Musicians at gigs with £150 haircuts wanting the borrow everything?

jeztone2

Has anyone else had this phenomenon? I was on a 4 band bill a while ago and this guy with the Toni & Guy special. He borrowed my amp, someone else's guitar & a strap of another band. He then proceeded to play "landfill indie". I've pulled equipment before at gigs with people. But is turning up with nothing just a bit cheeky?

octatonic

Can't say I've had the pleasure.

I would have made him river dance for an hour before lending him an instrument.

english_bob

Not a musician.

I used to encounter a similar band a few years back with my old band. They weren't very good, but were very full of themselves. They didn't own the gear they needed to gig but expected other bands to lend them stuff. The first time we saw them was at a gig where we'd arranged a friend's PA hire firm to provide the PA setup, and their singer proceeded to kick a mic stand around the stage for several minutes for no particular reason. The next time we were due to share a bill our singer got a call asking to borrow gear- drum kit, guitar amp, possibly bass amp too. You can imagine our response.

Fortheloveofguitar

I never let anyone use my gear.

Call me selfish but I've worked hard for years to get the quality level of gear that I own.

People putting pints on top of amps, tears in tolex or speaker cloth and bent control knobs etc.

Zero respect for other people's gear.

CHRISB50

I don't really understand turning up to a gig with no equipment (unless it's all just been nicked out of the car). Surely a gig is prearranged so you know what is expected.

It's like turning up to a running race and asking to borrow trainers.

I also don't understand paying through the nose to get your barnet cut, but then I'm bald and bitter.

Pete24v

similar!

My band was doing a paid charity gig, when we arrived and had set up we were told there were two acoustic acts on before us. No problem I said!

the both turn up, singer songwriter types with their guitars and nothing else. The venue didn't have pa, my band used mine. As the agent was there i tried to accommodate them as best i could. 

Guy no.1 - two guitars, only one was electro, so he 'needed' a mic and stand for the other. He complained about MY lack of DI box for HIS electro acoustic. And he pretty much gave my vocal mic a BJ. 

Guy no.2 One guitar and a lead this time, all be it 2m of it. Needed big reverb in and out during various points of his songs. Kept referring to me as Mr.Soundguy whilst on stage.

Needless to say i put in a separate invoice to the agent for PA hire, still been paid for it though!

usedtobe

Just say no.

DannyP

We just have a blanket policy of "NO".

We say it's because of bad experiences in the past and that we never budge under any circumstances.

Seems to do the trick without any bad feeling.

bingefeller

What is landfill indie?

digitalscream

I often let people use my cab, but that's all - and I keep a close eye on their volume. This is more for practicality than anything else, though...if I provide the cab for the night, then it means quick changeovers *and* I get to have my rig sound exactly how I want it to.

Somebody turns up without an instrument or a rig of any kind without prior warning, they don't play. Simple as that.

Cirrus

I let people borrow my stuff sometimes.

- If they ask in advance of the gig and it's a reasonable request, such as band coming a long way, wanting to minimise transport costs and asking if they can use my cab (that said I was getting tired of explaining to people why they couldn't plug their 100 watt channel switcher into my 2x12 with Celestion Blues...)

- If something goes wrong with their stuff and they need help to get through the gig

Turning up without gear and just expecting other people to sort you out is some combination of Lazy, Selfish and Stupid so I try not to encourage it.

IvisonGuitars

When my first band started gigging, we used to get this a lot because we'd all invested ALL our cash in good, flight cased gear. I had a couple of occasions where a guitarist from A N Other band on the bill asked to use my amp (a JCM Slash stack at the time) either because "I don't want to carry it all the way from the car" or "cause it's better than mine". On both occasions I offered to HIRE it to them for their set....they soon decided that their own gear was sufficient... 

Bogwhoppit

I had once at a gig in Stamford many years ago, but never experienced it anywhere else.

IvisonGuitars

You'd be surprised how regularly it happens at touring level too, support bands wanting to use the headliners gear. In smaller gigs, it's acceptable to allow usage of a bass or guitar cab if only for the space issue. But never anything more.

It's happened on numerous times, "can I use the bass amp?"

"Sorry, No"

"Why?"

"If you use the bass amp and it blows up during your set, what are the headline band, who people have paid to see, going to do about their set? You're on a national tour and you've decided to come away with half your gear....I bet you've remembered your bag of weed though, right?"

"...."

digitalscream

Bogwhoppit said:

I had once at a gig in Stamford many years ago, but never experienced it anywhere else.

That's annoying. My home town boys letting the side down

DartmoorHedgehog

Bit weird not bringing a guitar to a gig...  I've not seen that happen before.  Definitely cheeky expecting people to lend you everything.

Most of the gigs I do we usually share some kit just for speed of changeover and stopping the pub turning into a music shop.  Sharing cabs is the norm, and I have let people use my amp head a few times when it's people I trust.  I think I'd probably lend a guitar to somebody if they were stuck due to some accident or other misfortune (none of mine are valuable), but not if they just couldn't be arsed to bring one with them.

ThePrettyDamned

I'd only lend stuff if their stuff broke down - I'm not a dick, but I look after my kit.

Likewise, I'd like for another band to look out for me, while expecting me to bring my own. No point ruining the gig for the sake of pride, but turning up with nothing is just stupid.

Bogwhoppit

digitalscream said:

Bogwhoppit said:

I had once at a gig in Stamford many years ago, but never experienced it anywhere else.

That's annoying. My home town boys letting the side down

I gigged your area for many years. From Quayhole Kates to the Fleece and everything in-between. The Fleece gig became an urban legend - long story, but its well remembered.

english_bob

bingefeller said:

What is landfill indie?

Basically mediocre, disposable noughties "indie" music- Scouting for Girls and that.

Phil_aka_Pip

english_bob said:

bingefeller said:

What is landfill indie?

Basically mediocre, disposable noughties "indie" music- Scouting for Girls and that.

so, similar to eighties and nineties indie then - trashy guitars strummed badly through trashy tranny amps using boring rhythms?


BTW how did the OP know that bloke had a £150 haircut? Did he ask him what he paid for it?

Fiftyshadesofjay

Stock response is always no on anything breakable. Always happy to lend cabs but apart from that, if you don't have the gear to gig with you shouldn't be gigging.

The most infuriating is when you travel halfway across the country for a show and the local band begs you to use your gear as they couldn't arrange transport. Sorry, but if we can hire a van and get our full back line to the venue, the band that lives across the road sure as hell can!