asingardenof

Saturday we played our much-hyped (and I mean much-hyped, I don't think as much effort has gone into promoting a gig since I've been a member) gig at The Hop in Wakefield. Our guitarist Jen is a local to the area (three of the others are all from over Bratford way) so had been going mad with excitement for the last month and there had been a great many posts on "the socials" including from her employer. She had gathered a huge list of shout outs that she wanted to do but which we had to quite sensibly curtail - I made the point that with the amount she wanted to do we may as well ditch the set list and just do shout outs! The venue was reasonably compact but a nice size, and the stage was a decent size. It was a warm evening so we managed to get the AC turned on above us, but it was pretty useless and so it was a pretty sweaty one. I decided to go with my Sire V7, Ashdown ABM and the trusty Barefaced cab, with the Elf on standby just in case. During soundcheck everything sounded OK but the on-stage sound during the gig was very hit and miss - there were a few songs where we were relying on some sequenced drum tracks to keep the drummer in time, and thence to keep the rest of us in time, but there were a few songs where he could barely hear it and so we went a bit wrong on a few occasions, notably during the bass solo of Club Foot where I made a right hash of things. For the most part though things went pretty well, playing-wise, and our newly-prepped track Shout was amazing to play live, as well as giving me a chance to break out the Mooer octave pedal I got for Christmas! The atmosphere in the venue was absolutely tremendous, and playing issues aside one of the best gigs I've had with the band. Our guitarist's husband even went so far as to say he thought it was the best one he'd seen of us. People were up and dancing and singing right from the start, and the number that did so only increased through the night. We played two encores and left them wanting more - I was at the bar getting a drink afterwards and two lads were talking to each other about whether we were coming back on or not, and were disappointed when I told them we were done. My next door neighbours came to see me and looked like they were having a great time, possibly too great as they left immediately after we'd finished. We'd priced ourselves as low as we'd normally go to get the gig, but from what I was told they took almost well over double behind the bar what they'd normally take on a Saturday night. We hope we'll be invited back after that, and we'll definitely be pushing for a bit more in the way of fee. It's an Ossett Brewery pub, and we were told that they would pass on our details to others owned by the brewery, so fingers crossed. I think someone from another pub may have been in that night because we got an enquiry over Messenger during our mid-set break. Hopefully this will lead to us getting a few more diverse gigs for next year.

I hate when that happens. When I was a student in the late 90s I encountered a 70s Fender Jazz in a secondhand goods shop in Leeds which was on sale for £750. I had some student loan money burning a hole in my pocket but unfortunately not that much so I had to pass. Ah well.

I've seen good reviews of the Harley Benton JB-40FL: https://www.thomann.co.uk/harley_benton_jb_40fl_3_tone_sunburst.htm

Decent rehearsal on Sunday, and Shout is in the set list for our gig in Wakefield which is good. Still enjoying the practice studio in general but at one point there was an awful eggy smell that put us off for a few minutes, so next time I'll be booking a room away from the toilets (nobody in the band claimed responsibility, which they would have if it was one of them!). Looking forward to the next gig because it's been a few months since the last one.

I very much enjoy the original, but definitely prefer this cover by Yola.

Yeah, I think I need to look into doing this

I play with Replicater, a covers band nominally based in Cleckheaton near Bradford (though 2/5 of us are in Wakefield). We do a mix of 80s and 90s pop, new wave and Britpop mostly, but with some other bangers from other disciplines if we feel like it. Our FB page link is in my signature and I've attached a video, although it's a couple of years old because we're terrible at recording our gigs. We mainly play pubs, WMCs and the occasional cricket club, but we're playing a private party later in the summer. VID-20230828-WA0000.mp4

An oldy but a goody

If you use something like a Shaller then make sure that the strap buttons are solidly attached. Mine have a tendency to work themselves loose but haven't yet (touch wood) come out. @Merton can attest to what happens when they do!

Have spares or backups of as much as you can, because if something goes wrong you'll want to have other options to continue rather than abandoning the gig. For example, if you're going through an amp and cab, if you have a backup amp then fantastic, but definitely take a pedal with an XLR out and a long XLR cable so you can go through the PA if needs be. Spare cables, strings, picks, strap, etc. are a must. If you have a second bass then consider that, but if space is at a premium then just make sure the one you take works before you pack it, and if it's active then check the batteries and take a spare set.

I think that's a bit beyond the wit of our lot, and while I'm not against it in principle I really, really, really, hate having things in my ears. I can't do in-ear headphones or earplugs, for example.

Finding out that's the case when you're about to go into a solo is such fun!

We've actually got a gig near my house!

Thank you!

If you're operating as a business subject to the Consumer Rights Act you should be aware that that legislation effectively states (at Sections 19(14) and 19(15) to be precise) that if a fault is discovered within six months of purchase then the item is deemed to have been sold in that condition unless proven otherwise. In other words they could potentially come after you to replace, repair or refund it unless you have demonstrable proof that the faults weren't there when the bass was sold. If they're trying to con you with a video of a bass which is not the one you sold then you should tell them to jog on.

Bit late as our rehearsal was a week ago Sunday. We had two new songs to learn, Shout and Somewhere In My Heart, and we pretty much nailed it. Hoping to get another rehearsal in before our gig, but it will depend on how Mrs asingardenof recovers from her c-section. Having a rehearsal two days after baby 2 was born wasn't the plan, as the due date was two weeks afterwards. Before we started our keyboardist, who has suffered from a few health issues (both mental and physical) mentioned that he would see how the next couple of gigs went before deciding whether to pack it in at the end of the year. He has though recently stopped smoking (though started vaping) and was looking better than I've seen him for a while, and he seemed to be having a great time, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not sure what that would mean for the band, because he's a founding member from many years ago, as well as a friend of the singer and drummist, so I suspect that if he goes then the band will fold. If that does happen I doubt our singist and drummist will be particularly keen to start a new one, so depending on what our guitarist might want to do I could be looking for another band after Christmas. Ho hum.

I'd love to play in there, but it's a bit cramped for us and they don't really want covers bands. Ho hum.

Our rehearsal space has Ashdown Rootmaster 500 heads through ABM 8x10 cabs. It's awesome.

Current song learning for the band is Shout by Tears For Fears. Not massively complicated, but a nicely tricky little solo in the bridge makes it fun.

Option 2 for sure. My amp hardly ever needs updating significantly but our guitarist needs to adjust for each venue, sometimes several times during the set but at least the base volume is about right.