Sinister: Telling it how it is.... (Manc gigs)

[Johnston, John CT]

I wasn't there on the Saturday and a lot of people do seem a bit miffed
by the proceedings but I have to say again that the sound quality on
Sunday afternoon was fantastic; the clearest most perfect noise I've
ever heard at a gig. Was it different machines? or just plugged in
properly? I think the points made about safety are also very
significant.

But on a lighter note - 2 things.

1. For the first time in my life I picked up a bargain in the new year
sales today. I bought this black corduroy outfit for 50% off! So if
anyody's having a party and they need someone to lend a certain
insouciant glamour then let me know (and I'll ask around...).

2. Also bought Wu-Tang Forever. FANTASTIC. Anybody with the slightest
hip in their hop should get it at their earliest.

xxxxx
John

No snogging at new year :( 

>----------
>From: 	Mark[SMTP:mark at xxx.uk]
>Sent: 	02 January 1998 13:55
>To: 	sinister at majordomo.net
>Subject: 	Sinister: Telling it how it is.... (Manc gigs)
>
>This post is critical of B&S and technical. Read at your peril!
>
>Congratulations to Paul Clarke for daring to make 90% of the listees cry by
>saying that Saturday was shit. He is right - they were so bad I almost
>couldn't be arsed to go to the Sunday gig.
>He is also correct to say that if they're only going to play a handful of
>shows a year, the very least they could do is rehearse properly for them.
>
>I'm a concert promoter for a living and a lot of things worried me about
>the gigs....
>
>The PA was shit. As was the company that supplied it and also the FOH
>engineer.
>On the Sunday, two people were sitting on a 100Amp 3 phase cable near to
>the C-Form / Camlock connectors. Not only is this highly dangerous, it also
>breaches Health and Safety regulations. As a rule, mains cables should be
>flown, but if they are laid across the floor, they need to be covered with
>a carpet or something similar. Someone, could easily have been killed by an
>electric shock the way the PA crew had left it.
>
>The idea of a circular stack is interesting but not very practical,
>especially with the hopeless engineers the band had employed. There were
>'hotspots' all over the room which meant you had to walk around to find a
>good spot where you could see AND hear. Delay stacks in all four corners
>would have improved things as B&S are a very quiet band. Also, one stack
>doesn't allow for a stereo separation which might have helped relieve the
>tinny 'vocal PA' style sound.
>
>The PA boxes, aside from being underpowered, were useless for the type of
>music B&S play. Also, given that Stuart Murdoch has an unusual mic
>technique (ie. he stands about 4 inches away as though he is scared of it),
>I don't think a bog standard SM58 was the right choice. It made his voice
>sound thin and tinny.
>
>The sign of a good Front of House engineer is one who is constantly
>tweaking things. In a live situation, it is nigh on impossible to attain a
>'perfect' sound as the variables are changing all the time. Belle and
>Sebastian's engineer seemed more concerned with taking photos and chatting
>to mates. They should have sacked him on the Saturday.
>
>All of this could be overcome by employing a reputable production manager
>and doing some proper pre-production rehearsals. It's not as if the band's
>schedule is killing them - they hardly do any promotional work at all - so
>they've got plenty of time to sort out the live situation. A production
>manager would ensure the PA is suitable for the band's sound, locate a
>decent FOH engineer, assist Stuart with his mic problems (the records are
>great so he obviously doesn't have a problem in the studio), get them some
>instrument techs to avoid a repetition of the cello debacle and basically
>shake them up.
>
>I don't want to see them running on stage shouting 'Hey Manchester - we're
>here to rock you' and playing a polished set with scripted intros to each
>song. That wouldn't be Belle And Sebastian. Hell, I don't even mind Stuart
>forgetting the words, that is all part of the appeal. What I do object to
>is paying twenty quid for two gigs where no thought has been given to the
>production of the show and someone is pocketing the cash from cutting
>corners.
>
>Maybe they should think about this and employ some professionals before
>they next venture out. If they don't, the live audiences will dwindle and
>they'll be back to playing libraries and cafes where no-one minds if it's
>shit because they've only paid three quid to get in.
>
>
>Mark
>
>
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