What makes a great live performance, Part I

November 10, 2009 at 2:21 pm

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Babylon Circus, Bristol UK, Halloween 2009

I took the picture to the left at a Babylon Circus gig this Halloween just gone.

I’d seen them in London a few days previously and absolutely had to see them again before they left the UK to continue their tour in France where they were, incidentally, supported by another great French band, Les Gars Dans L’Coin.

It’s been nearly twenty years since I saw a performance so strong that I simply had to see it again as soon as I could.

Back then I was watching two or three gigs a week and back then I myself was touring the pubs and clubs of Southampton (UK) in a four piece cover band.

Having played guitar since I was old enough to say “can I play on your guitar dad?”, I found myself in the backseat position of drummer. There are two reasons for this. Firstly because I was offered the role by a band that already had their claws in the circuit and secondly, because if I had been allowed anywhere near the front of the stage I would have bored the audience to tears. Noone could ever have accused me back in the day of being a “people person.”

That’s not to say of course that the guy or girl behind the drumkit can’t be an entertainer – far from it, indeed in a live performance a talented drummer can take on the task of conducting the audience as well as the band. But that drummer wasn’t me.

Chris (me), Jason, Keith and Andy before a gig circa 1990

You can probably tell this from this photograph from when I was sixteen. I’m the miserable one on the left. That is the look of a guy who never got over not being the guitarist. Notice how even the lights around me are unimpressed.

So with this in mind I’ve been compiling the top ten things that make for a great live performance and I’ll be sharing them with you over the next couple of articles.

However before I do this, what I really want is some comments from you guys, so don’t be shy – leave a comment and let me know about some of the best bands you’ve ever seen and why they left such an impression.

When we were young we went dancing to a band at the Rink
They were so far out of tune and time and they didn’t even blink

They were the best in the world as far as we were concerned
I heard them two years on, it was amazing what they’d learned

Twice as cool, twice as fast, twice as loud, twice as long
They were at least twice as good and about half as much fun

Fool’s Gold – The Rainmakers, 2006