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How was your gig last night?


bassninja

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Halloween gig with the Terrortones in York.

Had a bit of a problem getting there. Its seems that Friday evening is a good time to close one of the main roads into the city. Followed the diversion signs to find they led to another closed road. Finally after another hour of driving made it to the venue just 15 minutes before our on-stage time to find the band playing before us just finishing setting up!

After all that the actual gig was a bit of an anti-climax. With everything running almost an hour late a lot of the audience left before we started, and although those that stayed enjoyed it, the atmosphere didn't seem quite right and the performance wasn't one of our best.

It's a pity because Halloween is made for a Terrortone gig and we were all costumed up (even more so than usual) so maybe the expectations and pressure was too high. Plus all the messing around and extra driving to get to the venue didn't help. Back home just before 4 in the morning.

Next week we're a bit closer to home with gigs at The Doghouse in Nottingham supporting Demented Are Go, and The Hairy Dog in Derby with German punks Church of Confidence.

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tonight at the jolly abbot! 1st 2 numbers sounded a bit odd and quiet, realised some muppet (probably me) had kicked off the PA amp on the floor and was only getting vocals and guitar through the monitors. In a panic switched it back on and over zealous use of master faders up! Landlord said we were way too loud and thats why everyone buggered off. Thought we might get shafted over the fee but we turned down and it filled up ok in the second set, landlord got plastered and paid in full, phew!
Lesson learned, volume fine on stage but keep the FOH down at all times. Fact that halloween was yesterday and it was blowing a full storm outside obviously had nothing to do with the fact it wasn't rammed from 7pm till closing...
Best bit was using the new rig for the first time, sounded bloody brilliant, maybe thats why we were a bit loud...

Edited by skidder652003
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One of our regular pub/bar gigs. When you play the same place every month it can be a case of familiarity breeding contempt and sometimes you just don't get into it. I think most of the band were guilty of this first set and we rather phoned it in for first 45mins, shame as our own Roland Rock turned up. We did play better (and there were twice as many people in) for set 2 though. I think a lot of folks do a local pub crawl and all end up at this bar for last few rounds. So we gave them their money's worth (its free entry anyway!) and did an 80 minute second set, lots of women grooving at the front. The venue has a really hard composite rock type flooring which when the beer starts to spill can get dicey, especially for the girls in high heels. Halfway through set 2 there was a crowd forming around one woman who had gone over and was flat on her back. Wasn't sure whether to stop playing or not, looked a bit serious but what could we do? She was being taken care of so we soldiered on. A huge ambulance turned up just before our encore at 12:30am to take her away and as we play in front of a big window the blue flashing lights gave a weird backdrop to our finale. Hope she was OK, we see girls go over on that floor surface nearly every time we play, though in truth some of them can barely walk by the time we are into set 2. A few weeks off to hone some potential new material then from last Sat in Nov to new years eve we have 7 confirmed bookings so it'll be all hands on deck.

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[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1414929978' post='2594713']
Don't forget I've seen your singer. He's not that alluring! :D
[/quote]

Maybe if you're into biceps! He looks like he's been lifting Kev's Trace rig too often!

Great to see you Kev, you were on a bit of a downer after the quiet first set, but glad it picked up. We were in and out a bit, but I caught a chunk of the second set too, but had to leave around 12 to get the tram. The ambulance was approaching as we left - I'd forgotten about that till you mentioned it :-D

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Halloween gig at the Aberlour Hotel in Aberlour funnily enough! Not played there before and judging by the turnout not many bands go there. The place was rammed with 20 somethings, all dressed up, half pissed n ready to party. This village is in whisky country and the locals and us did our best to drink the place dry! A few sound issues early on but sorted. Second set was a belter. You know your on a winner when the bar staff are singing along. Great time had by all, repeat booking and getting a hotel room and breakfast for a tenner! Oh and the 100 bucks in the hipper as well. RESULT!!!!

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The Clays Beer Festival at Roche, Cornwall. Bands from 2pm, us headlining at 10. Nice big stage, great crowd, rotten sound. On stage, there was nothing audible except sub-bass boom from the floor tom and kick. Despite this, we managed to give everyone nearly two unbroken hours of classic rock. The band's final gig in Cornwall.

Edited by Telebass
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Not a gig but an odd experience. Ended up in a pub I've not been in for nigh on 10 years, maybe longer. Turns out that now it's being run by a couple of semi retired ex pro/semi pro muso's. Looked like the booked band had let them down so they got a drummer mate in and a harp player (who I'd actually jammed with on Thurs night at an open mic) and just filled in from the stuff they knew. I was with some mates and we stayed in there rather than move on as it was getting late. Chatted to the band during the half time break then as the second set wound up we were getting up to go and the bass player asked me to get up on stage and I ended up guesting for their encore. No idea what it was, some blues tune that I just improvised over. Seemed to go down OK though.

Edited by KevB
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Two gigs this weekend with the Terrortones.

Friday in Nottingham at the Dog House supporting Demented Are Go. Excellent gig after the somewhat luck-lustre performance last week. Made a lot of new fans and sold a decent amount of CDs etc afterwards.

And then on to Derby on Saturday at the Hairy Dog. Originally when we were booked to play this gig it was supporting popular German psychobilly band Mad Sin, however their tour fell through and so found ourselves sharing the stage with the equally excellent (but unfortunately much less well known) Church Of Confidence. We played well, but the audience was only a fraction of what it would have had Mad Sin been playing. It was slightly embarrassing to see that more people had come to see us than the headliners… Still had another good evening on the merch stand, and one member of the audience left half-way through our set apparently "disgusted" at Mr Venom's performance antics… As they say: our work here is done!

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/Dick%20Venom%20Live/10441105_1574592186104386_875913812118033124_n_zps124d996d.jpg[/IMG]

Edited by BigRedX
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In the beer tent at a fireworks display last night. Late starting - we ready bang on time but apparently we were not allowed to start until the bonfire was lit -which was half an hour late for no known reason. Set curtailed due to main fireworks having to finish before the curfew. Frustrating.

Audience mainly those queuing for a beer but lots of applause.

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1415540412' post='2601267']
Two gigs this weekend with the Terrortones.

Friday in Nottingham at the Dog House supporting Demented Are Go. Excellent gig after the somewhat luck-lustre performance last week. Made a lot of new fans and sold a decent amount of CDs etc afterwards.

And then on to Derby on Saturday at the Hairy Dog. Originally when we were booked to play this gig it was supporting popular German psychobilly band Mad Sin, however their tour fell through and so found ourselves sharing the stage with the equally excellent (but unfortunately much less well known) Church Of Confidence. We played well, but the audience was only a fraction of what it would have had Mad Sin been playing. It was slightly embarrassing to see that more people had come to see us than the headliners… Still had another good evening on the merch stand, and one member of the audience left half-way through our set apparently "disgusted" at Mr Venom's performance antics… As they say: our work here is done!

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/Dick%20Venom%20Live/10441105_1574592186104386_875913812118033124_n_zps124d996d.jpg[/IMG]
[/quote]nice bass.

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Played my local last night, literally across the road. So it was an absolute blast, all my mates there, able to have an ale or three and at the end of the night (about 2am) I staggered over the road to home with my bass and girlie leaving my rig there until today!! Did a song on the geetar too, a bluesy number that my late mum used to sing, she used to sing it far better than me but it was nice to have a widdle up the dusty end!!

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[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1415548120' post='2601344']
nice bass.
[/quote]

Thanks! Here's another photo of me abusing it at the Dog House gig...

[IMG]http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n249/BigRedX/Dick%20Venom%20Live/1656332_980937848588622_2457835991544328026_n_zpsc39a938f.jpg[/IMG]

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Not last night but the night before...

At 8 hours' notice, played with Shaun Buswell on the first night of his latest Orchestra Challenge tour. He books a string of venues, prints out sheet music of 17 songs for 20 orchestral instruments, tries to recruit random players during the daytime, and everyone pitches up and plays form the dots in the evening.

As it happened, there were no orchestral instruments, just Shaun on guitar and vocals, a chap called Chris on keyboards, and me on bass (playing from the DB score). The audience (who mainly don't know the songs) call out numbers (e.g. '3') and the band play the corresponding songs. It was the complete opposite of the more usual scenario where you practice and rehearse with a view to getting it right; instead, it all just happens, and it was mainly pretty good.

I very much enjoyed it, and didn't even mind the very drunk man treating us to 'interpretive dance' at the front. He enjoyed it too btw.

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Worst gig experience of my life...

Debut gig with the new band tonight.... The main support band had to pull out with three days notice (they had a fair enough reason and they're friends of ours...) The opening band were a no show without telling any of us, and to top it all off, the Jack sockets on BOTH of my basses failed on me, despite me taking them into a local well regarded shop to get serviced to make sure they'd be in top shape. I ended up so humiliated and upset that I walked off stage mid set. I pride myself on my reliability, and in my 11 years gigging experience nothing even close to yrhis has never happened to me. Currently feeling like my reputation is in tatters, hoping I don't cause too much sh*t when I storm into the shop tommorrow...

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[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1416017308' post='2606255']
Worst gig experience of my life...

and to top it all off, the Jack sockets on BOTH of my basses failed on me, despite me taking them into a local well regarded shop to get serviced to make sure they'd be in top shape. I ended up so humiliated and upset that I walked off stage mid set. I pride myself on my reliability, and in my 11 years gigging experience nothing even close to yrhis has never happened to me. Currently feeling like my reputation is in tatters, hoping I don't cause too much sh*t when I storm into the shop tommorrow...
[/quote]

Feel for you mate. That is amazingly bad luck to have both basses fail :(

Let us know how you get on at the shop.

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In at the deep end last night, played the opening night of London Jazz festival in the entrance hall of the Barbican. Very nervous, not really a jazzer, there's students at the guildhall wandering round and the main house has a load of heavyweights performing. George Montague, the artist was on tip top form and the band was sounding good through nice pa being run by friendly sound guys who really knew what they were doing. Really chuffed I had the opportunity to do it and beaming this morning, despite 300 mile round trip to do it!

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Debut gig with a new 3 piece originals project on friday,singer had performed the tracks before in a previous band but first time for drummer (who I've been in a cover band with for years) and myself. Only a 35 min opening slot at the grain barge in bristol but good to be out doing originals stuff again after so long. Only did a few rehearsals and the recordings I learnt the tracks from had no bass on them, so had to learn tracks and create bass parts in a short space of time. We were sharing back line and was told beforehand it was fine to use my head and the main bands cab, so was just gonna take the Stingray, tuner pedal, leads etc and the Shuttle 9.2, last minute decide to take the Bongo as well, just in case. So glad I did, get there and the other bassist uses a combo, so can't use the shuttle. It was a Trace Elliot 1x15 (a 715 SMC I think it was) and had the all too familiar smiley face shape dialled in on the graphic. In fairness to the guy he did say "change what you want, I know where everything's set so I can soon get it back" but being a bit pushed for time and feeling a little uneasy about just altering everything on his amp I decided to use the Bongo instead of the 'Ray and dial in/out whatever on the bass, worked a treat, cut the bass, boosted the hi and lo mids on board and all was well. Have to say though, although the place is small that Trace sounded huge on stage! Got a good reception too, even got approached by some wanting to buy cd's which was flattering seeing as a month ago I'd never met the singer or heard his songs. All with the added bonus that the drummer was driving and they did a lovely pint of Orchard pig cider on tap!

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[quote name='Bassnut62' timestamp='1413747619' post='2581550']
Played The Approach In Nottingham last night, the place was rammed and we had them dancing from the off. Seems playing Disco and more recent dance classics goes down well every time!

The night was rounded off with a fight between four women in their forties, leaving one of them out cold. Unbelievable. Do people really never learn to grow up?
[/quote]
No, but sounds about right for Nottingham

Who's the lady in the shiny dress ?

Edited by Geek99
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