10:59
Firstly it took us FAR too long to set up and get going I really did not think we were gonna take that long. The problem was it took Jacob a little while to set up his pedal board and he couldn’t be heard I don’t know what the problem was but it took us over 5 minutes to fully get going, meanwhile I was struggling on what to say looking at the audience so we need to make sure we are setting up quicker than we did yesterday because it was rubbish and I think it knocked some of my confidence by just sort of waiting and thinking of something to say. I can do a little bit of practice in a rehearsal before the actual gig to say something or just to waffle for a little while if Jacob or any one needs a little bit of time before going into the next song.
Some One Call the Doctor
Now on to the actual performance: I started the song of strong trying to ignore the length of time it took for us to get started and I thought all was going to go well I started the solo and it sounds like it stands out so much and I really have played that solo a lot better in the past I don”t know if I was nervous or what but my timing was all over the place then as if Jacob was not quiet enough he dropped his pick which is just unlucky, it was not a great start for us but hey ho we kept playing and tried to make it work. I started signing the lyrics and I didn’t know if I could be heard but I was definitely struggling to hear my self vocally as well but I felt the 1st verse didn’t go too bad it was okay, I remembered all the words, the voice seems strong and it works. Then we get to the pre chorus and it really feels like there is no power behind the song at all with Jacobs guitar being quiet and me lacking gain or maybe a boost that we normally have in rehearsals that gives the song a driving feeling onto that pre chorus so it just sounded kind of dead and empty.
Its chorus time and I don’t know why but the singing is not hitting and neither is the guitar we just lack things we carried in rehearsal but all of it is off. We were hitting the notes but it just sounded bad so we really need to make sure that we find what the problem is in our last rehearsal and get sorted for the gig. What did not help is when Jacob started singing the chorus I would sort of chirp in half way through and make it sound strange so I need to make sure I am singing with him from the start of the chorus or pay attention to the parts I want too emphasise and commit to it to even out the sound consistently. While this is going on I do notice that Ben and Lewis seem to be doing well cant spot too many mistakes with those two so far.
The second verse doesn’t actually seem so bad other than the fact that my voice seems to be the loudest over every thing. Then we get the the pre chorus again and I felt the same lack of kick and power straight away so I decide to turn to my amp and try turn my self up a little (looking back this doesn’t seem like a very good idea as we already cant hear Jacob) then as I turn all the feel from the song goes and it sounds super empty pretty much just keys and drums can be heard while I am trying to find a good volume to work with so after a slight panic I ended up returning the volume back to how it was at the start because I seemed far too loud. Once I returned to the mic I realised I ran out of time for the ad-lib parts and that section seemed the most un coordinated out of the whole performance in my opinion.
The second chorus seems to sound just as bad as the first one, meaning it lacks what it needs from Jacobs guitar from the chords to lead parts in between and the vocals still feel like they do not fit in this performance.
This leads us to the bridge which was actually a positive section for the most part because we planned to do the band introduction which ran smoothly I think we did okay for that section with the audience interaction firstly because pretty much nobody spoke to the audience for the entire performance so it was needed, the only things I would say for the interaction is next time I need to hype em up a little more instead of just saying their names and I can do this easily. Now the thing that brings the quality of the bridge down is Lewis’s first blatant mistake I picked up on any way was he want on for an extra bar instead of doing four repeats I plays five by mistake and confuses us all for a slight moment before going into the final chorus and solos.
The ending was okay but again you cant hear Jacobs guitar on the solos at all so when it comes to my lead parts it stands out and I don’t even think I reached the right pitch of the last bend on my solo part at the end and it was loud so it was a super obvious mistake to the audience after the bridge introduction which doesn’t make us look great but this is what the dress rehearsal is for and I am glad it happened there so we can learn from it. Finally we managed to get the ending down that we had been practising since we wrote the song I think this gave the song a little boost for this song which it needed.
What Went Well
I think Ben did a good job at keeping his performance strong not only considering his instrumentation and his ability to play but it looks to me like he kept him self moving throughout the tune which is what we want, he looks like he’s semi enjoying him self. (on this subject I do think we would of all moved a little more of we all could be heard and if the guitars volume was level it would let us feel it a little more but oh well.) I am glad we stuck with the introduction as it proves to help out for us and for the audience so we aren’t all so tense. I think what I like the most is that even though we missed the 4 repeats and did another one I don’t think the audience could tell so we played it off alright which is what we need to do as mistakes are bound to happen from time to time.
What Went Wrong
Jacobs guitar was far too quiet and it resulted in so many problems for us in this song, the first massive problem it caused was getting the song started because we all didn’t want to start until Jacob was ready and comfortable and of course this took over 5 minutes and it still was not fixed so we had no choice, we could not leave the people waiting so we got on with it which resulted in some confidence lost for that song. For me I feel like I should of spoke more during the problem before we started instead I just sort of was looking at Jacob and every body to see if we could start yet.
What Can I Do To Improve
I feel like it would of been a good idea to start talking about the song we was supposed to be playing at that time and like how it came to exist, how we wrote it and little things like that to hopefully entertain for a little while to take the attention away from the problem we was facing. For the part when we went too long on the bridge we just need to make sure we have that tight because we have been practising it for so long we need to be ready for it so I will make sure to cover this in the rehearsals.
Money (Thats What I Want)
Now before going into this song Jacob managed to get his sound up and tune so he was prepared now but the thing that bothers me is the fact where I don’t have any thing to say to take the attention away from the breaks between the songs, I could of said something funny or just made general conversation with the audience but I didn’t do that instead I just stood there with no though on what to say. This straight away bring the quality of the band down as we lose the attention of our audience as soon as we stop playing, like I say I need to practice little thing that can trigger a laugh or a response from the crowd in times when we need to set thing up before playing the next one, it would just be better to know what to do instead of standing there as I did but at least we have the sound level improved now to better match the songs. Lewis going to count us in before I announced the song was also not a great start as it looks like we have not practiced or spent time together as a band which would be wrong so we just have too look out for the little thing that bring overall quality of a performance down.
The intro before we all come in was so rushed and I have never been so off time in my life, I think I was too focused on getting it started and going the right speed I completely lost my sense of timing but instead of letting it affect my confidence like on the last song I laughed it off in my head and prepared my self to sing. All the other lads jump on well with Ben on keys and Jacob on the lead guitar we recover well from my error and Lewis comes in perfectly with a fast roll on the snare and into the song.
The instruments stop and the vocals push through for the first verse and I must say for a vocally exposing song like this one where there is not much to hide from I did pretty well if I do say so myself it sounds in key, has vibrato and sound strong and a little aggressive (for our style of this tune this how the song is supposed to sound) which is great. I feel like this is why it was important for me to keep the confidence and shake of the mistakes because if I didn’t that would of looked and sounded terrible and I would be in a world of embarrassment so yeah great job me.
All the lads came back on when it was chorus time and I must say for the first chorus whatever lewis is doing on the shoulder of the ride is really cool I think it adds a different element far from the original but yet still sounds great. I have Jacob and Ben on backing vocals for the chorus doing harmonies for the same line much like the original and apart from Ben missing the first (thats what I want) on the chorus they did great the section felt full and the way Ben looks while he is singing the chorus looks as if he is really into what he is playing and singing and looks great for a performance and timing sounds great too compared to how I terribly started the song we made a great comeback. My voice for the first chorus again I am impressed with as there is no vocal mistake yet which sounds good and makes me look confident in my singing, I hit the notes I was supposed to hit and was clearly happy about it but it all looks great for the performers aesthetic on stage. Lewis still has his timing down nice so far the band sounds really tight at this moment. I like the energy we can capture with this song and it will be perfect if we can replicate or even do better than we did here for FMP.
Its pretty much just the same for the second verse my voice still sounds great for some reason the only out of key sound I hear is on the world “love” at the start of second verse but I quickly adjust and its back to sounding good again.
Here for 2nd chorus I do think the boys need to show some more energy I can see me bobbing around but thats pretty much it, I feel it would look better if we had Lewis shaking his head all over and looking crazy as drummers do best, for Jacob he has the coolest hair in the band and he stays still most if the time he could do a few leg kicks and maybe show some teeth just look a little more into it than we do and for Ben he normally gets into it so maybe he’s not feeling it but still move your body man. In my opinion the sound shows we are working well together but the looks make us seem fresh and unconfident as not much movement is happening at all and its a high energy song. The vocals sound good I am happy with the backing the only thing that sticks out to me is when I sing “thats what I want” and hold on the want my notes are a little off again but composer is kept and I welcome Jacob for the first solo, announcing him to the audience in a comedic way and referencing our posts online by saying “Jacobs in the chat” I don’t think any one would of picked up on it at the dress rehearsal because we only just posted it but the people who follow us will 100% get it on gig night, and it shows good energy.
Jacob starts if the solo and I cant lie he did really well connecting different scales and positions on the neck, the solo sounded great and very fitting for what we are trying to achieve with this song, that being a bluesy, rock new wave kind of feel to but a nice twist on a old mo town blues song. Lewis plants a little half timey section in the solos to really throw a curve ball and it sounds really tight in timing and it fits great combining a few different styles into one cover. Me and Ben doing fine covering the rhythm sections to support Jacob and his solo and we all came together nicely.
We go straight back into the 3rd and final verse and I don’t know why but my voice seems to have lost its energy for the first few words so I really ramp it up for the last 3 words of the verse for some aggression to come through. The we go back to the chorus for the last time and it sounds just as good as the other times showing we are keeping the sections consistently sounding good.
Its my solo time and just before the chorus ends and we start the solo I say “excuse me” because I watched a video of Albert King playing “I’ll Play The Blues For You” on The Midnight Special Show (the old American music variety show) and the first time I saw this I couldn’t get over how cool that little (excuse me) before the boosted solo, I was amazed. I think it shows that he is really feeling it and in a passionate moment he says something to signify the start of a solo but keeping a calm, respectful yet so simple tone to it. So I thought to my self I gotta do that, so my plan is to keep it but only use it when I am really feeling it so it doesn’t get old, boring and overused as I am sure I am not the only one who replicates.
So any way I start the solo and I am already feeling it as the song has gone well so far. The more I play of the solo the more I am feeling it and I must say there is nothing crazy hard in the solo but it sounds great, I am happy with it any way I think it captured the right kind of energy and bluesy style that we was going for. (I was just using a basic blues pentatonic scale in E) I like the way I look when I am soloing because I tend to forget about pretty much every thing else and start to look a little bit crazy but thats what I want I looked exactly how I was feeling by moving around a little and just letting loose. The rest of the lads do really well supporting me and Lewis aces the half time bit again but as I get to shout and anounce Bens solo time Lewis forgot that he was supposed to keep playing the solo section but he went to the verse by mistake which is unfortunate and it did impact the song but Ben and Lewis both handled it well as Lewis went into a build up and Ben just knew what he was doing and reserved the best bits of the solo until Lewis had the energy back on the drums and that is every thing I want from my band mates, they played through it adjusted their playing and kept the feel going so I am impressed with that.
Then we conclude the song and Lewis missed the exit and keeps drumming which is not great also we forgot to play the ending that we had been working on for a while but oh well. Overall I am happiest with this song from the whole set in the dress rehearsal as it looked, sounded and felt the best. I think we showed what we are capable of with this song and displayed our band well. There is still plenty we need to work on as we were far from perfect the biggest points from me would be making sure the drummer knows how many repeats and when we end, making sure we are all moving and looking like we want to be there.
What Went Well
I am pleased with how my vocals sound for this song as it is quite a different take on the version we know I think I adapted it well and my voice seemed to work well with the style. (this will be remembered.) I like the fact that I want to cue Jacob before his solo by shouting something stupid from our socials was a nice touch to show something great is going to happen and then Jacob comes out with a amazing solo. I think my solo went really well too I like how Lewis’s half time sections in the solo really show and sounds like something good, like a proper show. (even if the confidence and presence was not there.)
What Went Wrong
The two biggest things that stick out to me is that my intro is so out of time which is strange for me as I am not out of time often, I think because of the rough start we had I really was not feeling as strong and confident as I did when I first stood up behind the monitors. The second thing being after my solo I got distracted during my solo (I tend to do this) and nearly forgot to cue Ben for his solo (not like he needs me to its purely for the audience.) but after I just about got to call his name Lewis got the sections of the song confused and stopped playing instead of supporting Ben on the solo before we finish up which is unlucky but at least we know what to practice.
What Can I Do To Improve
Again I should of talked a little more about any thing really during the gaps considering the gaps between songs are rather long I needed something to say so I will practice lines and little things to say incase something is taking too long for whatever reason. I think my vocals could be a little better for some sections of the song so I will keep practicing this song until I am satisfied in my vocal ability to sing the song. I need to make sure I am not getting ahead of my self while playing as there was a big timing issue at the start of this song which is not a good starter so I need to contain my self until the ball gets rolling. I should also practice with the drummer as he could be tighter and more familiar with the structure of the song.
Pages of This Song
I like how we go into this song, Lewis starts up the pattern on the high-hat and lets it keep going the Jacob will jump on it plucking the soft chords then Ben then me but I think because of how we started I was not 100 percent confident and then when I went to change my tone so I could jump on and get things started I struggled to find the right tone because of nerves and not being confident in my ability to do it quick enough but soon enough I jumped on the track and we got started.
We play the intro and things start hyping up Ben jumps on and the drums get louder ready to go into the first chorus and just when Jacob and I are about to sing I play the wrong chord and stay on it making or voices sound rubbish and our guitars even worse, this was not the start we had hoped for and it shows I still need a lot of practice but I couldn’t let that show whilst performing to people so I quickly adjusted and we moved on past it. After this incident the chorus actually sounded okay, Jacobs voice seems to work well especially on the chorus in this song which helps bring the quality of the show back up. My voice sounds like it needs more feel in it as I sound a little dull so I know what to practice.
On to the first verse and Jacobs vocals are clear as day, he most definitely did a good job at singing and playing for this part he did great. He looks confident and sound it too apart from one little moment where he goes off key. Then I join for the pre chorus and honestly it might be coz I was not feeling it or maybe it was just not my day but I sound like I started off with some strength then cut my note of too early sang the rest was off key until we got to the chorus again. I have done better in past rehearsals I really was not on it. so far Ben and Lewis I have not spotted a mistake from they both seem to be locked in for this song he is on form for the chorus too.
The chorus starts strong with me and Jacob singing together then I have to look at the fretboard and my head moves away from the mic making it so you cant hear me for a while which I don’t like, I need to find a way I can look at my fretboard and it not completely stop me from being heard as this also looks bad as well as lacks sound. Lewis really is doing well keeping so consistent and I don’t even think he has sped up yet he is doing well.
2nd verse time Jacobs still strong vocally but his guitar playing slips up a little with song wrong notes that clash with mine a little but this is little, then its the pr chorus again with me ruining it pretty much the same way I did the first time by cutting notes off early due to lack of breath and not keeping up its just not good enough. I struggle to hear Ben in this section and Lewis is still going strong and being consistent in what he plays.
Time for the last chorus before the bridge and this is probably the best sounding chorus we have done for this set, I was thinking about when I had time to look down instead of doing it whilst singing and it shows because my voice can be heard all the way through I just decided to look down when Jacob was holding a note which over all makes us look and sound better so I need to remember to do this as it helps with my looking down problem. Mine and Jacobs vocals are fitting and on key, Ben and Lewis are still cooking up just the same showing promise in timing, consistency and stage confidence.
Its the bridge, my timing is still a little different from normal and I am not a massive fan of the tone I think it lacks reverb and sound kinda hollow but any way Im not playing it how I normally play the lead parts, sometimes I come in late or a little early confusing the lads which is not great. Lewis makes his first big error and its massive, where the bridge normally ends Lewis must of lost where he was and did another repeat before going into the solo section causing every one to be confused especially me considering I started the solo thinking we would be in that section but it seems like they all committed to the extra bar so now I am doing a solo on the bridge which sounds terrible then I stop to match back up with them and Jacob gets the chords wrong so its a pretty bad moment for all of us. Lewis gets us into that last solo section I start the solo off and we act as if it never happened and we eventually make it to the outro.
The outro went a lot smoother than the bridge and solo did although I still think that tone is well off and I think I could of played so much better but we got there now the nightmare is over.
What Went Well
Jacobs vocals have improved for this song, I can see he is confident singing and playing this song which is great, Lewis showed great promise for three quarters of the song having great timing, awareness of where we are in the song and just overall playing the drums he did very well for the most part.
What Went Wrong
I could hardly hear Ben through the whole thing so I am not too sure how he did so in future we need him louder so that people can hear him. Lewis lost it on the bridge going on for an extra repeat throwing every one off and making us look like we don’t know what planet we are on. I couldn’t even finish the bridge notes for some reason I just stopped playing which again makes us look terrible and unrehearsed when we are neither. My vocals really was not working for this song I reckon it was just nerves and lack of confidence because of how we started with every thing.
What Can I Do To Improve
I can start with practicing the life out of the vocals for this song as my voice definitely needs work for this track, I can also practice singing whilst playing using a mic so I can figure out how to look down and still capture my voice in the microphone. I can focus with lewis on that bridge to make sure that big error never happens again as that was probably the biggest impact caused by a mistake so we need to make sure we have it on lock. Ben needs to be louder in future as I am not too sure how we did but I am guessing he kept up okay.
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor
Before we got into it I did a little more talking interacting with audience because I noticed I was sweating profusely from that last song and I had to say something about it then I announced the song Oliver didn’t look happy so I thought I would comment on that too.
So just before we started I stopped talking and realised I cant alk into my microphone and change my amp tone at the same time so I choose to talk as it looks better then when I turn to sort my tone out Lewis had already started counting us in which in all fairness what else was he gonna do there was going to be random tone fixing noises any way so I just quickly cranked the gain and prayed it didn’t over power any one or drown them out luckily it didn’t. I missed to count in and Jacob started playing with Ben so that means I better start playing and after I join on we don’t do too bad for this intro I do the lead parts with Jacob then go into the lead parts on my own which are played rather well even if its a little loud. The lyrics come out and I get the words right and my voice doesn’t sound so bad so already a better start than the other ones. Ben does a great job of taking the bass roll on the keys as he is not super used to that yet he picks it up alright and gets it done. Its smooth sailing from there up to the backing vocal part which is too high for Jacobs voice causing him to not sound so good, I think we should give that backing vocal part to Ben and let Jacob help me on the chorus that would spread out the work load and be easier for Ben as he is naturally higher pitched any way.
On to the chorus where Jacob kicks us off strong with the vocals and then its my turn but I struggle when being calm for the first chorus I have to keep my voice calmer than usual to preserve what’s to come which caused my notes to be a little wrong and I lack power this could be fixed through a proper singing education which I don’t have so I shall try find an exercise or something on YouTube to help. Bass is still going strong and Lewis has practiced this song enough times to get through it without too much struggle.
The little solo in between the chorus and the verse is a little bit hard to get behind I think because the volume is loud and I am so close to loosing the timing it is hard to enjoy. Now for the 2nd verse and I nearly forget the words start off with when I quickly remember them and carry on confidently, the guitar and instruments seem to be fitting and working well with my voice. Now we have progressed a little further through the song I can be more shouty so the 2nd half of the chorus vocals sound a lot better.
Then its the bridge and I think nothing really stands out wrong for this bit, the instruments are hitting the timings on point for us all and the vocals are on key and coming out the right speed with the right amount of aggression. If only we had a little more room we would moved a lot more but I do have to acknowledge for the entire performance our stage presence was kind of dead but honestly I am glad because now we are gonna be extra moving for the final performance so thats fine.
For the last chorus again the vocals had even more energy and provided that final chorus shouty feeling which amplifies the performance. I think Lewis and Ben did an absolute great job with drums and bass and really carried the feeling for the last song. Me and Jacob did good with the vocals and guitar for the chorus and the feeling fit a great last song to close with.
What Went Well
We brought energy with this one in terms of our voice and instruments we were pretty tight very few vocal and guitar mistakes and I don’t think Ben messed up once which is insane and again Lewis with the consistency. I don’t mind how we played this song. Timing seems to be tight and I look out into the audience enough.
What Went Wrong
There was not a lot of time left for me to talk to the audience and sort out my tone for the song making it so when I was fixing up my tone Lewis had already counted us into the song so I had to hope that the setting were okay and not overpowering instead of being calm and confident in my tone. Jacobs backing for the verse was not amazing and it is a little too high for him.
What Can I Do To Improve
Me and Lewis need to come up with a simple little signal that shows we are ready to get on with the song, I think little ways to communicate like that will really help the band and how professional we look on stage too. I think I should also look at a breath control for vocalists video because I find my self running out of breath and thats obviously down to breath control. Put Ben on the verse backing vocals as he can reach those high notes easier than Jacob can.
Overall I think we can all do a lot better in terms of timing, singing, confidence, stage presence and collaborating.