bassbiscuits

Got asked if we could play any Girls Aloud once on stage in a pub gig. We were a five piece band of 40/50-something men… so no.

Also yes mainly acoustically if I’m just noodling on the sofa etc. The headphones et al are only for learning / playing along with stuff I need to know.

For gigs? I sometimes just use one cab instead of two. For home practice, either a Vox Amplug and my laptop, or my blackstar iD Beam little practice thingy.

Brilliant for improvising, but hopeless for remembering what brilliant improvising you did.

Thermos of Earl Grey tea. Always. Black. No sugar.

Morning Siggi - come on in, the water's lovely.

Headlined an event called Picnic in the Park at Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire yesterday as part of the Elton John tribute band. Nice afternoon out, good crowd, didn't rain (yay!) and a big stage to throw rock star shapes on. All boxes ticked really.

Done Butlins at Skeggy and Minehead. Big stages, nice house rigs (SVT and 8x10 cab) and the staff took good care of us each time. Good crowds at these weekends (I think ours have been 1970s weekends) and people right up for a dance and sing along. We were on just before Stan Boardman last time! Cool gigs.

Aye I always drive too. I don’t drink so it’s easy for me to be the driver. I’ve walked to a couple of gigs before now with bass on my back if I know there’s good backline provided (or I’ve had to set up earlier and can leave kit there etc) but that’s few and far between. When I used to drink we’d have all sorts of complex travel arrangements to avoid driving at all costs but I much prefer to pack down, load in and get out of there at the end of the gig.

Same. I learned from Harvey Vinson and Jim Gregory’s books which had the floppy 7” record in the back. Got about halfway thru the book and then learned the rest from listening to Iron Maiden and Kiss albums from the local record library. Been winging it ever since, rather effectively it must be said. Still can’t read a note of music but after 38 years of playing I think I’ve probably missed the boat on that one.

Sunday afternoon gig at a very hot, humid, steamy Donkey in Leicester with the Andy Wales Blues Band. Outside was about a zillion degrees and we were roasting to death in our tight black jeans and Chelsea boots. But the decision to play inside paid off when a massive downpour and thunder arrived a few songs in. The whole vibe suited our swampy blues and soul music thing tho. The only downside of all that humidity is that I now have exactly the same hairstyle as Gene Wilder.

Bravo - it’ll be your last chance to see him. And well done on playing at Glasto too! What’s the band?

I think it's fair to say almost all cheap/mid budget instruments are far far better than they were when I started playing in the mid 1980s (when plywood bodies, terrible hardware, poor electrics etc were the norm). For £500-£600 you'll have no problem in finding a really decent bass. There's no right answer as to which one to get, as everyone has their own favourites. As the others here have said, try out as many as you can and get a feel for which aspects of them you like or don't like (I've lusted after a Thunderbird for years until I tried one and realised its totally the wrong shape for me!) But most of all enjoy it - the fun is in the journey of discovery!

Went to see Elton John's "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour at Birmingham NIA (now called Utilita Arena) on Sunday night. He seems like a very cool old granddad now, rather than the strident, bullish rockstar diva I'd half expected - more an impish, delighted old man enjoying the fun of celebrating a look back his life and music one more time. He can still play the b*llocks of his piano though, and his band were great. Loved how he came on for the encore in his dressing gown, and then got whisked off by a sort of stairlift which took him up and away into a little trapdoor high in the backdrop, from where he waved us farewell. Quite poignant and really glad I went.

If I'm adding backing vocals it's generally because they are needed. If the aren't needed, I won't do them.

For years and years it was just one bass without any problem. Nowadays I’ve always got a spare even if it’s just in its case behind the backline. The only exception is pub gigs in hard to access city centre venues where i travel as light as poss.

Just back from seeing Kiss at the NEC on Monday night. Absolutely awesome gig. My first and last time I’m going to see them, so I’m glad it was everything I’d wished for. And also what a brilliant venue the Resorts World Arena is. I was expecting to grab an overpriced hot dog in a corridor somewhere for tea - instead we parked up and went for a Pizza Express before the show.

Kiss tomorrow night at Birmingham Resorts World Arena (or the NEC for the rest of us). Going for old times sake - back in the day, Kiss and Iron Maiden were some of the first bands I ever really connected with and thought “wow i want to play in band too!” My dilemma now is whether to wear face paint to the gig. It’s gotta be done right? Or will i look like a tool?

Cool. Yeah on a good night the O’Neills crowd are well up for a singalong and dance about. I do a lot of wedding/theatre stuff at the moment but loud sweaty pub gigs are still sometimes the best ones!

Nice one! What band was that? I’m down there next Saturday. Glad it was a good ‘un!