Blog: Semi-Retirement

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This week I've been doing various bits of ROCK ADMIN which have involved checking my gig listings a few times and, while doing so, I noticed something odd: although it's quite a FULL schedule stretching into the summer, once you take out Totally Acoustic and Hey Hey 16K I really haven't got much on AT ALL. There's a Validators gig in Glasgow and then Surrey in April, but that's IT!

I checked last year and found pretty much the same story - I did 55 gigs in 2015 but only EIGHT of them were unrelated to the show or Totally Acoustic. There was a time not so long ago when I'd do 50 gigs a year PLUS other stuff, so how has it come to this point?

I guess part of the reason is that I AM doing other things - concentrating on the shows means I've just not had TIME to do other stuff, and so have not only not DONE the "normal" gigs but have fallen out of the habit of asking for them. Also there's the cyclical nature of gig-getting - most people who promote gigs tend to only do so for a few years because it is an almost entirely thankless task which, as far as I can see, involves all the DOWNSIDES of doing gigs (organising them,paying for them, doing promotion) with none of the UPSIDES (i.e. getting on stage and showing off!). Most of the people I started off doing gigs for have long since packed it in, as have most of the second and THIRD wave of same, and as time has gone by I've been SLACK in finding new places to play.

Another reason is that I haven't been drawing much attention to myself or The Validators in the field of ROCK. Our last album came out nearly FOUR (!) years ago and the last Proper Normal Indie album was nearly SEVEN years ago and in that time the world of ROCK has changed considerably. I can't really expect The Kids Of Today to fall over themselves to try and book someone who was around before even the FIRST time they tried to close down 6Music!

The thing is though, I find I don't really MIND so much. If this had happened a few years ago I would have a) been SAD about it and b) tried to CHANGE it, but these days I'm quite happy to sit in semi-retirement. I mean, OBVIOUSLY there'll be a career reappraisal in 15 years or so when the children who are currently listening to Dinosaur Planet on long car journeys grow up and take over the media, INEVITABLY, but for now I'm very happy to trot out and do lovely Totally Acoustic gigs and then spend the rest of the time at home doing The Writing. It's much easier!

Having said all that, we DO have a new album out this year which is VERY nearly finished and sounding AMAZING. Who knows, we may even TOUR*!

(*Terms and conditions apply: please note that any 2 gigs within the space of a fortnight may constitute a "tour". Fast songs may be played slower)

posted 14/1/2016 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

Mark - is the date at The Brook on 30th April a Validators gig? Cheers! Mike....
posted 14/1/2016 by Mike C

Hi Mike - no, it's just me I'm afraid. They're all solo gigs unless it says otherwise!
posted 14/1/2016 by MJ Hibbett

Don't be afraid. Mike.....
posted 14/1/2016 by Mike C

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