Should be titled

Gigging In The Living (Room) - A New Reality? How Live Music Might Survive Covid-19
Featuring Tony Wright, Takeaway Thieves

Mamama my corona….. yep, that damned virus is really taking hold of the world now, and unfortunately a major side effect of social distancing is that gigs are getting cancelled and venues are having to close their doors all over the place.

Where does that leave live music then? Well, musicians are nothing if not enterprising and in the last few days a slew of “gigs at home” have sprung up. Essentially the artists grab some recording equipment (a phone maybe, or a webcam, or a digital camera), choose a media platform (facebook live and youtube seem to be the most popular so far), find a space and play a gig. Some of these are free, some are for charity, some are pay-to-view. However they do it, it means that we the punters get a gig in our living room. If you’re down with the technology I’m sure you can cast it to your wall-sized tv, crank up your dolby stereo (those that know, know!) and pretend you’re at Download. If you’re old and dumb like me you just open up your laptop and bang on a set of headphones. Either way there is no traffic wrangling, no parking woes, you just pour yourself a large beverage-of-choice and settle down on your sofa to enjoy some live music.

Tonight I gave it a go for the first time, and, Baileys in hand, enjoyed a diverse range of music from a diverse couple of artists.

First up was the irrepressible Tony Wright, who most of you will know as the frontman from Terrorvision. He teamed up with his mate Milly, who he hasn’t seen for a while, to run through a rehearsal-cum-jam session in his shop. We got a fully acoustic show, none of your dirty amplification here! Unless you count the rhythm section of passing traffic I suppose. We also got a small audience of two of Tony’s mates (or it might have been his mum and dad) who arrived with wine and agreed to applaud by slapping their legs because “then two people sound like four people and that’s better”. Songs tinged with country goodness, some first-world blues, some first-rate harmonies all made for a nice gentle laid back session. The music was interspersed with Tony’s cheeky chappie banter, and the whole thing was like having mates back for an after-pub session. I think you can re-watch it on Tony’s facebook page, and I heartily recommend that you do.

Next up was a trip to Blackpool, and any trip there that doesn’t involve the M6 is of course fine by me. This was to watch the rather splendid Takeaway Thieves play in the iconic Waterloo Music Bar. The Waterloo has been badly affected by the COV-19 crisis, with all live gigs postponed or cancelled and the likelihood that it will have to shut its doors for an unknown length of time. The Takeaway Thieves, being the closest thing the Waterloo has to a house band, have set up a GoFundMe to support the pub and help it pay its overheads, and although tonight’s broadcast was free we were encouraged to make a small donation whilst watching. So, empty pub apart from a couple of bar staff and a motley collection of stuffed toys. That’s not going to be much of a gig right? Wrong! The Thieves gave it their all, and could have been playing to an audience of thousands rather than a rather moth-eaten Basil Brush and a pissed-up Godzilla. The lights were spot-on, the sound was spot-on and the band were on fire.

We got a selection of their usual effervescent punk-tinged rock songs to start with. They bounced around the stage like loons, and dedicated ‘Big Mistake’ to the lovely Ryan Roxie who you may remember was my New Favourite Crush (until I met Phil X the other week anyway!) They were full of pouting attitude, and it was a joy to behold. They then moved to an acoustic set-up to romp through a more laid-back selection of songs. This was groovy and funky and featured a very nice acoustic solo from Neil Hunter during ‘Sugar Stealer’. Neil usually sticks to rhythm so it was nice to see him take the lead for once and he made a great job of it. They re-invade the proper stage and dedicate ‘Wish You Were Dead’ to the corona virus. Yep, I think we’re all on board with that sentiment! As they launch into final song ‘This Is Rock N Roll’ I am so impressed that they are giving it their all to an audience of pretty much 0, and then I realise that there are over 200 people watching on facebook. This is probably more than would have turned up for an actual Thursday night gig, which makes me die a little inside. I also discover the limitations of being a technophobe, as dancing around the living room whilst tied to the laptop by wired headphones is a bit of a non-starter. Damn.

So there we go, my fist experience of virtual gigs. Was it the same as a proper live experience? No, not at all. Was it as good? Well, not for me if I’m honest, you can’t beat the atmosphere of a few hundred sweaty people crowded together and craning for a view of the stage. Was it better than nothing though? Oh hell yeah. If bands can keep doing this, if we can all maybe buy a little extra merch whilst they are off the road, or watch and make a little paypal donation, then we can get through this. We’re in this together, and tonight the company was marvellous.

Incidentally of you would like to make a donation the Waterloo, this is the link to their GoFundMe.