Norris

Absolutely! You can't sum up XTC in one track because they are so musically diverse. At least listen to the sublime bass line on Mayor of Simpleton before writing them off 😉😂

Back at the White Hart in Melton. I do like the sound there. It was very quiet when we started setting up, but livened up ok. Perhaps a little too lively from the young teachers celebrating the birthday of one of them - only two full glasses dropped and smashed. They moved on after our first break. We normally play here on a Sunday to a nice relaxed atmosphere, but it made an enjoyable change to be a bit more "in your face". I got a nice balance on the Big Muff with enough fuzz to be able to tell it was on too. GT-6B before it, Rumble after it. The Stingish bass (Sterling Sub5 with Retrovibe Stinger preamp) is a definite keeper - a load more compliments on my sound and it's so comfortable to play too. What wasn't comfortable was accidentally stabbing the tip of my fretting index finger on the sharp pointer of a temperature gauge only 24 hours before the gig. It was a lot sharper than it had reason to be, went in at least a mm, and spilt a fair bit of blood. Paracetamol numbed it to start with, but adrenaline is the best painkiller.

I think I have mine on the 8th notch of the end pin. I always seem to set it too low and then have to raise it 😂 Similarly I only fit the one "fake body bit", the one that leans against your hip.

It's like the advert that's on at the moment where a young kid is playing a strat, then jumps on a pedal. The guitar sounds exactly the same. So he jumps on it again... and it still sounds the same. Just looked it up... EDF advert Edit: apparently he can actually play a guitar though

After our gig on Friday we were inundated with media forwarded on to us: 66 photos and 14 videos. The same people were there at our gig on Sunday and... nothing! (So far). So you'll have to put up with the single photo I took, this time from behind the drum kit for a change... Our second visit to the Donkey (now the Donkey Venue) since the change of management. The old regulars are still boycotting the place, but we still managed to fill it. It doesn't quite have the same vibe though - it's lost the "specialness" we used to feel. It was hot again, and great fun though. However I seemed to use up my annual allocation of cockups in the first spot, starting off in the wrong key on the very first note and continuing downhill from there. Ah well, I got them all out of the way in the first 6 songs so can look forward to playing the rest of the year flawlessly 😂 Usual kit: Stingish bass, GT-6B, Big Muff again (but didn't actually engage it!) into Rumble. Shiny black DMs. Compliments this time included my lights: a pair of Thomann Stairville CLB4 RGBW(?) 4-way bars with a couple of mini kintas bolted on top. Now, it's a simple formula: band plays, beer gets sold, band gets paid. I'm not quite sure if the new management have quite got the hang of it yet though. We could have done without hanging around after we finished loading, for 20 minutes waiting for them to stuff some notes into an envelope. 🙄

Not quite as sophisticated, but I have some lights like these which are very cheap, surprisingly effective and are rechargeable via USB. Apologies for the Amazon link... https://amzn.eu/d/3CG5H8O

After a few weeks off while the guitarist was touring, we were back at the Railway in Countesthorpe last night. Unfortunately nobody told us about the Indian streetfood kitchen set up in the carpark, and I'd turned up with a bellyfull of Chinese takeaway. Moot point anyway because they had packed up and gone by the time we'd got the kit in. Slightly quieter night than recently, which was good because we could actually set up. Normally it's a right scrum. It was hot! It went pretty well considering I hadn't picked up a bass since the last gig. Lots of compliments on both sound and playing. Stingish bass through the GT-6B, and then via my new deluxe big muff, into the Rumble. DMs

We've never had a "set" list, more a menu really. Funnily enough it's written on the back of a cereal box Edit: Oh, and I'd better explain that the lady was taking a photo of the "Kipper" sticker on the drum head - she used to follow the band in which the guitarist and drummer played, in the 70s.

I bought a pedal from Ian. It arrived the next day in perfect condition. Very smooth transaction, thanks.

I think they just get better each time I see them. Great gig at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester tonight. Awesome!

Wowsers! I'd expect a real dead turtle for that kind of money! (Joking, and I know I'm not helping)

I printed my own and laminated it It's a genuine Ric too (as the trc says 😂). The original is in a drawer somewhere

I first joined a proper band in 1985 and quickly acquired the nickname Norris. It stuck.

I've just ordered a few more from custom lynx, including an orange one to make sure it stays at home for practice this time, instead of drifting its way into my gigging gear!

It's quite easy to fit a vintage tone switch if you can use a soldering iron. Mine didn't have one either. https://www.rickysounds.co.uk/product/vintage-tone-selector-kit/

I think most people who have been gigging for a while have played to the one man + dog at some point (one spent the evening reading a newspaper!). My personal worst was a wedding where we played to the bride, groom, maid of honour and 3 or 4 other people they managed to drag along after an hour of phoning around. We didn't ask the details but can only assume it wasn't a popular joining of families. You can't take things personally. You can only do so much. You can't always predict the situation at the time you book the gig. All you can do is make sure it's on people's horizon (create Facebook events a month beforehand, followed by a photo post a day or two in advance as a reminder). Some venues are great at plugging what's on, and are usually successful. Other venues just don't seem to have a clue and expect a crowd to materialise on the night with no notice. Then there's also random factors - weather, sports events. Oh, and one of our USPs is that we DON'T do Dakota, Brightside, Oasis, etc. We're 70s "dad rock" and proud of it 😂 And wear shorts when it's hot 😜

Level 42 a week on Monday. They have been fantastic the last couple of times I've seen them, playing as well as ever and having a lot of fun

Our guitarist really has a gift for banter. Usually he's talking utter rubbish but you just go with it because the audience finds it hilarious. Don't be precious as you're there to entertain, but then try to keep the banter pretty harmless too and you won't upset anyone.

Quite an old skool club isn't it? Lots of people wanting to chat, but not many dancers. Nice enough place though and great painted back wall. The cheese and onion cobs are not too bad either.

I was pleasantly surprised. I chuckled quite a lot. If you were in two minds but haven't gone yet don't hang about. Our local Vue cinema are showing it for the last time tonight. We went to a local independent cinema to watch - much nicer place, sound wasn't deafening and they showed it at a much more sociable time. Anyway it might not be long on the big screen going by the very small audience

Yesterday afternoon at the "Piv" in Nuneaton. It's our only gig this month due to the guitarist being off touring elsewhere. The Piv is a great social club that belongs to the allotment society, and has survived by having regular entertainment. As we were leaving our early evening gig in the lounge, people were arriving for ballroom dancing in the big room and others were setting up a poker night in the conservatory. I should really have taken some photos while the lights were on, but was a bit out of sorts after the guitarist's Mesa Boogie combo released the magic smoke! We think it might have been a dodgy socket it was plugged into - duly "sorted" by sticking some gaffer tape over it 😂. Anyway he luckily had the foresight to carry a spare amp with - and what a fabulous little amp it was. Switchable output up to 50W and sounded great plugged into the Mesa speakers I did ask him why he was still lugging the big heavy combo around! (The tablets are Vocalzones btw) The afterthought photo just about showing my Rumble and Stingish bass... Oh and you can also see my new Gravity lighting stands - the black ones. I've been wearing shorts since the spring but went back to jeans, which felt strange. Footwear were black DMs to match the rest of the garb

1979 was actually the best year in the 80s for music! So many great songs that year

I fitted a Retrovibe Stinger '77 preamp in mine and it sounds great with the original pickup. So much better than the indistinct mush of the original preamp. I really must get around to shimming the pots with a couple of washers - the knobs sit too proud at the moment

I bought an effects pedal from Simon. It arrived exactly as described after a very smooth transaction. Great communication too. Thanks Simon!

What a guy!