When two 8x10's just are not enough! Great style and playing though.

[Diablo]

Was at the Toseland gig last night at the Academy in Newcastle, probably around 2-300 people there I'd guess. They changed bassists some time last year and Roger Davis is the current guy.

http://www.acm.ac.uk/roger-davis/

They put on a great show. Roger was playing a Spector and I think he played with a pick all night. Running that into an Ampeg ST Pro head and an 8x10 Ampeg classic stack each side of the drummer. It was good to watch and listen to. He ran a wireless setup so could move around the stage easily. With a guitarist each side he moved well, covering the stage and either dropping behind the lead singer, one of the guitarists, or with the drummer as the song and atmosphere required. He was also not afraid to move to the front occasionally and give it some front of stage. It was one of the best bass performances I've seen for a very long time.

I spoke to him afterwards and he said he was fully cranked and still having trouble being heard, he had to stand in front of one of the two stacks to hear himself! I could never image running out of headroom with that kit, but they seemed to be struggling with mix a bit at least at the start of the night, something about a new digital desk playing up.

I contrast this with one of the support bands who shall remain nameless and committed so many faux-pas events I went home thinking my bands efforts are actually good enough to hold our own. I've always been told, and with the guys in my band too, we never ever stop if someone messes up. Just keep going, lock back in, and it is likely that at least half the punters never even noticed. This band played the intro to their song (their own material so unlikely anyone had heard it) then just all stopped. Singer turns to audience and says he forgot the words to go in with. If the band had carried on and rolled the riff round while singer remembered, I'm sure no-one in there would have noticed. Why on earth did they stop?


The major crimes against music were committed by the bass player. He spent half the gig gurning and pointing his PJ at the ceiling whilst standing legs akimbo or up on a monitor. You couldn't hear him, he was totally lost with a little Ashdown combo going up against a fully mic'ed up drum kit and a big Marshall lead stack. Now pulling faces and doing all that stuff can have its place, but you will all know where a bass guitar sits when you stand in a normal playing position. Yes it covers your belly button and crotch area. Now picture the scene of a bassists going for it, one foot high up a monitor stood front of stage pointing the headstock at the ceiling, lapping up all that attention the crowd are giving you. The only snag here is that no-one told him his flies were undone and every time he pulled this cool stunt he revealed his Y fronts to the assembled mass. Now do same stunt 5 times a song for a half hour set, it does NOT look cool any more...

So, go and watch Roger Davis if you get chance, and always check your wardrobe before going on stage.

Cheers,
Rich

[Tom Brookes Music]

Hmm they're playing Stoke this week I think. Worth a trip? As a motogp fan I was a bit of a JT fanboi!

[grunge666]

I know Roger, since school days - rival school and rival bands. He was in Marshall Law previously. He's a great bass player and landed a righteous gig with Toseland.
He used to play Kramers but, obviously saw the light with Spectors!

[Simon.]

If he's struggling to hear himself on stage with that rig, then I think they need to start asking some serious questions about overall stage volume! Surely asking for long term hearing damage...

Have heard a couple of Toseland tracks on the radio & quite liked them.

[Diablo]

I'd certainly say go and see them - it was only £7 a ticket last night, cheaper than the local RnB club here in Darlington. I don't understand, the quality of the Toseland performance was very high bar the couple of issues with the mix/levels. I would have thought they would be playing bigger places, but I suppose they have only just released their first album and I think it charted last week at no 64. "The Road Is Long" as the Righteous Brothers once said.

Cheers,
Rich

[cetera]

Sounds to me like he needs to EQ his rig a little better as Spectors punch like hell..... However, if he had a smiley face EQ set up on his amps then all punch would be lost....

[Delberthot]

Saw them tonight supporting the Quo. The bass sounded great out front. The singer has a bit of David Coverdale in his voice. I thought they were a good band overall.

[xgsjx]

There's every chance it could be the 2 8x10s were causing the problem, cancelling each other out maybe?