Who Performs?

TTBZ · October 2023

I've gigged on and off since I was about 17, mostly covers with a few original bands. 34 now and have lost the will to do it, at least for your typical pub cover setup. I'd probably give it a go again in a more corporate setting for weddings etc where the money makes it worth having to interact with pissed up idiots

right now just happy to play for my own enjoyment at home.

guitarjack66 · October 2023

TheBigDipper said:

Started as a classical guitarist at quite a young age and never touched an electric until I hit 17. Very different experience! Played in several originals bands gigging in London with one or two near misses before chucking it in at 25 to focus on a paying career, relationships, etc.

Fast forward 20+ years and I started playing in a gigging pub-level covers band, which morphed into another and then (2009) into a ‘70s classic prog rock covers band playing infrequently but regularly in London and environs.

Moved to Dorset in 2013 and joined an originals prog band (a reboot of a 1970s unit) but had to leave (illness, blood cancer). Got better and decided to refocus on originals again. Now gigging infrequently with my own band playing songs we've written. We're old gits playing weekly and writing independently and together. The rules are “No jazz, no blues and no country”. Everything else is OK. Just lost a keyboard player, so our next gig is as an underrehearsed trio at the local original music venue in Boscombe in 2 weeks.

Oh, also do open mics on an acoustic, sometimes solo, sometimes with my neighbour.

Well done on conquering your health problems. That is bigger than anything else you have done. Live long and prosper.

merlin · October 2023

I play clarinet professionally, guitar mostly for fun.

Here I am in the middle of a US tour earlier this year with Apollo's Fire.

Rowby1 · October 2023

Started gigging when I was 16. Apart from a few years in my early 30s I’ve been fairly consistently gigging ever since.

It’s just local pub gigs mostly these days, with 3 (soon dropping to 2) bands, which meant I did around 50 gigs last year. Absolutely love it still.

Danny1969 · October 2023

I currently gig in 4 different bands. A high quality covers band, a high energy party band, an eighties indie music band and a Britpop band. Up until the end of 2022 I was also in a Kate Bush tribute band.

I've been gigging since I was 15. First gigs were in the assembly hall but we also got to gig at the TSB Rock School competition, being driven there by our music teacher who also brought us a beer on the way home. Sitting in the pub after the gig aged 15 laughing and feeling really important I thought that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life and I've been doing it ever since really.

I get asked to do a lot of gigs and join a lot of bands. Not because I'm anything special but because I know a lot of musicians, having run 2020 studios for 5 years and I've been playing in bands for 40 years now.
I never really found gigging tiring or a grind like some people do. I've done hard jobs in the building trade and gig'ing isn't a hard job IMO. I can do 3 or 4 gigs in a row and it doesn't bother me. Some of the driving is boring, like driving back from Leeds to Portsmouth or grinding through London but other than that It's fine.

I wish I had kept a record of gigs so I knew how many I've done. I know some amounts because they were residencies like every Monday night in a Portsmouth pub for 7 years is 364 gigs .. I've got calender data from the last 15 years with over 1500 gigs but not much data from the busy years which were late eighties till 2000. I reckon I'm between 2500 and 3K but it would have been nice to have it all in a scapbook or similar.

RocknRollDave · October 2023

I play (and sing) in a guitar/ bass/ drums trio.
Mostly weddings, we play almost every weekend.
I have eased off a little, since becoming a teacher a few years ago - at one point I did a lot of Friday gigs as well as Saturdays, and used to travel crazy distances I would turn down nowadays.

Never thought of myself as a singer. I can hold a tune, and I don’t have a bad voice but, yeah, there are some incredible singers on this circuit who I wouldn’t dream of comparing myself with.

Likewise, you’ll hear plenty guitarists better than me on the circuit.

I do think I’m a decent frontman, though, which is arguably more important.

Snags · October 2023

I play out once or twice a week, generally. Mostly solo, occasionally backing/colour for a friend.

Mostly originals with a few covers so it tends to be trudging around open mics or local "showcase" events where you get a decent set in, rather than just a handful of songs.

Rarely post about it in the Live section because there doesn't seem much point, other then the minor ego stroke of putting it out there to be ignored. Much like playing originals in a pub

Danny1969 · October 2023

RocknRollDave said:

I play (and sing) in a guitar/ bass/ drums trio.
Mostly weddings, we play almost every weekend.
I have eased off a little, since becoming a teacher a few years ago - at one point I did a lot of Friday gigs as well as Saturdays, and used to travel crazy distances I would turn down nowadays.

Never thought of myself as a singer. I can hold a tune, and I don’t have a bad voice but, yeah, there are some incredible singers on this circuit who I wouldn’t dream of comparing myself with.

Likewise, you’ll hear plenty guitarists better than me on the circuit.

I do think I’m a decent frontman, though, which is arguably more important.

Being a decent frontman is the main thing for me and it's what so many bands are missing. The main job of the band is to entertain and I would always rather watch a confident engaging frontman with an ok voice than a dull unengaging frontman with an amazing voice.

Litterick · October 2023

Hell is other people.

Voxman · October 2023

BigPaulie said:

I haven't played in front of people in public for almost 28 years.

I often think I'd like to get out there again then I remember how difficult it is to find people I actually want to play with, who actually want to play the same stuff I want to play. I know that I should compromise and that I'm passing up on a huge learning opportunity by stepping out of my comfort zone but I'd rather forego the experience of playing live than play stuff I don't enjoy.

I live in Inverclyde (population c.78000) which has a small live music scene consisting of a jam session on Saturday afternoon and an acoustic club on a Monday night. I don't do social media. I work long hours and am tired in the evenings. Finding people to "click" with, with similar tastes to mine is difficult. I'm not really trying.

I completely hear you. It is really difficult to find the right people who want to play the same music as you and some compromise is almost inevitable. The question is how much compromise is acceptable and where do you draw the line when the trade off isnt worth the positives?

4on6 · October 2023

Gig regularly still.. a weekend without a gig feels weird… 5 in a week is too much (with the day job).

Have probably 7 or 8 different bands and projects plus that give me various things pubs/clubs/functions /theatres.

Work with 1 or 2 originals artists occasionally and that always seems cool.

Was in couple of bands recording and touring in the 90s and 00s… miss that now.

Music is one of the few things in life that actually seem to make sense to me although I’m by no means an academic. Never really settled on any other career although I’ve worked in SN education for 10 years now (spend about half my week doing music interaction).

Never thought of doing music to pick up girls or the social aspect. I play music because I absolutely love what happens when a bunch of decent musicians get together and make noise. I’m often against rehearsing for the same reasons (amateur bands, so often, don’t really seem to know how to rehearse and what it’s for) so it becomes a social event or misguided excuse to practice the instrument or parts that really should have been sorted before rehearsal. That’s fine and valid if everyone is in the same page but wouldn’t work for my situation.

Started to re-assess why and how I gig recently. I find many pub covers gigs rather unsatisfying and finally no longer need the extra income… but I have no idea what I actually do want to do, let alone how to contact others who might be able and willing to form a band that would actually blow my frock up.

Greatape · October 2023

Local bands for 20+ years. Pub/club gigs, some festivals, the odd support slot for national touring acts. Since 2018, playing in an afrobeat group so not as many gigs due to size of band

Cookiemonster · October 2023

10 years ago I used to play two or three band gigs a week, and was often doing some acoustic gigs on other days, I had a change of job and life and stopped ! Tbh I think the lifestyle was taking over the fun of it in many ways. Now I just collaborate at a friends house, and occasionally play some originals with old friends.

However our old singer from 10 years ago has been in touch so we are going to give it another go. Will be a mixture of originals and covers.

I’ve worked out a nice version of Come Together inspired by the Gary. Clarke jnr cover and I’m excited to hear how it sounds in the room. Also this time there will be two guitarists so I can relax more live and enjoy it a bit more.

TTony · October 2023

I played in bands during school / Uni years, but then moved to a completely different part of the country, new job, professional exams, lots of travel, then family and lots of working hours, put a stop to that life.

I carried on home noodling, but not very often, and not very well.

In contrast to all those whose gigging life stopped due to Covid, it was lockdown that got me playing more properly.

Some distant friends used to run and livestream an open mic night. I'd watch, but could never join in (about 400 miles away). They had to stop when lockdown arrived, but moved online instead, and welcomed people to send in videos, which was my start point.

The discipline of actually learning a full track was a challenge after all those years. Started out with just simple guitar/vocals, but then getting into more instruments and more tracks as I got my head around DAWs, plugins, et al. Still pretty simple though, and never got very far down the mixing/mastering rabbit holes.

Those online sessions are fading away a bit now, but as @flying_pie posted above, there's a range of regular "challenges" that run here, so I'll maybe use that as an outlet instead. Those sessions are very open and welcoming to all, and there are a series of different ones, and I'd certainly encourage anyone who's reading this and thinking "maybe I could do that" to have a go.

For, those challenges aren't about the winning (just as well when you hear some of the pro-level stuff that gets submitted), it really is about having a theme and a timescale to prompt myself into doing something and then learning - slowly - and developing some new skills/understandings with each project.

My son gigs regularly in a semi-pro band, he reckons 50-60 gigs/yr, around the North West, so it can still be done.

TTony · October 2023

merlin said:

Here I am in the middle of a US tour earlier this year with Apollo's Fire.

Wow!! @merlin!

DavusPG · October 2023

Inspired by bands like Metallica, Maiden & Pantera I took up guitar at 14 and played in a band with mates from school between the age of 15 - 20 during which time we played at BOTB nights and the occasional pub gig. Eventually that fizzled out and although I kept my guitars amd picked them up now and then, it was about 15 years before I played again with any sense of seriousness or purpose (probably inspired by YouTube videos which didn't exist when I first started playing). That was all playing along to backing tracks at home and treating myself to some of the bits of gear I'd wanted as a teen, but couldn't afford.

About 5 years later a chance conversation with another parent I'd become friends with through my son's football team led to me going along to a jam night as he and his brother had started a band, I hit it off with the other lads, and 8 years later we're not only still going strong but have become really close friends. I think we must be up to well over 100 gigs, but keep it to 1 a month now with several rehearsals in between. That keeps it regular, but not too full on, and never a chore. It also keeps me motivated to practice, to improve, to learn new songs.... and is a good excuse to keep buying more guitars

slacker · October 2023

Started playing in 76 gave up. Tried again 78 gave up. Tried in 80 and got asked to play bass. OK. Played in that band for 3 years 1 gig. Left. Formed a band in 85. Joined another in 85 did a recording session. Joined another in 86 did 2 gigs. Left all 3 in late 86. Joined another and played loads of gigs until 89 including a football stadium. Played bass and guitar in church 86 to 88.
Joined another which imploded after one rehearsal.

Gave up playing due to children. Formed a trio and played borrowed double bass for one gig in 1991. Morphed into a electric band which 3 or 4 gigs a year. That folded 93 but got asked to play 2 scratch gigs one in radio Bedfordshire and one at a record company award around 97.

94 to 04 I played bass on a church. Around that time I joined a gospel choir led by a former x factor hopeful. She didn't win. We did a couple of gigs a month including a festival.

I depped bass in a covers band for a month in 03 and did two wedding gigs. Never again. I Formed my own band in 01 with me as writer guitarist and vocalist. We did one gig a year until implosion in 03 after a festival in a pub garden. I played in a covers band for 1 gig until the singer got ill.

Broke my leg in 04 gave up playing bass and bands in general. Played guitar in church from p6 t0 13 got thrown out for being difficult. Formed a jam band in 07 with other guitarists from harmony central. We swapped instruments. We did 3 gigs in 13 and drifted off.

Joined a covers band on Join my ego trip and left after 6 weeks no gigs. They did a pub gig so bad they asked me back I refused. Joined a band in 14 that had 2 rehearsals and folded.

Formed my own covers band in 16 folded. Started another 19 just got ready to look for gigs in Feb 20. Band folded for a while and we are back rehearsing.

Joined a covers band in 22 and got fired for not being able to play guitar by bassist who and no coincidence had just bought a strat. Other guitarist left as singer advertised one on joinmypettypolitics.

Been playing acoustic in church since 13 and joined a folk trio last year. Done some open mic and two gigs. Sort of three as one gig was in two pubs next to each other.

Wow that's long and boring.

RocknRollDave · October 2023

Danny1969 said:

RocknRollDave said:

I play (and sing) in a guitar/ bass/ drums trio.
Mostly weddings, we play almost every weekend.
I have eased off a little, since becoming a teacher a few years ago - at one point I did a lot of Friday gigs as well as Saturdays, and used to travel crazy distances I would turn down nowadays.

Never thought of myself as a singer. I can hold a tune, and I don’t have a bad voice but, yeah, there are some incredible singers on this circuit who I wouldn’t dream of comparing myself with.

Likewise, you’ll hear plenty guitarists better than me on the circuit.

I do think I’m a decent frontman, though, which is arguably more important.

Being a decent frontman is the main thing for me and it's what so many bands are missing. The main job of the band is to entertain and I would always rather watch a confident engaging frontman with an ok voice than a dull unengaging frontman with an amazing voice.

Exactly. Something as simple as talking to the crowd - not too much, don’t kill the dancefloor vibe, but just enough to make a human connection with the audience - makes a huge difference.

I saw Muse many years ago. I’m not a fan, but I’m a sucker for live music and I’m easy to win over. But Matt B barely said a word all night - the odd ‘thank you’ but nothing else - and it felt like a cold, disconnected night as a result.

jeztone2 · October 2023

I gigged heavily between the ages of 17-24. Then I had a decade break. Then I’ve never stopped. The only issue has been enforced breaks while I looked for a band. So 34-38, then 43-50. I’m now 54. But always played originals. Almost joined a tribute act post Covid. But found their photocopy style approach limiting.

I’m noticing now that there seems to be lots of people doing acoustic stuff. Plus tribute and cover bands. There seems to be less bands doing their own material than ever.

EricTheWeary · October 2023

jeztone2 said:

I gigged heavily between the ages of 17-24. Then I had a decade break. Then I’ve never stopped. The only issue has been enforced breaks while I looked for a band. So 34-38, then 43-50. I’m now 54. But always played originals. Almost joined a tribute act post Covid. But found their photocopy style approach limiting.

I’m noticing now that there seems to be lots of people doing acoustic stuff. Plus tribute and cover bands. There seems to be less bands doing their own material than ever.

My first band was covers and originals, I remember others on here saying the same thing and it's a fairly traditional thing to do going back to at least The Beatles. But it seems to have become quite polarized at some point: playing originals to three people for nothing or covers (including tribute acts) for next to nothing.

Danny1969 · October 2023

Yeah the covers and originals thing was what my first band did .. and the 2nd one. That was how The Beatles, The Who, Van Halen and most other massive bands got their start. By building a following and then getting a deal.

These days no one is getting a deal so there's less point in constant gigging to build a following. People are still writing and recording originals more now than ever but it's being self published and pushed on social media . These days it's more about getting on the right playlist or (sadly) getting a vamp picked up on TikTok

There's still lots of good work around for bands who put the effort in over a number of years.

viz · October 2023

One lovely thing about being a musician is that you can gather a group of like-minded folk, set yourselves a target, work towards it, and once you’ve achieved it, disband.

I think people think they must be “in a band”, but just treating things as almost pop-up projects can be so rewarding. It can be really small too, maybe a song at a friend’s wedding, or a work party, or whatever.

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