Why Nightlights Is Unlikely To Play Live And Stuff

[nightlightsuk]

A couple of friends have recently asked me if Nightlights is ever likely to play a live show. It was a very good question, and a nice thought that they hoped it might happen, of course. But....

Well, as the title of this blog post subtly suggests, to cut a long story short, Nightlights is extremely unlikely to play live. There are a bunch of reasons why, which I'll attempt to prattle on about below.

Pitiful excuse 1 – When I was a kid, I had a delightful series of very severe ear infections. Despite our doctor being pretty good at his job, these little buggers carried on, on and off, for over a year. I don't know for 100% sure if there's a connection, but I found that as an adult, loud noises almost always cause extremely bad dizziness. And, as I found out at a Magnum concert in the early 90s, it led to me passing out in the middle of the crowd. Which was entertaining... So, I generally avoid cinemas, and I certainly don't go to live concerts. Which, in turn, means I can't do live concerts because of the “necessary” noise levels.

Pathetic excuse 2 – It's a well kept secret that I'm an M&M obsessive. Now, I wouldn't be able to go onstage to accept a bag of mint M&Ms. Panic attacks kinda do that to a bod. And therefore the odds of me going onstage to do a live show are so low that top eggheads still haven't invented a device that can measure it.

Whinging excuse 3 – I'm just not that good a keyboard player. Yes, I can play synths to some extent, but most of my music is improvised pieces that are collaged together to create the final piece. Playing them live would be... well, not impossible, for someone who was reasonably good at playing keyboards. I'm not that competent.

Don't get me wrong. I do have this mad fantasy of being up onstage with a belting light show going, a rack of synths, alongside another keyboardist, a drummer beating the living daylights out of a huge set of electronic drum pads, and a bass player playing some freaky futuristic guitar that can chuck out synth basslines. And maybe, one day, a female singer blasting out some vocals and punching the air in some OTT way or other.

But with all the above going on, that's likely to stay a fantasy. Heck, you wouldn't even get me onstage in a Songbird Serenade costume. Unfortunately of course, not playing live is also a bit of a sod because it's an extremely good way to get your music known and heard. But realistically it just isn't possible.

Comments

[loganberrybunny]

Hey, no. 3 is pretty much the same as the Beatles had after 1965. So you're in good company! =;)

But seriously, it all seems perfectly reasonable to me. Of course it's a shame in a way, but what's the point in spending time doing something you love if you push yourself and end up feeling miserable? Music surely has to be done your own way, otherwise you're not doing yourself justice. =:)

[nightlightsuk]

Hehe, that's true enough, and to be fair, Talk Talk did the same after their third album. Partly why they stopped touring - not because of lack of skill, but the songs were literally comprised of "one off performances" that they stitched into full songs, and couldn't play them again. Almost everything was built around "happy accidents."

And thank you, I knew you'd understand, of course. :) There are plenty of bands/acts that don't do live shows, and stick to the studio only. So I guess there's no need to feel left out. :)