The Gig (a story)

It’s been booked for a few weeks. Because it is venue you have not played at before, you make the decision to be there early. This is something of a risky stratagem because you know there is a fairly good chance that nothing will be happening when you get there, no one will be around. But on occasions such as this you figure it’s worth risking being a bit bored for half an hour, because at other times when you did get there just in the nick of time you had a bit of a telling off from the soundman/promoter/first act for cutting it fine and then had to sound check in front of the audience, or go without a warm up altogether.

So you get there at the time requested, or just before. If it turns out that the was no reason to be there early then the journey will have been painless and taken less time than you had expected. If, however, it would have been extremely fortuitous to have plenty of time free before the gig to sound check, set up the swag desk and meet the other acts, then traffic, directions and weather will have conspired to use up the time you set aside to get there and spit it back at you, taunting your planning and making you 20 or 30 or 45 minutes late. Either way the familiar feeling in the pit of your stomach appears as you round the last corner leading to the venue and you set eyes on it for the first time.

You sound check to a nice empty room, then have time to kill. If you have a lover/friend/family member with you, you get them a drink (if the bar is open) if you’re alone, this is the point where you remember you forgot to remember to put a book or newspaper in your bag. You might chat to the soundman or promoter, or one of the other acts. This can kill a nice bit of time, and you can learn a lot about the venue and the local circuit. If you’re supporting a more established artist, then you try your best to make friends and share stories with them without being a pain. You are shy, and feel not great at being upfront and inquisitive whilst not annoying, and are relived if a little disarmed to discover everyone is friendly and full of great stories.

The doors open, and the crowd makes a big show of not piling in, simply because it isn’t there. The start time is nudged back because it looks fairly certain the only people in the room so far are in fact in the wrong one, and are expecting something quite unlike the concert you are all about to give.

Waiting. If that lover/friend/family member is with you then you try your best not to look disappointed and try to find the positives in the situation. You speak some words that you yourself don’t listen to and your companion responds by pointing out the positives in the situation, which are of course the same three feeble points that you yourself are hanging on to, and that always make an appearance at this point.

You go to the toilet. Again (his is how your nerves manifest.) Looking in the mirror you can confirm that you’re sweating already, and that your hair is sitting in exactly the way it’s been asked or maybe ordered not to. On coming out of the toilet however relief is your next emotion because the room has filled up nicely.

Finally the time comes and you are performing. You do your set. Impossible to judge thanks to the lights that prevent you from reading the faces which you would normally use as sign posts on the long road towards audience appreciation. Yet again you arrive at the curious state, purely of your own making, where you are both enjoying playing and hating every note of it. You finish performing and leave the stage, trying your best to look normal as you walk through the crowd you have just played too. Still in the emotional and analytical dark as far as your performance you somewhat reluctantly man the merch desk for the short interval between you and the next act.

Euphoria. Success. CDs sold, mailing list populated, web presences recorded on ticket stubs. You hang on to kind words and try to make mental records of names and venues discussed with knowledgeable concert-goers.

The Robin 2

On Sunday April 11th I will be performing for the first time at The Robin 2 in Wolverhampton, supporting Edwina Hayes.


Edwina is a very successful singer songwriter who has opened several shows for Van Morrison, twenty-six shows for Jools Holland, toured the UK four years in a row with Nanci Griffith and performed twice for Michael Parkinson at his Maidenhead pub The Royal Oak. She has also toured the UK with and supported shows for artists including Gretchen Peters, Loudon Wainwright III, Roy Harper, Sandi Thom, Tom Baxter, Boo Hewerdine, KT Tunstall, Clive Gregson, Chris Difford, Ruby Turner and Lulu. Find out more about Edwina and hear her music at her website

Tickets for the show are £10 in advance and £12 on the door, and can be purchased on the Robin's website or by calling 01902 401211.

It was a real treat to perform at the Jam House on Tuesday the 26th of January. This venue, which can boast Jools Holland as it's "Support Maestro" occupies a Georgian building in St Paul's Square, at the heart of Birmingham's Jewelry quarter. When I was in bands a couple of years ago, The Actress and Bishop pub round the corner was a regular venue, and the area has a reputation as a bit of a mecca for musos.

The Jam House itself, while apparently having a capacity of 600 over three floors, feels very intimate and made for a really fun gig. The gig was one of a monthly series of Acoustic Sessions hosted by Ben Drummond, who played a few tunes in between each of the guests he had invited to along to perform. Ben had just days before been chosen by One Republic to win a Vodafone/Myspace competition, and he demonstrated what had caught their attention with his skillful singing, innovative guitar playing and relaxed but clearly experienced stage persona.

My five song set went down well and I really enjoyed having three sections of the room to play too, making sure I was keeping the attention of each group and not favouring anyone. About twenty people had been enjoying a meal on the balcony overlooking the stage just before the music started, and very kindly they split their attention between dinner and the performers. On the same level as the stage were the majority of the audience, which started as a decent number and built through the night to a good sized crowd. Finally in the lower bar, just visible from the stage, people stood and listened while they had a couple of drinks before moving on to other haunts.

The rest of the night was fantastic, and I really enjoyed the sets of the other acts;

Nikki Rous is one of my favourite female singers who did a lot to help out my old band, something I've never really thanked her for. I hadn't seen her perform for a few years, and she continues to write very touching, heartfelt and most importantly melodic and memorable songs.

Next was Ellen Miller, again clearly a seasoned performer with a very engaging stage persona and well written, and catchy story telling songs.

Emma Skipp, one time fellow Wolverhampton Uni type, who works as a professional singer with the likes of The Enemy, gave a fantastic treatment of some classic covers. Very grumpily I left before she'd finished in order to get everyone I'd travelled with home early enough to be ready for work the next day.

Through having to leave before the end of the night, I managed to miss Dominic Crane, someone I was keen to hear and meet after all his recent coverage on BBC WM. Hopefully I will get another chance soon...

All in all a fantastic night and I am happy recommend the Jam House to one and all, particularly these Acoustic Sessions hosted by Ben Drummond with the best performers around, the classiest venue and all for free!

As with the Newhampton Arts Centre gig last October and with all the nights I've played at the Tower of Song, the best part of these gigs is getting the chance to perform along side the best talent around, and feeling, just for the shortest time, that I fit in alongside their exclusive ranks.

A Catch Up

This month seems to be passing so fast, how quickly our everything has changed from that late blooming summer in September, through an increasingly chilly October, right through to the lovely romantic fog of Bonfire Night. I have so much I have been wanting to talk about on this blog, from more information about my EP launch back in October, to the gigs that I've had through this month. So, first of all, a little catch up.

I spent a fabulous week in South Wales, leaving on my Birthday on the 12th. The original intention was to perform at the Tenby Blues Festival, but in the end my girlfriend and I made a lovely week long break out of it. I had a great time, and it was very special to share a place that was a huge part of my growing up with her.

I did perform at an open mic session during the Tenby Blues Festival and it was a good gig. There was a very large and excited crowd crammed into a medium sized sea side pub, and they were very nice and kept asking me to play more tunes, not something that often happens at open mic sessions...

On Sunday the 22nd I was once again at The Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton, to take part in a brand new Songwriters Evening. It is always a treat to perform at this fabulous venue, which is still pretty new and little known. It must have the best sound of any venue in the Midlands, as well as a lovely atmosphere and some of the best bar/sound/door ladies and gentlemen ever to have devoted their time and talents to making performers and audiences happy. (I might even have said that if there weren't so many of my friends working there!)

Some of my ever loyal friends and family came along, thanks very much to them. I had a good time and got to play a few new tunes, which seemed to go well. I enjoyed the other acts;

the crazily named and very talented singer/songwriter Brains for Breakfast, who as well as doing a very nice cover of Human League's Don't You Want Me, also has a very good line in witty narrative songs.

Matt Anderson, another local singer/guitarist performed an energetic set featuring tracks with memorable vocal hooks.

Rich Batsford, virtuoso pianist with the sweetest voice and stage manner who played one of the few songs that can make me cry, The Beach Boys God Only Knows, and allowed me to do a very unfair trade of one of my 3 track EPs for a copy of his newly released 12 track piano solo albums.

So the sound was great, the other acts were cool and I had a good time. Just a shame there wasn't much of an audience to speak of! Such is the nature of Sunday evening gigs I guess...

Balcony TV

On February the 2nd I will be performing on Balcony TV, which is a "leading daily online viral music show that features bands, musicians and other variety acts on balconies around the world."

It's a very cool idea and has featured sets from artists including Ash, The Script, Biffy Clyro, Nouvelle Vague and Dengue Fever.

I'll be standing on the London Balcony, singing one song that I want you lot to help me choose a bit closer to the date...

EP Launch, this Friday October 23rd

It draws near... (click on the image to enlarge it)

EP Launch Deatails

The launch night for my EP, Twenty Two, will be on Friday October 23rd at The Tower of Song Bar in Cotteridge, Birmingham. The Tower of Song is one of my favourite venues, it's home to some of the best nights around including the Crossroads Blues Club and Rea River Roots. It also has a really great atmosphere and a really cool crowd of regulars.

On the launch night I'll play the songs from the EP as well as some brand new tracks and covers of some of my favourite artists and biggest influences. I'll also be joined by Chickenbone Blues, Singer/Songwriter Johnny Hands and comedian Lee Goodall, who are all performing sets in the first half of the evening. I'm planning to end the night with a great big blues jam, depending on who is there to play along...

And I'll be selling the EP, of course!

So get it in your diaries... October 23rd, which is a Friday, from 8.45 to 11.15pm at The Tower of Song Bar. £3 on the door.


107 Pershore Road South
Cotteridge
BIRMINGHAM
B30 3JX

Last Night

Bohemian Juke Box was eclectic. I was first on, and performed the three songs on my new Ep, Twenty Two. I also tried a brand new track, which will be called either "Pessimistic Me" or "Come to Nothing" (it's jollier than the names suggest.) I also played the 1969 medley again which starts with Bowie's Space Oddity which was great because on one of the walls there is covered with a huge picture of the Apollo 11 Astronauts on the Moon. As well as this I did a few more of my own and the old blues tune "Love in Vain."

I was followed by Arc Vel who was an instrumental electronica artist whose performance featured a projection of wild life footage. I thought it was rather cool

Next up was Z+, a finger style acoustic guitar singer/songwriter. Some really lovely, understated guitar passages and tunes. And he did a fantastic recovery when his guitar string broke, and the guitar he borrowed from the next performer didn’t want to stay in tune. Moments like that make you want to cry when your performing, but he made a good bit of funny entertainment out of it.

Mitch and Murray, another solo singer/songwriter again had some nice acoustic finger style tunes, as well as an endearing persona in the “preamble” to the songs. As he noticed there was something of a running theme to the night, as he, Z+ and I were all performing at the venue for the first time, and trying out at least one song we’d written in the last 24 hours.

The Victoria is a fabulous pub, all original Victorian style (including some great urinals upstairs) and French Burlesque posters. I can’t help but think maybe the nights would be a bit cooler if they were free entry then perhaps people in the main bar downstairs might wonder upstairs for a few songs. As it is the audience, though very welcoming and pleasant, consisted of people the acts had brought with them rather than new listeners for everyone. I blogged about this a little while ago and this has been the first gig in a while I’ve done where the punters pay £4 or something similar to get in, and the performers are required to bring a certain amount of their regular supporters. In all honesty, I think I prefer nights like Acoustic Brew where it’s free in. True they might not always have big audiences, but at least an artists’ regular audience don’t have to pay. I have sometimes wondered if a few of us singer songwriters wouldn't be better off organising a gig in the back garden and inviting our regulars along for a pound a head or something, would that work?

I'm also thinking of doing some kind of "launch" for the EP. The idea would be that I'd play the songs from it, perhaps with a full band arrangement like on the CD rather than solo performances. I'd also invite some other performers to play, maybe comedy as well as music, and if possible I'd organise a few Jam's along the way with some of the blues players from the crossroads that I admire so much. What do you reckon?

I'll be doing a couple of songs at Rea River Routes folk night at the Tower of Song in Birmingham tonight.

The tower of song is one of my favourite venues, and Rea River nights are really cool, well run and very laid back and welcoming.

It's free in, so if your around why not pop in? Starts at 8.45

Madcap March

The last few weeks have seemed a bit hectic, teaching has taken of a bit more, and I've played at least one gig a week in March, including some turning up at open mics and the like. I've also steadily been loosing my voice, either to just a cold or the start of hay fever, but luckily it hasn't affected my singing, yet.

I've played for the first time at Rea River Roots, which is another night at Birmingham's tower of song, and like the Crossroads Blues club it is a fabulous little gig, well run and supported by a really welcoming regular crowd.

I've also returned to venues such as The Soak, with its lively Birmingham Uni audience. This should be the best gig on the circuit, it's certainly got a big audience of student types who are there either to perform in the open mic or listen to whoever is performing. It's also well run and friendly, but something about the sheer size of the bar means that you can have 30 people giving you all their attention, but still barley hear yourself over the conversations going on round the other end of the pub. Still good to get the chance to play to uni types though, makes me feel a bit old and I only graduated last summer!

This weekend was a good one too, I visited Cambridge for the first time. I got to have a good walk round the place, and very pretty it is too, and seemingly populated by not only very clever, but very attractive people. I'd of fitted right in, if only they did the kind of degrees I was interested in! The gig I played that evening was good too, at a place called The Boathouse by Jesus Lock, right by the river cam (see picture.) A medium sized audience who were great for bantering with. A few people also put their names forward for the mailing list, so hopefully I'll be seeing them again when I return to the City...

This Sunday I'm at another new venue, The Dog in Bearwood, followed the Tuesday after with a return visit to my favourite, The Island Bar in brum. Busy busy busy, but fun that way, hope to see all of you at one of these gigs soon...