Responding to the requests of your listening audience is an art form in itself.
As I have written many times before, as a band we do not ‘do requests’. This is something that is fraught with danger and basically we are not a living breathing juke box and have no wish to be so.
We perform songs that we like and that get our systems buzzing when a song eventually clicks in rehearsal and for that I make no apology. I don’t care how popular it is I ain’t going to perform ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna.
That being said when appreciative audience members proffer a strong opinion you would be wise to listen to what they are saying, especially if they are well lagered up and within two inches of your nose. An example of this was perfectly displayed at our last gig before Christmas.
A forty something had clearly been deeply moved by our inclusion of several punk classics to which he had grooved his socks off and sent the rest of the revellers crashing in all directions. However; he was mortified that at no point in our set were we even going to attempt ‘If the kids are united’ by Sham 69.
Personally I could think of nothing better….a right royal tub thumper that one.
However; and here is the rub, my two younger colleagues, one who is fifteen years younger and the other exactly half my age have never even heard of Sham 69 let along their football terrace anthem. If they have never heard of the song they protest, then neither will the audience.
My protestations that there are loads of people in our audiences that are forty five something’s, mainly because they don’t need either a note from their mothers to be out or a baby sitter any more, that would well of heard the song falls on deaf ears especially when at the very same gig somebody, much younger than said punk rocker, but equally as loud, complained that we didn’t play any ‘Kings of Leon’.
Aaron; he’s well up for it. CJ; well he’s heard of Kings of Leon so that is a start. Trouble is I am completely flat lined on the band…nada, zip…they don’t do a thing for me….sorry about that and all, but we all have our own particular tastes.
And that is the problem and despite what many may think it is not an easy one to over come. Our band covers three generations, each with its own anthems and classics. You also have three strong personalities and endeavouring to get the three to come to one accord on song choices has been a nightmare over the years.
It’s one of the reasons that all of our songs are so short, many with sections surgically removed. It is because one member has violently disagreed with the choice and has only capitulated if a bit of is removed.
You could argue that is no way to run a band and you could well be right. However; I have played in several bands where all the players are roughly the same age and we still couldn’t agree then either.
So we have to proceed on the basis that if we keep chucking enough songs into the mix……then at least one third of the audience at any one point is going to enjoy a third of the set.
However; I still am not going to play ANYTHING that might have appeared on ‘Now that’s what I call music’ in the past 18 months.
Anyway, despite the criticisms, we still love it and that in the final analysis I suppose is what really matters at the end of the day.
As I have written many times before, as a band we do not ‘do requests’. This is something that is fraught with danger and basically we are not a living breathing juke box and have no wish to be so.
We perform songs that we like and that get our systems buzzing when a song eventually clicks in rehearsal and for that I make no apology. I don’t care how popular it is I ain’t going to perform ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna.
That being said when appreciative audience members proffer a strong opinion you would be wise to listen to what they are saying, especially if they are well lagered up and within two inches of your nose. An example of this was perfectly displayed at our last gig before Christmas.
A forty something had clearly been deeply moved by our inclusion of several punk classics to which he had grooved his socks off and sent the rest of the revellers crashing in all directions. However; he was mortified that at no point in our set were we even going to attempt ‘If the kids are united’ by Sham 69.
Personally I could think of nothing better….a right royal tub thumper that one.
However; and here is the rub, my two younger colleagues, one who is fifteen years younger and the other exactly half my age have never even heard of Sham 69 let along their football terrace anthem. If they have never heard of the song they protest, then neither will the audience.
My protestations that there are loads of people in our audiences that are forty five something’s, mainly because they don’t need either a note from their mothers to be out or a baby sitter any more, that would well of heard the song falls on deaf ears especially when at the very same gig somebody, much younger than said punk rocker, but equally as loud, complained that we didn’t play any ‘Kings of Leon’.
Aaron; he’s well up for it. CJ; well he’s heard of Kings of Leon so that is a start. Trouble is I am completely flat lined on the band…nada, zip…they don’t do a thing for me….sorry about that and all, but we all have our own particular tastes.
And that is the problem and despite what many may think it is not an easy one to over come. Our band covers three generations, each with its own anthems and classics. You also have three strong personalities and endeavouring to get the three to come to one accord on song choices has been a nightmare over the years.
It’s one of the reasons that all of our songs are so short, many with sections surgically removed. It is because one member has violently disagreed with the choice and has only capitulated if a bit of is removed.
You could argue that is no way to run a band and you could well be right. However; I have played in several bands where all the players are roughly the same age and we still couldn’t agree then either.
So we have to proceed on the basis that if we keep chucking enough songs into the mix……then at least one third of the audience at any one point is going to enjoy a third of the set.
However; I still am not going to play ANYTHING that might have appeared on ‘Now that’s what I call music’ in the past 18 months.
Anyway, despite the criticisms, we still love it and that in the final analysis I suppose is what really matters at the end of the day.
2 comments:
I am slightly amused at the thought of the mighty Rock God belting out the lyrics "oh, your sex is on fire" during the next Mudhead gig..! Interesting you don't like the Kings Of Leon though, when they have family members in the band (like you) and cite their influences as Thin Lizzy and The Clash (like you)
Without wishing to sound too harsh in the following observation, but if you are playing in a band that argue so much over the set list that either good choices are left on the rehearsal room floor or get butchered to within an inch of their melodic lives, then you have a major problem. I appreciate it is one you have encountered before, but the results weren't good then either.
At some point someone needs to be given the deciding vote or the set will not develop in a good, cohesive way, which is what appears to be happening. You are the obvious choice as leader / decider, but if your backing band won't allow it, everything you do risks being a watered down compromise.
How about playing Umbrella by Rihanna ..???
I do agree to some extent.....to a fairly large extent to be honest.
However; with the Mighty Mudheads we are a band as opposed to 'The Paul Loader Band'. If I had perhaps made that decison many years ago I may well have been replying from the penthouse Suite of the Waldorf in NYC sipping champagne instead of responding with a cup of tea at my NHS desk.
The bottom line, we have three very different personalities with different tastes and it has always been hard for us to agree totally on what we play.
Has this harmed us...perhaps....would we have risen to higher reaches...I doubt it...life would still get in the way.
The hard and fast Mudheads fans still adore the band (strangly) and like the music we play......so we will continue whilst it remains fun!
I will also Spotify The Kings of leon as I appear to be missing something.
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