Want a warts n all review? - here ya go.
Last night we played at the Black Bull in Dalton in Furness. ( That`s just outside civilization for most of you NWB`ers) New gig to us, so didn`t really know what to expect.
We were greeted with the words "can you just bring in half your gear lads , I`m on my last warning from the environmental health" ....joy.
Small pub.....I mean , s m a l l....and on a row of quaint little cottages, that were obviously the source of the noise complaints, and unsurprisingly so I reckon. It must have been like having a rock band playing in your back kitchen when music was on next door.
Anyway, we trudged the gear in, half expecting to only get two songs into the set before the plug was pulled. There was tension in the air between the band members who obviously thought I was a twat for booking the gig,and that we should cut our losses and f**k off home. My comment was that the venue approached us, not the other way round, and they must have known what they were booking ? If they want to pay us off that`s their call, but we didn`t come all this way for nowt, so crack on.
We took up a third of the pub, the sound engineer had to set up right in front of one speaker stack. To be fair, Chris the sound tech did a great job considering the size and layout of the room, obviously the volume was well down by Catdog standards, otherwise we would have obliterated them, and the back line was nice and controlled. However, when you are sat on top of each other in such confines of space it still feels loud. My ears are suffering a bit this morning with a dull thrumming.
The place filled up by 9.30 as we have decent enough following in those parts, mainly with ageing rockers, misfits,chavs, and two local darts teams trying to play a league match hahaha !..no chance
It was unbearably hot, like playing in an oven so I sweated buckets all over the ornate horse brasses.
So...we got through the night without any major problems, and the landlady was very happy with her bar takings, and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed it...BUT , it still felt like a shit gig, one where we were all glad it was over and we could pack up and go home.
I probably won`t rush to go back. No fault of the venue, or the band, just a mismatch.
The Bath Hotel tonight....it had better be good or I`m packin` it in !!!
Chris
xx