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Your first ever gig


interpol52

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Age 22

Location: The Saddle Inn - Chester

Bass: Yamaha BB1200

Amp: Trace Eliot 4x10 Combo

Set List: 50% Originals - based around what we were listening to at the time. The other 50% made up of covers and reflected what we were listening to at the time - but included - Zoot Allures - Zappa, Cruise Control - The Dregs, Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson, Noticeable One - Missing Persons, Garageband -- The Clash amongst others

It was a ton of fun - fondly remembered.

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Murray's bar, Scarborough 2002

Age 18

Bass: Kramer fretless 5 (gigged it twice last month, love it)

Amp: whatever backline was there

Set list: the original songs from my band, Guantanamo followed by our Hendrix medley. It went incredibly well, even though I played part of the Hendrix medley into he wrong key! Which is quite hard to do when the whole thing was deliberately in E to make the medley easier.

I wore a band t-shirt, khaki jeans and some really crappy trainers. I looked terrible. It was a local live music all day event. Our slot kept getting pushed further and further back, but when we got on we loved it. The guitarist and drummer were loads more experienced than me, and excellent at what they did, and I just played simple baselines with the odd fill or slide. Will never forget it. To keep cool I decided to "entwistle" it by standing still and looking moody... People kept coming up mid set to ask if I was ok!

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[quote name='Steve Browning' timestamp='1507210593' post='3383955']
The Adelphi? Do you have the obligatory photo taken in the Gents?
[/quote]

Given the fact that I was always hammered in those days, it`s quite possible it happened, but I`ve no recollection of it. Did use to love playing there though, always a great gig.

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Having come to music late, first gig was when i was 42. Having no friends that played instruments, wanting to play in a band and having only picked the bass up 18 months before, I signed up for Get Rocking in Guildford, which is for 'mature' musicians to get together for 4 Sundays at a rehearsal studio and then have 5 bands play a gig having 'learn't' 5/6 songs each

Location: The Boileroom, Guildford

Bass: Squire Fender Jazz

Amp: Through the FOH system, although I had a Ashdown combo behind me

Set List: Covers. Sure we played Vertigo and Back in Black as two of them but can't remember the rest. I do remember that myself, the singer & the drummer being pretty well prepared (having never played with anybody before, I made sure that I had learn't the songs as best I could in the week prior to rehearsals) but the 2 guitarists were terrible (one of them was of the impression that he didn't have to play his guitar at all during the week and would just learn the songs at the rehearsal, whereas the other guitarist was of the 'all the gear & no idea' school, he bought himself a brand new guitar for the gig to look good - he didn't, as he couldn't really play very well at all). Was a good laugh but don't think my face showed that at all - the wife just told me that I looked like a rabbit in the headlights (which I was).

Embarrassing part: Looking up and seeing both my mother & HIDs leaning on the crash barrier at the front of the stage - The Boileroom has a lot of gigs where the barrier would be of some use, it wasn't that night!

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Venue: The Bierkellar, Leeds. 1983 - supporting Dr Feelgood. No pressure there then for my first ever gig
Age: 20
Bass: Gibson RD Artist
Amp: Customsound 500W 18" combo/wardrobe - weighed a bloody ton
Set List: All original funky type stuff
Embarrassing part: was so nervous I got terrible cramp in my left hand and could hardly play for the middle songs

Talk about a baptism of fire!

Must gave done OK though 'cos we were then booked to play their next Leeds gig later that year at The Astoria

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First gig circa 1985 Aston University supporting (appropriately) a band called Stress! In front of about 1500 people, they were number 12 in the charts that weekend

I got up that morning and they were on Breakfast TV which did nothing for my stress levels!

We got to the venue and did the soundcheck I played everything in double time as my hands were shaking so much, I had never heard my bass through any kind of PA let alone that of a proper big venue! The rest of the band were far more experienced musicians than me and they were extremely nervous which again did nothing to settle my nerves.

I went on stage with a Westone Thunder 111 fretless and a Carlsboro Cobra 90 bass head and a pair of non discript 1x12 cabs, after the 4th song my bass stopped working....I stood there like a lemon until a guy ran on and swapped my lead!

I still have the gig on tape I still play it and I have never been nervous again about going on stage irrespective of crowd size and up until Yodaclub I still think it was the best songs I ever played on

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First public gig:

Location/Venue: The Red Lion, Brentford (RIP)

Your age: 21, it was 1986. Mullet, stupid clothes, LOTS of slap.

Your bass: my Wal Pro 2E, plus a Roland SH-09 for synth parts

Your amp: Laney PB150 4x10 combo

The set list (some of it): all original material, 80s rock-pop. Bloody good songs too.

Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing: this first gig was a Saturday night support slot for Philip Jap's then band Secret Society. (A year later we were headlining and selling out our own Saturday night gigs at the Lion, while Secret Society were relegated to Fridays.) Nick Beggs was in the audience for one of our early support gigs with them. No pressure there, then.

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Location: A church hall near Gateshead

Age 20 in 1984

Bass: Ibanez Blazer - I played some bass but mainly sang

Amp: Marshall 2195 100 watt Lead & Bass Head through a 4x12 which I'm sure was called a Silicon Blue but can't find anything on Google

Set List: Mainly own songs starting with a 10 minute long Hawkwind-like instrumental (for some reason called Tarzan :D )
The only cover I can remember was Ashton Gardner & Dyke's Resurrection Shuffle

The keyboard player only agreed to do the gig if he could do a solo trumpet spot in the middle of the set. He got up and played the Last Post!

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[quote name='el borracho' timestamp='1507220432' post='3384030']
Location: A church hall near Gateshead

Age 20 in 1984

Bass: Ibanez Blazer - I played some bass but mainly sang

Amp: Marshall 2195 100 watt Lead & Bass Head through a 4x12 which I'm sure was called a Silicon Blue but can't find anything on Google

Set List: Mainly own songs starting with a 10 minute long Hawkwind-like instrumental (for some reason called Tarzan :D )
The only cover I can remember was Ashton Gardner & Dyke's Resurrection Shuffle

The keyboard player only agreed to do the gig if he could do a solo trumpet spot in the middle of the set. He got up and played the Last Post!
[/quote]

Ladies and gents, we have a winner. Love it.

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School hall in Chaddesden, Derby
1973
My age 15
Playing a borrowed Hofner Violin bass. Can't remember what I played it through.
A 12-piece band including a decent brass section.
The set was mostly show tunes, the only one I can remember now is "Some Echanted Evening" from South Pacific.
All good fun, but not really representative of what I did for most of the 70's!

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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Location/Venue: A youth club summer disco in Bingley[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Age: 16[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bass: Fender Musicmaster[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Amp: Marshall Supa lead / bass 100w[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Set list: S[/font][/color]uffragette City / Jailbreak / Wishing Well / Smoke On The Water / Let There Be Rock

All in all the gig went pretty well but it was obvious that the lead player wasn't cutting it,so we decided to get another one. The guy we got in was a lot better player and wanted to join us as we had actually played a gig! Unfortunately he was also a bit of a d*ck, so the band broke up after one solitary gig...!

Edited by peteb
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[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1507234193' post='3384180']
By the sound of these experiences, the first gigs we do are way more exciting than the ones we do now!
[/quote]

It was exciting, but for me, my gig this Saturday night will be just as exciting.

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1507241826' post='3384260']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Location/Venue: A youth club summer disco in Bingley[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Age: 16[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Bass: Fender Musicmaster[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Amp: Marshall Supa lead / bass 100w[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Set list: S[/font][/color]uffragette City / Jailbreak / Wishing Well / Smoke On The Water / Let There Be Rock

All in all the gig went pretty well but it was obvious that the lead player wasn't cutting it,so we decided to get another one. The guy we got in was a lot better player and wanted to join us as we had actually played a gig! Unfortunately he was also a bit of a d*ck, so the band broke up after one solitary gig...!
[/quote]

Cool story,

I've always wanted to play Jail Break. Such a cool authentic rock song.

Blue

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Unless I've missed a post from my quick flick through then the oldest debut so far was at 24. I can double that, but I'm sure someone else can probably beat me...

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Location/Venue: The Plough Inn, Aberaman. 24th September 2016[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Your age: 49 [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Your bass: Fender MIM Precision[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Your amp: Ampeg PF500 with PF115HE[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The set list (some of it): Up Around The Bend as an opener, various Stones, CCR/Fogerty numbers, Tobacco Road, Keep Your Hands To Yourself, and a few more.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing: [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]First gig for me, and for the band. The event was the 2016 Cwmaman music festival, which is spread across a few pub and similar venues in the area. We stepped in to replace the band scheduled to be on last on the Saturday night, hence we now claim that our first ever gig was headlining a music festival. B) [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Cwmaman is where the Stereophonics come from, so we got the inevitable "Play something we know. Don't you know where you are? Stereophonics!". We play barely anything more recent than 60's/70's, so that wasn't happening.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The "load in" had been difficult, negotiating a fairly well packed room with some fairly well lubricated punters, not all of whom were taking very well to being bumped by the various amps and cabs being carried in and out. By the time we finished the room was no less busy (which is good!) and almost certainly even better lubricated, so the landlord suggested we leave the opposite way we came in - down the steps to the cellar, weaving around the barrels and everything else down there, and back up the other set of steps.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]All in all it was good fun, but it's fair to say it's not a venue we're desperate to go back to. :D[/font][/color]

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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Location/Venue: Colchester, Essex. The Twist (AKA The Oliver Twist)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Your age: About 16 I think[/font][/color]

[font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]Your bass: Can't remember, definitely either an Encore P-Bass copy or a Yamaha RBX 260 [/color][/font]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Your amp: Can't remember, probably borrowed from another band[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The set list (some of it): Some originals plus a few REM covers, specifically remember playing 'What's The Frequency Kenneth'[/font][/color]

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Location/Venue: The Mason's Arms, Pantygasseg, Monmouthshire (Nr. Pontypool)

Your age: 17

Your bass: Aria SB700

Your amp: Soundcity Amp w. custom Cab (2x15)

The set list (some of it): All No Quarter originals plus Dazed And Confused and Silver Machine

Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing - I was told after the gig that fans of the previous bass player had threatened to beat me up. Fortunately, they didn't.

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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1507244045' post='3384276']
Cool story,

I've always wanted to play Jail Break. Such a cool authentic rock song.

Blue
[/quote]
Be careful what you wish for!

My rock covers band has just got a new singer, so we have desperately being trying to rearrange the set to honour all the gigs we in the next month or so. This has meant chucking in a few easy songs that the singer already knows to get a set together, including Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy - 40 years since I last played it...!

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Location/Venue: Live Aid (ok, not that one) -a school version in the big hall.

Your age: 16-17

Your bass: An Antoria Jazz copy. It was fantastic, bought it from Smithfield Market in Belfast for not that much.

Your amp: Can't remember if it had make, though it was big, black and heavy.

The set list (some of it): We only had two songs: Paranoid and Whole Lot of Rosie.

Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing. We were probably terrible as we had only practised once or twice. The audience showed their appreciation by continually spitting on us, so I glad we only had two songs before the next band was on. That was the one and only outing of Hank Shank and the Merchant Bankers. The school made a video of it. God forbid that ever sees the light of day.

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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Location/Venue:[/b] The Morden Tavern, Surrey August 1986.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Your age:[/b] 21[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Your bass:[/b] Ibanez RB750[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Your amp:[/b] Carlsbro Cobra 90 combo[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]The set list (some of it):[/b] Urban Clearway originals + Johnny B. Goode[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing.[/b] Was a long time ago, didn't drink anything for ages before the set (which was about 45 mins long) at a 21st birthday bash. Guitarist managed to break strings on two guitars, think he finished the gig with only 5 strings on a Yamaha strat copy.[/font][/color]

Edited by louisthebass
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Location/Venue:
Upstairs at The Nightingale Pub, Wood Green, London. 2nd August, 1978.

Your age:
'I was just 17...'

Your bass:
Hondo Rickenbacker 4001 copy, bought by my mum from Kay's catalogue in 1977. I still have it..

Your amp:
Can't remember exactly, but I think it was a Carlsbro Stingray 100w head and a home made cab of some description.

The set list (some of it):
All original songs.. a set of dystopian ditties about cloning, nuclear war, the winter of discontent and other such cheery late 70s topics.

Anything else that might be funny/interesting/embarrassing:
Just the hair, the clothes and the make up!

Actually, the Nightingale pub was a venue played at by a lot of upcoming bands and artists over the years, including Roxy Music, Vinegar Joe, UFO. For those that might be interested, there's some more info about it and another Wood Green music venue called The Fishmongers Hall here:

http://www.bowesandbounds.org/m/blogpost?id=6278630%3ABlogPost%3A46792



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