Ryan's Gig Guide - February 2018

r gg Feb 2018 - p.9 WWW. R YA N S G I G G U I D E . C OM crowd (that we'd brought down) that there was nobody else playing after us; we then left them there to perform their hits to an empty room.This is the only time I found it totally acceptable to vacate before a headline act. Believe it or not; sometimes I can be an utter bastard too. UNWANTED ENCORES DUETOAN IDIOT INTHE CROWD I've witnessed terrific professional acts play magnificent near faultless sets who finish the night with pure dignity by respectfully thank- ing the audience who then return the compli- ment by chanting their band name back at them with sheer love. They leave the stage; the gig ends - No. Then some idiot in the crowd yells "One more!" so the ferociously sweaty band members hobble back to the stage, pick up their now out of tune instru- ments and stare at each other uncomfortably for an awkward few minutes pondering "Do we actually have more material?". Normally an announcement is made like "Here's two last songs for you"; by which time folks are al- ready wearing their hats and coats and head- ing towards the exit with a packet of cigarettes in their hand.The band then belts out these songs (which often sound a little bit naff) along with praising again the crowd which by this time is decreasing in size.Then that exact same idiotic totally selfish voice emerges yelling "One more!" and the gullible musicians stupidly, repeat stupidly, agree to encore for a second time ensuring that their beforehand incredible end of show closing song has become nothing more than a far dis- tant memory. It's cringe worthy watching a band commit career suicide by attempting to entertain one person in a flustered crowd who really do feel the need to go home.Thus transforming the final moments of what could have been a perfect gig into a wishy washy flim flam puppet show controlled by an over enthusiastic dick in the crowd. That's all for this month says cannot possibly be worth missing. If you are having a panic attack then stay exactly where you are and die quietly; don't ruin the flow or atmosphere of the gig with your cow- ard-like retreat. Harsh? Yes and that's how some vocalists speak to their audience when they are allowed access to a microphone. SUPPORT BANDS WHO LEAVE BEFORE THE HEADLINE ACT I'm sure there are exceptions like those poor souls who've had no choice but to abandon a show early because their lift or dad, who they've probably blackmailed to transport gear, needs to return home sooner in order to begin their night shift which finances your music career.However; what's arguably more repugnant is being a headline act and tweet- ing to your fan base on social media that you are about to walk on stage in two minutes time only to notice on your news feed a post from a support band reading "Thanks all for watching us tonight; glad to be back home in bed watching TV". This means they've not only arrived home incredibly fast, suggesting that they live nearby or next-door, but they've managed to swiftly unload all their gear and now they're promoting the comforts of stay- ing indoors online and hinting that the evening is pretty much over before you've even had a chance to play a note. Thanks a bunch spongers. LEFT HANDED DRUMMERS Pure evil. Sorry. DRESSING ROOM BANDS WHO REFUSE SUPPORTACTS ANYACCESS Okay,maybe if you're U2 and you have a head as wide as a door frame then you might re- quire your own personal space but if you aren't anywhere near that acclaimed then why justify hogging the entire dressing room for yourself and ignore contact with those on the same bill as you? Especially if it's only a tiny venue. Just makes you seem arrogant. A Kerrang! Magazine Unsigned Band Of The Year did that to my band ages ago; I tried to go into the dressing room area and they told me I wasn't allowed in and that I should also bog off; so I then broke the sacred law and my band departed before the only other band took to the stage.We also informed the large Nick J Townsend is the frontman and guitarist for British band Weak13 An experienced Underground musician and music promoter, film producer and all round good guy Supporter of original music