24/12/2008 Fabulous Feedback Band @ The Real Music Club

Subject	Fabulous Feedback Band @ The Real Music Club
PostedDate	12/24/2008
	I guess if I was American I'd probably call this one a 'lazyass blog'. Fortunately I'm not.  It's Christmas Eve and I'm just going to see a cover band at a local venue with some friends. So I can't be arsed to take my 'proper' camera to see a cover band in a pub and just take one or two on my phone instead. The thing is with taking loads of pictures at gigs (I've taken over 200 in a night on occasion) is that you take lots just to get a few (if you're lucky) that are any good - if you are concentrating on that then you aren't really going to be enjoying the actual gig as much as you should.  The venue is the Real Music Club in Whetstone. Not quite the easy staggering distance I'm used to for going to see bands in local pubs, but I can (and have) walked home from here if I want. It's £5 on the door tonight - actually surprisingly reasonable for Christmas Eve as we were expecting to be stung for at least £10. Paying that sort of money just to see a cover band tends to make people vote with their feet though. Especially as you can usually see this lot for free at most the places they play. The Real Music Club is actually a pretty decent venue and the bands I know who have played here in the short time it's been open seem to have really liked to play here. The stage is large and there are loads of monitors - see shitty phone pics. A lot of money has been spent on the PA and lighting - none of that feeble shite LED lighting that's appearing at a lot of venues these days either. The sound is good and drums and backline are provided if the bands want them, so if you are in a band I'd certainly check it out - they are looking for original bands for a monthly monday night club at the moment.  Yes, I said I was going to see a cover band. I used to see them all the time locally while there were still pubs in walking distance putting decent (and not so decent) bands on. A lot of them are dull and pedestrian, and you tend to just hear the same songs being played every Friday and Saturday by different bands.  The Fabulous Feedback Band are actually a really good band though. And so they should be after over ten years of gigging every week. They could be accused of 'selling out' a bit (can a cover band sell out?) over the last few years as they have turned pro and dropped nearly all the rock classics they clearly enjoyed playing in favour of a much more lightweight Xfm/Virgin Radio style setlist. The band's actual sound seemed more lightweight than in the past as well - I think this was more due to the guitars and amps they are using than the songs .  At least guitarist Sean has got rid of his ill advised beard though!  The band are still a lot of fun in spite of everything, and have far more charisma and genuine stage presence than most bands who play either covers or originals. This band have always enjoyed a strong local following, although many of their earlier fans have drifted away due to the more lightweight indie-friendly stuff they play these days. They do still tend to throw in a couple of rock classics into each set, although the calls from the crowd for AC/DC and Guns 'N' Roses to end the second set were ignored tonight.  Oh, and they played a Christmas song at the end - betcha can't guess which one? Yes, it was that one... Yawn. Still, it was a good night.  The turnout wasn't as good as I was expecting though, maybe due to the tax on the door but I suspect also because a lot of the band's local fanbase weren't actually aware they were playing here.  The band played well, but it wasn't one of their better nights to be honest. They were still noticably better than most cover bands, but I think they were a bit taken aback by the lower than expected (but still respectable) turnout for a Christmas Eve gig. And I'm dismayed by the single recently installed real ale pump still not having beer!  Really, it's not rocket science making sure you actually get the right beer delivered after a month or so - is it?

PS: This venue has since been though two or three changes of name/managent and eventually shut. It survived for many many years as the Bull & Butcher pub - should have left it as it was....