Playing live
For lots of bands playing live is like the icing on the cake. Not for Secret Shine. A combination of elements contributed to some appaling live shows. Half the band lived in one city 80 miles from the other half. General lethargy, lack of enthusiasm, really bad equipment, suspect musicianship, drunkenness and ill preparation all played a part. We got better in the last couple of years when we we’re all living in the same house. We also played for a few years with a drum machine which made us sound better but looked a bit rubbish on stage. In 6 years we only managed about 30 gigs!
Favourite gigs – near enough the last two – supporting the Jesus and Mary Chain and Deus in Bristol with Radio One doing a live broadcast. We had our own dressing room with food and beer, guitar techs and proper sound men. We must have played in front of 1000 people. A taste of something we’d always strived for. We played really well and if every gig was like that then we’d still be doing it now.
Honourable mention – Sarah 100 party – god knows how we sounded but just a fantastic atmosphere and lots of people in the crowd who wanted to be there and wanted to see us. We arrived at about 4.00 for a soundcheck and there were people queuing around the block.
Worst gigs – most of the others. Easton Community Centre deserves a mention. We were trying a new bass player after Nick left. We found out he suffered from stage fright as we attempted our second and as it turned out, last song. This coupled with the insane drunkenness of all the band members led some poor sole to actually pull the plug on us and then feign a power cut.
If that person ever reads this – genuine thanks, mate.