Practice Makes Perfect

It's a fairly standard adage, but it's really important on so many levels - individually practicing is important to build some muscle memory, memorise lyrics, lock-in song structures and transitions - it helps learn new techniques, solidify existing ones. It's how people learn to play their instruments or use their voice, let's face it.

But collectively, it's crucial - that stage chemistry you see with your favourite bands, the tightness of a performance - everyone in time, minimising mistakes and slips, adjusting elements of songs from previous performances or even previous recordings - and also of course introducing any new members of the line-up, all of that is solidified and locked in with regular rehearsals.

Poooooch!

We have a weekly practice (when Russ' extensive holiday schedule allows - I joke, that's a sore point, literally, at the moment for him!), and we're very lucky to be able to use Ellie's studio / rehearsal space to do this. In the past we've utilised front rooms or more costly rehearsal spaces around Derby.

We also sometimes get the not inconsiderable bonus of seeing Bertie and Maggie for fusses!

So, let's have a think about the logistics - getting six people in the same place can be a challenge at the best of times. Six people all with plenty of other full-time commitments. But we've made it work! Russ and Alan tend to alternate car-sharing, Jim travels over from the wilds of Staffordshire - Jamie and Warren are much more local, and of course Ellie just has to wander over from her house. We are lucky to have such an amazing and well-equipped space we can use.

Recording snapshots

Typically we'll run through set lists for forthcoming gigs, we might start to play with new ideas - whether that be new songs or adjustments to existing ones. That's particulary been true during the quiet winter months as we've been working on the album - we spent time there writing / refining songs, and a lot of the album tracks were recorded there too. A flexible space indeed!

Last night's practice was a little unusual (although not in recent weeks). Tom over at Riff Factory had sent through the latest mixes of our album tracks - so collectively we listened to them through a decent sound system, and made notes on tweaks/adjustments/issues - there really aren't many now. Tom's done some fantastic work in helping us realise our vision!

After collating our collective thoughts to send back to Tom for further tweaking (and it is tweaking at this stage, which is exciting as hell!), as it's easier to do that than each of us individually sending random thoughts piecemeal (which might even be contradictory), this way we can review, and agree what changes are needed between us. By the end of the listening session even Jamie cracked a smile, he'd not had a chance of a sneak preview before we all got ourselves together.

We can also utilise Alan's shonky videography skills to record videos!

Then onto practice proper. With an hour on the clock listening already it was focused on our next gig - we are supporting Shanghai Treason at Bodega in Nottingham at the end of the month, with the awesome Henshaw Band also on the support roster it's only a short set, so we chose which songs we'd like to play. This is increasingly tough now, with the twelve album tracks along with the four original songs on an EP we've quickly gone from 'put all the originals in, which covers shall we pick?' to 'okay, so this is an all original set, which ones to we miss out?'

As we've got limited time we're going for energy. We picked the songs, set a stopwatch and simulated a gig environment - played songs, a bit of pretend banter, next song, even time for a bit of a tuning check - and bosh, 28 minutes - and everyone sounding on tight form, we packed down feeling really positive, both from letting off steam running through a set, and the basking in the residual glow of the progress on the album too.

Then it's off home - it takes an hour or so for Jim and Alan, maybe half that for Russ. Jamie, Warren and definitely Ellie have a much shorter hop home. It's a late night for a midweek one, but so rewarding - both for enjoyment but also for making sure Darwin's keep "gig fit" and continue to develop both existing and new material.