The Dawn Chorus / The Retrospective Soundtrack Players - Blogging all over the World
My name is Kyle. I am a happily failing indie/punk/folk/country/rock musician from Hampshire, UK. I have been singing and songwriting in The Dawn Chorus since 2005, and The Retrospective Soundtrack Players since 2010. I love these two bands like my brother/wife rolled into one. This blog details the shows I have played with both bands, in chronological order.Saturday, November 19, 2011
CCXIV - Birmingham Bright House - 12/11/11
Saturday 12th November 2011
Birmingham Bright House
Kyle D Evans
Joe Summers
Neil Morris
Oh Stockholm!
A good gig for bullet points methinks:
- Left a trumpet in Fareham and had to come back when halfway to the gig (it wasn't halfway - I've exaggerated for dramatic effect)
- Got to the venue in decent time and had our usual super-quick acoustic soundcheck, then who should we see but OUR AMERICAN SUPER FAN AND THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE COOL HAND LUKE AFICIONADO MR FRED WILLISTON, ALL THE WAY FROM WISCONSIN! (I've exaggerated here for dramatic effect - we knew he was coming)
- We took Fred out for a pie. When in Rome. He was without a doubt one of the nicest, most polite and generous men I have ever met. A true gentleman.
- I was really worried that it would be a quiet show, not that it usually bothers me, but Fred had come all that way and we wanted to look like a half-decent act at least. It was good though, and Fred had a great time.
- On the way home we bumped into The Naked and Famous in a service station, who probably played to more people than us. Probably. The only person in the service station was a Vietnamese lady who was on her first night, and a Polish guy who was chopping mushrooms and knew no English beyond the phrase 'I speak no English'. Elliott Gregg got a little tired of waiting to be served by this odd couple and may or may not have half inched a mars bar and a packet of Walker's.
- We received instant Karma for this deadly sin when Pauly B killed a sentient being on the M40, destroying a hare the size of a dog that was minding its own business in the slow lane. The shame.
- Thanks to Addis for having us again.
- Here's Fred!
CCXIII - Chichester Inn - 11/11/11
Friday 11th November 2011
Chcichester Inn
Clockworks
Kyle D Evans
Sleep Centre
Collect My Years
This night was billed as 'Candle Club', but there were no candles to be seen. There was also no between-band ambient music, which made it one of the most awkward acoustic evenings ever. However, despite there being no PA music between the bands, there was music leaking through the speakers somehow when the actual musicians were playing. God knows how, the soundman certainly didn't seem to know how.
By this time we had our live show absolutely down and tight as a (INSERT SOMETHING TIGHT HERE (THAT's WHAT SHE SAID)), which happens every single time you get to the end of a tour, without fail. Oh well.
CCXII - Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge - 06/11/11
Sunday 6th November 2011
Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge
Ben Marwood
Kyle D Evans
MyNameIsIan
The Boy I Used to Be
A hometown show for the first time in a long time, and my first solo hometown show. Great fun, I was promoting the gig too and a decent crowd came out for a Sunday night so I was able to pay all the acts. Ian just gets better and better every time I see him, and my students certainly enjoyed his set, since I've had to lend his album around half of my AS classes.
This is officially the friendliest bill that I've ever shared a stage with. I even got to meet Ben Marwood's Mum, who is as much of a legend as you would expect. We also bade (is that the past tense of bid?) farewell to Ian, who we'd shared many a car game of 'Would you rather?' with over the last week. Top guy.
CCXI - London Camden Wheelbarrow - 04/11/11
Friday 4th November 2011
London Camden WheelbarrowBen Marwood
Kyle D Evans
MyNameIsIan
More like it! We'd had a few duffers so it was good to play a decent show. Ian slayed, and we somehow managed to follow up by playing a pretty great set, if I do say so myself. It was nice and busy, and sweetly there was a big DC fan up the front on my left who was singing all the words to the DC songs, and an RSP fan on my right singing all the RSP words. After the show, they both bought the other band's stuff. Ah. Then Marwood got on stage and destroyed the place. In the most mil-mannered Marwood way possible, of course.
Elliott Gregg and Pauly got very merry afterwards and ended up in a *cough* gentlemen's club polishing off a whole bottle of grey goose. I hit the M3 and yelled all the words to the IceAge album about 5 times, or at least what I think the words are, they're Danish I think.
Friday, November 18, 2011
CCX - Brighton Druid's Arms - 03/11/11
Thursday 3rd November 2011
Brighton Druid's Arms
Kyle D Evans
MyNameIsIan
We'd played the Druid's before and it was quite fun in a slightly rawcus pub gig way, but armed only with an acoustic guitar and my buddies playing quietly at my sides it was not so fun. There really is nowhere to turn when you're in the corner of a pub with a quiet instrument and nobody really listening. To make it worse, Ian came down from Cardiff on the train and had to go through the same ordeal. Not great, all told.
CCIX - Richmond Vodka Revolution(!) - 31/10/11
Monday 31st October 2011
Richmond Vodka Revolution (!!!)
Kyle D Evans
?
?
Wow. I have now quite literally become the star of my own Flight of the Conchords style comedy. Before I launch into this, I'd just like to stress that I don't hold anything at all against Brenna who put this gig on, and in fact I somehow actually enjoyed this strange, strange gig. Here we go:
- We had to set up our own PA and soundcheck ourselves.
- Let's just take a backward step and remember that this gig is in a Vodka Revolution (which yes, you're correct, I did agree to)
- While we were soundchecking a barman came up and dropped one of the all-time greatest lines, up there with the Ringwood gypsy comment (it's somewhere on this blog, back in the mists of time.... ), here it comes: "We'll have to make sure the DJ stops before you play, it'd be a shame if you were both playing at the same time." Brilliant.
- It looked like the place was going to be empty, but as show time rolled around the place filled up with skimpily clad halloween-dressed student ladies and Pauly and Elliott's eyes began to light up. It was truthfully the kind of student night that i'd have been terrified to have gone to when I was a student. Because I was a shy idiot.
- Oh yes, we realised just before we went on that we playing at Richmond University's open mic night. So that's a first too.
- We were getting into our stride, even though people weren't dead keen on listening, and had played three songs when Pauly had a sign held up in front of his face: ONE MORE SONG! Which was soon replaced by: YOU HAVE 3 AND A HALF MINUTES! You have to laugh really. However, we were paid £10 a song, which isn't bad going.
- To be fair, we got to see our wonderful friends the Blands, have a half decent dinner and a publishing deal may come out of it (long story, thanks Brenna), so you can't really complain.
CCVIII - Bristol Stag & Hounds - 28/10/11
Friday 28th October 2011
Bristol Stag & Hounds
Cassette Culture
MyNameIsIan
Kyle D Evans
Day out: awesome. Pie minister, couple of nice shandies in the sun, ice cream, visit to Fopp, wings and wedges for dinner.
Gig: ok. Had better, had worse. We played ok, saw a few old friends, had fun. Amazingly, we were offered £5 as payment. That takes some beating. Any less any you are actually being paid with coins. We did manage to talk our way up to a tenner though, using skills gleamed from Young Apprentice.
CCVII - Leeds Royal Park Cellar - 26/10/11
Wednesday 26th October 2011
Leeds Royal Park Cellar
Jake and the Jellyfish
Kyle D Evans
Chris Hobley
Lee Almeroth
There was meant to be some other northern dates around this, but they fell through so I ended up driving up to Leeds and back in a day. I was meant to be headlining (ooooooh!!!!) but Jake kindly swapped with me so that I could get cracking on the drive home.
I actually like driving for a long stretch and hammering through a big pile o CDs, in this case: EMA, Weezer, Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Gaslight Anthem, REM, Shabazz Palaces, Beirut. Bizarrely, my brother-in-law Al (also from Fareham) was in Leeds and brought a big group of his workmates along, and paid for dinner. Luckily they weren't the only people there, and it was one of the better shows of the tour, allowing me to play loads of new DC songs. Thanks very much to Jake for having me and putting on the show.
CCVI - Brighton The Foundry - 23/10/11
Sunday 23rd October 2011
Brighton Foundry
Kyle D Evans
Different! A totally 100% unplugged show, and I had much more fun than being plugged in at the grimmest gig ever in Kingston a few days before. I yelled my little heart out, and even though a lot of people weren't hugely listening we had great fun. After us an awesome awesome bluegrass band played and we felt rubbish. Not that they weren't brilliant and lovely people, they just made us feel inferior to their brilliance. If I told you that they played a bluegrass version of 'Money for Nothing' and were still great, that's probably enough.
CCV - Kingston Fighting Cocks - 20/10/11
Thursday 20th October 2011
i was huse riden with illness.. i hear there were some issues, so i appolergies for that, i couldnt actully leave the house, i was running late then couldnt leave untill which sucked as i was looking forward to playing and meeting you all alot!'
Kingston Fighting Cocks
?
?
Kyle D Evans
Not a great one! There really is nothing quite like hearing these words when you arrive at a venue: 'Oh, the promoter hasn't turned up. You're welcome to play though'. Ho hum. We arrived at about 7. I think we played at half 7. To 4 people who were probably playing later on in the day. I wouldn't usually and it felt rude, but I couldn't even hang around to see the other acts.
On the plus side: we went to pizza hut where you now get unlimited salad. And Pauly and Elliott got to play on a leopard print pool table.
Here's my email from the promoter the next day:
'hey hey how did the gig go
sorry i couldnt be there, i was huse riden with illness.. i hear there were some issues, so i appolergies for that, i couldnt actully leave the house, i was running late then couldnt leave untill which sucked as i was looking forward to playing and meeting you all alot!'
CCIV - Xtra Mile Showcase @ The Borderline, London - 19/10/11
Wednesday 19th October 2011
Xtra Mile F**k the Fire Showcase
London Borderline
Mull Historical Society
Dave Hause
Chris T-T
Jim Lockey
Beans on Toast
Kyle D Evans
This was the first of a long run of dates playing DC and RSP songs with just Pauly B on keys/trumpet and Elliott Gregg on cajon (although Elliott didn't play this one.) Pauly and I were very nervous and we thought it showed, but a few people said they really enjoyed it, so that's good enough or me.
Elsewhere, MHS were my favourite band in the world exactly ten years ago so it was cool to play with him. In fact, everyone from all the acts today (Colin, Dave, Chris, Jim and Jay) are the loveliest people you could ever wish to meet. Good times! First congestion charge London show for a while though ("I wonder if we have to pay congestion" said I - as we drove right past the houses of parliament. Geography skills 0.)
GIG FAIL - Portsmouth Drift in the City - 28/09/11
Usually I wouldn't write about gigs that don't come through, but some of the following probably need (if not deserve) a mention:
- no lights in venue
- downstairs bar looked like it hadn't been cleaned since 2008 (but it's ok, because the downstairs bar wasn't going to be opened - just walked through)
- no booze behind upstairs bar (well, about 5 bottles of carlsberg)
- massive puddle in upstairs bar, with a mop standing next to it
- no sign of any staff in venue
- toilets that would have made the bookies' in Trainspotting blush
- soundman refusing to enter the premises until he was paid in advance
- surprisingly, this gig didn't go ahead
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