O2 Gig Evaluation

After spending 2 years working, learning, listening and playing, we finally played the O2 academy gig on June 14th 2017.

We arrived at the O2 around 3pm to start loading in all the gear and to soundcheck. We had our soundcheck up first as we were the last band to play on the night. After we soundcheck we all killed the time by grabbing some food, and I killed the time by listening to the other soundchecks.

Preparation:

We had spent the morning making last minute changes to the set list, rehearsing the set and finalising the ending to the show. We had only run through the set one time before we set off for the O2. We were all confident with the songs individually so I think that'd why we only felt we needed to run through the set once.

On one of the tracks We swap instruments where I play bass and Charles move onto the keys. What I did to make this transition as smooth as possible I brought my guitar stand. By doing this I could take my guitar off and place it safely on the stand and run to the other side of the stage to pick up the bass from Charles. I also brought spare jack leads in case one failed.

The best preparation we did was printing off our set list with all of our songs on it so we wouldn't get lost at any point during the set. Here is what our set list looked like.

Problems we encountered on the night:

We only had one technical issue one the night regarding the bass guitar. We were a few songs into our set when the bass began to cut out. As we swapped instruments and I took over the bass the problem persisted by constantly cutting in and out during our performance. As the song finished Nina began talking about our EP and thanking the rest of the bands. During this time I grabbed my spare jack lead and quickly swapped it over.

Unfortunately the problem persisted in our last song however It wasn't too noticeable. We later realised that the gain was too high on the bass which was the reason it was cutting in and out. Regardless I was very happy that when we noticed the problem We acted quickly to swap leads and carry on the show without delay, even if it didn't fix the issue we now know to check the gain the next time we have that issue.

Presentation:

We usually wear our suits and dress formally for the girls, it was just far too hot in the O2 to wear them. So we decided to go for a smart casual look consisting of jeans and light coloured smart shirts.

For the presentation of our set list we arranged the songs to start with an upbeat feel good song so we chose the reggae track. We then followed by two slower songs before finally starting to increase the energy back up until we had the big finale with feel the vibe. I feel our set was arranged perfectly and allowed the crowd time to regain some energy for the big finish.

The EP:

Just before the last song we scheduled in the time to talk about our EP. We had two tracks all finished up on sound cloud and a third waiting to be uploaded. While the EP wasn't ready on the night, we had two songs up for the public to listen to and we gave the date for when the EP would be finished which was the following Monday.

Here is the physical finished version of the EP:

Stage Set-up:

We had our positions on stage all sorted out prior to the Gig, comprising myself on on side of the stage and Charles and Kasia all set up on the other side. We didn't have any specific lighting requests and the sound guy decided what to put on for us. He did a very good job of matching the lighting with the type of song were playing, although I do feel like it was something we forgot to address and plan out ourselves.

What we would do differently?

Performance:

I think we prepared as best as we could and played to the best of our abilities. While we did have a technical issue at one point I feel that it did not take away from our performance. We all learnt our parts and structured our set list to make it as smooth as possible. I was also very happy with my preparation for having a spare jack lead and while It wasn't the issue causing the bass to cut out, our quick changeover of leads was to a very high standard and seamless.

While there is always something learnt from every performance I feel we had prepared to the best of our ability and it showed through our performance.

One last thing I'd like to add is that looking back I would have liked for us to have thought about the lighting and planning out what types of lights we want for each song. It would have made our set just that much more professional.

EP:

The main thing I wish we had finished off much sooner was the EP. we made an extremely quick start with having the first track recorded for it and the 2nd track was just as quick. After hearing Dev remix a track of ours we decided to re-record the second song with as we liked what he had done on the previous song. However as the weeks came and went the were constant issues with things seeming to be out of time, we had to keep coming in to re-record parts for one song that we were all very tired of doing after weeks of re-recording it multiple times. Near the end we just went with a mix from earlier on in the year and recorded another song in about 2 weeks.

It was due to these weeks of time that our EP wasn't as prepared as It could have been, and this is the only thing If i could go back I would have done differently.

How has this project prepared me for the future?

I have learnt a wealth of knowledge over my 2 years on the course, but the bulk of the practical side came from the 2nd year. We played a few outside gigs over last summer but this year we played multiple outside gigs which were such a big help to me in terms of stage presence and confidence. With each show my confidence grew on stage and I began to research more in depth in to how I could improve stage presence while making sure it fit with what I was playing. This became my personal research project that I had completed for Marcus, and this research really paid off in making my O2 performance not only my best, but also the most fun.

As I aim to continue to play gigs over the course of the next year before I finally head off to university, I now feel I have the experience and confidence to succeed as a performing musician and songwriter. I aim to be doing this as my career and this course has given me the tools and knowledge to succeed.

Finally I would have never improved if I had not been so fortunate to work with such talented musicians, our band have constantly been teaching each other and improving together and I am extremely proud of the songs we've created and the experiences we've shared. This is only the beginning of my career and I can't wait to until the next gig.

Footage/Pictures from the O2: