"I Didn't Realise They Were So Good"

Revival of the Fittest at Victoria Hall, Settle.

Does it ever happen to you?  You know, you can be sitting minding your own business in a public place and you become aware that someone is staring at you.  You look towards them, and their eyes dart away uneasily.  After a few moments, the braver ones start staring again.  Eventually they might go further with an "Excuse me... was that you singing the other night?"

Now of course you smile and respond warmly.  They say how much they enjoyed the gig and once they leave, your wife laughs and says how much she loves being married to a 'real' rock star.

Back at University this used to happen a fair bit.  You would catch a glimpse of some students from the corner of your eye, whispering to each other.

"It's them... no can't be... yes it is."  They would point and nod at each other.

Now all this is very flattering, and as a performer it is a thrill to know that the effort that you put into rehearsal and performance is appreciated by the audience.  However I do sometimes get a little irked.

There is a certain type of person.  Not a friend as such but an acquaintance perhaps.  A person you talk to from time to time.  In the course of your various conversations it comes up that you are in a band.

"Oh really?" they say.  "That's pretty cool!"

You then talk modestly about the band and the sorts of music you play and the conversation moves on to other topics.  Some while later, that same person may happen upon you playing with the band by accident.

They sit, somewhat open mouthed at the performance.  Too ashamed to speak to you directly they will talk to your wife and utter the immortal phrase:

"I didn't realise they were so good."

Well excuse me for just a minute.  Exactly what did you expect?  Did you really think I'd be like a reject from Britain's Got Talent?  Maybe you expected me to sing like a drunk Japanese businessman at a Karaoke Bar?  Or that I'd mime to a backing track like Madonna at the Hacienda?

I've been playing in bands for over 30 years and I currently play in three:

1. Revival of the Fittest: A five piece Rock and Roll covers band.  We play a selection of songs from the 1950's up to the 2000's, based in Settle, North Yorkshire.
2. Dad & The Lad: My son and I play covers and some original material, based in Bentham, North Yorkshire.
3. Project Amen Brother (The Band formerly known as Cotton): A five piece band playing original material based in Manchester.

For each one of these we practice.  We practice together and we practice alone.  We work hard to ensure that when we play on stage we are as professional as possible.  That is, in my book at least, the absolute minimum expectation if you are being paid to perform.

Lets be clear here, I've written before about performers that don't prepare enough for performances and do a lousy job.  That annoys me with a passion because of the hard work and attention to detail that my bands have.

But people who expect you to be as bad as that are frustrating.  I can only hope that having heard us play they have their expectations reset at the very least.

Now who needs a professional band for 2023?  You've a choice of three so get in touch.

Revival of the Fittest

Dad & The Lad

Project Amen Brother