Starting A Band, Stage 3 - Gigging  So with all that practising you've been doing - you might be thinking "So then, what now?" Well I'll tell you what now - it's time to emerge from your rehearsal room, squinting into the daylight of the big wide-world, and play to the millions of fans who need to hear your unique brand of 'phonic art (that's music). ARE YOU READY TO ROCK!….. (me? overuse tired old catchphrases? never.)
The First Gig.
See? I told you that all that practising would pay off didn't I? All that hard work, blistered fingers, tantrums and bloodshed (well maybe not bloodshed) has been worthwhile - and now it's time for your first gig.
Hmmm, so where exactly are you gonna play this thing then? Well, you've basically got two choices - you either: Put the event on yourself Or, you play at a proper venue. The latter is definitely the easiest to organise but probably the less rewarding of the two options - your first priority being to actually find somewhere who'll have you.
It's likely that you'll have a choice of two types of venue available to play at - either yer bog standard public house or a proper music venue - and there's no doubt that playing at a proper dedicated venue is sooo much more convenient.
Basically, there are a handful of problems with playing at the pub (or anywhere with a license to sell alcohol), the first being the age restrictions that these olde establishments have - don't think that just because you're the evening's entertainment that they'll ignore the fact that you're all 13. Exactly how are you gonna play if you're only allowed to sit in the beer garden whilst your equipment is left inside?
Also, another problem with pubs is the fact that you will usually have to provide all the equipment yourself and, more often than not, there'll be no-one around to help you with any technical difficulties you might encounter. Bar staff aren't really renowned for their expertise with P.A. systems, so as this will be your first gig it might be best to steer clear.
 A final problem, which is probably common to all pubs are their policies regarding live music. Most will only accept bands who play a set of about 60% cover versions - y'know songs that the locals will recognise, so if you mostly want to play all your own material rather than Livin' On A Prayer, Born To Be Wild, Song 2 or Wonderwall then you might have problems!
Oh, and they'll probably want you to play for about an hour and a half - a bit long for just your first gig eh? Right, so what's the deal with the proper venues? To be honest, you'd be much better off with playing at a small club or venue 'cos they're usually a lot more accommodating for young bands, and they'll more often than not have proper, dedicated "New Band" evenings - so you won't be chucked into the deep end of the guitar shaped swimming pool too soon!
They'll also be properly trained technicians and engineers there too, so you won't have to worry about all the technical stuff like P.A's, microphones and amplifiers - so you'll be able to get your spangly sequinned trousers and Alvin Stardust wig combo on in plenty of time before you go on stage.
You'll also be able to play all your own stuff and a relatively short set as well, and as the audience will know you're a young band starting out - they shouldn't be too critical….if you're lucky! Just don't expect to get paid for any of your appearances yet ok? As I've said, you'll probably be playing on a "New Band" night and it'll most probably be free to get in - remember, the public don't know what you sound like yet so why should they pay? If you make a good impression though, you will get asked back and then maybe you'll get some cash for your troubles…just don't expect a fortune!
The other option then, is to put the whole event on yourself. This is something which I done with my first band and it's really good fun - if you organise it properly. The first thing to sort out is where are you gonna have your event? Your best bet would be to hire out a community hall or something similar, and there's two things to take into consideration: Firstly, how many people do you think might come to your gig? I mean, it would be nice to think that there'll be a three mile queue to get into your "event" but in reality there won't be - so if you think you can get 50 people to come along, then book somewhere fairly small and if you think you can get 100 people to come then book somewhere a bit bigger - it's simple really: don't be unrealistic.
 The other thing to think about is how much will it be to hire this place out? I reckon you'll be looking at between £60-£80 to hire somewhere which will hold about 100 music-lovers, which means if you charge about £1 a ticket you'll easily get your money back on the hire charges.
It's worth mentioning about selling your tickets as well - the best tactic is to sell your mates the tickets before the gig. This way, you know exactly how many you've sold (also remember to write down who you've sold the tickets to) and if you sell them all then you can tell everyone who hasn't got one that the event has SOLD OUT - hah! pretty professional huh? The other plus point to this method is that if people have tickets, then they're committed to come on the night, otherwise they'll waste their money - if you flog tickets on the door then you just don't know how many people will turn up…so yeah, sell them beforehand ok?
Parents can come in really handy at things like this as well, so rope them in if you can - a bit of parent-power can be useful at boisterous music events , so make sure the biggest, scariest, meanest dad stands at the door and looks threatening whilst taking tickets….that'll scare off the ruffians! HA HA.
Hmmm, not much more advice to give you really. Assuming you've practised enough you should get through it all relatively unscathed - just don't expect miracles ok? This is your first gig and there's bound to be a few mess ups and upsets along the way, just remember that "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger etc. etc."
 It might also be worth teaming up with another band (or bands) and holding a joint concert between yourselves. That way, you'll get more people coming along, the hire charges will be split, and the tickets will be better value (two bands instead of one!)..but I'll leave you to have a think about that. Local bands do, after all, have a nasty sense of rivalry usually - it might not be a good idea to put two in the same room!
Right, next time I'll be giving you some advice on how to record your first demo and how to like, get your music "out there" maaaan. Hope this has all been useful so far, and I'll be seeing ya next time -
- Eddy Vista
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