Blog: Being Supportive

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I had SUCH a lovely time at Gav's gig on Sunday night that it has left me wanting MORE. As regular visitors to this blog may have noticed, my GIG-RATE has declined HUGELY over the past few years. Back in 2011 I did a MASSIVE 79 gigs, but since then that number has (mercifully) shrunk until it looks like this year I'll be doing a much more gentle 25 or so.

In many MANY ways it's much nicer doing fewer gigs. There's a lot less travelling around, a lot MORE being at home on the sofa watching TELLY, a lot less being HUNGOVER, and MUCH less chance of ending up doing one of those occasional gigs where I'd travel for HOURS mid-week to play to approx 3 people who didn't really want to watch me.

However, lots of gigs were LOTS of fun, and I must admit I do miss them a bit, especially the ones that, like Gav's gig, went REALLY WELL. It may surprise you to know that there is a small (very small) part of me that LIKES the applause and getting to show off - no, really, there is - and it made me think that maybe I could do a bit more of it again.

I spoke to The Dates On My Itinerary about these THORTS and she suggested that maybe I should see about getting some SUPPORT SLOTS. As she said, the stressful gigs are usually the ones where I'm HEADLINING and I have to hope that enough people are bothered about ME to turn up. Doing a support gig is a LOT less pressure and, now that I think about it, it's precisely the sort of environment that my ACT, such as it is, was originally HONED for. I used to RELISH the CHALLENGE of having to WIN OVER audiences who had come to see somebody else!

With that in mind I thought I might give it ago, and immediately realised that I no longer have any idea how to go about it. Back in THE DAY I knew all sorts of acts/bands/promoters who were regularly booking gigs, but now pretty much everyone I've ever known who DID it has stopped! Also I used to know what was going on because I used to go TO SEE gigs, but I haven't done that for ages either!

SO, I thought I'd ask you, gentle reader, if you have ANY idea of bands/acts/promoters that I might approach with such a thing in mind? Is there ANYBODY who might appreciate a support act in their late thirties (ALL RIGHT EXTREMELY LATE THIRTIES) who could come and bellow at their audience for 20 minutes or so? I am VERY well behaved and almost certainly wouldn't get drunk and be rude to anybody important, and even if I did, which I probably wouldn't, I would definitely be CHARMING about it and people would find it amusing eventually.

Any ideas are very welcome in the COMMENTS below!

posted 21/9/2017 by MJ Hibbett

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