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
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