Over a fairly short period of time Martin and I found that we had songs coming out of our ears. We had a name too. It was time to do what every band in the world does: set up a myspace and wait for fame and fortune to come knocking.
We uploaded our best finished songs which, at the time, were Utter Gutter Slut, Second Skin, Cruel and Black Cat. The results were amazing. Soon we were averaging 1 play a day, sometimes 5 when I remembered to leave the myspace music player running.
This staggering level of popularity did not go unnoticed or unrewarded and we secured our first ever gig as the headline act at the Rhythm Factory for their “New Band” night. Headlining already, eh? It blew my dad’s mind. The Rolling Stones are a headline act and we were up there with them on our very first gig!
Yes. Ha. Anyone reading this who is not in the know (like me at the time) should note that, for unsigned, local bands “headline” means “graveyard”. You go on at 11pm. The other bands have left. Your friends need to leave. The soundman wants to leave. But that’s neither here nor there and it’s all part and parcel of the process.
I was so nervous that I didn’t invite anyone to the show. Then, suddenly, on the day of the gig, it dawned on me that the people in London do NOT just go to gigs to express their gratitude for the wealth of great music on their doorsteps.
OMG. THERE WOULD BE NO-ONE THERE!
Cue me frantically begging friends and family to attend. I’d rather play to a pity filled audience of pals than an empty room. And, bless them, they came. They cheered at all the right points and they ignored the fact that my mic lead fell out during the very first line of the very first song (a reassuring start to my first proper gig).
I remember little more about the show but, despite my nerves, there are pictures which suggest I was surprisingly animated – jumping, dancing and flinging myself around the stage. That’s never happened at a gig since. Subsequent shows saw me rooted to the spot with fear, unsure even whether to lift my hand and put it on my hip. That’s one of the reasons I now play synths and Kaoss and drum pads on stage – they help distract me from the fact that I’m doing something so alien and terrifying to me!
Will the nerves ever subside? I kind of hope they don’t. They seem to keep me pretty grounded.
We uploaded our best finished songs which, at the time, were Utter Gutter Slut, Second Skin, Cruel and Black Cat. The results were amazing. Soon we were averaging 1 play a day, sometimes 5 when I remembered to leave the myspace music player running.
This staggering level of popularity did not go unnoticed or unrewarded and we secured our first ever gig as the headline act at the Rhythm Factory for their “New Band” night. Headlining already, eh? It blew my dad’s mind. The Rolling Stones are a headline act and we were up there with them on our very first gig!
Yes. Ha. Anyone reading this who is not in the know (like me at the time) should note that, for unsigned, local bands “headline” means “graveyard”. You go on at 11pm. The other bands have left. Your friends need to leave. The soundman wants to leave. But that’s neither here nor there and it’s all part and parcel of the process.
I was so nervous that I didn’t invite anyone to the show. Then, suddenly, on the day of the gig, it dawned on me that the people in London do NOT just go to gigs to express their gratitude for the wealth of great music on their doorsteps.
OMG. THERE WOULD BE NO-ONE THERE!
Cue me frantically begging friends and family to attend. I’d rather play to a pity filled audience of pals than an empty room. And, bless them, they came. They cheered at all the right points and they ignored the fact that my mic lead fell out during the very first line of the very first song (a reassuring start to my first proper gig).
I remember little more about the show but, despite my nerves, there are pictures which suggest I was surprisingly animated – jumping, dancing and flinging myself around the stage. That’s never happened at a gig since. Subsequent shows saw me rooted to the spot with fear, unsure even whether to lift my hand and put it on my hip. That’s one of the reasons I now play synths and Kaoss and drum pads on stage – they help distract me from the fact that I’m doing something so alien and terrifying to me!
Will the nerves ever subside? I kind of hope they don’t. They seem to keep me pretty grounded.
Indeed, it is quite unusual to find pictures of Anais Neon dancing around on stage. Not quite the wonderfully statuesque ice maiden with one hand on her hip and the other whacking a drum pad that I am used to.
ReplyDeleteFirst gigs are weird, aren't they?