We came, we played, we entertained, we ROCKED!
Upon arrival, there were three or four middle aged gentlemen sitting at the bar and no-one else. Mmmm-what a night this is going to be, but by the time we had finished setting up, there were a fair few people in the pub already on their way to to the land of pissed vision. Due to space restraints, Dan "the ratboy" decided that on this gig, only Beanz and a little bit of bass drum would be emitted from the PA. Beanz was worried about how this would sound, not having played with this set-up before but was assured by Jock and the rest of the guys that if anything, it would sound better. How true - we sound checked with the usual "Teenage Kicks" and even got an applause for it!
This response set the mood for the evening and put all of us at ease. I think all of us were nervous at first as once again, it was an unknown quantity. New band, new pub (under new management)and of course a new crowd consisting of an older generation. Quickly doing the maths, it was apparent early on that the material we play is more focused to this genre of people which probably brought teenage memories flooding back to them.
We can confidently say that no song went unrecognised and unresponsive at this gig, with many of the people singing along and jigging about. Both Andy and Jock were their usual selves, enjoying the moment and letting them have it with their superb rythum performance. Harley got stuck in and even used his new "slide" during "Tush". It sounded great. Beanz seemed a lot more comfortable and interacted with the crowd a lot more, actually laughing and joking with them at some points. His microphone was rarely in the stand at this gig which is always a tell tale sign of being comfortable and probably triggered our very first major technical set back. From the off, "My Girl" by Madness was a superbly executed mime and in the absence of vocals, you could really hear how tight Andy, Jock and Harley really are. Playing with the MIC lead connection throughout the song, Beanz faded in and out whilst "ratboy" acted quickly to retreive a replacement lead from the bag and swap it over during the instrumentl bit. Subsequently, the last verse went well and the crowd applauded nevertheless. These things happen and Beanz laughed it off with the audience on board, simply stating at the end that it was a song origionally recorded by Madness but with our own "Norman Collyer" element added to it! Looking back, he could have just grabbed Harley's MIC temporarily but hinesight is a wonderful thing and it was actually enjoyable making fun of the issue.
No volunteers for backing to "Ruby" this time round and Keychelle did a fantastic job on her own having not being given a choice in the matter!
Bazza did his bit, mingling with the people and finding out what the overall perception was. After a very enjoyable first set, he assured us that the more upbeat, dancey second section would be appreciated well and it was. Three encores were requested this time, despite us having orders to be done by 11.00. (The Leopard is situated within a residential area.)
Overall, this gig turned out to be one of the best so far and was enjoyed by all - band and audience alike. Moreover, it was FUN! The pub was full of friendly people who were more than happy to pat us on the back and chat about absolutely anything. We were asked for contact details by the newly appointed Landlord / Landlady and assured that we would be called back. ROCK ON!
Upon arrival, there were three or four middle aged gentlemen sitting at the bar and no-one else. Mmmm-what a night this is going to be, but by the time we had finished setting up, there were a fair few people in the pub already on their way to to the land of pissed vision. Due to space restraints, Dan "the ratboy" decided that on this gig, only Beanz and a little bit of bass drum would be emitted from the PA. Beanz was worried about how this would sound, not having played with this set-up before but was assured by Jock and the rest of the guys that if anything, it would sound better. How true - we sound checked with the usual "Teenage Kicks" and even got an applause for it!
This response set the mood for the evening and put all of us at ease. I think all of us were nervous at first as once again, it was an unknown quantity. New band, new pub (under new management)and of course a new crowd consisting of an older generation. Quickly doing the maths, it was apparent early on that the material we play is more focused to this genre of people which probably brought teenage memories flooding back to them.
We can confidently say that no song went unrecognised and unresponsive at this gig, with many of the people singing along and jigging about. Both Andy and Jock were their usual selves, enjoying the moment and letting them have it with their superb rythum performance. Harley got stuck in and even used his new "slide" during "Tush". It sounded great. Beanz seemed a lot more comfortable and interacted with the crowd a lot more, actually laughing and joking with them at some points. His microphone was rarely in the stand at this gig which is always a tell tale sign of being comfortable and probably triggered our very first major technical set back. From the off, "My Girl" by Madness was a superbly executed mime and in the absence of vocals, you could really hear how tight Andy, Jock and Harley really are. Playing with the MIC lead connection throughout the song, Beanz faded in and out whilst "ratboy" acted quickly to retreive a replacement lead from the bag and swap it over during the instrumentl bit. Subsequently, the last verse went well and the crowd applauded nevertheless. These things happen and Beanz laughed it off with the audience on board, simply stating at the end that it was a song origionally recorded by Madness but with our own "Norman Collyer" element added to it! Looking back, he could have just grabbed Harley's MIC temporarily but hinesight is a wonderful thing and it was actually enjoyable making fun of the issue.
No volunteers for backing to "Ruby" this time round and Keychelle did a fantastic job on her own having not being given a choice in the matter!
Bazza did his bit, mingling with the people and finding out what the overall perception was. After a very enjoyable first set, he assured us that the more upbeat, dancey second section would be appreciated well and it was. Three encores were requested this time, despite us having orders to be done by 11.00. (The Leopard is situated within a residential area.)
Overall, this gig turned out to be one of the best so far and was enjoyed by all - band and audience alike. Moreover, it was FUN! The pub was full of friendly people who were more than happy to pat us on the back and chat about absolutely anything. We were asked for contact details by the newly appointed Landlord / Landlady and assured that we would be called back. ROCK ON!
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