redbandit599 Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 Hi all Had my first ever silent practice with my new band last week. It was damn good! We noticed that we all tucked in easily to the guitarists conservatory and thought, if we stuck up the little pa maybe with a small sub (electric kit, no backline) we could do house parties! Anyone done this or promoted the option? I suspect it could be 'interesting' 😳 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 5, 2017 Share Posted May 5, 2017 I've done these gigs with full backline and drum kit. Nothing wrong if you've got the room. We played in the hall, back room and one house had a full sized ballroom. Then there's patios, marquees and lawns. Playing for friends and functions for customers, you adjust to the different circumstances. Then it's just another gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Back in the 80s we always used to play in people houses. Maybe people aren't so trusting now and you hear some real horror stories about Facebook invitations going wrong. You can't beat a good old school house party. People rammed into a house lining the stars, filling the lounge and kitchen, band in the dining room. Smokers out in the garden. Bring in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrunoBass Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 We've done house parties before, we've got a barbecue / pool party to play in a few weeks. Can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Be mindful that the house you play at hasn't been served a noise abatement order previously (though I doubt the occupant would tell you even if it had). If they have been served such notice, a further noisy party could see council officers turning up to issue fixed penalty notices and seizing noisemaking equipment, which could include the band amps and PA. Personally, I'd stick to licenced premises with proper insurance, and not just because house parties are anti-social. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Back in the late 80s we played a house party and it was reviewed in the NME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Watch out Mr Blobby does not stand on your monitors.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I have played house parties before. You need a very quiet drummer who can play with brushes and preferably a large house away from neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Think how you would feel if it was happening next door to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I'd be wondering why the drummer sounds so bad, playing with brushes, then I'd wonder where my invite was. Never mind I'd turn up anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Given half the gig we have played in the last year have been to no more than 20 people, playing in someone's living room would probably still not be classed as a packed venue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1494070037' post='3293003'] Think how you would feel if it was happening next door to you. [/quote] Many years ago our band lived together in a housing co-op house on a lovely square in Pimlico - the whole side of the square, which was large enough to have St Paul's School cricket pitch in the middle,was occupied by co-op folks, so it was a mixture of crusties and punks and ne'er do wells... We were looked down on by the folks who actually owned houses there, despite the fact that we were always friendly, left no mess and were very considerate and were at least 100m from them... So when we finally got our notice to leave (as is the case with co-ops!) we decided to have a rather large party complete with our band, house DJ and a 5kW PA - we invited all the neighbours, especially the snotty ones, but none came. But at about 2am 2 police vans did turn up, and were very keen for us to turn it down. But I'll never forget the look on the police inspector's face as, while telling us to stop the racket, our roadie's large dog gently brushed through the copper's legs without him noticing what it was. All he would have felt was the fluffer's touch [i]down there [/i]- he very quickly left. We did then turn down the music, having had a thoroughly lovely time; in fact Jimbob from Carter USM even broke his arm falling down the stairs. And we didn't feel bad about the neighbours who'd only acknowledged our presence by ignoring and complaining about us to the police... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I've played a couple of house parties in the past. Drummer would either use the lekky kit or a cajon. A few times it was bass, guitar & mandolin. They went acoustic with me using a wee combo. Always been houses away from anywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1494068312' post='3292979'] I have played house parties before. You need a very quiet drummer who can play with brushes and preferably a large house away from neighbours. [/quote] Or alternatively you only have a party once or twice a year, finish the live music at a reasonable time and don't give anyone any reason to complain. If you're playing in a front room, you really don't need anything bigger than 100w bass rig and if the drum owner can't keep his drumming down to that level don't elevate him to drummer status. In fact, if we all played at this level in pubs we'd get a much better reaction from landlords, punters and their neighbours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted May 6, 2017 Author Share Posted May 6, 2017 Some great stories here all- sounds a laugh. Our drummer has an electric kit, so we're thinking all in the pa. No backline and easy to control volume as well as less space needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 (edited) My first ever gig was at a house party. One of the lads from school lived in a massive, as in two staircases, wine cellar and a half mile driveway, mansion. His parents went away and he decided to hold a 'small gathering'. Purely by word of mouth (this was pre internet and pre mobile phone) the news spread and on the night around 300 kids from town somehow made their way to his small village and crashed the party. Total carnage. Fights, the discovery and subsequent emptying of the wine cellar, fag burns all over the carpet. Human effluent on the walls. People shagging in the gardens. The police turned up and left again then returned with a riot van. I've never experienced anything like it before or since. How was the gig ? We were awful. Nobody cared. Classic night. Edited May 6, 2017 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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