Bank Holiday Triple – Review

Posted by TTBoom on May 3, 2016 in Blog | 0 comments

Before we knew it it was upon us, the Bank Holiday Triple, including The Greyhound in Beeston, The Springfield in Swadlincote and The New Inn in Long Eaton. This kinda sneaked up on us as we were already busy with gigs and rehearsals etc.

The Greyhound

First Stop, The Greyhound in Beeston,   this revered and popular music venue has been going through a bit of a rough patch recently, but is well on its way to recovery under the enthusiastic stewardship of Robert Balmer, who has taken the reigns and has a vision to return this iconic music venue to it’s former glory and some.

On arriving we were warmly greeted by Robert, who quickly and proudly showed us the changes he had already made to the place in his short tenure.  The biggest change was a noticeable extension to the stage area,  where it used to cut short at the corner near the stairs, it now went all the way across and had been clad in a lovely red carpet.  This makes the playing area so much more usable and spacious.  On the back wall of the stage area is a set of shelving with a plethora of musical instruments and paraphernalia scattered on them, a really good look for open mic nights and cosy musical events, however was not really the look for a rock band.  This is also catered for as a long wire support is provided full length of stage to attached any fancy backdrops too, setting the right mood.  TTB put this to great use by installing our new backdrop with a series of Aldi special clothes line pegs in red, green, blue and yellow, with rubber tips. All of the walls surrounding the bar are are covered with framed pictures of all the bands that have played at the Greyhound which looks great.

Power is provided from a myriad of sockets on the back wall strategically placed,  sound is provided by the in house PA and engineer, all dis and mics provided by the venue.  Well done to Robert, who explained that he had many plans for the place which he intends to enhance the overall musical experience for both musicians and patrons alike.

This was a Bank Holiday Friday night and we were not sure what kind of a crowd we would attract, especially as the British summer was getting under way with its cold rain and hailstones.  A steady trickle of punters soon had enough in to create a great atmosphere and all seemed to have a great night,  thanks to all who came down to see us, we have re-established some old friendships and made a few new ones.  The Greyhound Rocks and good luck to Robert for the future.  One down side was that the kebab/pizza shop was shut when we came out, meaning a trip home with a rumbling tum, but it kinda went well with the tunes still ringing in the ears.

The Springfield

One sleep later and we were all back on the road heading out to Swad for our second visit to the Springfield,  this gig was as a result of another band cancelling, so it hadn’t been long since we were last here.  As we loaded in the place was pretty much empty as is usual so we had a pretty much clear run to setting up.  Opposite the pub is a handy car park which was useful, although the lumpy gravel made it somewhat difficult for Ruth to push the trolley, I had to help her at one point.  Ok for most of the guys who had parked outside the door on the road. Note to self, get their earlier next time.   Again there was a steady flow of people coming in,  mostly from the crowd we normally see in the Greyhound at Woodville,  maybe due to the fact we have no bookings there this year to date,  but it was great to see you all and you made the evening a success.  Also thanks to those who travelled from out of town to see us specially, always gives us pleasure to provide enjoyment to you all.

The night went really well and the trial of the white light switchable stage lighting was also a success, that’s if I can remember to switch them on.

Packing up was the reverse of setting up with the exception of coming from a nice warm pub into the freezing night, roll on real summer.

The New Inn

After a one day break, time to recharge the batteries and get in a visit to the garden centre and do an Aldi shop,  Rock and Roll, we were back on the road again to The New Inn in Long Eaton.  This was a new venue for us and was also a Bank Holiday outdoor gig under a marquee, which was kinda filling us with a bit of trepidation with the weather being so nice and all.  We were due to be on at 4pm so we all arranged to arrive around 2.30 pm.  Using the main market place car park which was just next to the back gate of the New Inn.  The playing area was under a marquee which extended over any remaining outside space at the back of the pub, supplementing the permanent covered area.  This meant that the whole of the back was covered.  The stage had been constructed from a number of pallet bases covered by a large piece of shutter board.  It was solid and plenty large enough.

All was fine, that is until the rain came,  an unexpected deluge came down upon our heads as we offloaded our vehicles, leading to a considerable stream of water cascading onto stage from the edges of the tent.  Various attempts were made to counter the stream by many minds and eventually solutions were found and the application of a good broom on stage cleared the remaining water off stage.  The lean of the floor did mean that all the water was collecting at the drain in our access point,  a fact that Drummer Mick failed to spot as he deposited his sandled paws into a 6 inch deep puddle.  I did offer him another pair of socks but it would have to be the inside layer, he graciously declined.  Although a bit soggy, it did not dampen his ability to deliver a solid driving beat.

Looking up the weather forecast on various mobile devices we were assured that the rain would stop for a couple of hours so we could play with confidence that we would not get electrocuted.  Don’t worry guys we took all precautions – safety first eh.   Quite a few people turned up, many of our regular Long Eaton crowd and a few more.  We were now playing away and apparently it could be heard for miles, and we were attracting people from the town who liked what they were hearing.   We were very pleased with the turn out and thanks for all coming down, totally against all odds on such a miserable day, but you all lit up the event and made it a great success.

The sun was now shining, ale was a flowing and people were having a great time,  our job here is done.

Packing up went pretty smooth thanks for Ellie’s help, and we all gradually filtered off into the afternoon after tucking in to the chicken legs and burgers from the barbie.   Time for a rest – doh  4 days and we’re in Ashbourne again.