Music Gigs

Organising Gigs in Brighton (2005–2006)

Between 2005 and 2006, I organised a handful of gigs in Brighton, making a small profit from each show. They often featured my band at the time, Citizen X, alongside other local acts. All I really wanted to do was play shows; the idea of making money never even crossed my mind. A lot of the process felt very natural to me.

I’d simply go to a venue and ask, “How much is it to rent this place then?” Then I’d speak to local bands: “Fancy playing a gig?” After that, it was just a case of selling tickets, walking around my college campus and telling everyone to come along. That was basically it.

It was my mum who pointed out the obvious: “You need to actually charge for tickets. Where do you think the money is coming from? Not me! I’ll give you a loan.”

I probably sound like I talk a big game, but I clearly remember the day before one of the gigs (also my 18th birthday) when I asked how many tickets had been sold for a 350-person venue.

The answer: two tickets. Loooool.

Log’s very organised girlfriend (she later ended up at Oxford) and someone else whose identity remains a mystery.

But, as Jim Morrison says in Wayne’s World: “If you book them, they will come.”

And they did. When the night of the show arrived, we had over 200 people queueing outside waiting to buy tickets. In the end, we sold out the venue.

Turning the Gig Up to 11

As a bit of a footnote: it wasn’t your average gig. I always made sure the show was turned up to 11.

We had smoke machines, inflatable balls filled with confetti, balloons dropping from the ceiling, and lighting shows we controlled from the stage. At one point, Ed (now Rizzle Kicks horn section: check him out here) accidentally turned on the lights too early. The crowd gave a huge cheer, only for it to be followed by confusion as he stood there, fully lit by a spotlight for four minutes before his cue.

You could almost hear the audience thinking: “Why is he lit up and not doing anything?”

Eventually, he unleashed a ripping, epic Tubular Bells-style synth intro that launched straight into the first song of our set.

Sweet.

The Lost Footage (and One Surviving Clip)

Most of the footage from those gigs is currently being held hostage at Log’s dad’s house, or possibly taped over with England losing the Ashes or something.

Fortunately, Ed’s dad did have a recording, which I’ve uploaded to YouTube:

It’s actually from a battle of the bands (not one of the shows I organised), but it gives you a good idea of what was going on.

I think there were around 160 people at that show, and I hope you’ll agree that the bubble machine, DJ, saxophone, synth, sample pads, inflatable confetti balls (a terrible idea, look how they keep bouncing back onto the stage), and costume changes made for some entertaining moments.