Well here we are again, trying to put on a good show for two worthy causes, we did as much pre promo as we could, flyers, word and mouth, internet, you name it we did it !!!
The result ? Apathy beyond anything i have ever experienced !!!

At best there were 20 people in the Marquee, i have to thank these people for staying and really supporting every ones efforts..

The Rest ? Well !!! Around 20 of the Local ( We Dont Want Change ) ( We Just talk about people behind their backs ), decided to stay in the bar, sitting in the same old groups looking smug and not daring to venture outside their dummy sucking comfort zone.
At one point head dummy sucker sent out a scout to wander into the marquee and report back to see what it was like. Pathetic !!!

I have never ( ever ) met such a lowlife breed as these people are... They dont like me because i dare to be different from them, i dare to say what i think, i wont be part of their mindless flock ! Because i'm different i scare the shit out of them. I wont conform to their little mafia.. In the village they think they are big fish. But put them in the back streets of Birmingham they would be little fish in a very big pond, even the streetwise 10 years olds would scare these muppets.

If by this post you think i'm still angry bet yer sweet ass i am !

Anyway, back to what really matters ( The music )

Kerry & Simon did their set and it was very very good, the sound was crystal clear and i'm sure they gained a few fans ( the ones that bothered to listen ) that is, with the right support we are sure Kerry will be a massive name in the future, although only 19 she sings with a maturity well beyond her years, after her set she was very down about lack of audience and thought she had done something wrong, not good for a young singer ! However we tryed to instill and restore her confidence, Bar muppets !!! Have you the talent and balls to do what Kerry does ????

David Francis closed the night. David was still nursing a heavy cold and i think he will agree with me when i say he really wasent up to doing the gig, not only because he was ill, but also because WHY BOTHER ? To a cold near on empty room.
After four songs i decided to say NO MORE ! And pulled David Offstage.

I later walked into the main bar, and was actually asked by one sheep ( What Was the Gig Like ) ? I think you can imagine my ranting reply !!!

These are the same people that wouldnt support me or David on fighting the so called Eco Town, they couldnt see that Global Musicians had helped save their village, yet they sat there moaning about a few new houses being built in the village at the back of the Lamb, what have they done to help stop it... Nothing !!!

I can imagine how pissed off you guys are after coming face to face with this kind of apathy and lack of support.
As you probably know I've been gigging for some 35 years now and have experienced the extremes in band support from playing to one man and his dog (oh, and one member of the bar staff...literally) to folks not able to get in to a venue to see us as it has sold out.
I really have no idea why one gig can be like the grave and the next night the roof goes off...always baffled me. I’m positive we don’t play any different from night to night and the PA sounds good and consistent so....what the f*ck is it?

John, you touch on the point that it might in fact be the locals? Come to think of it, some venues do have a negative atmosphere as if the punters are determined not to enjoy themselves maybe for losing face or coz they’re inherently just miserable bastards whose priority is to sit and supp beer and whinge about the bloody weather.

Whatever the reason, my attitude has always been, play your best and treat a shit gig like a paid rehearsal and try out some new material coz if you f*ck up...who’s there that can be bothered?
We all open our souls up when we walk out there to perform and it’s awful when things don’t go as expected especially after working hard to promote an event and put on a professional show but at the end of the day, it’s us up there doing it and I have a sneaking suspicion, the wannabees that turn their backs are just ever so slightly jealous.......

It is very sad to see how things are these days but I'm not sure there is any way to change the current state of our societies. Most of our culture is now based around the internet and it appears that most people in the world are content to live their lives inside a virtual reality. They spend their time entertained by music and video put up by big corporations pretending to be cool and relevant. The general population is no longer interested in actually going out to see live music or interested in backing a cause if it requires actual physical interaction with anyone or anything. I am seeing that young people are actually growing up without mastering any interpersonal skills. I don't think there is any going back to what we used to have (what I think of as normal). People don't have to leave their homes. People don't have to take an interest in local bands or local politics or...anything. It comes neatly packaged and spoon fed to them on their laptop or cell phone. The next step will be a chip directly planted in their brain. That's why their are no manufacturing jobs. All the jobs are in marketing or sales. You can buy your groceries on line now and have them delivered. Soon we will be brains in a jar, like on that episode of Star Trek. "I bid 20 quatloos" !!!

Hi Joe, good to hear from you mate, what you wrote makes a hell of a lot of sense, people just dont get excited anymore about live music, its all got too comfortable, i felt sorry for young Kerry, 30 of her friends promised to turn up on the night and surprise surprise not one showed up, i wanted to say to her welcome to live music but had'nt got the heart..It really did affect her that she had been let down.

As for the locals in the bar, i doubt if anyone of them have the braincells to even switch a pc on, some of them are my age and i know for a fact used to buy records, but, i think they have an issue with Moll & myself trying to bring live events to The Village Of The Damned . If anyone else put an event on i'm sure they would support it.. Its quite funny really, Moll & me seem publics enemy no 1.

We went for a drink the other day and said sheep were in their corner they went very quiet when we walked in, i love going over to them and saying ALRIGHT LADS ! Just to get a reaction !

As a measure of their patheticness, one guy was telling people not to listen to David as he was shit, strange that as he had never seen David play live before.

Bottom line, the Village of Yapton is not worthy of live music, we wont be doing anything there again, and we wont be subjecting artists to local mentallity..

Village pubs are under threat and need support, the sheep will be the 1st ones to bleat if it gets shut down..

Joe...a scary scenario indeed but a valid point nonetheless. Why on earth do people want a virtual world when the real one is out there to behold? I suppose it's a reflection of the massive influence corporate media has on us all...well, some of us or more accurately, the majority of young people.
I have never understood the "Wii" mentality...just go book a tennis court at the local sports centre (er) and experience a game of tennis first hand rather than jump around your living room with a virtual racket aided by computer software that gives the impression you play like eeerrrrm...Roger Federa or some such tennis star.
Virtual reality and real life is becoming somewhat blurred...where will it end and why is it all necessary?

There's very little I can say at this point that hasn't already been said, but...

I asked some people, they're called Rock Czar Booking, for details regarding a show that was going to be filmed and put on a TV show for Sky TV, the 'choon' show. They invited us to play at the Speakeasy in York, anyone know it? And the gig of 4 songs was going to be filmed, audio recorded, put on the show, our myspace site, interviews, we'd even have a rider! (We've NEVER had a rider.)

Sounds great, yes? Of course, there's a down side to all this. Not the distance, no. I have a Renault Scenic, and my new bass player drives, so actually getting the band to York and back is the least of my worries. No, the problem is it's going to cost us £300.

We don't have £300.

Why is it going to cost us that much? Basically because we have to buy 50 tickets and sell them at £6 each. We have to pay £10 for them to send us the tickets in the first place, (which, fair enough, is because they've had bands who've taken the tickets and then dropped out straight away,) pay a deposit of £50 once the tickets arrive, and the remaining £240 within another month.

Granted, we're supposed to make that back by selling tickets. And that's fine. Except that there's no way we're going to sell 50 tickets to a gig in York. I know a few people from Harrogate (basically about half way between Leeds and York,) but that amounts to no more than 7 or 8 people, so by the time I've been rule of tenned that will be meaningless. The most we've ever pulled at a gig in the Midlands is about 15 people. The last time we did a gig that we actually had to sell tickets for, there were 5 people there for us, because heaven forbid you might actually have to pay for the privlege of coming to see my band...

So by the time we've paid fuel costs, accomodation, hired a coach, accomodation for the 50 people we need to bring, (yeah right,) played the gig and gone home, we'll probably have spent well more than the money they wanted us to spend in the first place....

Can we be forgiven for thinking that this possibly isn't worth it?

I'm experienced in the matters regarding bums on seats, the most I've ever seen at ANY gig (at this level) is probably Christmas by the Cut 2007, they were mostly there for Ian Parker who we all know works very hard for what he's got now. Whenever Crashpoint have done a gig it's usually just to the other bands on that night, and a couple of close friends if they turn up. Difference is I've never known anything different, and unfortunately neither will Kerry. And it's a crying shame, for the calibre of musician we all know David to be, that a few more of the locals couldn't have turned up to see for themselves what the guy's got to offer.

As for the myspace generation, I have half a mind, (and thankfully it's the half that I'm in control of,) to spam every mailing list I have with the video of Crashpoint performing Hand on my Heart which we filmed last March. Looks like that's the only way most of the guys are ever going to see them.

There's no justice. Sorry the gig didn't go well for you guys. I've always (or at least, as long as I've known them,) been very proud of John and Moll for never giving up on the music scene, no matter how much apathy they're faced with. Hard to see it that way, but we need you more than ever...

Hi folks,

Sorry to hear the gig didn't go well. Having had the pleasure of David's company (once I'd found him!) I know what a good night people would have had if they'd only given it a chance - and with it being a charity gig, surely a few more could have given it a go?

Funny thing trying to put 'bums on seats' isn't it. Sorry to get nostalgic, but when I think back 20 years or so a group of us used to make a regular Friday night pilgrimage to the old JBs in Dudley. We'd catch the bus in from Kingswinford, and if we'd spent too much on ale to get a taxi we'd stagger the 4 miles back (via a dodgy chippy in Pensnett that never closed). Every week we went, whether we'd heard of the band or not, and from the look of the crowd about two-thirds of the room did the same - it was Friday night, so you went out and caught a band. We saw some real rubbish, but we also saw the Stone Roses, Neds, and the late-great Steve Marriott.

I just don't think people take that punt on gigs anymore. At the moment, as you know, I'm trying to build up the charity (Walrus Gumboot) nights here in Leicester. I think we're getting there - ask me again tomorrow after the 4th one! - but its a lot of graft, and to be honest its the charity aspect that helps keep the motivation. Part of how I pitch the night is very much at the tribute act market - another phenomenon that has done us no favours. Each night has a theme, and every act has to include a cover fitting that theme into the set. Last month was 'Weller' (Paul not Keith,though this being Leicester...). What the theme does, hopefully, is mean that people get to hear a few songs they know already, and promotionally it allows me to put pictures of the Jam or whoever on the posters and make it visually more appealing. It seems to be working, but it has meant compromising on something that I never thought I would.

So far what we have done though is resist the temptation to charge someone $300 to play - think you were wise to avoid that one Matt! If the TV thing appeals mate, you could maybe copy the example of a band from round here called The Mile. They got on TV twice last year via competitions, one on a cable channel and one was Orange Unsigned on Channel 4. Entry to the televised stages wasn't through flogging tickets, but through online votes. They had a really clear strategy of getting real friends, myspace friends, their families, work colleagues etc to all text,click or email votes for them and it paid off. I guess, putting it cynically, what they did was take the whole 'myspace/instant gratification/virtual reality' nonsense and make it work for them. They weren't getting regular gig crowds much bigger than Crashpoints, but people who couldn't be a**ed to go into town and see their mates play would happily text a few times from their armchairs in order to see them turn up on their plasmas. Sad but true!

I'll stop going on, and leave you in peace. Sorry again to hear about Saturday folks - but don't let the buggers get you down!

All the very best,
Ian

Hello all,

David Francis here. I appreciate the wisdom and experience of everyone speaking
about the problem of contemporary gigs. It's all true. I think Mr. Joe Pop is right,
though, about people just not relating to live gigs because they're watching a screen
and basically don't get the excitement of the event.

Especially now, we performers are going against the grain. But if this is a new Dark
Ages, the monks preserving manuscripts (perfomers reminding people that they're
human and that emotions can't be controlled and processed (limited) by commercial
and governmental interests) may be playing a desperately important role.

Moreover without gigs, I wouldn't have met Moll & John and be privileged to be among
the individuals on this forum.

Gigs or death!

Love,
David

I can recall the fine days of the late '80s/early '90s here in Vancouver. There were tons of places for bands to play and the thing is THEY WERE ALWAYS PACKED! People everywhere...it was always a social event, didn't really matter who was playing it was about the energy. Now all but a few live spots are still open, people do come out but only if they are really into the band.
The cost of partying has gone way up and people are generally watching where their entertainment dollars are going. Kinda sucks to be a band these days. I really feel for you guys as you put such hard work into everything you do...and this is what you get back? I hope Kelly can get over the disappointment and learn from it...it's hard but she should know that it's not her. What always bothers me is all of my so-called 'friends' who you give free tix to and even they don't bother to show up.
I mean, WTF?

And Matt, watch out for those 'pay to play' fiascos. They are usually just a money-grab by the promoters.
Sol 3 did something a couple of years ago called 'Emergenza'. I actually think that it's worldwide. Anyway, it was fun, got some exposure (actually made it to the finals!) but you really can't compete when there are bands with money behind them buying tickets and eating the costs just so they can win.
The winning bands were voted on by a show of hands!!! So if you had butts in the seats you won.
It all smacks of bullshit politics...damn, I just wanna play!

Hi Guys, OObs touched on a point here that really winds me up ( FREE TICKETS ) Its happened to Moll & Myself, you give a few friends tickets or put them on the guest list and they dont show, then when you eventually see them you get all kinds of lame excuses.
It was the same when we released Anthem, i worked my ass off promoting the single and was dissapointed at the lack of sales through family and friends, some just forgot, some just couldnt be bothered to part with 99p. When MM was a weekly show we had a Global audience of around 10.000 yet only 3 listeners were family and friends even though we kept asking the rest to have a listen NO ONE DID !

I think live music is really struggling, partly due to shows like Britains got talent and the likes of X Factor which young people see as their only way of success,, what pisses me off more is some of the people on the show actually think they can sing and usually get laughed off by Simon Coward.

Years ago from the age of nine i learnt my craft by playing working mens clubs, ok, i had to play covers but, it was a learning curve, then at 15 i started playing in original bands doing the college and Uni gigs. Again i worked hard and served my apprenticeship, but i'm afraid these days people cant be bothered to learn the trade, they want everything NOW !!! I think also a live gig these days just doesnt appeal or have that attraction compared with T.V, if people have never heard of the band playing they just dont turn up and are not even willing to give them a listen.

As a point a few months ago a local band who i rate played a club in Chichester and 10 people showed up including barstaff, two weeks later the same club put on some singer who came around 15th on the X Factor. All the flyers and posters read AS SEEN ON X FACTOR.
Yes, youve guessed it THE PLACE WAS PACKED ! A few people i know actally went and said later she didnt sound as good as she did on the telly.. Media Hype , and some people get brainwashed into the They have been on T.V so they must be good syndrome.

So where does that leave us ? The real artists, the real musicians ? We are more than ever being driven underground, i guess we must just keep keeping on because thats what we do.

John x

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Just a few pics from the Village of the damned, David Disco Dancing with a laser coning out of his arm and moll with her lower arm missing
strange..

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