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[Rob Karloff]

Yep, we were asked to leave after coming offstage. The ever helpful sound engineers (posh students who were more worried about getting their smoke hazer to work off the lighting desk than checking the bands) complained that Ghastly Ghoulmore has thrown "water" on the stage equipment. This was despite him standing forward of the monitors and throwing his blood and gore into the seated and ever polite audience. They then tried to fob us off with a mere £35, and after some discussion made it a nice round £40. All of this despite being made well aware of the legendary stage-show in advance! So, don't play there, folks. RockSoc sucks, or at least the monkeys they have as engineers do!

[nullmouse]

The sound engineers and thos in venue one have nothing to do with the university's Rock Soc. The only thing Rock Soc may have had anything to do with may have been the money. Was a total agreed in advance?

[flossie suvara]

I seem to remember that if you get signed in to St Andrew's student union, one of the rules is that you're not supposed to use the bar or the games machines!?!

The Lorelei played a gig there many years ago - big stage, no atmosphere. Still, it was better than the other gig we did in St Andrews, where the singer discovered the joys of buckfast in the van on the way down, the soundcheck was between noon and 2pm, and we didn't start playing till midnight. - Cue hopelessly drunk singer refusing to leave the stage and singing his last song on his own to the guy sweeping the floor...

Flossie

[psydoll]

Rubbiss. The ghoulish one isnae the kind of guy that would ruin equipment by spilling 'water' all over it. People need to come to Drakes and see the blood-splattered roof and realise how a real venue handles a band that actually want to put something extra into their performance. Viva le Karloff!

[Rob Karloff]

Originally posted by nullmouse:
The sound engineers and thos in venue one have nothing to do with the university's Rock Soc. The only thing Rock Soc may have had anything to do with may have been the money. Was a total agreed in advance?

Ah well, hence my "or at least" qualifier. I did not organise the gig, so I presume no total was agreed in advance, but when you think that it takes £20 of diesel to get you down and back, I wouldn't dream of paying any band that had travelled the distance that little. There was a band from Nottingham or somewhere like that, I hope they got some decent cash for their hike. Jenna was great about it all and fought to get us some extra above what they gave initially. I feel really sorry she ended up in such an awkward position, as she'd made them well aware of what our show is like, and we'd put on a solid show and the audience seemed to enjoy it. I'm just really fizzing that I took half a day off work and we put in the effort to put on a good show, only to have to encounter all that. Hell, I even let the guitarist of the first band use one of my amps, despite specifically saying in advance that this would not be an option (I like to help people out). We had a great time up until coming off stage and being told Ash had to leave (bar the soundcheck fiascos), and I guess I'm just a little pissed at what happened. They had decent numbers through the door for a Wednesday night, and it sucks when we can play small independant gigs, be paid a reasonable amount, and be warmly received, but a University establishment takes this approach. We've never damaged a venue or band's equipment with our show, and the powers that be had a whole 1/2 hour to grab Ash between songs and tell him to stop. Or, they could have just pulled the plug on us. In some ways, it's better than having provided the product and then being told you're not going to be renumerated much and have to leave because of it. Bah, I know Jenna worked hard to get us the slot and she's always been great to us, and it doubly sucks that she put in all that effort and ended up getting awkwardly placed between her society mates and us.

[nullmouse]

If I was in your shoes I'd be majorly fucked off too. I've not heard the whole story bar a text from Jenna to say that everyone left in a bad mood. Sorry to hear the experience was such a shambles, I know you guys always make the effort and I know how hard Jenna had worked to get you guys down there (and how much warning she'd given the venue over your stage show).

It's a bind working at the Uni, as far as I understand it none of the venue sound crew staff are actually paid - They're volunteers (I assume trained) from the student pool, pretty much. But the union will not let anyone else use the equipment aside from these people. It's a shame, as it does hamper a lot of gigs and having been a regular visitor to St A's I was quite excited about Rock Soc putting on gigs and brightening up the otherwise trendy scene.

For one reason or another it aint worked, obviously. Bugger.

[psydoll]

Aaaah university - the experience of life! The time to go wild! Just don't bring any of that fake blood round here or people'll start getting pretty damn angry...

[Rob Karloff]

Originally posted by nullmouse:
It's a bind working at the Uni, as far as I understand it none of the venue sound crew staff are actually paid - They're volunteers (I assume trained) from the student pool, pretty much. But the union will not let anyone else use the equipment aside from these people. It's a shame, as it does hamper a lot of gigs and having been a regular visitor to St A's I was quite excited about Rock Soc putting on gigs and brightening up the otherwise trendy scene.

For one reason or another it aint worked, obviously. Bugger.

Well, the singer/guitarist from the band that were trying to soundcheck ended up going behind the desk and checking them and us. The guys who were supposed to be doing it didn't seem to have much of a clue or ear for rock stuff, or weren't interested. Like I say, they were happy to piss about with the smoke machine, even killing all the stage power to the band in the process! They have a great stage, big light rig and seemingly large PA (seemed under-powered tho), but just don't have the people to make it all work right. Looking at the posters in the bar, they've had some R'n'R legends play over the years, and I bet they didn't have our problems. You could have some really sizeable bands and crowds in the place if you went about it well. Shame Dave Bradley didn't go to St Andrews!

[nullmouse]

Originally posted by Rob Karloff:
Looking at the posters in the bar, they've had some R'n'R legends play over the years, and I bet they didn't have our problems.

None in the last few years though, sadly. Aside from your good selves and Motormark, of course

[Rob Karloff]

The 'mark would have looked/sounded ace up there. Did they get a good sized crowd?