The Moses Gate
Aside from sounding like an epic gate way to some Biblical land in Egypt, the Moses Gate in Bolton is one of my favourite venues to play. It's not posh, it doesn't have the greatest sounding P.A and it's fairly small.
...So why is it one of my favourite venues?
The atmosphere is always brilliant, the reaction from the crowd is never less than fanatical, bested only by Boudens Boudoir in London and the owner is a gem (and is the spitting image of Dave Spikey, accent and all!). It's also nice to see regular punters and friends alike there too, the ale is very reasonably priced and you get a few free ones chucked in.
Tonight was no different and after a fairly brief soundcheck we made way for our support band, Beyond Recognition who are a 4 piece from just up the road apparently. They were quite a mixed bag and their sound was quite a mix but best described as heavy rock/metal with female vocals. The music was tight and played to a good standard but I felt the singers vocals slightly let the team down. They really entertained the crowd though and warmed them up perfectly.
Our set was one of the best we've ever played, despite a momentus cock up on the start of "Black Sabbath" by Bill's Bored!!! (It's FOUR FOUR, not THREE FOUR!) We cained the rest of the set and everyone had a great time with some heavy duty dudes at the front really going for it. I felt I played a good set but sometimes I dug in a bit too much and about broke my strings/fingers in the process. Sometimes you really need to hang back and not hammer everything full pelt. A lesson learnt though. If you don't learn or improve from every gig then something is wrong (or your a machine).
Can't wait for my next gig with The Beetroot Kings this weekend. HOPEFULLY, it will be with my Genz Benz Shuttle Max 12.0. A review will follow shortly! Until then...
Dan
