The Gig Review… Review: 2024

GOOD EVENING! And welcome to… THE GIG REVIEW… REVIEW!

“When it was 2024
It was a very good year
It was a very good year for playing TRAD. JAZZ CLARIONET
And bassoon and flute and other things
I’d write long blog posts about it
And make silly graphs
When it was 2024.”
– quoth (ish) Frank Sinatra, ‘It Was a Very Good Year’

 
The year 2024 was a significant one for many reasons, but from a personal viewpoint it was particularly memorable because it gave rise to a brand new feature on my blog: The Gig Review! Over the course of the 12 months I kept a rigorous record of all my musical performances, which I then collated into a monthly digest for the world to enjoy. The end result was a series of blog posts that, taken together, make up a complete picture of a year in my life as a performing musician. Every concert, every jazz club, every wedding reception and every pit orchestra appearance was chronicled along with all the little adventures that form an inseparable part of the wandering minstrel’s career.

Well now 2024 is in the past, but before I completely draw a line under that chapter of my life it seems like a fun idea to have a look back on the year as a whole. And therefore I present to you ‘The Gig Review… Review’, in which I will cast my eye over some of the highlights, some of the lowlights, and some of the downright weird things that came my way last year. But that’s not all, for I’m well aware that the one thing people these days really want is STATISTICS, so I’ve even gone so far as to draw up some vibrant graphs and calculate some fun figures with which you can wow your friends next time conversation seems at risk of drying up.

Before I get too carried away though, in the interests of clarity I’m going to define what I mean by a ‘gig’ in the context of this retrospective. For my purposes, a ‘gig’ shall be any performance (paid or unpaid), and any paid rehearsal. For example, a musical theatre show that consists of 2 rehearsals and 5 performances will count as 7 gigs (even though it only amounts to one booking). Now, I’m aware that there are some professional musicians out there who would take issue with my including unpaid performances, but for my purposes I consider them equally relevant. Plus, I only did 4 over the whole year – in fact, allow me to illustrate that point as I mean to continue by way of a graph:
 
Pie chart showing quantity of paid vs unpaid gigs for Michael A. Grant in 2024.
Not included in my definition of a ‘gig’ are unpaid rehearsals, recording sessions, commissioned compositions (i.e. my ‘Bird of Paradise’ film score), cancelled bookings, and busking sessions.

I believe that is all the prior knowledge you need in order to fully enjoy this latest addition to the blogosphere. So let’s all take a deep breath, count to ten, and get ready to dive into some STATISTICS!
 

How Many Gigs?

The first and most obvious question you may have is, when all is said and done, how many gigs did I actually do over the course of the year? Well, drum roll please (or failing that, a low-pitched trill on the contrabassoon) as I reveal the 2024 total…
 

TOTAL NUMBER OF GIGS:
121

 
Wow, that is quite a lot actually. A performance every 3 days – no wonder I was tired! But now let’s delve a little deeper. If only there were a graph that could show me how those gigs were distributed over the year’s 12 months…
 
Bar chart showing number of gigs performed by Michael A. Grant for each month of 2024.
Now that is interesting. I always think of the summer months as the busy time, with winter being basically dead and the rest of the year fairly average. This, however, seems to tell a different story. Sure, January was desolate as ever, but broadly speaking the first half of 2024 was on the quieter side (with June being particularly fallow for a summer month), and it was only from July onwards that things got really busy. October and November were my most hectic months overall, and I attribute this to my doing full runs of 3 separate musical theatre shows, which really served to fill out the diary.

Clearly the supply of gigs ebbs and flows over the seasons – summer is the time for weddings after all, and Christmas is the time for Christmas parties (unless you’re really odd). But what were the most common types of performance on the whole? Let’s have a look…
 
Bar chart showing the different types of gig performed by Michael A. Grant in 2024.
It seems that musical theatre gigs and their associated rehearsals make up the biggest piece of the pie. But that’s the advantage of booking in a whole run of performances in one go! Looking a little closer, we see that weddings – the perennial employer of musicians – were a common form of gig, and there were plenty of birthday parties looking for aural entertainment. My work with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band ensured that agricultural shows accounted for a significant portion, whilst my role in The Dixie Beats meant that I was twice as likely to be found grooving in a jazz club than performing in a formal concert!

All this talk of different bands has now got me wondering, which ensembles did I end up playing with the most over 2024? Here’s a tasty pie to give you an idea:
 
Pie chart showing the different ensembles performed in my Michael A. Grant over the course of 2024.
Anyone who knows me well will not be surprised to see that Jelly Roll was by far my most regular band, but musical theatre gigs equal it precisely in terms of quantity. I didn’t spend a lot of time in the orchestra last year, however The Dixie Beats had a good innings with an average one gig per month, and my recent branching out into solo saxophone performance has resulted in a healthy dark blue chunk at the top of the chart.

Interesting stuff. So interesting that I feel I need to move on and think about something else for a bit, but before I do I would like to present my first award of the Gig Review… Review! For I may have done over 120 gigs last year, many of them involving variations on familiar repertoire, but there is one particular collection of music that I was asked to play over and over and over again in pretty much exactly the same way every time. And therefore, ladies and gentlemen:
 

The award for

MOST COMMON GIG

goes to…

‘OLIVER!’

with 21 rehearsals/performances (i.e. 17% of the year’s gigs)

 

How Far Did I Go?

Anyone reading my Gig Reviews for the first time may be forgiven for thinking that this is a travel blog rather than a music blog. And it’s often been said that a ‘professional musician’ is basically equivalent to a professional driver with a few musical instruments thrown in. Now, I was well aware that I’d spent a lot of time in the car last year but even I was surprised when I found out exactly how much. Can I request another contrabassoon trill please, as I reveal…
 

TOTAL MILEAGE:
11900 miles (to 3 s.f.)

 
Phew, that’s a lot! My average gig, then, required a 100-mile round trip in the car – and let me remind you I took public transport and got lifts for a significant number of journeys! Also, remember that doesn’t include the driving I do in my spare time for leisure and visiting friends and late night joyriding. I’ve driven nearly 12000 miles purely for the purpose of playing music.

Yes that’s quite a distance, but is it really that surprising? Not when you look at the following map, which shows the locations of all my 2024 gigs:
 
Map of England, Scotland and Wales, showing the locations of all Michael A. Grant's gigs in 2024.
Of course there’s a significant cluster around Manchester, where I’m based, but the rest of them cover most of the length and breadth of the country. Furthest north is Musselburgh Racecourse, where I performed for their Ladies Day with Jelly Roll. Down at the other end is that wedding I did near Exeter in January, the day after I’d added my most easterly point to the map playing at a funeral in Great Yarmouth. I even made it as far west as Snowdonia, performing at a wedding with Jelly Roll back in August.

What’s not so easy to determine from the map is what the actual driving distances were like for each of the gigs. And so you may find yourself wondering, what was the furthest I had to go to perform last year? I sense another award coming on…
 

The award for

LEAST LOCAL GIG

goes to…

ROCKBEARE MANOR (EXETER)

260 miles (to 2 s.f.)

 
But not every gig is a million miles away. To make up for some of my more ridiculous travels, I have had a reasonable share of local gigs:
 

The award for

MOST LOCAL GIG

goes to…

DIDSBURY CRICKET CLUB

<1 mile

 
Those Thursday night trad. jazz gigs just couldn’t be any more convenient for me if they tried!

I’m pleased to say that I have emerged unscathed from all this travelling, but I must say there have been one or two journeys I would rather forget about. There was the trip from Manchester to Leeds in May which took 4.5 hours instead of 1.5 on account of all the roads being closed for Leeds Marathon. There was the 9 mile journey I did in November which took an hour because of football traffic. There was the drive to Worstead where my sat-nav stopped working 10 minutes away from the destination. The drive from Chepstow to Manchester on 27th December that took 5.5 hours instead of 3 because of (you guessed it) traffic. You get the idea… But there’s one journey that sticks in my head as by far the most stressful, to the point where when I got home I had to buy some prosecco and a large bar of chocolate to calm my nerves:
 

The award for

MOST TRAUMATIC JOURNEY

goes to…

GLOSSOP JAZZ CLUB

for treacherously snowy driving conditions; The Dixie Beats, November

 
I realise I’m breaking one of my own rules there by referencing a gig that was ultimately cancelled, but I think the fact that I still had to do the drive makes it worthy of the award! If you don’t believe me, here’s a reminder of just how bad it got:
 

That’s the bad side of doing so much travelling, but let’s not forget it has its upsides as well. I get to see a lot of the country and take in much of its diverse and varied scenery. So this is what I’d like to honour in my next presentation…
 

The award for

BEST SCENERY

goes to…

LLYN GWYNANT BARNS

North Wales; Wedding, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, August

 
And let’s take a moment to remind ourselves why…
 
The view of a wedding reception in Snowdonia, from the perspective of The Jelly Roll Jazz Band.
Clarence the Clarinet-Playing Cat and Boris the Bass-Playing Bear, admiring the view of Snowdonia at a wedding reception with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band in August 2024.
 

Performance Circumstances (Foreseen and Otherwise)

Whilst it would be lovely to always perform in a nice warm, well lit, acoustically pleasant environment, or outdoors on a calm sunny day in the middle of summer, the nature of gigging life means such situations are not always possible. I can end up playing on any day of the week, at practically any time of day, in pretty much any location, and I’d now like to celebrate that by thinking about some of the best and worst performance situations I found myself in over 2024.

Let’s start with a nice practical one. It’s common knowledge that I play quite a few different instruments, and my musical theatre work ensures I’m regularly required to play several in a single performance. But what’s the most I had to bring along to a gig last year…?
 

The award for

MOST INSTRUMENTS PLAYED

goes to…

ELF (THE MUSICAL)

with 5 (flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, baritone saxophone); Northwich, November

 
There was a lot of instrument juggling going on in that gig, I tell you (especially seeing as I was seated sideways-on to the musical director). Here they all are in various stages of assembly:
 
The Reed 3 player's chair for The Zodiac's November 2024 production of 'Elf The Musical' at The Grange Theatre, Hartford.
Of course not every client who books a wedding or birthday party chooses the venue based on its sound (unfortunately), and as a result I often find myself having to deal with all sorts of undesirable echoes and reverberations. So let’s have a look at the next two awards which take in the full range of acoustic environments…
 

The award for

BEST ACOUSTIC

goes to…

SCARBOROUGH SPA SUNCOURT

Wedding anniversary, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, September

 
Scarborough Spa Suncourt, illuminated at night by strings of bulbs.
That wedding anniversary I played for in September with Jelly Roll was the only time this year I remember actively noticing how pleasant the acoustic was, adding a roundness to our sound without drowning it in echoes. It was originally built as a concert venue after all, and I’m pleased to say it lived up to expectation.
 

The award for

WORST ACOUSTIC

goes to…

CARMELOS RESTAURANT

Birthday party, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Bury, September

 
Another Jelly Roll gig saw us performing for a birthday party in the upstairs room of this delightful Italian restaurant. While it may be ideally suited to munching on pizza, it sadly didn’t lend itself as well to music (despite the presence of a grand piano). Being quite a small, reverberant room, all the sounds seemed to pile on top of each other to create an unholy mess of musical instruments and chatting voices, each straining to be heard above the rest. Non buono!

While we’re thinking about disappointing environments, let’s consider the weather. I’ve had my fair share of cold rainy outdoor gigs over the last year, notably Kelso Racecourse which tends to hit us with particularly unfavourable conditions on a regular basis. However I’d like to give the next award to weather that didn’t affect my own performance too much, but did defeat the purpose of the entire event itself…
 

The award for

WORST WEATHER

goes to…

THE WELSH GRAND NATIONAL

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Chepstow Racecourse, December

 
For this occasion the venue was ensconced in a thick blanket of fog, meaning not only was it impossible to see the racecourse but it was also impossible to see the nearby screens that were supposed to display live video feeds of the racecourse! I hope the horses could see which way they were going because we certainly couldn’t.
 
The all-encompassing fog at Chepstow Racecourse, for the Welsh Grand National 2024.
And now I’d like to hand over to a very special friend of mine. Followers of The Jelly Roll Jazz Band will be familiar with our faithful mascot Clarence the Clarinet-Playing Cat, who accompanies us to every performance and usually gets a selfie to commemorate the occasion. Well he’s only small and quite easily gets himself into unfavourable scrapes, as we’ll see in considering the next award:
 

The Clarence CPC special award for

MOST TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE

goes to…

BEING NEARLY EATEN BY A DOG

Wedding, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Barlborough, August

 
Here is a snapshot of the very culprit, mere moments before the drama ensued:
 
A small dog, having a sniff of a crocheted clarinet-playing cat.
We were genuinely worried about Clarence when this over-inquisitive mutt carried him off into the distance, and breathed quite the sigh of relief when we later discovered him passed out in front of a colossal mound of cake.

As I’ve already stated, while Kelso Racecourse have been very appreciative and loyal in having us perform 4 times over the course of 2024, the location itself is seldom as kind to us. The first time we played there in March it became so cold and rainy that by the end of it my lips were barely flexible enough to form words, let along a clarinet embouchure. And for that reason…
 

The award for

MOST CHALLENGING PERFORMANCE SITUATION

goes to…

KELSO RACES

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, March

 
Cor blimey, I don’t half complain! Don’t worry though – I’m now going to celebrate some of the year’s most fun moments. And I’m going to start with the award for ‘best outfit’. I don’t get to dress up that much for performances, and when I do it’s usually just small variations on a theme. For concerts I usually have to wear a dinner suit or all-black. The Dixie Beats have a regular uniform, whereas for Jelly Roll gigs and solo bookings I normally don some sort of suit and tie ensemble. But back in May I played at a party with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band down in Somerset (which didn’t actually make it into the Gig Review at the time, so I do apologise) and one of my bandmates lent me the most fantastic jacket to wear, which even brought about the birth of a brand new character…
 

The award for

BEST OUTFIT

goes to…

GAMESHOW MICHAEL

Wedding anniversary, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Castle Cary, May

 
Michael A. Grant wearing light trousers, a purple and pink striped shirt and a shiny golden blazer, and looking distinctly like a gameshow host.
So that’s the clothing celebrated. But how about venues? When you think of musicians performing you probably think mainly of theatres and stages, but I am fortunate enough to enjoy a vast array of locations and situations in my gigging life. Particularly fun are the vehicles – in the past I’ve played on vintage cars, open-top buses, a miniature railway and even a tank. And it is with that in mind that I’d like to present my next prize…
 

The award for

BEST VEHICLE PERFORMED ON

goes to…

A RIVERBOAT CRUISE

Retirement party, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Shrewsbury, July

 
Because what could be better on a balmy summer’s evening than floating along the River Severn playing a TRAD. JAZZ clarionet version of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ for a celebratory retirement party?
 

In terms of stamina, not all gigs are created equal. Some are more intensive than others, requiring a lot of concentration over a sustained period, while others allow more space for relaxation and rest. Then of course, some performances are just a lot longer than others – as my next 2 awards will demonstrate!
 

The award for

SHORTEST GIG

goes to…

THE LOCAL

The Blossoms (Stockport), December

 
Ironically this performance was a bit too far away to qualify for the ‘Most Local Gig’ award, however as I was a guest artiste who only joined in for a rendition of ‘I Believe in Father Christmas’ it does not go without a prize.
 

The award for

LONGEST GIG

goes to…

THE ROYAL LANCASHIRE SHOW

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Ribchester, July

 
The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, performing in the Lifestyle Marquee at the 2024 Royal Lancashire Show.
‘Longest Gig’ is a bit of a tricky one to judge, seeing as I’ve done quite a few performances that involve a total 3 hours of playing spread out over various time intervals. But I’ve chosen to give it to the Lancashire Show because not only was the playing time distributed over an approximately 6-hour period, but it was also repeated over 3 consecutive days to give a total 9 hours of performing! Oof!

And now for the final presentation in this section, which is the award for ‘Weirdest Gig’. Because it’s all well and good doing prestigious events in glamorous concert venues, but let’s be honest the most fun gigs are the ones that are just darned peculiar! There have been quite a few this year, ranging from the opening of a(nother) hearing clinic in Sevenoaks to a surprisingly brief theatre foyer performance in Rhyl. I’ve had a few interesting experiences at funerals as well in 2024 but it seemed a little disrespectful to lampoon them publicly, and therefore it is with great pride that I announce:
 

The award for

WEIRDEST GIG

goes to…

JOINT 60TH/70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

Solo saxophone, Maesteg, March

 
I wasn’t even sure what the occasion was until I turned up for this one, but by the time I was playing ‘Dance Monkey’ in the corner of the living room of an Airbnb in a remote town in Wales, while a group of tipsy 60-something-year-old women boogied the evening away on the rug in front of me, I was left in little doubt. They even made me a packed tea for my journey home!
 

Perks of the Job

Playing music is great and all that, but sometimes it’s the extra little bonuses that make a gig really special. For that reason I’d now like to honour 2 gigs that sent me home with a spring in my step for reasons completely unrelated to the performance itself!
 

The award for

BEST FOOD

goes to…

FARNDALE SHOW

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, August

 
The buffet table at Farndale Show, laden with a fantastic selection of cakes.
You seldom know quite what you’re going to get when food is provided at gigs – all too often the best you can hope for is an egg sandwich, which you have to try and appreciate while all around you wedding guests are enjoying a full 3-course gourmet meal. But playing at Farndale Show with The Jelly Roll Jazz Band is never disappointing as they provide the most fantastic buffet which we look forward to every year.
 

The award for

BEST FREEBIE

goes to…

ICARUS SUNGLASSES

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, The Royal Bath and West Show, May

 
Some really really cool sunglasses.
I’d been meaning to get myself some new sunglasses since leaving mine halfway along the Transpennine Trail back in 2022. So I really felt it was my lucky day when I was playing walkaround TRAD. JAZZ at the Bath and West Show with Jelly Roll, and a stallholder stopped us to ask, “How many free pairs of sunglasses would we have to give you to play a song outside our stall?”
 

Audience Awards

Normally at an awards ceremony you’d expect an ‘audience award’ to be an award, as voted for by the audience. My version is a little bit different, however, as these are awards presented to audiences themselves, without whom my entire career would be deemed fairly pointless! So let’s go straight in at the deep end with my next 2 presentations…
 

The award for

BEST AUDIENCE

goes to…

OLIVER!

Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company, Northwich, February

 
The cast of Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company's 2024 production of 'Oliver!'.
Playing at informal events it’s usually quite easy to interact with an audience, and not unusual for people to come for a chat or tell you that they’ve enjoyed the performance. But in musical theatre the musicians are often the unsung heroes, with most of the audience leaving before they even finish playing the ‘exit music’. Northwich ‘Oliver!’ was an exception though, as we were seated in front of the stage, where we received a surprising number of appreciative comments from audience members on their way out. Thank you audience! No, thank you! No no, really, thank YOU…!
 

The award for

WORST AUDIENCE

goes to…

THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND WINTER FAIR

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, South of England Showground, November

 
Over the whole year, only once in the Gig Review did I actually complain about an audience’s response, and this was it. I would have preferred heckles and boo-ing to the complete bland indifference we received from this lot! Sometimes I wonder why I even bother.
 
The food barn at the South of England Showground's 2024 Winter Fair.
The nature of playing at parties and celebrations means you often play for crowds who are maybe not entirely safe to drive. This is the subject of my next award, in which I performed in the ‘Pommery Champagne Garden’ and particularly enjoyed the progression of watching the audience become gradually drunker over the course of the day:
 

The award for

MOST INEBRIATED AUDIENCE

goes to…

LADIES DAY

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Musselburgh Racecourse, August

 
The crowd in the Pommery Champagne Garden, at Musselburgh Ladies Day 2024.
And when you consider that in 2024 I played in the cider tent at the Bath and West Show, the beer tent at the Lancashire Show, and Bowland Brewery for a wedding reception, that’s quite saying something!

One of the challenges of working as a musician is having to organise a wide range of bookings, all with different locations and timings and individual quirks, with clients that have varying degrees of administrative ability. There was one 2024 client, however, who blew me away by the amount of detail and precision with which they conducted their event…
 

The award for

MOST ORGANISED CLIENT

goes to…

INGESTRE WEDDING

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, May

 
I knew things were going to be easy when she sent me a comprehensive PDF detailing every conceivable minutia, even including a photo of the person we would be dealing with on the day!

My next prize is dedicated to repeat audience members, but particularly those you least expect to come across. Obviously when you play the same venues on a regular basis you get used to seeing familiar faces, but once in a while someone turns up who is such a surprise that you can’t quite believe the coincidence.
 

The award for

MOST UNEXPECTED REUNION

goes to…

ANONYMOUS LADY

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Leeds, May

 
When I (eventually) arrived at this gig, the last thing I was expecting was to meet someone who had seen me perform at their grandfather’s birthday party in Billericay back in 2017!

Now I don’t pretend that, as a professional in the showbiz industry, I spend all my time mixing with the rich and famous. However it’s not unheard-of to come across the occasional minor celebrity. In recent years these have included such leading lights as the Reverend Kate Bottley, Jodie Prenger and Rylan Clark, but the recipient of my next award gets a special honour for referring to me and my colleagues as the best orchestra he’s ever heard!
 

The award for

BEST MINOR CELEBRITY

goes to…

MATTHEW KELLY

‘Oliver!’, Urmston, April

 
The musician's for Urmston Musical Theatre's 2024 production of 'Oliver!', posing with Matthew Kelly.
The final presentation in my ‘audience awards’ is dedicated to all those people who come up to me and just say really weird things. Sometimes it’s vaguely insulting (“You’re a very good musician. What do you do for a living?” or “Did you just not fancy bringing your saxophone today?”), sometimes just absurd (“Are you brothers?”), and sometimes – in the case of this recipient – a particularly fine example of the ‘backhanded compliment’…
 

The award for

BEST COMMENT

goes to…

“MANY YEARS AGO, YOU COULD HAVE PLAYED WITH CHRIS BARBER. YOU KNOW, BACK WHEN WE HAD PROPER BANDS.”

Eagley Jazz Club audience member, The Dixie Beats, April

 

And Now, the Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For

No it’s not the end of the article – not quite! Before I get to that, I need to present the award for my most favouritest gig EVER (or at least, of 2024). This is made slightly easier by my having chosen a regular ‘Gig of the Month’, which means I have 12 possibilities to choose from. So before we go any further, let’s remind ourselves of the nominees…
 

  1. Debussy ‘La Mer’, Ravel ‘Pavane’, Berlioz ‘Symphonie Fantastique’, Stockport Symphony Orchestra (January)
  2. ‘Oliver!’, Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company, Northwich (February)
  3. Joint 60th/70th birthday party, Solo saxophone, Maesteg (March)
  4. ‘Regain Hearing’ branch opening, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, Sevenoaks (April)
  5. The Royal Bath and West Show, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band (May)
  6. Thetford wedding, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band (June)
  7. ‘Company’, Southport Spotlights Musical Theatre Company (July)
  8. Farndale Show, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band (August)
  9. Clitheroe wedding, The Jelly Roll Jazz Band (September)
  10. ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, St. Helens (October)
  11. ‘Beauty and the Beast’, Junior Stage 80, Sale (November)
  12. Eagley Jazz Club, The Dixie Beats (December)

Ooh, it’s a difficult decision to make indeed. All of the above performances I would happily do all over again given the chance, and there is such a variety that they are by no means easy to compare. An orchestral performance of Berlioz is verry different to a solo saxophone performance at a birthday, which in turn has little in common with a trad. jazz gig at a hearing clinic or a run of a Sondheim musical.

In the end I’ve chosen to go with an occasion that combines many of my favourite things into one gig. I like playing outdoors in the sunshine. I like low-pressure gigs where the music is a pleasant addition rather than the main focus. I like regular bookings where I know the routine and don’t have to navigate a brand new environment. I like performing with old friends I’ve known since I was at school. I like it when on-site accommodation is provided so I don’t need to worry about getting there on the day. I like meeting weird people and seeing lots of cute animals. And I like a copious supply of free cider.

In other words, if you haven’t guessed already…
 

The award for

GIG OF THE YEAR

goes to…

THE ROYAL BATH AND WEST SHOW

The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, May

 
The Jelly Roll Jazz Band, posing in front of the carousel at the Royal Bath and West Show 2021.
 

Reviewing the Reviews

Well there we have it – a whole year of gigging concluded, and another one well underway! It’s been nice to look back at all the interesting experiences I’ve had of late as chronicled on this blog, but before I conclude it seems apt to go a bit meta and think about The Gig Review itself. I’ve put an awful lot of effort into these retrospectives after all but I wanted to find out exactly how much, so I’ve gone to the liberty of collecting a few final statistics for you to enjoy.

First off, if you haven’t read any of the Reviews yet then you may be wondering where is a good place to start. Which one is the shortest, to ease you into the experience, or which one is the longest, to dump you in at the deep end (and get it over with)? Let’s have a look…
 
Bar chart showing the word count of each 'Gig Review' blog post over the course of 2024.
Holy mackerel that’s a lot of words! I started off in January with limited ambition (and limited gigs to talk about) but soon got carried away, especially in November when I wrote an obscene 6390 words! But what does that come to altogether…?
 

TOTAL WORD COUNT:
40200 (to 3 s.f.)

 
Or in other words an average 3350 words per month, and 332 words per gig. Whoa! To anybody out there who has been loyal enough to read every single one, I can only offer you a hearty congratulations.
 

Concluding Advice

Over the year I was careful to keep my mind open for lessons and learnings that I could pass on at the end of each monthly blog post. So to finish off this Review of Reviews, I think it’s only appropriate to collate them all together in 12 convenient lessons for life. Therefore, to send you on your way, here is the complete collection of things I learned in 2024:
 

  1. Great Yarmouth is a very long way away. From everywhere.
  2. Even if there seems to be nobody around, never leave your clarinet unattended without at least putting the mouthpiece cap on first! Also, if you must connect a laptop’s stereo headphone output to a speaker’s mono microphone input via a TRS jack cable, make sure you set the laptop to playback in mono first.
  3. March can be REALLY REALLY REALLY cold!
  4. It’s not been a very educational month to be honest, but I did learn that Henley-on-Thames makes for an excellent busking spot with Jelly Roll.
  5. Never never NEVER go anywhere near Leeds when the marathon is on. In fact, while trying to get through it for that Jelly Roll gig I did find myself wondering, “Would it be possible for me never to come to Leeds ever again…?” That is, until I remembered I’d have to be there 2 days later with the Dixie Beats!
  6. There is no right or wrong way to obtain accommodation for Duxford Air Show.
  7. It’s a sousaphone.
  8. Brunch can be anything you want it to be.
  9. I need to plug my sat-nav in in a particular way for it to work properly.
  10. Kelso isn’t always freezing and wet – sometimes it’s merely cold.
  11. Football ruins everything.
  12. Never travel on 27th December.

‘Sunken Dreams’, by Giant Chess Men

Right, listen up you lot! In precisely 5 weeks the world will look on in awe and amazement, as it witnesses the release of ‘Arcology’, the brand new album from the electronic prog rock artiste known as ‘Giant Chess Men’. Will it be the greatest album in the history of the universe ever? Possibly – only time and public opinion will tell. But one thing is certain: I’m going to be on it!
 
Front cover artwork for 'Sunken Dreams' by Giant Chess Men, showing a watercolour cartoon image of a city that is crumbled and largely submerged.
The track ‘Sunken Dreams’, which is already available to listen to as a single, includes a lovely little flute part which I recorded remotely way back in the dim distant past of December 2020. The song features exciting angular rhythms that jump around all over the place, even incorporating a section in the rarely-heard time signature of 5/8, while the heavy use of analog synths gives it a distinctive retro feel reminiscent of old video games and anime series. Add to that a dynamic Japanese vocal performance and it’s not hard to see why it is described by Giant Chess Men as ‘floaty, Nintendo-esque prog rock’.

Like all good prog songs, it has a very specific futuristic concept behind it as well. To enjoy it to its fullest, you must imagine yourself as a resident of a gigantic skyscraper in a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape, becoming increasingly disenfrachised with the new life with which you are presented…

‘Arcology’ will be released on Friday 2nd May, but you can listen to ‘Sunken Dreams’ right away via The Bandcamp:
 

 
And if you like what you hear, don’t forget to check out the rest of Giant Chess Men’s work in the usual sort of internet hotspots, a selection of which I shall provide below…
 

‘Windy Friends in Studio’: An Adorable Stop-Motion Animation

You may recall that back in September I shared with you an EP called ‘Windy Friends’, for which I recorded various sections of clarinet, bass clarinet and bassooooooooon. But that, my friends, was by no means the end of the story! For the magnificent Ellen Tsai has since released an utterly charming music video, showcasing some of the album’s music along with the handmade fabric musicians who have brought it to life.

Everyone I’ve shown it to so far has absolutely loved it, so if you like stop-motion, cute things and/or cats I would highly encourage you to give it a watch as well!
 

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to have a listen to the full album on Bandcamp:
 

Email Subscribers: Here’s What You’ve Missed!

It has come to my attention recently that my mailing list seems to have stopped working back in January without me noticing, and so anyone who follows my exploits by this method will think I’ve gone very quiet indeed! Well the good news is, if you’ve been brought here by one of my emails then that must mean I’ve managed to fix it – hooray! The bad news, though, is that you’ve got some catching up to do. So here, specially for the benefit of my email subscribers, I present a little summary of my recent blog posts that you might be interested in giving a read.
 
Piccolo For Sale

Yamaha YPC32 Piccolo in case
Back on 28th January I broke the news that – having recently upgraded to something a little fancier – I am now selling on my Yamaha 32 piccolo. At the time I was looking for £300 but luckily for you it’s since been reduced to £280, and furthermore if you buy through my website you get an extra 10% off! Whoa! Click here if you’re interested in viewing the product, or on the following link to read my blog post about it: Do You Want to Buy a Piccolo?
 

The Final Gig Review

A forlorn-looking Christmas tree at Chepstow Racecourse.
On 31st January I finished off my 2024 ‘Gig Review’ series, for which I wrote a regular summary chronicling all of the performances I had participated in each month. The final one, unsurprisingly, takes us through the month of December and covers all the ups and downs of playing for a production of ‘Footloose’, a Christmas event in John Lewis, three racecourse days (including the Welsh Grand National) and a cosy gig above a pub in Stockport. If that tickles your fancy, have a click here and read all about it: The Gig Review: December 2024 Also, stay tuned for my upcoming ‘Gig Review Review 2024’, when I will give a rundown of the whole year’s worth of gigs, complete with all sorts of graphs and statistics to help you get to sleep!
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb' by Michael A. Grant, with the words 'OUT NOW!' and 'michaelgrantmusician.com/shop' in bright pointy bubbles.
In a bit of a break from convention, on 8th March I released a completely non-musical project. ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail…’ is a book I’ve written (with the help of my left thumb) that tells the tale of my experiences walking coast-to-coast back in 2022. It’s about 200 pages long, with over 20,000 words and more than 140 pictures, and is available in both physical and ebook formats. If you’d like to find out more and download a free sample chapter (and maybe even buy yourself a copy), click here. Or have a look at the following links to go through my various teaser and preview blog posts:

Coming Soon…
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – Coming on 8th March!
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Some Lovely Pictures!
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Free Chapter!
My Thumb Has Something He’d Like To Say To You…
‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’: OUT NOW!
 

‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’, Live On Stage


And finally, towards the end of February I shared a video that I’ve had kicking around for a while, of the premiere live performance of ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’ from my musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’. This took place last May as part of a cosy little showcase evening held in Stockport Garrick, and although I couldn’t attend on the night it’s very satisfying to know one of my creations has made it into the real world, and by the sounds of it been very much enjoyed by an audience. Click the following link to learn more and watch the video: ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’: Live Performance

And with that, you should all now be pretty much up-to-date! Apologies once again for my mailing list mishap, and I hope you continue to enjoy my updates and musings in the future. : )

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’: OUT NOW!

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb' by Michael A. Grant, with the words 'OUT NOW!' and 'michaelgrantmusician.com/shop' in bright pointy bubbles.
The day has finally arrived! After much ‘umm’ing and ‘ahh’ing, my new project ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ is now unleashed onto an entirely suspecting public! And what a beast it is. So the time is nigh to get yourself a copy – go on, do it! What are you waiting for! Ohhhhhhhhhhh…

Find out more here…
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Free Chapter!


It’s only 3 days until the release of my latest creation, ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – a 200-page masterpiece chronicling my experiences walking coast-to-coast in 2022, all told from the perspective of my most underrated digit.

But if that all sounds baffling and disorienting, fear not! To get a taste of what to expect, and to show that it’s not all as intimidating as it may at first seem, you can actually download chapter 1, ‘Hornsea to Hull’, absolutely free! Just visit the following link:
 

 
And don’t forget to return this Saturday 8th March, when you’ll be able to purchase the complete unabridged account, in both physical and ebook formats, from the following page:
 

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail’: Some Lovely Pictures!

It’s a mere 8 days until my latest project, ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ is unleashed on the world! Don’t forget to visit the following link to find out more and pre-order your copy:
 

 
To celebrate, today I thought I’d share some of the lovely photos that I took on the route, and which can be found within the book. Because don’t forget, as well as more than 23,000 words there are also over 140 full-colour photos to be savoured and enjoyed within, cataloguing every stage on my (and my thumb’s) coast-to-coast journey! Here are just a few to whet your appetite…
 


























‘The Last Man Left on Earth’: Live Performance

Today I would like to share with you a video of a song that I wrote several years ago, receiving its world premiere live performance!

The song I’m referring to is called ‘The Last Man Left on Earth’, and is a duet from my musical ‘It’s Not Really the Apocalypse’. It’s not so much a love song as it is a ‘chat-up’ song, and involves the character Gary making amorous advances to Lizzie, only to be well and truly spurned in comedic fashion.

I was lucky enough to have it performed last May at a showcase evening in Stockport Garrick theatre, at which the following footage was recorded. It features the power team of Dominic Lo and Cate Berry on vocals, accompanied by pianist extraordinaire Alex Pollard. As ever, I hope you do enjoy!
 

Incidentally, Stockport Garrick will be holding another showcase evening on Friday 14th March 2025, and will include performances of a few more of my songs. Do come along and say hello if you’re free!

‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’ – Coming on 8th March!

The front cover of 'Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael's Left Thumb', with the text "Coming on 8th March. Pre-order at: www.michaelgrantmusician.com/shop"
It is with great pride and minimal ceremony that I announce the impending release of my latest project: ‘Walking the Trans Pennine Trail with Michael’s Left Thumb’!

In a change from my usual musical-themed endeavours, this time I’ve gone literary and written myself a little book. This 200-page chronicle gives a blow-by-blow account of my experiences walking a 215-mile coast-to-coast route a couple of years ago, all told from the unique perspective of my left thumb (for some reason). It’s fun, interesting, and a little bit daft, and even features lots and lots of pictures to look at if for some reason you don’t like the prose.

I’ll be releasing the book on Saturday 8th March in both printed and ebook formats, but you can already pre-order your copy to make sure you’re among the first to read it! To find out more and download a free preview chapter, have yourself a wee click on the following Internet Link:
 

 
Happy reading! : )