Sharing is Caring

It sounds a little sad but one of the biggest highs I get in life is when I can introduce someone to a band that they have never heard of before and enjoy it, whether it’s on CD or at a gig.

I like it so much for a multitude of reasons. Firstly it’s always a great help to the smaller bands in the world to spread the word. There are thousands of bands out there and unfortunately only a few get proper mainstream exposure.  Sure these days can use social media but there are only so many hours during the day. Most musicians in smaller bands have to work to afford to go on tour and record music so don’t have much time left to promote the band. Advertising itself also costs money. So anyone who will go out of their way to promote a band is helping out a great deal. Word of mouth is always the most powerful form of advertising.

Secondly and most importantly to me is seeing people’s reactions to realising they like something new that is because of me. My good friend Dan has come to countless gigs with me to see bands I’ve suggested to him. I’ve reconnected with my friend Jon who I hadn’t seen since school because he’s listened and liked some bands I had suggested on Facebook and has come to a couple of gigs with me. Recently I made friends with a lovely girl named Natalie. I suggested that she listens to The Smith Street Band; she loved them and came to see them with me. The joy I’ve seen on all their faces but a big grin on my face and made me enjoy the gig more.

The person who has given me the most joy from going to a gig though is my friend Charlie. I convinced Charlie to come along to Slam Dunk Festival with a group of us in May. Slam Dunk is a punk and metal festival whereas Charlie generally listens to pop and dance music so musically he was very much out of his comfort zone. He only actually knew one band that were playing that day – The All American Rejects. I was slightly worried that Charlie wouldn’t really enjoy that much of the day but he absolutely loved it. I took him to see a couple of bands I thought that he would like and he was having a great time. In particular he really loved The Ataris and I was so so happy to see him nodding his head and singing along to their cover of Boys of Summer. I’ve now suggested he come see some other bands with me and he is very keen. This makes me very proud.

Now listening to: Faces by Meanwhile