DIY Gigs

I've been following this thread with interest on Anorak today.

I know nothing about putting gigs, or at least nothing beyond the minimum of book a band, pay a band, sort a venue, get equipment sorted etc, etc. It sounds like a whole bunch of hard work though and the people I know who put on gigs always seemed to be knackered by the end of it and so stressed at the start of it that even though I've thought about doing gigs it puts me off. It shouldn't but it does and it makes me sad.

You see, the latter part of that thread seems to be centred around slight disillusionment with putting gigs on and I can understand it especially if no-one is turning up to gigs, or it's 5 people, or it's just two bands and not much more (ala hibbett), it hardly seems worth it. It must be gutting struggling to pay bands, feeling guilty because they've come a long way for not very much, or just wondering why hardly anyone wants to come and watch music you love.

Aha, but there in lies the crux of it I think. I love it when I go to gigs and people are there because they're there for the music, and you know that someone has travelled all the way from London to Nottingham (or Sheffield or Glasgow) just to see a band they love, even if it's only one song they love. That point where you look around the crowd and you see everyone smiling or just one person swooning and it fills you with joy because they're feeling exactly what you're feeling. Or you know that the promoter has put that gig on not really to make money (although I'm sure it would be nice) but to spread the word of a band around, to get likeminded people in one place and to see a band that no-one else has put on, so they've got to do it, otherwise they'd never see them.

It's a total labour of love, and it's DIY and it's brilliant. The effort people put in, so that someone else has a brief moment of joy. I hope that no matter what little gigs like this keep on happening. It's a salute to the efforts of Afogofideas, alayerofchips, DSFAR, Spiral Scratch, HDIF, Half My Heart Beats, The Autumn Store, and all those other people who make sure the boom we've experienced in the renaissance of the music we love won't go bust anytime soon.