What is it like to form a band?

January 26th 2022

Many bands are formed in many ways and for many reasons. For us, it provided an outlet for our musical talent and something to concentrate our time and efforts on. Before we go any further we did not make it to superstardom level or to a record deal level. That does not mean that the band failed it just went as far as it could and we are very proud of what we recorded. 

Some of the band members have been in quite a few bands over the years and Jim and I have been in covers bands that have been very successful so we know what makes a band good and bad. We also know a lot about the hurdles you can face when in a band. 

Starting a band is in some ways easier with things like youtube and other social media but in other ways, it is so much harder. This blog is not designed to put you off starting a band on the contrary I hope that you do start the adventure because it is so worth it!

Before you form a band you must all agree on the direction you want to take. Are you going to do covers or original material? What genre? 

The next part is the fun part. Get practicing! Find a local rehearsal studio and spend some time learning or creating the songs in your setlist. Pick the songs that suit your bands style. Remember to try and provide some light and shade in the set. If your band mainly plays 20-30 minute sets then you can have songs that keep things upbeat throughout the set. If however like many covers bands you are required to play 2 or sometimes 3 hours of music you have to provide songs in the set that provide a bit of a break for the audience and you. The other thing to remember is if you are playing covers make sure you include songs that are known to people. A setlist full of obscure tracks may be cool to the band but if the audience does not know it then they will not react to it strongly. 

Before you go out and do your first gig make sure you do a live band set up practice. This is not essential but it is good to use your own equipment and make sure the settings are right before your first gig. If you do not own the PA then you will have to allow more time at your first gig to set up your sound with the equipment you borrow/rent. 

Here is where the hard part of modern music comes in. You can do live streams, youtube videos, record your gigs, and record what you sound like to send it out to people on social media. The hard part is finding venues for gigs. They are definitely reducing in the UK. Especially venues that put on original music. Many venues may do a weeknight original music night so look out for them but most of them will have a covers band on at the weekend. Even for covers bands, it is hard to get new gigs that provide a good audience. Getting a gig at your local pub is all well and good but it is not always good to be playing to the locals-only in the pub. If you are going to build an audience that follows you around then you need to play venues that are used to putting gigs on. Promotion of the gigs is easier if people know the live music venue near them. Also, consider the genre that you play Is the venue right? The pub round the corner may be offering you a gig but if you play black metal only that might not go down well. 

And the final point that I think is the most relevant is that if playing in the band stops being fun then you should stop doing it. Music and playing in a band is far better when it is fun. If it becomes a job then it is easy to lose the enthusiasm for playing in the band. 

I hope this has been of some help to you. If you would like us to write about other subjects please contact us and let us know.