How Has Your Year Been?

[Pete Academy]

What kind of year have you had regarding gigs?

Has there been a poorer turnout? Has the recession hit your gigs?

What have you done to compensate?

What are your plans for next year?

[Pete Academy]

This also includes the pro players doing sessions, shows, etc.

[Mog]

Not as many gigs but somehow theres more in the kitty. Last two gigs with the original band coming up this month then its a few months off to write tunes/get drunk. Covers wise, who knows. Depends on what takes my fancy. Overall its been a good year.

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='Mog' post='1023829' date='Nov 14 2010, 07:49 PM']Not as many gigs but somehow theres more in the kitty. Last two gigs with the original band coming up this month then its a few months off to write tunes/get drunk. Covers wise, who knows. Depends on what takes my fancy. Overall its been a good year.[/quote]

Good stuff.

[TomKent]

There have been jack all gigs coming my way in comparison to last year, probably 30% of what I should've had. All the local venues are taking DJ's and discos because they 1/4 of the price of a half decent band. Had to sell equipment to make up for it.. also had to branch out to other parts of the industry (recording and producing) to make an income.

Edited November 14, 2010 by TomKent

[gary mac]

Worse one in many a year for me. One depp and just a short mini gig last weekend at a charity firework bash.

On the plus side rehearsals are really enjoyable and productive at the moment.

[peteb]

Generally yes... a bit!

The recession has generally hit all gigs over the past couple of years (not to mention the smoking ban) and there have been poorer turnouts as a rule, thru not at the gigs that we have always done well at, they seem to have held up OK!

My rock band hasn't played as much as usual due to guitar players work commitments & the singer's problems with his voice, so we've tended to stick to places where we know we are going to do OK - the new blues rock band has played to a few pretty empty pubs but the bigger gigs seem to have pretty well attended....!

How have yours been - I imagine that you will generally play the bigger curcuit gigs??

Edited November 14, 2010 by peteb

[EssentialTension]

I've been doing about 25 to 30 gigs a year recently but only 11 this year.

[Mog]

[quote name='TomKent' post='1023850' date='Nov 14 2010, 07:58 PM']There have been jack all gigs coming my way in comparison to last year, probably 30% of what I should've had. All the local venues are taking DJ's and discos because they 1/4 of the price of a half decent band. Had to sell equipment to make up for it.. also had to branch out to other parts of the industry (recording and producing) to make an income. [/quote]

Seems to be very common lately
In the last month 4 bands I know have packed it in. 2 original and 2 covers. Its affecting everyone at the mo.


Any plans to play over here in the new year Pete? I missed Stevie the last time he was over with JK at the start of the month.

[Thunderthumbs]

Recession's pretty much murdered us this year. We do mainly weddings/corporate gigs, and it's been drastically reduced compared to last year. Last year, we were having to turn down work due to already having confirmed gigs. This year, the number of enquiries alone has dropped drastically.

[icastle]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1023795' date='Nov 14 2010, 07:19 PM']What kind of year have you had regarding gigs?

Has there been a poorer turnout? Has the recession hit your gigs?

What have you done to compensate?

What are your plans for next year?[/quote]

Definately more gigs this year than last.
We tied up with a hotel that does the "complete wedding package" things and have had one or two weddings a month out of that.
Pub and festival scene has stayed pretty bouyant around here and we did 4 consecutive nights during August - money has remained pretty tight in this area and we've not seen any tangible increase in income on this circuit.
Local dep work has gone up massively, but dep work further afield has gone down a little - so all in all I count that as a "plus".
On top of that, five studio sessions this year (only two last year) has meant I have even managed to afford a special meal out with my wife this year, even if she did complain that her Big Mac was overcooked...

Next year, pretty much the same format with the exception of a new three (or perhaps 4) piece put together to work the local folk scene and a tour in Belgium with a reformed (or deformed as I call them) band from the time of the dinosaurs

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='peteb' post='1023862' date='Nov 14 2010, 08:04 PM']Generally yes... a bit!

The recession has generally hit all gigs over the past couple of years (not to mention the smoking ban) and there have been poorer turnouts as a rule, thru not at the gigs that we have always done well at, they seem to have held up OK!

My rock band hasn't played as much as usual due to guitar players work commitments & the singer's problems with his voice, so we've tended to stick to places where we know we are going to do OK - the new blues rock band has played to a few pretty empty pubs but the bigger gigs seem to have pretty well attended....!

How have yours been - I imagine that you will generally play the bigger curcuit gigs??[/quote]

It's been a weird year. Our keyboard player/manager said that if this year had poor turnouts, we might pack it in. It's been the opposite. We have done less gigs, but every one has been a virtual sellout.

I think this is mainly due to national advertising, Facebook, Google adwords, and the fact that we have gigged for over 13 years.

I would say never give up, and use whatever is out there for publicity.

[niceguyhomer]

In my last (soul) band, we were doing 75-80 gigs a year. The band I'm in now has done just 8 gigs since I joined 'em last September but the quality's improved a lot. It used to be pubs and weddings, now it's theatres and festivals. 2011 is looking a lot better gig-wise.

[wateroftyne]

Less gigs, but better paid.

It sounds ideal, but I'd rather play loads of gigs for less money.

I've got two sold-out nights at The Live Theatre and a gig at Newcastle City Hall to come, so the year ain't over yet.

Edited November 14, 2010 by wateroftyne

[Clarky]

Until we ran into the "drummer quits" problem this summer, my punk band was struggling for gigs (were doing c.20 a year previously and our run rate was half this in 2010). The turnouts were appalling. At one gig, the three of us (and our other halves) were the entire audience for the headline act we supported (a reasonably well known punk act with 70s credentials). We never got paid. Best we ever got was petrol money or free drinks.

My new band will probably only do 10-15 gigs a year as we are so geographically disparate (South Coast, London, Scotland) but they will be paying (mind you there's 14 of us so it amounts to not much each!).

Edited November 14, 2010 by Clarky

[bartelby]

I joined a band after a 3 or 4 year break. Have only played one gig but I'm really enjoying playing in a band again, so I'm happy.

[Happy Jack]

I've averaged a gig a month for the last two years, which sounds really neat until you realise it means three gigs in a fortnight followed by nowt for two months.

This year has been harder to get gigs (just pubs & occasional parties for us) but we still seem to get just enough.

[Doddy]

It's been a really good year for me. It started off slow for a few weeks,but then it all kicked off and I've been busy all year,and they've all been pretty decent gigs in nice places-I haven't played any pub gigs this year.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Doddy

[Noisyjon]

Basically non existant as I'm not in a band at the mo

[Cat Burrito]

Aside a forced break from mid March to early July to work on our album's pre production (our singer / songwriter wanted that to be the sole focus) the gigs have been fantastic.

From January to mid-March I didn't get off the upright & we did a few sold out Art Centre shows. Since we did the album it's been all bass guitar gigs. We have played London, Bristol, Sheffield, Manchester, York, Winchester, Newport, Bath, Reading, Bedford and a whole load of other places. We're also filling up nicely for the first half of next year. I have been really pleased with that side of life

[Faithless]

sh*tty years in terms of gigs, but I was doing a lot of shedding, so.. gigs will come.

[BigRedX]

It's been at least 10 years since I've played as many gigs as I have this year!

My covers band have only done 3 so far this year, but that's 2 more than we played last year and they never were particularly prolific in the previous years before I joined. However we've come away with money in the band fund from all three, played to appreciative audiences and had fun doing it.

TBH after the last couple of years that would have been enough, but to add to that I've had a complete blast playing with my originals band as well!
Dick Venom And The Terrortones have done 11 gigs so far this year and they've all been fantastic. We have a single due for release in 2011 and gigs already lined up for the new year. Not bad for a band that 9 months ago was merely an idea that the singer had. Onwards and upwards in 2011!

[3below]

No money, a few non paying charity gigs (through choice) but I have started playing again which is fun. Whether I (we) can ever get back to the 40+ per year sensible paying gigs per year of my youth remains to be seen. It's like being 18 again.. without the energy, drive and ego, but with a little more sense, experience, tolerance and ability. Sounds like see paint drying. For me the plus is playing again after a long period of not playing when life took over - job ?, ++ marks wife, ++marks daughter, --marks my stupidity.

My wife's business (fashion, not music) has survived, less per person, more people buying fwiw. Moneys too tight to mention...

[mrtcat]

Last year was our first year together and we managed about 6 pubs from August til end of year. This year so far we've done 22 pubs one corporate event and two beer festivals. A decent improvement I reckon but it hasn't come without heaps of pushing for gigs. Pubs have been reluctant to take on bands they haven't used before and as usual a few have stiffed us over money. We have had to keep pestering landlords and landladys but the good news is we have been rebooked at all venues.

Punters wise it's been a mixed bag. Some venues have been dead as a dodo but some have been heaving. It's always the nights where you expect a flat crowd that they surprise you.

Beer price really hasn't helped and neither has the fact that a few pubs have gone bust due to breweries screwing tennants. To be fair tho my experience of landlords / ladys is that many of them couldn't organise a p*** up in their own establishment.

[peteb]

It is the bog standard pub that seems to have been hit the hardest!

Most established music venues seem to have held up recently well as have the better run real ale pubs, etc. Punters seem to be happy to make the effort to go out for anything that seems to be a bit of an event but will stay in & drink at home rather than go to see a band they don't know playing in a corner of a small pub!