Gigging & Public Transportation

[blue]

Educate me.

In the States if you don't have your own car you can't gig. There is no public transport to most venues and if there was they wouldn't be running at 2:00am.

I've seen a few posts where guys talk about using public transportation to get to gigs. How do you get an amp on public transport, does the bus leave from your home then stop right in front of the venue, do they run into the early am?

How does this work?

Sincerely

Blue

Edited September 2, 2017 by blue

[Happy Jack]

London is awash with public transport. There are very few venues which aren't served by a tube (subway) station, or at least a bus stop.

We played a birthday party this afternoon at a pub in Stepney, in the old East End of town. Silvie and I drove there in the van with the PA and the rest of the band came by tube, clutching guitars and stuff.

[Lozz196]

Well on the originals band circuit quite often you gear share, or agree that "on this gig we`ll provide backline, if you do so on the next gig" type of thing. Or there may be provided backline, so it`s a case of, get on the bus/train/tube with your bass and bag of pedals/leads and get to the venue. It does of course work far easier in London/cities doing this, less so in the sticks - our local buses end at 11:30.

[louisthebass]

In my experience here in the UK, a car is essential if you're a gigging musician. The guys who use public transport (buses / tube / tram) probably travel extremely light, and it probably depends on how close to a stop or station they live and where they have to get off to reach the venue. I wouldn't like to have to do that.

Public transport for most of us runs between about 6am to midnight, although the London Underground now operates all night over the weekend. There is a night bus service in London (and maybe some of the big cities elsewhere in the UK?) but that runs only on certain specified routes hourly from midnight to about 6am.

[Maude]

Down here in the south west, if you don't have a car then you don't gig.

[ambient]

I use public transport to travel all over the UK to gigs, and even to Paris earlier in the year.

I use a trolley for my gear which carries my combo, pedalboard, cables, MacBook etc.

My bass is in a Mono gig bag on my back.

Here it is at Birmingham station.

[attachment=252722:20375727_742135825994681_2552161252010922407_n.jpg]

[steantval]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1504390233' post='3364617']
I use public transport to travel all over the UK to gigs, and even to Paris earlier in the year.

I use a trolley for my gear which carries my combo, pedalboard, cables, MacBook etc.

My bass is in a Mono gig bag on my back.

Here it is at Birmingham station.

[attachment=252722:20375727_742135825994681_2552161252010922407_n.jpg]
[/quote]

I suppose it depends what type of music you play and what type of bands, that combo in the bag must be very small and certainly would not be suitable for the type of gigs I play.
I would assume it's put through the desk at gigs.
I took my small practice amp along to one of our rehearsals once, big mistake, lack of volume meant you struggled to hear it above the drummer.
There is no way I would be able to manage two Markbass 15 inch cabs, cables/effects holdall and solid guitar case on public transport, alternatively I could purchase a donkey.🙂

Edited September 2, 2017 by steantval

[SICbass]

I live in Berlin which also has an excellent local transport system. Most of my gigs are in theatres or clubs with their own backline. Some theatres even insist on playing a house instrument to keep sound as consistent as possible. Theatre jobs are usually done by 10:45 and transport runs tiil about 12:30 in the week and all night on Friday and Saturday.
Most of my gigs are in the city. The out of town jobs I do generally have backline on the rider. On rare occasions when it's necessary I take a taxi or rent a car.

[ambient]

[quote name='steantval' timestamp='1504391091' post='3364623']
I suppose it depends what type of music you play and what type of bands, that combo in the bag must be very small and certainly would not be suitable for the type of gigs I play.
I would assume it's put through the desk at gigs.
I took my small practice amp along to one of our rehearsals once, big mistake, lack of volume meant you struggled to hear it above the drummer.
There is no way I would be able to manage two Markbass 15 inch cabs, cables/effects holdall and solid guitar case on public transport.
[/quote]

Solo gigs, occasionally through a PA, most just using the combo. It's a Phil Jones combo.

You're right though, it depends on what you play. Though I used to use a Markbass CMD121P, that wasn't a problem on trains, tube or buses. I did a lot of gigs about 3 years ago using a double bass, I did travel a few times on the train down to London with it, and carry it on the tube.

[Guest Jecklin]

As with ambient I use trains to travel all over the UK.
For example At beginning of August I was performing in Norwich one night, then traveling down to play in Oxfordshire the next day.
My fee easily accommodates the travel cost.

For gigging in London public transport is relatively easy, but I can't travel in rush hour due to lugging a backpack, a wheeled suitcase and my instrument.

You wouldn't be doing this with an ampeg stack! (I use two Phil Jones double4's)

[Pinball]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1504390233' post='3364617']
I use public transport to travel all over the UK to gigs, and even to Paris earlier in the year.

I use a trolley for my gear which carries my combo, pedalboard, cables, MacBook etc.

[attachment=252722:20375727_742135825994681_2552161252010922407_n.jpg]
[/quote]

Where did you get the trolly, I've been looking for something like that for ages?

[Dad3353]

One downside to using public transport, when it exists at all, must be the reliance on timetables and connections. I'd imagine (I've never done it for gigging...) that there's quite a lot of waiting around involved. As a drummer (with the PA...), it's been a no-no from the outset, but it can work for some, albeit in limited circumstances.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Dad3353

[BrunoBass]

I couldn't gig with my rig if I didn't have a car.

Hypothetically, even if I could just take a gig bag with bass and board to a gig I'd have to get a taxi into town to the train station, and then on to wherever I was playing, with probably another taxi at the other end. Then repeat for the return leg. If I lived in the middle of a city it'd be more feasible to travel on public transport, but living where I live having my own car is a must.

[chris_b]

I gig anywhere in the country, but mostly in the South East. A journey home on public transport from most of my gigs wouldn't start until after midnight and would take hours. That's not doable.

Call me old fashioned, but a car is a prerequisite.

Edited September 2, 2017 by chris_b

[ambient]

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1504391752' post='3364632']
Where did you get the trolly, I've been looking for something like that for ages?
[/quote]

It's this one.

[url="https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_go_kart_solo.htm?ref=search_rslt_millenium+trolley_370977_1"]https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_go_kart_solo.htm?ref=search_rslt_millenium+trolley_370977_1[/url]

There's a thread on here somewhere about trollies that I started earlier in the Summer.

[Maude]

In one of my bands, equipment wise I could easily use public transport,the problem is the lack of any kind of public transport in my area.
It's kind of a vicious circle, because being up on Bodmin Moor I need a car, therefore even if public transport was available for gigs, it would just be cheaper and easier to drive myself. If more public transport existed to the extent that I could rely on it for work and weekend/evening jollies then it would more than likely be prohibitively expensive as there just aren't enough people to fund a regular, round the clock service to all areas.

[FinnDave]

I live in a small village in West Oxfordshire. There are a couple of busses a day to the nearest town. There used to be buses into Oxford but they were cut over a year ago. If I didn't own a car, I would be dependent on taxis for gigs, and as most of my gigs are 10-50 miles away, the taxi would cost more than I could earn. I had a 50 mile round trip this evening to play in Swindon, same again next week. Our drummer lives in Swindon and doesn't have a car, so his kit is shared out between the harp player and the guitarist, who also lives in Swindon and brings him to our gigs and takes him home afterwards.

Even when I lived in London in the 80s and half the 90s, if I was involved with a band, I had a car. The main reason I wanted to learn to drive and took my test at 17 or 18 was to be able to drive myself and equipment to rehearsals and gigs.

[blue]

So public transport doesn't work for everyone. Just like anything else there are variables that come into play.

Definitely not for the 4 hour, 3 gig weekend.


Thanks for the education on public transport guys.

Blue

Edited September 3, 2017 by blue

[bazzbass]

I think lots of gigging musicians in New York use public transport, read plenty of stories on TB from them.

Our 'public' transport is run by corporations now, so no bus runs when or where you need it to. Only profit making routes are supported by more than one bus an hour lol.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1504410125' post='3364656']...one bus an hour...
[/quote]

One bus an hour..? Luxury..! Our nearest bus runs from the village five miles away. One service only, to the county town and back (50 Kms each way...), twice a day, at 08h10 and 13h02, during school term time. At all other times, it runs by appointment (..!), as long as one is subscribed beforehand.
On the other hand, it's fairly inexpensive at 2€ (£1.70..?) for a single, or 50€ (£45..?) for a calendar month season ticket.
I think I'll be keeping my car for a while yet.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Dad3353

[PaulWarning]

depends on the gig with my band we all bring the gear in 4 cars, PA backline drums etc, we're usually the only band on, but occasionally if I do an open mic in Nottingham I'll use public transport because of the parking problems,

[jezzaboy]

I recently played a club in Dundee and as we were headlining, we finished at 12.15 am. It took me 1.5 hours to get home to Paisley, just outside Glasgow in my car, sharing with the rhythm guitarist who chipped in for the cost of the fuel but using public transport? I wouldn`t even know where to start and it would have cost me more in travel costs than I got for the gig I imagine.

In my view, to be a gigging musician, you need access to transport.

[Beer of the Bass]

I'll use buses where I can, if I'm playing guitar or electric bass, if I'm using either a small amp or a house rig, if the gig either finishes before midnight or is close to the route of the night bus that goes to my neighbourhood. If the gig involves double bass, larger amps and less convenient locations or times I'll use the car. I used to manage on public transport more often when I lived in the centre of town, but now I'm on the outskirts the car comes out more often than not. Parking in many parts of Edinburgh is a challenge, so I do prefer not to if I have the option.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Beer of the Bass

[Cat Burrito]

Living in a rural location, there isn't a gig I can do with public transport. At best some London shows where backline is provided and I finish before the last train mean I can drive to a West London tube and take a bass on the tube. At best this is a couple of shows a year.

[Drax]

Have a car now, but for a year or so gigged like this no problem. Bass on back, amp and 112 cab on the trolley.

Crucially the trolley fits into most car boots, so taxi (dare I say Uber) becomes an option in cities. All night tube in London has helped occasionally.



..apologies for the massive pic

Edited September 3, 2017 by Drax