Gig For Heroes

The day started quite early with only two hours between 10am and noon to setup before the football club prepare d for its main activity - a football match. We couldn't get back at the stage area until 6pm. So we went off and enjoyed a day in the sun and tried not to sit about just twiddly our thumbs.

When we got back in the evening, we soundchecked all of the bands as and when they arrived. The problem with soundchecking an empty room is that the acoustics change a lot when the place fills up, but it gives you a good starting point.

I was quite nervous beforehand so it was good to get on first.  I was struggling to hear the monitors a lot so couldn't really hear what I was doing, which meant I sang too hard, which meant I hurt my throat....argh! I had a whole stress thing going on about "would I be able to hit that note in that song". I shouldn't have worried (but I had first gig nerves) but it meant that by the time I got the toughies under my belt, I only had a couple left to relax into and enjoy properly. Ah well, there'll be more!

Tracy did a brilliant job and I still can't believe she'd only had 3 rehearsals!  It was a funny gig because out of the four bands, three were using a dep drummer! Tom White was standing in for both Trigger Happy and Hooked. He and Tracy had got their heads together and ordered DEP DRUMMER tshirts which looked great!  They both did brilliantly well standing in at such short notice.

I didn't get a proper chance to see what John and Manuel were up to during the gig but the photos afterwards show that John was managing some rock 'foot on monitor' poses. Considering he's only been playing bass for a year, I thought he did bloody brilliantly!

Rob did a sterling job on the mixing desk during our gig and then John took over on the desk when Hooked took to the stage. I took to the bar and it wasn't until afterwards that I realised I hadn't eaten that much and was a little too excitable. I may have got a bit squiffy!

Hooked had a couple of problems with the sound limiter going off, I suspect due to the extra bassiness of Rob's extra string, but once they got that sorted it was all good and they banged out lots of favourites.  Trigger Happy were there usual brilliant selves (ok ok, I admit it, they're my favourite Exeter band) and Take a Look Around still takes some beating, as did the Barracoodas rendition of Comfortably Numb.

All in all a top night, and £1118 raised for Help for Heroes.

Well done to John and Trigger for organising the event, to Chris and everyone at the Centre Spot for being so accommodating and to the rest of the bands for putting on such a good show!