Paid covers gigs, the north vs London?

[Guest subaudio]

Hi all

I'm currently very much in flux and have been thinking very hard about moving back to south Yorkshire to be with family for quite a while now.

I'm currently living in Tottenham and have spent many years in original bands in London but as I began my playing career on the northern club circuit and allways did a lot of gigs, (4 - 5 + gigs a week were pretty normal), I have allways been very frustrated by the lack of work ethic in the original bands I have worked with thus far (with rare execptions), where if we did one gig a week it was a very lucky week indeed, but I love the creativity of putting my own B lines together and was for a long time full of nonsense about "making it" so didn't go back to covers.

I'm not money orientated at all, I just want to cover expenses and have a few quid for a beer or three afterwards, and not feeling I'm flogging my guts out and paying for the privelidge if originals where my only gig, I can do an originals project on the side wherever I am to vent my creative side and soak up any "spare" money left from covers gigs

I'm now 42 (how did that happen) and really need to get gigging while I still can, and I really need the social aspect of it too as I'm totally a billy no mates hermit these days.

So, my long winded question is, will I get more paid covers gigs in London or South Yorkshire (Sheffield, Barnsley etc) and beyond.

I may well be moving in the wrong circles but I just don't see any covers bands gigs in my area of London at all (Islington, Hackney, Haringey)

Also, will I need a car? I was using public transport for my original gigs round London using my Genz Benz 10t combo as there was allways PA support, will this do the job for a covers band?

Cheers

Edited April 4, 2012 by subaudio

[Lozz196]

No experience of being in a covers band up north, but in my current covers band we don`t bother with London, as most places we did contact either didn`t want covers, or wanted to pay twelve and a half pence for 40 songs for the evening.

[Guest subaudio]

Thanks Loz

I think I have over generalised with the north or south aspect of comment, my experience is of central/north/east London as that's where I live.

In fact I've edited it now to make more specific sense.

Edited April 4, 2012 by subaudio

[Toddy]

Dude,, yeah,, still a lot of WMC work around the northern area your thinking about.. doubt there has been many changes since you last saw them,,bless the Moorhouse empire, Northallerton WMC, and Sheffield area clubs,,etc
Most seem to book through agents, tho not all, tis the standard set up. couple of 45 min cover sets, bingo, disco at the end stuff..and hell yeah you will need transport of some kind,,, no buses round these areas at 1am lol,,,
can give you some contacts if you wish,, best of luck with it.

[Guest subaudio]

[quote name='Toddy' timestamp='1333568830' post='1603782']
Dude,, yeah,, still a lot of WMC work around the northern area your thinking about.. doubt there has been many changes since you last saw them,,bless the Moorhouse empire, Northallerton WMC, and Sheffield area clubs,,etc
Most seem to book through agents, tho not all, tis the standard set up. couple of 45 min cover sets, bingo, disco at the end stuff..and hell yeah you will need transport of some kind,,, no buses round these areas at 1am lol,,,
can give you some contacts if you wish,, best of luck with it.
[/quote]

Hi Toddy

Thanks for that mate, not looking at wmc's specifically as I know it can be quite, formulaic shall we say quite happy to do pubs, the club band up north had our own van so never needed a car, looks like I'm going to have bite the bullet and buy a car then.

Any help with contacts would be awesome, thank you

[Gust0o]

A stroll through the pubs of town on a weekend reveals a fair few covers bands on. I didn't think they were totally drying up, and probably more popular in some areas than others - York is very pretentious, and seemingly overflowing with this punk-folk thing at the moment. It's cos we're all middle class, see?

[Toddy]

Pubs slightly different game,, a lot drying up,, boo hoo venues like the Crosby, must admit come across the divide problem myself,, seems especially in London, (probably get some flack for this,, hey ho,, no offence meant or intended) that most acts are trying to promote themselves hence all original material and being cool,, where up the north if you don't entertain "you aint comin back" and covers bands get the gigs..
If you really wanna earn some cash for covers the Holiday camp circuit are the best paying gigs,, however, that another thread completely,,,
Most busy pub bands around my area are out most Saturdays tho.....most area have a forum (like this one) advertising gigs and bands wanted
the Scunthorpe Entertainer Forum, for example works exactly like this one and is where most go for info about stuff,,guess you need to think about where you wanna live an have a look...

[Guest subaudio]

Thanks again mate, wise words and great info.

[icastle]

From a Midlands perspective there's certainly a lot more going on up here than there was in Bedfordshire.
I had to travel 20 miles to get to a plug and play night and was lucky to get one gig a month.

I've now got four plug and play venues within a 10 minute drive, play in three bands permanantly (so usually three gigs a month between then) and get dep and session work most months.

You'd definately need a car though, public transport is nowhere near as frequent as London as you start to travelup the country into the Northern wastelands...

[peteb]

I woujld think that south yorkshire will be as good a place as any for covers gigs (pubs or clubs) - not as good as it was a few years ago thru....

Edited April 4, 2012 by peteb

[Guest subaudio]

Thanks guys, was thinking it was me being an idiot and not finding the gigs here, I guess you can't find what isn't there !

[dc2009]

If you're exclusively after pubs then perhaps the north is best as in London it seems you have to be most Landlord's/promotor's bitch when you play for them. I would say that there's probably quite a lot in the way of weddings and similar functions going around London, but almost certainly towards the leafier parts and the southern counties. Hiring a venue in London is more expensive than outside, and many people prefer rural for weddings etc, so I'd imagine everywhere from Berkshire round to Kent would have a lot on offer.

[Adrenochrome]

Yes, still quite a few gigs going in South Yorkshire for the kind of money that covers your weekly expenses rather than running at profit.
No, you're not going to get round the majority of gigs without some kind of car or van (unless you find a band with a van, or someone willing to ferry you round for petrol money).

[spencer.b]

I'd agree that there aren't many pub covers gigs london, I used to do the swan in stockwell and the redback in acton from time to time but most of my well paid wedding and corporate work is in london.
I certainley couldn't do most of my gigs without a car, admitedley a lot my work is on upright though

[Guest subaudio]

Thanks guys, really appreciate you sharing your experience as working musicians.

Spencer, most of my originals gigs over the last 5 years, up until this year were on DB and I dragged it there and back on the bus, with an amp and leads bag ! I don't have a DB anymore, quite telling that

[spencer.b]

fair play mate thats dedication, I know what the buses are like round here too I'm in stokey

[Guest subaudio]

Wow, small world! I moved out of Stokey in December.