Gigging is a vital part for any upcoming artist, but taking the big step to get out there and play your first gigs can be incredibly daunting.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to play your first gig?
Well Tuxtra reporter Samantha Hall followed new North East based band Wax Heart Sodality, as they prepared for their first ever hometown gig in Darlington, and found out just exactly what it’s like to get up in front of a crowd for the first time.
Band member Tom Emmerson said the group had rehearsed for hours before they did their first gig.
He said: “We’re a garage rock/goth band, putting across a concept of being an organisation/society who ‘light the way for those within the darkness of despair.”
“To prepare for the gig, we’ve practiced fairly regularly, as well as having a banner of our logo made and booking high quality sound equipment to make a proper show out of it.”
The band emerged onto social media back in September as a mysterious, masked quartet, leaving onlookers intrigued as to who the band really are.
Tom said: “We’re really excited to play in our hometown, just to show our friends and people we know exactly what we sound like after keeping it quiet for so long.”
The gig itself took place at Hole In The Wall in Darlington, during notorious open mic night, Soapbox Sessions.
With Wax Heart Sodality as the headline act, support on the evening came from Ste Bardgett. Performing an incredible acoustic and unplugged set, Ste got the crowd riled up and ready for WHS to take to the stage.
Ste himself worked with Wax Heart Sodality on their first single, ‘Alphas‘, which was released on Friday October 18.
As a spectator, Wax Heart Sodality‘s performance was incredible, the quartet putting on a show that you would never assume was their first ever hometown gig.
The crowd was enthralled, the band interacting with them perfectly and keeping them on their toes – a vital thing to do to make sure the crowd are always on the same wavelength.
Watch the video to see a clip of the gig:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60NMY6DkUbM]
I caught up with Tom again after his performance to see how he thought it went.
He said: “The gig was unreal, and was my favourite gig I have personally ever played.”
“It was a lot more comforting playing in front of everyone we know, and we were just buzzing when we finished.
“My favourite thing about the whole thing was just the fact that we organised a real show of it, with the support from Ste from Mouses (Bardgett) and us pushing the boat out with the sound and stage decoration.”
I also spoke with some gig attendees about what they thought about the band’s performance.
“I thoroughly enjoyed WHS and was impressed with how solid and tight they sounded for their first home town show. All fantastic musicians with big futures ahead!” – Danny Hardy, Darlington
“ I think WHS put on a fantastic performance. Their songs are very original and refreshing! Everyone in the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves and hole in the wall is the busiest I’ve seen it in a while! I think they’ve done their home town proud and they will continue to grow around Darlington“. – Lucy Baird, Newton Aycliffe.
I asked Tom what piece of advice he’d give to anyone who’s about to play their first ever gig.
He said: “Probably just prepare and try to build up some hype around you if possible before you first play, and just don’t think too much about your first gigs as they’re just a bit of fun.”
