The Star In Shoreditch with Life Review, Reliant, Mark Velvet, Them Nudes, The Space
It was a busy weekend for us as we travelled down to London last Saturday for our gig at The Star in Shoreditch.
We knew going into this gig that things would be a bit different to the kind of shows we usually play. Up to this point we have only really worked with DIY promotors or bands putting on their own shows but this time we were booked by a London booking agency.
The way this works is that the agent books the bands and venue in with the promotor, the promotor is then responsible for organising the event, arranging PA, backline, and promotion. The bands are then expected to sell tickets with each band getting a split of the tickets they sell.
Now our spidey senses were already tingling and if you play in a band yourself you might already be waving some red flags but we thought we would give it a go. Our last couple of gigs in London were good and we know a few people we hoped would come along.
We signed the contract and put the date in our calendar. (We have plenty more to say about our experience with the agency/promotor but I'll leave that for another post)
Skipping forward to the day of the gig we made our way down to London; catching an early train and then Ubering to the venue in time for our 4:30 sound check.
The Star In Shoreditch is a bit of a mixed venue with a cocktail/sports bar vibe on the ground floor and a small (emphasis on small) events room in the basement. We were in the basement.
We arrived at the venue, dropped our gear in the backstage area, and made contact with the artist liaison who was in charge for the night. We find out that sound checks are running late (no surprises there) and also Reliant has dropped out at the last minute due to illness (RIP Reliant, catch you another time) so we can start a bit later than planned.
Our sound check quickly became a line check as the other bands run over but we're the fastest line checkers in the land so we set up, get our sound sorted, and have five minutes to catch our breath before we play.
We're the first band on for the evening but we like it that way (we take a bit of pride in being a great opening act). We open up with Lets Eat Grandma to the two people in the crowd but its not long before more people filter in from upstairs. Soon the room is filled out and people are having a good time.
Its always a test of a band how well you can do in front of a small crowd where no one has seen you play before. We gave it everything we had and played our set well; although our stage banter suffered a bit as the room was so hot my brain stopped working!
We finish strong with King Of The Road and start packing away. I am always so humbled and grateful when people come up to me afterwards to compliment us, it really does mean everything to us to know we have made someones night better with our music.
The nice thing about playing first is that afterwards you can watch the other bands without thinking about what you might be playing later. Them Nudes were on next and they played a blistering set of traditional London punk with surf riffs. Special mention goes to their drummer who had incredible energy.
The Space played next with a mix of covers and originals, they were firmly in the function band realm but they played their instruments well.
We would have liked to stay for the rest of the night but sadly we had to get back to the station to catch the last train back. Much apologies to Mark Velvet and Life Review, hopefully we will cross paths again.
Its a good thing we left when we did as our train ended up being delayed by a fire near the tracks between Beaconsfield and High Wickham. There is nothing quite like sitting stationary in a sweaty train for 45 minutes.
We made it home eventually. Overall it was a good experience and it has given us a lot to think about when booking future gigs. We love playing in London but next time we hope the promotor will put in a bit more effort to get people to turn up.
