Gigs don’t get much harder than this!
Picture in your mind an idea of the worst and most nerve-racking gig of your life. Imagine if you can, a potentially humiliating night in front of an unappreciative crowd of disinterested unhappy random beer swillers who hate you because you are interfering with their quiet chat. Pile on top of this a shit P.A. system that will not allow your support musician to be miked up so that you must play the entire set solo and acoustic. Add on top a heavy dose of tonsillitis, tiredness and Ibuprofen body swell. Throw in for good measure losing your guitar in the airport on the way and arriving late. Only now are you beginning to get close to the St Patrick’s day gig that Mick Doyle performed on March 17th 2005 at the Pheasant Inn in Gloucester.
Doyle performed twenty two songs including several of his own mixed up with a heavy dose of Irish songs. He also chose to perform some covers of John Lennon, Elton John, Depeche Mode and U2.
Interview
“I walked into the pub and it was packed. As I started setting up, the place practically emptied all at once. They had all arrived together from the Cheltenham Gold Cup Races and the coaches were leaving all at once. It was awful. I felt as though they were waiting for me to arrive so they could leave. When I started playing no-one joined in with any of the Irish songs even though it was St Patrick’s day. I wanted badly to bottle out but Emma advised me that this was the time to really prove myself. She said that if I could do this gig I could do anything. So I got up and did it (during which she made matters worse by buggering off to the restaurant next door during my set). It was a breakthrough. These are the gigs that really make you ask yourself what your true motives are and if you pull it off you acquire bundles of confidence. On that night,for me, the act was launched and so began my journey. Where will it lead…..” (MD) Follow this editorial as, event by event, we promise to tell only the truth as the story unfolds.
Special thanks to Emma Turner, Brian Conroy, Mark Axtell Powell & family and to the land lady and barman for your friendship and support.