KevB Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Not a big fan of Friday gigs as they always seem to crop up at the end of a tiring week at work, last night no exception. Chuck in the fact we haven't played as a band even in rehearsal for at least 3 weeks and it was always going to be a bit 'loose'. Tight area to fit the band into and I seemed to have a few technical issues which I was taking too much concentration trouble shooting whilst playing that I had my eye off the ball a bit too much for my liking performance wise. Probably all invisible to the public but it made for an exhausting evening. They got their moneys worth (played 9:15 until nearly midnight with 2 short breaks) and the crowd were very supportive, plenty of positive feedback from audience at end of night. Apparently the pub was much fuller than it would normally be on a Friday so hopefully the bar sales won't have gone unnoticed by the LL. We are all away on various hols now so no weekends we are all around until next gig in September. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 We played Faringdon Follyfest this evening, our third year there. Last year we were on the main stage and went down a storm, this yerwe found ourselves in the small stage in a pub courtyard. Singer (and me!) not too happy about it, but got on with it (especially as a good number of my mates from the Harley riders club had ridden over just to see us). Atmosphere was further dampened by a total power cut immediately before our set which ate up pver 5 mins of our allocated 45. Once power was restored we jumped in hard on our opening number and grabbed the audience, then put on a good solid and powerful set, lots of calls for more. Pulled a lot of people into the courtyard, place was packed by the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Dead, the first four or five songs were a paid rehearsal - three people in the venue who didn't work there. As the night wore on, a few more arrived, including a group of slightly worse for wear women in their 30s who at least made use of the dancefloor for a few numbers. This included one lassie who insisted on joining us on stage, so the singer handed her a muted mic and she was none the wiser and quite happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Depped with tribute band [url="http://www.direstreets.co.uk/"]Dire Streets[/url] (ahem) last night at a private party in the garden of a huge Cotswold stone house. PA was provided by the support act as part of the deal, so not much gear-humping involved. I used my '73 P through my full Demeter/Barefaced rig and instantly achieved the right sound and volume level - result! Dire Straits material might not be the first music that comes to mind for partying, but the audience loved it. As soon as we started opening number [i]Money for Nothing[/i], guests started coming into the marquee from the bar area and the dance floor filled up. People even smooched to [i]Brothers in Arms[/i]! I think it helped that most guests were of a certain age... A great band, so here's hoping I get a few more dep jobs with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacqueslemac Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I played my first gig as a dep last night. Mind you, it was easier than most dep gigs because it was for a band I left about 18 months ago. We only had time for three rehearsals between when they asked me three weeks ago and the gig. I had to remind myself how to play about 30 songs, plus learn the half-dozen they've added to their set since then (one of those I'd never heard and they walked me through it on Tuesday). It turned out to be a whole lot of fun. Some of the songs I hated (part of the reason I left the band), turned out to be a lot more fun to play than to listen to (Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), Fight For Your Right and others from that era). And isn't Hate To Say I Told You So a great song to play? The venue was an empty sports hall so sound was terrible. The punters (post volleyball tournament crowd) seemed to love it, which made the whole thing a very good experience. Still think I made the right decision leaving the band, though, which is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Nice gig last night, first run out for the new PA tops. Went down a treat, got 3 bookings from audience members and got invited back to do a Christmas gig at the venue. Now on to perfecting the acoustic set for the bank holiday weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I only come here for this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairychris Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Had a fun gig on Saturday (5 band metal-esque bill at the new 12 Bar in London). First run out in 6 months so was more of an experiment with new tunes. Seemed to work out OK! The only problem is that doing the whole "get home at 6:30am" thing kills me now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Played an acoustic set with my drummer-less pop/rock band last night in Clapham; it was one of those random multi-band things & our set got cut short because of lateness/over running (of other people) but in general I think it went as well as could have been expected. It's one of those bars where everyone's just there to get p!ssed & it just happens that there's music on too but the crowd did actually show some appreciation which was nice & a couple of the other acts were really, really good. I was the only bassist playing all evening which was interesting as it made our sound substantially different to everyone else's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Last night was probably my sweatiest ever gig; seriously muggy evening in a sticky old pub in Reading with my rock band [url="https://www.facebook.com/VersusUrsus/app_204974879526524"]Versus Ursus[/url]. Zero air moving through the place & lot's of bodies jumping around - the walls were dripping. Very fun evening though & even sold some of our garish tie-die t-shirts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simes Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Made me wonder why we even bother..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Wedding gig, in a marque. Sound dead, couldn't hear the bass drum but lots of treble, we hadn't done a gig for 3 weeks or practiced, so were as loose as an old sock, managed to mess up even the simplest things, singer couldn't seem to remember any of the words. First half was ok, a couple of small attempts at dancing, went out for some food, and some guy was saying how good we were, which was a surprise. Second half, there was a lot more dancing, bride crashed through the guitarist at the start of 'start' which was good as we messed it up and had to start again (how do you mess up start? easy, the singer starts singing half a beat early), and the dancefloor got filled. Had the normal things, drunken aunt dancing inappropriately etc and by the middle of the second set we seemed to have regained some level of musical competence. In the end everyone seemed happy, got paid promptly and we got another two gigs out of it. Makes you wonder how it would have been if we hadn't been so sh*t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Shocking corporate do on Friday night. Had to play Mustang Sally .Good money but soul destroying. Last night was our, sold out, Edinburgh Fringe show. That gave me a bit of a boost. New CS pickups in my P bass sounded good at both gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymondo Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 [quote name='simes' timestamp='1440322921' post='2849764'] Made me wonder why we even bother..... [/quote] That is such a forlorn statement. I hope your next one is better for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Two gigs yesterday, utterly knackered today. First was for a biker shindig not far from Warrington. Dodgy weather forecast turned out to be sunburn-tastic, decent crowd enjoying the day and excellent show of bikes. We were supposed to be on the back of a lorry but the bar down the middle made it impossible to fit the drums on so we commandeered a gazebo in case it rained... Hopefully enjoyed the noise we made too - comments were good and got a booking for next year from it! Second was a surprise birthday party at the a classic car show at Tatton park - just got set up in a small gazebo and the heavens opened. Raining so hard the drops were forceing their way through the roof creating a fine mist. Equipment covered with bin bags and on we went, nice light show from the lightning too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Just back from our first time at a pub in Wantage. Got the gig as a result of a cancellation. Only found out when we got there that we were expected to play for three hours. Band was in top form, guitarist in particular was on fire. Place was packed, we went down well and they want us back. We'll need to pace ourselves better for the the 3 hours next time though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1440363095' post='2850156'] Just back from our first time at a pub in Wantage. Got the gig as a result of a cancellation. Only found out when we got there that we were expected to play for three hours. Band was in top form, guitarist in particular was on fire. Place was packed, we went down well and they want us back. We'll need to pace ourselves better for the the 3 hours next time though. [/quote] Which pub? We play Wantage reasonably often and there's some good places. We played a wedding on Saturday in the hottest marquee on the planet. Drank 7 pints of water during a 3hr show. [attachment=199200:11953451_10152972731851372_8666383493687869712_o.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 [quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1440419468' post='2850484'] Which pub? We play Wantage reasonably often and there's some good places. [/quote] The Bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1440421502' post='2850519'] The Bell. [/quote] First time I played there I thought it was going to be a nightmare as it really didn't seem like a music loving pub but turned out that the locals in there really like a decent band so I was pleasantly surprised. We were pretty much in the front window bay as I recall. We still play the Swan in Wantage quite often as it gets a good crowd and has in house PA & engineer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Yeah, the Bell doesn't look too promising at first sight, but it turned out to be a great gig, the whole place was dancing, people were queuing up to tell us how much they enjoyed it. We were in the bay window as well, I was squeezed sideways on next to the drums. Hopefully one or two of next weekend's gigs will be as much fun as that was, and also a bit less tiring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 Unexpectedly awesome gig last night at the farmers Arms in Wilmslow with Trackside. Small pub, 1st set was good, decent crowd who were having fun. Second set was great - crowd were really in to it giving us lots of energy. Almost lynched when we finished off and people wanted to keep partying. As our singer said - always leave them wanting more. Already looking forwards to going back there in November with new songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 We did a last minute gig covering for a band whose drummer unfortunately had a heart attack on Friday ( he is OK , if a little knackered) the first set was a bit loose to be honest, though the smallish gathering were quite appreciative , but the second set had them all going properly and seemed to drag a fair few in, it did seem an odd night , but ended with a bit extra from the LL and the promise of extra dates next year , he tried to give us a booking before Christmas but our diaries didn't work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnm93 Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Played a half hour slot in the Performing Arts marquee at Carshalton Eco Fair on Monday. Thee is also an impressive Main Stage and smaller Live Café stage, so a lot of bands / artist / performers. Went down well and I thought we played our set very well. The weather was the big downer - plus the mud..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Got 24hrs notice of a potentially nice lttle gig and as the LL is more of a friend I thought I'd push the boat out. Rounded up some great players who posted the set list and I hardly knew any of them... let alone played them before. Thanks to spotify I made some quick notes and I expect the other two did the same. Not quite the same as Gtr can and did drop out a lot..and drums don't have notes that clash... so I stuck to the keyboard player like glue. He sang and lead us thru every song...with all sorts of twists along the way. It ended up quite a magical gig in a fly-by-the-seats-of your-pants sort of way...and they are often the best ones anyway. We blagged the whole set.... and the only standard was 'key to the highway' as a losener at the start. It turned out to be a great sleazy greasey punk funk blues jam and the pub LOVED it. Trying to work out how to do it again without killing it. Got potentially 4 gigs out of it on the day... but I think there is more value to restricting it to special events only...so we'll probably try and do a return to the pub and then offer it up at parties.or cool intimate festival stages. So..yes...in around about way...new project to focus on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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