How was your (non-bass) gig?

[Earbrass]

I’ve been meaning to start this thread for a while, as non-bass gigs are the only kind I am doing at the moment.

On Saturday, the [url="http://www.wildhunt.org.uk/"]Wild Hunt Bedlam Morris[/url] performed at Cecil Sharp House (the English Folk Dance and Song Society's HQ in Camden) as part of their “Dance Around The World” festival, which involves performances and workshops from folk-dance troupes from, errrm, around the world. It’s a nice venue to perform in, and there was a decent crowd as we performed our three dances in the early afternoon. The band consisted of two box players and two drummers, which is our standard “core” configuration. Damned hot in there, though – we wear masks as well as tattered coats, and by the third dance I was struggling to see what was going on through steamed-up glasses. I don’t know how the dancers coped. About 40 minutes later, after a couple of large teas to replace the lost fluids, we held our workshop, which involved teaching a version of one of our dances to anyone (including some small children) who wanted a go. That all went well, and that would have been the end of a pleasant and successful day had not one of our number arranged with a local pub to go on there afterwards and have a bit of a dance outside.

We set off in a ragged group for The Engineer, just a couple of hundred yards away up Gloucester Avenue, with some of the dancers still wearing their bells. As we approached the bridge over the Regent’s Canal, we were hailed by a chap on the other side of the road asking us whether we’d just finished or were just about to start performing. When we told him we would shortly be dancing just a few yards away, he replied that he was just waiting to see a steam train, and then would come and watch. “Steam train???” several of us replied as one. Where Gloucester Ave crosses the canal it runs next to the railway bridge carrying the main line over the same canal, affording good views of the line. A steam-hauled special was apparently due to leave Euston very shortly, and would pass right in front of us. Some of us decided to wait. Within ten minutes we were rewarded with the sight of the [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1tSZhUI1qU"]Duchess of Sutherland[/url] blasting away up the incline hauling a long rake of sixties(?) maroon coaching stock. Fabulous sight and sound.

And so to the pub. Half the band had to go home straight after our workshop, so we were down to me on box and one drummer. After a quick drink we went out into the street and began. It wasn’t a promising looking spot – there was nowhere obvious to dance; the pub is on a corner, and we ended up with the band, such as it was, on the pavement and the dancers in the side street.

There was nobody about when we started, apart from the steam-train chap, but by the time we finished our first dance there were a dozen or so spectators, and we got a good round of applause. A couple of cars had to wait for a dance to finish before getting out of the side road, but they didn’t seem to mind- they just filmed us on their phones. Cars on Gloucester Ave stopped, and again the occupants began to film us on their phones. People in flats overlooking the street opened their windows wide and looked out – and more phone filming. I muffed a couple of tunes a bit, but it didn’t matter, and I didn’t let it put me off. The crowd grew little by little. We did four dances in all – about 20-25 minutes performing. At the end, people cheered, people came up to thank us, and ask us about what we do – we handed out quite a few of our leaflets. One lady asked “so, it’s a bit like morris then?” and we explained that it was morris, just not the “whites and hankies” kind that most people know. Another lady thrust a five pound note into the hand of the guy doing our announcing – we weren’t collecting, but it was a nice gesture. All in all we felt thoroughly appreciated, and what had been planned as a bit of an after thought turned out to be the best part of the day. I left the rest of them to continue investigating the local pubs, and got the tube and train home (one small squeezebox and a small bag for ‘kit’ makes for easy transport). Back home with my feet up by the fire by 6.30pm.

Bloomin’ marvellous.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Earbrass

[oggiesnr]

When it works like that it's great isn't it? All these people who would run a mile at the thought of "Morris Dancing" actually watching and enjoying it. At a recent Freaks danceout we ended up at the same pub as the local football team and persuaded some of them to have a go.

Steve

[Earbrass]

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1351281369' post='1849779']
When it works like that it's great isn't it? All these people who would run a mile at the thought of "Morris Dancing" actually watching and enjoying it. At a recent Freaks danceout we ended up at the same pub as the local football team and persuaded some of them to have a go.

Steve
[/quote]

Yeah, it's weird - as a nation we love to mock our own traditions, and few people will admit to being interested in the Morris, but we find that if you go out and do it, people gather and watch, and are interested and ask questions: we're very rarely short of an audience. Such a change from being in an originals band and begging your mates to come to every gig (we weren't very good)! Perhaps it's because it's one of the very few traditional English pastimes that doesn't involve persecuting wildlife . Good luck with the RackaBack. Hope to see you at a festival someday.

[fretmeister]

My non-bass gigs are magic shows.

I take bookings when I feel like it to keep it a paid hobby rather than a proper job, so some times I can do 6 shows over a weekend, or sometimes times go a month without wanting to do one.

Last one I did was pretty good - a birthday party for kids. Kids' shows have a unique problem in that in a crowd of 3 to 7 year olds the development is massively different and as a result they are fooled (or not) by very different things. Tricks that an adult will see through immediately will fool a child BUT there are plenty of tricks that have fooled adults that kids have seen straight through as well. It would make an excellent psychological study.

Table top magic at dinner parties and award shows pay really quite well - but there is no doubt that kids shows are more fun, and massively unpredictable. I do a lot of comedy in the shows as there are some things that are almost universally funny, and really draws in the audience, irrespective of the age. For that reason Tommy Cooper will always be my magic hero. A wonderful magician, but more importantly a brilliant all round entertainer who could be enjoyed by every age group. That's what I'm aiming for.

Magic is a brilliant ice breaker too. Everyone likes to be fooled or amazed. I went for lunch yesterday with an old friend and it took a while for the food to arrive and the kids were getting restless. Plenty of stuff on the table for some impromptu magic, and I never go anywhere without a few bits in my pockets. Bit of string, deck of cards, etc.

Rehearsals and learning new tricks take a lot of time but I love it.

My eldest (9) has started to learn too so if she sticks with it she will be able to have the best part time job in the world when she's a teenager. Why work for an entire weekend in Tesco stacking shelves to earn £100 when you can get that for 1 kids magic show?

[Earbrass]

Wow, that sounds really cool. I love magic tricks. I had a mate who was seriously into it who taught me a couple of simple things once, but as you say you have to spend a lot of time practising to get good. It must be a real buzz to be able to do it well and be appreciated for it.