This was a quirky, unusual gig for us but good fun, taking place as it did at the fabulous vinyl-emporium, cafe and community hub for like-minded-folk that is The Electric Church ! A place I can't recommend enough. When you get the chance - go!
It was also a significant one for us because we (by which I mean Em!) had collected for us a brand spanking new PA system!
We only bring our own PA for gigs like gigs at pubs, cafes, hotels and the like whereas many of the gigs we do are at festivals or bespoke music venues with a house-PA system and engineer. Our original PA system plus all the important stuff that goes with it like mics, mic stands, leads and so on was bought in n incredible hurry just before we got our 1st pub gig. We'd never been entirely happy with it's frankly quite 'muffly' sound (a factor which was really brought home to us when we tried to play some MP3 files through it for some 'walk on music' but it just sounded way too aweful). The speakers are incredibly heavy too which doesn't attract any further love from us before and after a gig!
Although Em checked the PA had worked and so on last night at her home, at this gig we were literally plugging all our instruments in, setting everything on 'center' choosing what kind of reverb we wanted (an unavoidable choice to make), then doing a volume-only-level check for a quick sound-check, then a quick toastie and an epresso and we're on. NOT the way to do it really, but we got away with it!
Happily the vocals sounded clearer than ever before with the old PA, and I'm sure after a forthcoming rehearsal where we can get to dial in the right settings for each instrument, things will only get much better still.
Our good friend, indeed producer of Kitchen Sessions and occasional BY, Tim Lee wrote his own blog post on the event on his site at https://timleesongs.wordpress.com/2019/06/22/the-blueyellows-live-at-the-electric-church-22-06-19/ (Thanks Tim!) You won't be repeating yourself if you've read it as I've mainly blurbled on about the PA (look, it feels like Christmas, OK!!?).
Many thanks to Jimi and all at the fantastic Electric Church and all her lovely church-goers!
A happy upshot of the gig (originally scheduled for release week) is that you can now buy CD copies of Kitchen Sessions
