Gary Barlow on ITV

[The Admiral]

Well, i think this is turning out to be the best music show on tv this Christmas/New Year. Great songs, fantastic band including the freaky upside down left handed bass work of Lee Pomeroy, and excellent guests - including James Corden, who can sing pretty well and camped it up on 'Pray' a treat, including some nifty dance moves. iMHO it's been a woeful time for tv this year and I'd given up hope of anything enjoyable, then the Mrs put this on.

Oh, and some very nice Yummy Mummies in the crowd too!

[chrismuzz]

it looked like it was going to be a fantasic show, but the style of music is not my cup of tea, and Terminator 2 is on the other side

Still, interesting to discover that James Corden can sing! I'm one of the few people in the world who actually like the guy!

Edited January 1, 2013 by chrismuzz

[fender73]

Have had the pleasure of meeting Lee a couple of times. Super nice guy and a great player.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1357077925' post='1917320']
Well, i think this is turning out to be the best music show on tv this Christmas/New Year. Great songs, fantastic band including the freaky upside down left handed bass work of Lee Pomeroy, and excellent guests - including James Corden, who can sing pretty well and camped it up on 'Pray' a treat, including some nifty dance moves. iMHO it's been a woeful time for tv this year and I'd given up hope of anything enjoyable, then the Mrs put this on.

Oh, and some very nice Yummy Mummies in the crowd too!
[/quote]

I agree. Nicole schersingwhatshername strutting her stuff in kinky boots was also a nice distraction!

[Dingus]

Out there on some BBC Introducing website or other is Lee Pomeroy along with Take Thats guitar tech Deptford John giving a bit of a masterclass to a group of aspirant young musicians . Well worth watching , and he does indeed seem like a very nice bloke .

[LiamPodmore]

James is a surprisingly good singer. He threw out Don't Stop Me Now on an episode of A League Of Their Own a few months ago with the cast of We Will Rock You. I wish Peter Kay would sing properly as well, even just once. It's quite obvious he's hiding a pretty good voice under all those gimicks.

Liam

[The Admiral]

Great interview wih Lee here : http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/may08/articles/leepomeroy.htm

[Leonard Smalls]

I wasn't able to watch it as my dog's teeth needing flossing...

[dmccombe7]

not my first choice either.
i watched a pre-recorded Stephen King movie Bag of Bones which was ok but far better than Gary Barlow IMO.
Dave

[geoffbassist]

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1357080677' post='1917379']
Great interview wih Lee here : http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/may08/articles/leepomeroy.htm
[/quote]

I love this. Thanks for sharing!

[nottswarwick]

It's on itv again now fyi

[mrmcgoo1964]

What kind of bass is that lee pomeroy is playing at the start of the show before he change to the Rickenbacker?

[The Admiral]

From the Take That fan forum (and no, I am not a member - I found it on Google!). Really interesting to see why he got the gig!


PM: How did all these different gigs come about? Is it always through personal recommendation?
LP: "Every gig I've ever had has been through word of mouth; Lewis Taylor, Archive, Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler, Take That all personal recommendations. I've even just done a gig with the Sugababes.
Take That came about through Adam Wakeman. I was working in my studio one day and had just found out that Lewis Taylor's US tour had been cancelled, so I was feeling a bit down. Adam rang me and said, 'I've just recommended you for a gig.' I said, 'Great, who is it?' And he said, 'Don't laugh it's Take That.' So, of course, I laughed! I thought it was a wind-up. But he said, 'No, I'm serious. There are a few others up for it, but Mike Stevens [Take That's Musical Director] wants a bass player who can sing.' I've always sung backing vocals in all the bands I've been in. I got a call from Mike and arranged to meet him in London. We had a chat, and the next day he called me and said, 'I'm going to take a chance. I've not even heard you play, but Adam says you're bang on. And you can sing. So it's yours if you want it.' So, basically, I got the gig more on the strength of my singing than my bass playing."
PM: Presumably you weren't that familiar with most of Take That's material? How did you go about learning everything?
LP: "I knew a couple of their big hits, but that was about it, so I bought their 'best of' album, shoved it in the car's CD player and that was it. I'm lucky to have pretty much a photographic memory when it comes to music. Usually, I can listen to a song and get it first time. Some of the more complicated prog rock stuff might need a second run-through, but I always learn songs in my head before I even pick up the bass. Often, I arrive at a first rehearsal without ever having actually played the tunes. I never write anything down; I don't want to rely on bits of paper. If you go on stage and you've lost your crib sheets, you're stuffed. I have to know the songs — that way I can immerse myself in the music."
PM: I suppose it was inevitable, with your prog rock background, that people would take the *** a little when you joined a boy band?
LP: "Yes, they did. But the people who laughed weren't musicians. Other musicians recognized that it's a good gig, and a very high-profile gig at that. Whatever people may think about Take That, they are great at what they do. The stage show is unbelievable, with fire and pyrotechnics and huge back-projections. To be part of something like that — something so big — has been amazing for me. It's a different discipline to what I normally play because with most of the other bands I'm involved in, there's an element of improvisation, particularly with Rick. With Take That, it's very much a discipline of playing straight down the line, but making sure it grooves and has real energy. Often, I'm singing completely against the rhythm of what I'm playing on bass and I've had to learn to lock the two things together a lot more."
PM: It was never an issue that you don't read music?
LP: "Not at all. We had six weeks of rehearsal before the first gig, so it was not a problem. Mike Stevens is basically looking for people who can play and are into what they're doing, but are also easy to get on with. That's the key when you're touring; just be a nice chap and have a good vibe about you. That's the way to get work. If you're a superb player, but a pain in the ***, you'll never get asked. The world is full of phenomenal musicians who are so up themselves that they are really difficult to be around. Being on the road with difficult people is really draining.
The Take That tour has been one of the best touring experiences I've ever had. It's like a big family. The crew are great, the musicians are great, the dancers are great, and they're all very loyal to the band. Mike Stevens and most of the musicians have been around since the early '90s, which tells you a great deal. We've also got a lot more in common than you might think. Milton McDonald, the guitar player, is a massive Rush fan. Bernie Smith, the keyboard player, is a huge Genesis fan. Mike Stevens, the MD, is a fan of Yes and Gentle Giant. Gary Barlow told me he likes some of the later Yes albums. So within Take That there are also all these closet prog rock fans. It's one of the reasons we all get on so well."
PM: So how does it feel to walk out onto that stage in front of 60,000 screaming girls?
LP: "It's absolutely brilliant! We did two nights at Milton Keynes Bowl in front of 65,000, and the first night we stepped out on that stage I just kept thinking, 'Genesis played here when they reformed with Peter Gabriel in '82, Queen played here and I've got that gig on DVD' All these bands that I knew and loved, and I was standing there on the same stage, seeing what they saw. I've played bigger gigs, but always as a support act. This felt really special because we were headlining. We also did the Royal Variety Performance and the Princess Diana concert at Wembley this year. And this European tour we're just about to start is taking in some pretty major venues as well. I was pretty nervous at first, but now I just look around the stage and I'm surrounded by all my mates in the band and having such a good time. I almost feel guilty getting paid."

[Donnyboy]

I did like it, good band.

[Leonard Smalls]

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1357253243' post='1920042']
It's on itv again now fyi
[/quote]
That reminds me, must nip out and clean the gutters...

[oldslapper]

This needs to be a sticky,

"... That's the key when you're touring; just be a nice chap and have a good vibe about you. That's the way to get work. If you're a superb player, but a pain in the ***, you'll never get asked. The world is full of phenomenal musicians who are so up themselves that they are really difficult to be around. Being on the road with difficult people is really draining."

[risingson]

[quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1357290064' post='1920314']
This needs to be a sticky,

"... That's the key when you're touring; just be a nice chap and have a good vibe about you. That's the way to get work. If you're a superb player, but a pain in the ***, you'll never get asked. The world is full of phenomenal musicians who are so up themselves that they are really difficult to be around. Being on the road with difficult people is really draining."
[/quote]

Definitely. I don't know Lee but I know Phil Mulford and he says that he's a thoroughly nice chap, as well as being a cracking bass player to boot.