Rehearsals and Gigs - A Few Things to Think About

If your band is getting gigs, or thinking about it, youâll already realise that you need several things:

Some songs, obviously (although a lot of bands Iâve seen do seem to forget this one).

A demo tape to give to promoters, publicans, or whoever does the booking.

If you want a more upmarket gig (200 size upwards) then a photo and short biography or blurb is very helpful.

Letâs start with some thoughts on getting the songs together.

Rehearsing.

If you havenât got a garage or huge front room to rehearse in, then youâre stuck with a studio (rehearsal, or often small recording studio on downtime) or hall, which means money. Thatâs not as bad as it sounds since youâll only do about four hours before you get tired and start buggering about, so four hours a week should be enough. Once youâve set up and got the volumes balanced, write down all your amp settings and positions. This way you donât have to spend half an hour doing the same thing next time. Whenever you can, tape rehearsals on 4-track, dictaphone, or one of those crap late 1970s tape decks that every house has. Have a listen before the next rehearsal, so that you remember all the new stuff.

Demo tapes.

Putting together a demo is just common sense, really: strongest song first, three or four songs maximum (promoters will probably listen to two), and pick the ones that sound like theyâll be good live. Sadly, the recording quality does matter, so two days in a 16-track studio should be enough for three songs if youâre well rehearsed. Spend lots of time on vocals (they often sound rushed because theyâre left until last), and leave a day or twoâs gap before mixing it, so that you can listen to the rough mixes in perspective. Mixes done after a dayâs recording always sound awful. Thisâll cost about £100 (£10 an hour in a smallish 16-track studio), so rehearse beforehand or itâll be an expensive disaster.

A good cover is equally important: eye-catching, colourful if possible, and with your Îphone number written everywhere - tape spine, inside cover, on the tape itself - write your Îphone number directly onto the promoter if possible. Use non-washable ink.

Whatever you do, donât use low quality tapes with something else already on them. If the coverâs a problem, cut a photo to fit into the tape case. Then write your Îphone number on it.

Photos and blurb.

Keep band photos simple. For godâs sake donât pose with your instruments, because it looks very stupid. A good clear live picture is fine, but otherwise itâs best to just get a friend with at least some talent to snap you relaxing at a rehearsal, or in an interesting outdoor spot. If everyone looks natural, and doesnât pose for the camera, then itâs just possible to do this with dignity.

Biographical blurb is best kept very short: name of the band, what town youâre from, a short list of influences (3 or 4) to give an idea of the style, a list of any decent venues youâve played at, the names of the band-members if you like, the Îphone number - thatâs about it. Half a side of typed/word-processed A4 should be fine. Design a logo if you can, and donât use loads of different fonts.

Getting the gigs.

Look in the local papers to get venue Îphone numbers, and in Melody Maker/NME to see which are the good ones. Ring the venue to get the name of the person who books the bands, drop a tape and photo/blurb package in personally and simmer for about a week at gas mark 5. After the week is up, ring them back to see if theyâve listened to it (and be prepared to repeat the process if itâs a decent venue - promoters are generally busy, arrogant and prone to "losing" tapes). If they liked you, itâs just a matter of getting the booking for the right night - make sure youâre not playing with two acid-jazz bands if youâre a metal band, because youâll go down like a durex machine in the Vatican. As long as you turn up to the soundcheck on time, are polite to the sound engineer, remember how to play your songs, and donât pick a fight with anyone, then youâre away. Even if the audience is small, youâll get other bookings if youâre relatively professional-looking and friendly.

Most of these ideas apply to gigs anywhere, from a school hall to a low-key tour, so Iâll finish with one last important topic - getting paid. Ignore "pay-to-play" venues, ask for expenses even if the venue canât really pay you (theyâll usually give you £10 at least, but ask after they've given you the gig), and pay everyone back for tape costs etc. with the first cheque. You can ask for more after youâve done a few gigs and you start bringing in a crowd. I know the money isnât the real reason for playing to an audience, but if you take music even slightly seriously then youâre working, so donât be embarrassed about money matters. Good luck with your band, and most importantly, have fun doing it.

Carl Homer.