*Read Disclosure Here*

It’s been over two long years since Covid 19 impacted our lives and stopped live music in its tracks. 

As the sector comes back to life, we have put together a blog of five things to do when you start playing live again.

Releasing music and playing online gigs is fantastic, but nothing beats the thrill and excitement of playing live. 

It is part of my DNA, and it has been devastating to have been away from it for so long.  

This week I played my first Gig in two years, and with some preparation outlined below, it felt like I had never been away. 

Following these steps helped me feel confident and fresh, stepping back into the spotlight. 

This new normal – living with covid, can be tricky to navigate, but the tips outlined below will give you the best chance to kickstart your live gigs and get your music career gaining momentum again.

So let’s dive in…

Rehearse

Practising is an absolute must before playing in front of anyone. 

You knew it all two years ago, but we all get rusty not doing things for so long. 

Muscle memory is a beautiful thing, and rehearsing before a gig can cement that skill in your brain, so if you suddenly get some brain fog on your first Gig back, your muscle memory will kick in and take over. 

If you feel confident playing your material, you will sound confident. So don’t try and wing it! 

Check Gear

If you haven’t touched your gear in a while, it’s good to have a test run and make sure everything still works as it should. 

Leads can break, batteries die, and old strings can snap with no warning.

So make sure you restring your instruments, put in fresh batteries and double-check every lead, pedal and microphone before venturing out. 

In the new land of covid, I recommend taking your own mic to gigs. 

We know covid is an airborne disease, and breathing into a mic, goodness knows who has used before you, doesn’t make sense. Protect yourself. 

Open Mics

My first Gig back was in a 600 capacity theatre. 

In all honesty, I wish I had done some open mics first. 

Playing from cold, I wasn’t as fluid playing guitar as I was two years ago. 

Open mics are a great place to run through some of your classics or try out new material. 

Also, other gigs can come from people seeing you at open mics. 

With so many venues closing and promoters finding themselves out of work, getting gigs for musicians is a challenging task at the moment. 

Getting yourself out and playing live as much as possible will never be wrong. 

So pack up your instrument and, find the closest open-mic, get some of that much needed practise in front of an audience. 

Get Your Merchandise Ready

No matter if you are playing open mics or a full stadium tour, merchandise is how you will be able to make money to fuel your career.

So it’s super important to make sure you have your merchandise table (virtually on your website or physically with you) ready for people to buy T-shirts, mugs, phone covers, badges, bags, hats, underwear (seriously!), the list goes on!

If you are drop shipping your merchandise, make sure you check out our recommended drop shipper!

A Healthy Body and Mind

Playing music is good for the soul. We know that. 

It takes a lot from your body playing live, the physical task and adrenaline that pumps through your veins. 

So after two years of not playing live, it will take time to build up your stamina again. 

As we have said, many venues have closed down in two years.

Weddings and big parties are only just opening back up, so it will take time for your gig schedule to be as full as it was in 2019. 

Be kind to yourself if it takes time to get back to where you were. 

Each new Gig is a win. 

Every person who hears you is a potential fan. 

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

FVMusicBlog April 2022