Swindon Music

As a reverse to TJJR gig, I wasn;t told LC's had an engineer, and yet they did!

As a rule of thumb, tour managers are a promoters bain. LC's tour manager, dspite being tall and having a skin head, and a few scars, was a lovely guy. Maybe that was due to FRISCO supplying a massive rider, and really looking after the bands? I clearly was never that generous!

Load in and set up was a piece of cake, the sound check however was anything but. nearly an hour was used just for the drums!. and nearly a further 40 minutes on the rest of the band.

I know you want to get your sound right, but you tailor your needs / requirments to the venue your playing - two have two mics on a snare (on over, one under) is completely unnecessary - and left the support bands with 30 minutes between them, after running 30 minutes behind time due to a dodgy wire being pulled by one of the DJ's!!

I agreed with LC's engineer not to change their settings, and basically "ride the faders" - their drummer was generious enough to share shells - making for a wasted journey and effort for local heroes THE ALFONZ, who had travelled with theirs. Due to the lack of time, this made me very happy.

Line checks for both the supports was simple enough, I knew it sounded PH fat, and clean as a whistle. Bonus.

In a switch of positions The Alfonz opened tonight and were in my opinion - much more up for it - than when they played for me a month earlier, some how their songs sounded catchier and hookier than ever before, and I could really see why they are the apple of Swindon's preverbial eye. Brilliant sound and performance, despite such a rushed check.

Nepoleon In Rags up next, and with a chunkier sound and off the back of a great warm up from close friends, they hit the ground running with a clinical set of hook ridden pop gems. They always sound a little rough around the edges live, yet when I isolate guitars etc on the desk, they are tight and note perfect - its just their sound and is a bloody good one.

Both bands seemed to supply the crowd for tonight, so I was surprised they didn't get a louder / warmer responce from the crowd, but im sure they'll have to play a few more of these on their way.

Lastly Little Comets drilled home a perfectly exicuted set of indie rock, loud drums that were in your face, and at times gentle guitars whirling away in the back ground, upset by random hits, shakes and slaps of varipus bits of kit - suspended from string run across the top of the 12 Bar.

It was a performance to saviour, they really didn't need to go off, and come back on for an encoure - they had the audience in the first place. I was surprised to see how many people actually knew them, some times I think its just me who's into these little indie bands, but it turns out LC's are that little at all.