NWB - Community Blog

definitely got to have a banter. I like to think we do that with theFish - I love it when someone heckles or comments and you can refer back to it at different stages throughout the gig. Sometimes magic happens when somebody's comment coincides with a lyric later on ... Sometimes I think I prefer to make someone laugh than have them getting all up about the music, if you know what I mean??!!

Seen a couple of great bands in the States this last few weeks ... but the worst one was the house band at BB Kings club .. great players and singers to a man (and woman), but obviously "doing a job" ... whereas a couple of bar bands we saw, whilst not brilliant and note perfect were great at getting a rapport with the audience.
Brilliant

Willow

We don't introduce songs as such.....People know what they're getting with us so we usually use gaps between songs to take the piss out of people, you know....they call it friendly banter.

Shut up and get on with it!

good blog, yep always have a few quips and little lines use most gigs, but its always the most fun with the off the cuff comments when you see something funny, those kind of things can really bond you with audience and the occasional self deprecating jokey comment about yourself or a bit of banter with sometime at the front is always great fun.

always always wanted to use the immortal David coverdale comment at a gig(little bit sexist this but hey my humour is sid james circa 1972)

"thankyou. and thankyou for your t**s, most inspiring"

Yeh ya got t have a bit o banter, tek piss oot of each other which is easy for me we trig bein int band but dependin wot the audience is like i tek the piss oot o them sometimes all in good taste. I got this guy to do truffleshuffle fr us on sat it was ace!!!

Sometimes ya need to get em involved or ya just end up like a live juke-box

Mark

Agree with Willow, getting heckled is the best! So long as it's not a nasty one you can always turn it around and, sometimes, if it's really good, you can even make it a theme! I'm definitely a lot better at it than I used to be - heck, we even do 'bits' during songs now, don't we, Innuendo? :-) Ann x

Banter all the way...makes the gig livelier and more enjoyable when the audience are involved

"# Posted by Dresden North End - 01/02/2010, 19:10 (GMT)

Sometimes ya need to get em involved or ya just end up like a live juke-box"

Bingo. Give them a show.

If I go to see a band I go to SEE a band.

But what about the other way ie when a band plays a brill song and you just want to clap then realise that they are half way through the next song. No, I like a bit of banter between songs and it gives the audience a chance to get a pint - especially if its a loud band and the barstaff cant hear what you want.

What.....you all actually get an audience....wow....bout 20 ppl at our last but one gig...lol

Don't give a shit either way as long as someone shouts 'Teenage Kicks'!

@Ann "we even do 'bits' during songs now, don't we, Innuendo? :-) Ann x "

Oh yes we do! Oh no we don't ! its behind you! Lol

Innuendo

I have no idea why anyone introduces a song. Play it. We'll know what it is after a while. No need.

Here's a song about my two favourite subjects ..... Red Headed Women and Motorbikes.
And I've reached 50 years of age without having either one!!

... Said Red Mollyyyyyyyyyy to James, that's a fine motorbike ....

hey ho!
Willowlikesintroducing

I think that you have to be careful when speaking to an audience. I certainly get put off by out of context vocal ramblings in between songs. A good thing is to record the gig and listen back and if you're not very good or comfortable with it then I agree with socailtornado when he says "Shut up and get on with it!"

"# Posted by The Cottonhouse Shakers - 02/02/2010, 00:23 (GMT)

I think that you have to be careful when speaking to an audience. I certainly get put off by out of context vocal ramblings in between songs. A good thing is to record the gig and listen back and if you're not very good or comfortable with it then I agree with socailtornado when he says "Shut up and get on with it!" "

The opposite side to that coin is a good frontman will lift an audience. In the context of pubs this means more money over the bar for a start.

They've come to hear the music and not hear you waffle on about how shit the drive to the gig was etc. What you often find funny, they don't! Just get on and do what you do best.....We are trying to make apoint of keeping the music flowing now so we can get more songs in the set and just stop to introduce the ones the audience may not be as familiar with. At last weekends Marseille gig Neil stared to chat with the audience, and he has 20 years TV experience, and he was looking for a bit of reaction and it was one of those horrible deadly silent moments you dread when no one reacts so i just but in and said "I think they are just here to rock dude and aren't impressed unless you're gonna d oa painting?" He said "I think you're right dude!" and there was a cheer so we just got on with it.

I am not a big fan of it, especially when you are having a conversation with the drunk at the front and the rest of the room isn't a part of it!

i like banter,its a very useful tool i think to get that extra bit of connection to the audience, but it needs to be short, sincere and to the point to avoid the tumbleweed.

and telling jokes, no not really at all, leave it to the stand ups.

Ignore them and they might go away ! .........joke

Agreed banter can be good but choose it right.
You can get your fair share of tumbleweed moments when saying something that no one else finds funny.
Been there done it!!!!!!!!!!

banter........ yuk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You have to have a bit of patter for between some of the songs.
It's useful to have short introductions for them worked out, so
you don't start mumbling inaninties. Not speeches, or anything
overblown like that.

If you don't speak to the audience, you may as well not be there.

The master - for me - was Noddy Holder. He knew exactly how to
talk to an audience and when not to - and when to just get on
with the job.