The landlord loves them, other landlords see that and give the band gigs, and so it goes. We also play "better" less popular songs but the guaranteed floor fillers are always in there. If you're in a cover band maximum audience reaction should be the goal.

I've played hundreds of gigs at The Grey Horse. It used to be run by guys who were only interested in selling beer and didn't care about the music. Some bands could pack the place to illegal levels and others couldn't get half a dozen in. I've done both! The pub did no promotion at all. It was then taken over by a landlord/musician and things improved a lot. Our weekly jam nights were usually packed and Sunday lunch sessions in the front bar were always full.

I'm not sure about that. Many years ago we had a slot at the Reading Festival that was a real poison chalice. We were on between Status Quo and The Faces. Quo fans didn't want them to stop and Faces fans didn't want to waste time with us, so we were being booed by everyone in the festival! A Party 7 sailed out of the darkness, bounced off the piano and, fortunately, over our heads. At least in a small venue you can see who the enemy is!

Depends on the musicians. Obviously a full room is preferable, but I can play easily to an empty room if the band, the drummer and the set are good. Also, if the only person watching is the promoter then you've got to give 110%, to prove that the empty room is not your fault.

Very sensible. Most people underestimate how bad they look on a stage wearing shorts. I used to gig with a guitarist who had ultra thin, ultra white and hairless pipe cleaner legs. With his rotund torso he looked like a joke in his shorts. It was beyond embarrassing. I've done many stupid things in my life but gigging in shorts was never one of them.

Diplomacy is always the best option. All questions like, "Does my bum look big in this!" etc are better left unanswered. IMO there is no good part of a sh!t sandwich. So leave the autopsy for the band.

That's why I emphasise buying good cabs. The best cabs will combat that woolly/boomy-ness in bad rooms.

I've done charity gigs that I've been paid for and I have no problem with free charity gigs, as long as we are not being taken for mugs. So far I've never met a band that where playing in other bands was forbidden. I've been in a couple who insisted their gigs came first, but that was understood from the outset. Back in the day, when I was on a retainer I did more gigs with the pub band than I did with the main band. The drummer was also in a second band. As long as we were available whenever the phone rang, it didn't matter what we did with our "downtime". I wouldn't have anything to do with someone trying to control when, where and with whom I played.