First Covers Band: DO's , DON'TS and TIPS.

ICBM

John_A said:

Easier said than done when the only way to to appease 50 drunks shouting 'SEX ON FIRE' is to play it

Not if you point blank refuse to learn it or even listen to it. It only feeds the problem if you do...

Roland said:

I've found that launching into Teenage Kicks distracts most drunks, and if it doesn't then I can't hear them above the racket that the band's making.

That's why The Who started playing so loud, to block requests for whatever was the early-60s equivalent of Sex On Fire.

Roland

Yes, I was thinking of Townshend as I wrote the comment

John_A

ICBM said:

John_A said:

Easier said than done when the only way to to appease 50 drunks shouting 'SEX ON FIRE' is to play it

Not if you point blank refuse to learn it or even listen to it. It only feeds the problem if you do...

Roland said:

I've found that launching into Teenage Kicks distracts most drunks, and if it doesn't then I can't hear them above the racket that the band's making.

That's why The Who started playing so loud, to block requests for whatever was the early-60s equivalent of Sex On Fire.

Good advice, just a bit too late . 

Seriosly though, we get paid for playing so should play what people want to hear, could get away with picking and choosing the bits you like in most jobs

Nikc

Play Sex On fire as a solo acoustic number that'll sort them out

John_A

Nikc said:

Play Sex On fire as a solo acoustic number that'll sort them out

Harder to dodge bottles with an acoustic on!

JayGee

ICBM said:

Don't play Sex On Fire.

Do play Sex on Fire (or whatever), but don’t have more than a handful of SoFs in any night’s set list, switch them around on a regular basis, play it your way, and be clear in your mind who you’re playing them for (i.e. probably them not you) and why (because they like it, it’s fun to watch them dance and sing, and you’re getting paid for it).

Alternatively play Molly’s Chambers which isn’t quite as played to death by quite as many bands, at least makes a change now and again, and generally seems to satisfy the punters shouting for SoF...

The only thing I’d add to what people have already contributed is to recognise (and admit to yourself) when/if it stops being fun and be prepared to walk away sooner rather than later.

John_A

We did play Molly’s Chambers once,  The audience looked at us like we were mad.  Playing in a covers band is a lot more fun when people dance and sing along

I used to pay in Original bands, but covers bands mean I can still get out there and play which I love doing and would rather play SOF to happy punters than something I really loved playing to an empty room

meltedbuzzbox

so from my experience its worth ironing out

Money. Be it what you get paid or what goes back into the band. It's always thinking of the band, the entity, as another person and giving "the band" a cut of earnings to pay for studio time, rehearsal, equipment etc. 

All being on the same page. Speaking personally taking a gig in Scotland when I live in the midlands never appealed as I would spend too much time away from my young family. 

Making sure you like everyone in the band. Probably the most important thing. 

Designate a leader. When the responsibility for getting gigs and making arrangements is shared I can guarantee it will al go tits up. 

Learn to like Sex on fire, Mr Brightside and various other songs of this nature, if you want repeat bookings and the crowd to have a good time they are pretty much staples. 

Jetfire

We always play Sex On Fire, its our ending song and everyone loves that shit. Its what people want, why wouldn't you do it?!

Also, hot female  lead singers are usually fucking mentalists.... 

EricTheWeary

Bit of a long story but I was watching some pub band covers on YouTube. Fairly sure what I took from that is doing simple things well works better than more ambitious things badly. 

Jetfire

Also, in my experience these also applies:

Do:
Be a good band mate, load everyone in and load out together. Even if its the singers pa, load it in.
Be involved in conversations via whatsapp or email, dont read, dont reply because youll just get ignored. 
Set out rules about who does what ..and actially fucking do what you said were going to do.
If youre unhappy with something, dont wait for an argument to bring it up.
Do be involved in the social media 
Reherse alot, and not just the songs, do the set as of you were playing it 

Dont:
Get butt hurt if no one likes your song suggestions. 
Dont be negative unless you have a better idea in place
Dont be late to practise or jams
Dont blame other people when it was your fault, esp in songs (but usually blame the drummer) 

ESBlonde

On @Jetfire and his suggestion of rehearse the set. I would add that making it flow with no unwanted gaps is essential.

Dancers at functions can be generous with applause or not give a damn, either way they want to dance so get on with it.

If you have dodgy gear or a duff pedal link lead carry spares to hand and fix it quickly.

Know what song comes next and be ready to play it with settings/keys/right guitar all ready to go. Have a couple of dance tunes that segue/link into one another without a stop, it sounds professional and gives a good vibe.

Follow the singer, If they make a mistake (yea I know), follow them and do another verse or chorus. To all those people watching it's the singer they notice and we are just eye candy ;-) holding funny looking instruments, they won't notice your mistakes half as much as the singers.

Have someone in the band that interacts with the audience, it needent always be the singer!

NEVER critisise or argue with band mates on stage, calm down and discuss it afterwards if it needs it but performance First, Second and Last.

Smile FFS, don't spend the night looking at your hands. Enjoy the event and commeraderie with your band mates.

robinbowes

ICBM said:

Don't play Sex On Fire.

Better still, don't play *any* "cover band songs". There are thousands of great songs out there which everyone knows, play some of those instead.

But if you really, really must play Valerie... it's by The Zutons and not by Amy Winehouse.

Play all the songs as if they're originals. Don't get hung up on copying parts and arrangements exactly - let alone guitar sounds. The vocalist will never sound exactly like the original singer, so why does it matter that anyone else does?

Play unexpected songs in unexpected styles, like Can't Get You Out Of My Head by Metallica or Hotel California by Madness - this will make you far more memorable.

Don't get obsessed by your sounds and your gear. No-one cares except you.

Have fun. Unless you're being paid so much that you wouldn't rather be having fun.

Sorry, totally disagree with this. Well, not totally, but the bit about not playing popular songs. 

If you're paid to play covers in pubs or at parties then your sole purpose is to enertain the audience, and if they want SOF then you should play it. 

If you don't want to do that shit then be in a different type of band. 

 

Grunfeld

Of course you have to play popular songs!  It's what covers bands do.

You go and see AC/DC and you're going to hear them play "Whole Lotta Rosie"

Same with covers bands doing SOF and Brightside etc.

Jetfire

Also, if you are using in ear monitors, yo7 need to either have great hand signals OR a mic on stage which doesnt go to front of house so you can hear what is being said.

Grocer_Jack

I started a covers band in 2010 that lasted until 2016 which was a bit different. We played mainly stuff from 1964-1979, and most of it was pretty obscure (to the average punter) - garage rock, mod, freakbeat, punk, post punk. It was meant as a sideline to another band but quickly took off. 
If we did a major arist we'd do a B-side or an album track. For example our Who songs we're Run, Run, Run and The Good's Gone - also See My Friends (Kinks), Heart of Stone (Rolling Stones), plus tons of stuff that is tucked away on Nuggets & Rubble compilations. 

We we did it because we loved those songs and no-one else was playing them. Conventional wisdom would say that it wouldn't work and that the punters only want what they know. Wrong!! We found that people loved the concept and loved the way we put the songs across. We stuck with the concept and did well. Just goes to show that there's room for all sorts of bands in the covers market and you can be different if you are good and put the material across convincingly. 

ICBM

robinbowes said:

Sorry, totally disagree with this. Well, not totally, but the bit about not playing popular songs.

I'm not suggesting you don't play popular songs. Just not the worst, played-to-death ones which every band seems to think they need to play because it's what punters think cover bands all play because the last band they heard did... and so on.

Grocer_Jack said:

I started a covers band in 2010 that lasted until 2016 which was a bit different. We played mainly stuff from 1964-1979, and most of it was pretty obscure (to the average punter) - garage rock, mod, freakbeat, punk, post punk. It was meant as a sideline to another band but quickly took off. 
If we did a major arist we'd do a B-side or an album track. For example our Who songs we're Run, Run, Run and The Good's Gone - also See My Friends (Kinks), Heart of Stone (Rolling Stones), plus tons of stuff that is tucked away on Nuggets & Rubble compilations. 

We we did it because we loved those songs and no-one else was playing them. Conventional wisdom would say that it wouldn't work and that the punters only want what they know. Wrong!! We found that people loved the concept and loved the way we put the songs across. We stuck with the concept and did well. Just goes to show that there's room for all sorts of bands in the covers market and you can be different if you are good and put the material across convincingly. 

This is precisely why you don't have to play the lowest-common-denominator crap.

My band does something similar - 60s garage-rock and punk mostly, every song is well-known enough that it will be recognised by most if not all the crowd - actually less obscure ones than you did - and always goes down well, in fact we've been specifically complimented on the choice of songs.

You don't need to play stuff no-one knows, just use a bit of imagination and be different. There are literally thousands of great, well-known songs - you'll be remembered for doing some of them, rather than being just another cover band which plays all the usual cover band songs.

I know this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine . But I think the idea that you "need" to play those songs reinforces the snobbery against cover bands, makes it harder for bands who want to do something a bit different but don't want to play originals to empty rooms, and I think it's bad for live music in general.

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

robinbowes said:

Sorry, totally disagree with this. Well, not totally, but the bit about not playing popular songs.

I'm not suggesting you don't play popular songs. Just not the worst, played-to-death ones which every band seems to think they need to play because it's what punters think cover bands all play because the last band they heard did... and so on.

Grocer_Jack said:

I started a covers band in 2010 that lasted until 2016 which was a bit different. We played mainly stuff from 1964-1979, and most of it was pretty obscure (to the average punter) - garage rock, mod, freakbeat, punk, post punk. It was meant as a sideline to another band but quickly took off. 
If we did a major arist we'd do a B-side or an album track. For example our Who songs we're Run, Run, Run and The Good's Gone - also See My Friends (Kinks), Heart of Stone (Rolling Stones), plus tons of stuff that is tucked away on Nuggets & Rubble compilations. 

We we did it because we loved those songs and no-one else was playing them. Conventional wisdom would say that it wouldn't work and that the punters only want what they know. Wrong!! We found that people loved the concept and loved the way we put the songs across. We stuck with the concept and did well. Just goes to show that there's room for all sorts of bands in the covers market and you can be different if you are good and put the material across convincingly. 

This is precisely why you don't have to play the lowest-common-denominator crap.

My band does something similar - 60s garage-rock and punk mostly, every song is well-known enough that it will be recognised by most if not all the crowd - actually less obscure ones than you did - and always goes down well, in fact we've been specifically complimented on the choice of songs.

You don't need to play stuff no-one knows, just use a bit of imagination and be different. There are literally thousands of great, well-known songs - you'll be remembered for doing some of them, rather than being just another cover band which plays all the usual cover band songs.

I know this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine . But I think the idea that you "need" to play those songs reinforces the snobbery against cover bands, makes it harder for bands who want to do something a bit different but don't want to play originals to empty rooms, and I think it's bad for live music in general.

I think it partly depends on the gig - if it’s a music venue or a pub/ club where they regularly have bands then they’ve heard it all and an element of surprise is a winner. If it’s aunt Nellie’s birthday or a pub that has one band a month for the regulars then it’s stuff they know that goes down well.
Although, songs played in an attractive way (tight band or even appropriately loose, with energy, by a band that looks into it - whatever the ‘it’ needs to be) will tend to go down well whatever they are. 

Grunfeld

ICBM said:

There are literally thousands of great, well-known songs - you'll be remembered for doing some of them...

Ah, this is the crux of it: 

I believe that the punters who come and see us (and bands like us) only own about 6 CDs each.  [When CDs were a thing.]

We -- as in us jobbing musos -- can play dozens if not hundreds of great well-known songs

BUT they're only well-known to us, not to the punters.

It really took me a while to suss just how little music some of our audience knows and I guess I don't get paid for educating them but for pandering to their limited tastes. 

With a different audience we'd play different songs.

Grocer_Jack

ICBM said:

robinbowes said:

Sorry, totally disagree with this. Well, not totally, but the bit about not playing popular songs.

I'm not suggesting you don't play popular songs. Just not the worst, played-to-death ones which every band seems to think they need to play because it's what punters think cover bands all play because the last band they heard did... and so on.

Grocer_Jack said:

I started a covers band in 2010 that lasted until 2016 which was a bit different. We played mainly stuff from 1964-1979, and most of it was pretty obscure (to the average punter) - garage rock, mod, freakbeat, punk, post punk. It was meant as a sideline to another band but quickly took off. 
If we did a major arist we'd do a B-side or an album track. For example our Who songs we're Run, Run, Run and The Good's Gone - also See My Friends (Kinks), Heart of Stone (Rolling Stones), plus tons of stuff that is tucked away on Nuggets & Rubble compilations. 

We we did it because we loved those songs and no-one else was playing them. Conventional wisdom would say that it wouldn't work and that the punters only want what they know. Wrong!! We found that people loved the concept and loved the way we put the songs across. We stuck with the concept and did well. Just goes to show that there's room for all sorts of bands in the covers market and you can be different if you are good and put the material across convincingly. 

This is precisely why you don't have to play the lowest-common-denominator crap.

My band does something similar - 60s garage-rock and punk mostly, every song is well-known enough that it will be recognised by most if not all the crowd - actually less obscure ones than you did - and always goes down well, in fact we've been specifically complimented on the choice of songs.

You don't need to play stuff no-one knows, just use a bit of imagination and be different. There are literally thousands of great, well-known songs - you'll be remembered for doing some of them, rather than being just another cover band which plays all the usual cover band songs.

I know this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine . But I think the idea that you "need" to play those songs reinforces the snobbery against cover bands, makes it harder for bands who want to do something a bit different but don't want to play originals to empty rooms, and I think it's bad for live music in general.

We should compare set lists! We had about 150 songs that we could draw from in the end. I've been back on the originals with a new band for two years and we're recording an album right now. But those 6 years doing the covers have made a lot of difference to my all-round musicality and it's feeding in to the originals.