How was your gig last night?

[Greg Edwards69]

Slade, Wizzard, Mariah (yeah, I know) and Pogues/Kirsty MacColl for us.  And just one rehearsal this Sunday to dust them all off again.

Good shout on "last Christmas", I may suggest it.

[taunton-hobbit]

1 hour ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

Good shout on "last Christmas", I may suggest it.

' Last Christmas I lent you my car

After you hit the bus it didn't go very far'

 

Has been known to brighten the evening ...

 

😎

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Good to hear a modern version of this amazing song. Enjoyed that a lot. 👍

Dave

Agree, I love that song and this is a good version 

[Bluewine]

On 22/11/2023 at 10:04, Muzz said:

Just on the precious PA owners being bass-shy, the busiest of my gigging bands uses two RCF 2-way 15s (745s, IIRC), no subs, and absolutely everything goes through them: 

 

You can't go wrong with RCF.

 

Blue

[Bluewine]

On 22/11/2023 at 10:04, Muzz said:

Just on the precious PA owners being bass-shy, the busiest of my gigging bands uses two RCF 2-way 15s (745s, IIRC), no subs, and absolutely everything goes through them: 

 

You can't go wrong with RCF.

 

Blue

[dmccombe7]

40 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

You can't go wrong with RCF.

 

Blue

Got that post in stereo there Daryl. 

Dave

[SuperSeagull]

New venue for us, 5 mins from home for me. Last note played at 11.05, packed down and home by 11.45. Lovely. Tomorrow will be a bit later. 

[dmccombe7]

7 hours ago, SuperSeagull said:

New venue for us, 5 mins from home for me. Last note played at 11.05, packed down and home by 11.45. Lovely. Tomorrow will be a bit later. 

The perfect venue. 

Dave

[Paul S]

My lot had our monthly residency gig at The Shamrock in Ipswich last night.  We didn't play particularly well - same passion, same spark but more mistakes than usual - nevertheless we went down very well.  Only a few of our regulars were there but this time a handful of folks who had seen us elsewhere came to see us again.  Plus some new blow-ins who hung around, too.  However, a slow blues in the middle of the second set killed the mood and a lot of people left after that.  Usually the light and shade is appreciated but clearly not last night.  Also before we got going the pub team confirmed 10, not 12, dates for 2024 saying they liked to have other bands.  Which is a bit odd as it was their idea in the first place.  No free drinks for the band, either, for the first time in the two years we've been playing there.  Looks like the honeymoon period is over but I guess we'll see how it pans out next year.  On the plus side traffic there and back was easy and I got parked a couple of hundred years yards away.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Paul S
Trying to write after 5 hours sleep.

[Staggering on]

Our seven piece swing band played in a store in downtown North Bay last night as part of the city's annual downtown Christmas walk that included music, Christmas tree lighting and special events on the street and fireworks at 9:00 to signal the end of the evening. It was around -11C with a very strong north wind but there was a very good crowd and we had a lot of people drop into the store to hear a song or two and I was on my way home by 9:30. As usual in venues with limited space I used my Yamaha SLB 200 instead of my DB and it sounded great. We have done this gig before and it's always a relaxed fun time although some of the Christmas tunes we played were a bit rough in places since we don't play them often but the audience didn't seem to mind. 👍

[neepheid]

Excellent fun last night with Nine Lives at the Balaclava in Fraserburgh.  Got a message from the guitarist while the drummer and I were on our way there proclaiming it to be the emptiest he'd ever seen it.  Nevertheless, we ploughed on anyway.  Were running a bit late but still crucially got there just ahead of the singer to maintain the natural order of things.  Yes, it was pretty bad when we got there - single figures, but I had hope - there was a table of fairly young folk had put on some pretty classic stuff and singing along to it...

 

So we got cracking and our wee table of folk were into it right away.  Somehow that energy must have leaked outside because the place started to fill up.  Second half was really busy and it ended up being a brilliant night.  The table I spied at the beginning stayed from start to finish - the heroes of the night for sure.  Also had a table of guys come in towards the end of the first half and they were also well into it - singing along and liked the harder stuff - they were on their feet and worshipping the Maiden songs we put in.

 

All in all, what looked like being a damp squib ended up being a bloody great night!  Also, 10 points for Bassindor for colour coordination - Markbass stuff plus Sire D5...

 

[Belka]

We had a corporate gig last night right at the end of the Grand Pier in Weston-Super-Mare.  Fun gig although a lot of hanging around as we had to load in at 4:30 with a first set start at 8:45. Our dressing room was next to the dressing room of another 'act' - 'The UK Pleasure Boys'. All I can say is that judging by the way they choose to position their Santa hats I'm we didn't have to share with them.

 

First try out of my new (to me)  5 string and it performed superbly. It's sometimes not until you look at the photos that you realise what a nice rig you have.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Belka

[Mickeyboro]

Not last night, but yesterday lunchtime, we played our third gig at St Peter’s church in central Bournemouth. 
 

I woke up with no voice thanks to a vicious germ, so the Otis Jay Blues Band did some extended numbers with extra solos to make up for my three songs.
 

The venue’s promoter (dark shirt) got up to sing a couple too, which always helps. And we broke the ‘last Friday session’ attendance record with 100-plus. 
 

Rig was Barefaced One10 with Elf, guitar Sandberg VM4. 

[markbunney]

Back home from playing at Pier 5 in Chatham this evening.

 

first time playing here and I don’t think we would return.

 

There were quite a few people in when we were setting up, but they all started to drift away and by the end of the night we were down to 8 audience members!

 

It seemed  more of a food pub, rather than a music pub. Other bands that we know who have played recently have said it was quiet when they played as well. It wasn’t that well set up for bands, we were stuck between a shuffle board and a barrier, and there was no dance floor either.

 

on the positive side, the staff were nice, we got paid well and stopped playing at 11pm, so was home at a reasonable time.

[tauzero]

Open mic night. I learnt (as my friend, a singer/guitarist announced it) that an old friend who had run the first open mic I dragged Mrs Zero to had died. He'd told me the song and the chords beforehand but I didn't know the reason until he said it on stage - cue a short interval of me saying "what?" and him saying "yes, John Benbow passed away on Sunday". Anyroadup, John had hosted this open mic night that had started Mrs Zero on her singing career (if that's the right term) and I had finished up as the bassist for the house band. So we played "You ain't going nowhere" as a tribute to him, as that was one of the songs that he played regularly.

[Staggering on]

2 hours ago, tauzero said:

Open mic night. I learnt (as my friend, a singer/guitarist announced it) that an old friend who had run the first open mic I dragged Mrs Zero to had died. He'd told me the song and the chords beforehand but I didn't know the reason until he said it on stage - cue a short interval of me saying "what?" and him saying "yes, John Benbow passed away on Sunday". Anyroadup, John had hosted this open mic night that had started Mrs Zero on her singing career (if that's the right term) and I had finished up as the bassist for the house band. So we played "You ain't going nowhere" as a tribute to him, as that was one of the songs that he played regularly.

 

Thanks for that post, that song has been in my life for years and I played it at a somewhat similar occasion.

I was in a band almost 40 years ago(I can't believe it!) that played that song. When the bass player of that band died just before Covid hit another member of that old band and I told some stories about the band and sang a few of the songs we played all those years ago at a celebration of life for the man and ended with " You ain't going nowhere".   By the time we finished the song about half of the people in the room including me were in tears. It was especially touching because we hadn't seen him for years but we knew that in the interim he had become a very sad alcoholic and that alcohol basically killed him and we were trying to remember the good times and the fine man we knew and the song just fit the situation perfectly. By the end most of the people were singing or at least humming along with us, a magic moment.

Ah, the power of music, we are so lucky that we can play and experience what music can mean to an audience and us as well. I'm getting a bit misty eyed just remembering that day and humming that song.

 

 

 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Staggering on

[Bluewine]

4 hours ago, markbunney said:

Back home from playing at Pier 5 in Chatham this evening.

 

first time playing here and I don’t think we would return.

 

There were quite a few people in when we were setting up, but they all started to drift away and by the end of the night we were down to 8 audience members!

 

It seemed  more of a food pub, rather than a music pub. Other bands that we know who have played recently have said it was quiet when they played as well. It wasn’t that well set up for bands, we were stuck between a shuffle board and a barrier, and there was no dance floor either.

 

on the positive side, the staff were nice, we got paid well and stopped playing at 11pm, so was home at a reasonable time.

 

I know exactly what your talking about.

 

Daryl

[dmccombe7]

Riverside Bar in Dumfries for me last night with Emergency Exit punk covers band. Reasonable sized audience so that was good. Another great night down there but a rapid strip down at the end and off home as i'm back out the house at 10am this morning for an afternoon gig with BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band. Jings i'm gonna sleep tonight.

Was a very cold drive home at -6 oC and everything had a heavy frost at 1am this morning yet this morning there's absolutely no frost at all just 6hrs later.

Dave

[mep]

Played a party for the local Harley bikers last night. It was in a pubs function room that wasn't great for acoustic, but it was packed so ok. They enjoyed it and the singing along was quite loud in places. We've played better TBH. I hsve been having some problems with my amp that appeared at our last rehearsal that I think is due to my DI out that I'll investigate further today. I took my spare amp and that worked fine. It was the first gig eith our new backdrop that we are all pleased with.

[martthebass]

Gig in a city centre pub in Wakefield last night with the glam lads. Lovely staff and well looked after but sadly it was a pretty poor turnout. It was the pubs first birthday and they wanted a party atmosphere but this is tough when you don’t have the numbers. It was a pub grub come sports bar type place and as often seen once the grub and sports finish the punters move on.

That aside, those that stayed were very enthusiastic and we had a ball anyway, as we always say it doesn’t matter if you’re playing to 20 or 200 always give it beans!

[warwickhunt]

 

 

Last night's gig was 'work'!  I turned up, I entertained, I got paid, I went home.  

 

We were booked to play mixed covers (2x45) at a working man's club in an ex mining village, to an audience of regulars + the local football team's presentation award.  Well, the football attendees didn't turn up, the heating in the club was broken and as a result the few punters who turned up didn't stick around, mainly due to the fact that it was a massive flat topped concert room that could easily hold 500, hence it was 'cold'.  In fact I had to play the 2nd set with my coat on (it was a nice coat btw).  To top it off some young woman thought it was OK to ascend the stairs to the stage to take over on the vocals!  We immediately stopped playing, which is just as well because it meant I was on hand to grab her arm when she drunkenly brayed her head off one of the club's speaker cabs mounted on the wall.  As the woman was lead away by friends, the band started up again (back in on the same bar we stopped on without even a count in  )... only to have to stop 16 bars later as the drunken lady's friends shouted abuse at us for not letting her sing!  Hey Ho, they were escorted from the building by club staff.  However, 2 songs later we stopped yet again mid song, as 3 club employees remonstrated with a drunken bloke who was staggering around an empty dance floor with a full pint in his hand ('NO glasses on the dance floor' signs displayed all the way around the room).  We got through the rest of the night, stripped down (photo of my rig so it didn't take long... thankfully), got paid, with apologies from the staff and promises to get us back as we were great and 'SO professional'.  

 

It sounds like a whinge but it isn't really!  I've been doing this for 40+ years so I know that I will get nights like this (and possibly worse) but who knows, the next gig might be a screamer and balance is restored! 

 

[asingardenof]

15 minutes ago, martthebass said:

Gig in a city centre pub in Wakefield last night with the glam lads. Lovely staff and well looked after but sadly it was a pretty poor turnout. It was the pubs first birthday and they wanted a party atmosphere but this is tough when you don’t have the numbers. It was a pub grub come sports bar type place and as often seen once the grub and sports finish the punters move on.

That aside, those that stayed were very enthusiastic and we had a ball anyway, as we always say it doesn’t matter if you’re playing to 20 or 200 always give it beans!

 

Which pub? I've only played at Venue 23 in Wakey before but am actively trying to get more gigs closer to me (most of the band is in Cleckheaton, guitarist and I are in the 5 towns) so any suggestions welcome!

[martthebass]

 

49 minutes ago, asingardenof said:

 

Which pub? I've only played at Venue 23 in Wakey before but am actively trying to get more gigs closer to me (most of the band is in Cleckheaton, guitarist and I are in the 5 towns) so any suggestions welcome!

The Bridge

[Muzz]

A return to gigging after being laid low for a couple/three weeks (and missing three gigs! Eeeeek!) with a horrible fluey thing that was worse than pretty much all of the 4 lots of Covid I've had*, a new venue 10 minutes down the road from me, which was a nice change...I knew the pub of old as a rough one, but a new landlord's trying to turn the place round, and tho it's early days he seems to be doing well...8:45 start, 10:45 finish - agency gig, so 2 x 45, but we did an hour second set as he was a nice bloke and people were enjoying it, I even stayed till everything was packed up, and home before midnight. We've got three or four dates for the new year off the back of it. That'll do.

 

 

* Yeah, I know, but I live with a Nurse who worked on Covid wards exclusively, and even now works in a mask (she's on a Geriatric/EOL ward)...ironically, she's only had it twice, I've started calling her Typhoid Mary...

[Woodinblack]

A place we have played quite often, easy load in, friendly crowd. Seemed a bit emptier than normal when we got there but fair enough. 

Wired everything up, did a sound check, all good, the place has carpets all through and soft seats on the wall, with backing, so you can turn it as loud as you want without feedback. Very little sound, turns out I have to pull the cable out of the dwarf a little bit to get sound, need to replace that cable or check it. Go to start, turn the bass on - weird distorted sound, not really bass.. drummer says 'oh you have your synth on' - no, its not even on the pedalboard. Bypass the dwarf go straight into the ashdown, same noise, replace wireless with cable, all fine, rewire for that (although cheap, never had trouble with that before). start fine, no sound to iem. In middle of the next song pull the iem cable a bit and turn it (in the mixer), bursts into life - wtf, what is going on. Continue, do first songs ok. But the bass is really quiet after that, on my iems I have to turn the volume right up to hear it, and this is the bongo. Look at the VU meter on the ashdown, it isn't moving, input led on the dwarf is going into the red. output is certainly yellow. Fiddle with the cable, all springs back to life, almost getting deafened.

 

After break swap to my acrylic bass, as I mostly do these days, the first few songs the guitarist is telling me to turn up, which is a first in 7 years, checking the cables, everything is fine, looking at the vu, its moving, then it occurs to me, the acrylic bass is just way quieter than the bongo, so whack the input up and everything is fine.

 

The gig in general was good, a couple of minor mistakes that noone noticed, crowd was big and into it from almost the start and at the end when we left (stopped a bit earlier than maybe we wanted to, due to the guitarist wanting to rush off), they were still shouting for more. So missed enjoying a few songs as I was worried too much, but it was ok in the end. 

 

I also found, that there is one song I sing and play bass to (feel it still), that used to cause me issues, but I realised it wasn't singing and playing I had trouble with, it was singing, playing and reading the lyrics as I wasn't sure. Turns out it is better to risk getting some words wrong that noone will notice, than to worry about it, and then the singing is better!