FinnDave

Can't begin to imagine what might have caused that lapse in your memory. I'm sure I don't have any - I'd remember them if I did! Here & Now were great - an still going! I've not seen them for about 40 years, but we're on the same stage as them in Kent - that's going to be an interesting experience!

Same here, used to go to Glasto (and Stonehenge the week before) when they were free festivals. Saw lots of bands, only ones I can remember (for various reasons) are Here & Now, also Steve Hillage and Nik Turner's Sphynx at Deeply Vale. The list of 'who's on at Glastonbury' is lost on me, the only one I've heard of is Kylie, and that's only because she was on a TV show I worked on 30 years ago! There is a festival that has the atmosphere of the free festivals in Kent (Summer of Love party, known as SoL) at the beginning of August (though you have to pay, so not really free - but the money pays for the bands, sound crew, etc) and they have good bands, including Edgar Broughton this year (as mentioned a couple of pages ago), as well as Here & Now and one or two West Coast legends. Modesty forbids me to reveal who is headlining for the second year running, though

I would advise the 7% to take a very careful look at themselves - if you can't identify the idiot, then there's a good chance it's you. Everyone in my current band seems cool and competent, no idiots, so I am worried...

Only festivals I've been to were 70's free festivals, like Stonehenge, Ruthin, Deeply Vale, etc. I was at the Summer of Love party in Kent last year (we were playing there) and the atmosphere was very much the same as at the free festivals. Never to been to a huge festival with 'name' bands as I've never been interested in that kind of music. I'll be at SoL again this year, as not only are we playing there again, but Here & Now are on before us, and I haven't seen them for decades!

Cheers, it meant I got in an hour's playing this morning that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't have had if I hadn't brought a bass on holiday with me. Same again tomorrow!

I mustn't look at that one too hard or my Ibanez sixes will start to feel uncomfortable! Beautiful bass, and I am sure it plays and sounds as good as it looks.

The middle night in our recent jaunt to Germany was our short night - just a single set with most of the songs played without any breaks between them. That lasted 2 1/2 hours.

I often take a bass with me on UK holidays. I usually wake up early and my wife doesn't, good way to spend a couple of hour before breakfast. I just pay it unplugged and use my laptop for the songs I need to practice. Quite enough for my wife to stay asleep a few feet away.

We played in Germany last week, four of us went down in a large car and two flew to Leipzig, and were then collected and driven to Plauen by the organisers of the gig.

Happened to some extent in Germany recently - but we were the main band at a festival in a small town, and the audience were mostly equally distinctive - long hair and tie dye shirts. Often bumped into people while walking around town who told me they had enjoyed the previous night's set. The best part was seeing people I didn't know wearing Grateful Dudes T shirts - we sold about £450 worth of them over the three days of the festival.

I've lost count of the number of Ashdown amps I've owned, but I only tried the octave one once. I have never understood the point of it at all. Same as the built in compressor, another feature I have ignored for years. But the basic amp is fine.

Well spotted, yes, that was a typo, nothing BUT Ashdown! I'l correct it now!

I've owned nothing but Ashdown amps for the last 12 years at least. I gave up with their cabs (too heavy for me) in favour of a BF Super Twin. No problems, and always sound better to my ears than alternatives I may get in rehearsal studios or at festivals.

Almost always, but the bank holiday week of ten days ago was a notable exception!

Yes, it was, and no, they're not! Luckily it wasn't - but they still ain't a lot of fun even in the dry!

Kind of how Here & Now started in the early 70s - and even after the Planet Gong tour with Daevid & Gilli, they still played for free at every gig of theirs I ever went to, just passed a bucket around for people to donate if they wanted, so the band's bus could get to the next gig.

Got home just before one last night, after a 17 1/2 hour drive* - mostly as a passenger as keyboard player drove us from Plauen to Calais, then I collected my car in Folkestone and completed the journey. Great week, starting from our Hebden Bridge gig on the Bank Holiday Sunday and finishing the following Saturday with our third consecutive night in Plauen. Back to normal life today, though. * In Grateful Dead terms - that's at least three Dark Stars AND a Playing in the Band!

One more (Saturday) night to play - we opened the festival on Thursday and tonight we close it, followed by a few hours sleep and an early start for the 850 or so Km drive to Calais, with another 150 miles in my own car from Folkestone to home.

So far, I can only agree with the above, we’ve been treated very well by both promoters and audience. As a result we played a cracking couple of sets last night, but I was surprised to find it was quarter to three in the morning when we finished! Walked back through the deserted town centre to our hotel, about ten minutes, and slept well. We are playing nothing twice over the three nights, so a different set tonight, and it looks very strong, looking forward to playing it. We’re first on tonight, so might get back to the hotel before midnight.

I wish we had time to visit Colditz, that would really be something. Treated very well so far, the festival has put us up in a fine hotel in the centre of town.

We (the Grateful Dudes) are on a little trip just now. Four of us met up at Folkestone yesterday morning, travelled through the channel tunnel and then drove for 13 hours to reach the town of Plauen in Germany. It is on what was the GDR, not far from Leipzig and Dresden (and Prague). Interesting drive with the four of us plus gear for six, but not amps or drum kits as they are being supplied. Lot of traffic, frequent hold ups as today is a holiday in most of Europe. Sleeping two to a room in the centre of town, we will go to the venue, the Malzhaus, this afternoon to set up and sound check. The two remaining Dudes will be flying in this evening and hopefully will make it in time for the first of our three evenings playing here at the Playing in the Band festival. Looking forward to meeting the German heads and other musicians that will be here.

Just got back from a 400 mile round trip to last night's gig in Hebden Bridge (my wife came with me and we stayed there overnight). My anniversary gig, as I joined the Grateful Dudes at the start of last year and the first gig I played with them was on April 1st 2018, at the Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, so this was full circle. Good to be back there, they made us feel very welcome, and there is nothing like an audience of Deadheads! I am told we increased audience numbers over last year by 50%, so that was good as well. Usual two set gig, first set approx 70 mins and second about an hour forty (I think!). A good warm up show before our trip to Germany in a couple of days for the Playing in the Band festival, where we are playing a different set each night for three nights. Should be fun!! Tech info - played my Ibanez SR 1206 through Ashdown ABM 600 and Barefaced Super Twin. DI'd from amp to PA. Sounded good on stage, and also in the audience, I'm told.

I have read this thread from start to present end, and have no idea who this Gillespie character is. I thought at first it referred to dizzy of that ilk, but obviously not. Rock ain't dead, it's just no longer at the cutting edge of fashion, an industry which by its very nature needs to aways be finding something 'new'.

Nothing worse than having your expectations about nuts being crushed! (sorry about the level of trivia, being driven slowly mad trying to get 50+ songs into my head for a three night run in Germany next week)

OK, then how about basses with narrow nuts and those with wider ones? 😎