Gigaweek

2011 - The Year of the Gigaweek

No, it’s not a legendary or mythical creature. Nor a year consisting of a billion weeks. Neither is it a computing term of any kind. That would be ridiculous. . .

It’s not just a made up word with no meaning as you may have suspected (it is).

Gigaweek is not a nonsensical term. It’s sensical. It is in fact a portmanteau (or a portmanthree if you will).

“Utter bollocks!” I hear you cry. Okay, I’ll stop.

Gigaweek, is a challenge.

A challenge for me and my brother Sandro, set by me and my brother Sandro. Those pesky buggers.

“But what challenge exactly?” I imagine the more enthusiastic among you are thinking (with emphasis on the word imagine).

“Get on with it you fool!” I hear from elsewhere (Sandro, reading over my shoulder).

The challenge, as the name implies, is to attend at least 1 gig a week for the entirety of 2011.

Obviously, your reaction to this challenge is subjective. It’s all relative, as my uncle’s father used to say to his wife’s husband’s son’s dad. In this case, relative to your own gig-going activity. Some people may comfortably manage a gig a week, maybe even double or triple that.

Music Journalists, A&R men, regular frequenters of Drowned In Sound’s message board, I’m referring to you.

Of course, most musicians may comfortably average well over a gig a week as well, including their own (maybe not including their own as well).

Those who fall into this category may possibly feel that the Gigaweek challenge, is not worth writing or indeed reading about. If this applies to you, and you are still reading, this is your last chance to stop, or else you will lose all my sympathy.

Still there? No? Oh. . .

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Yes? You fool. 

You’ve only yourself to blame from here on in.

By comparison with the regular gig-goer, others may only attend a handful of gigs a year, and there are even some people who have never been to a gig in their lives. Amish people for instance. But this challenge isn’t about how many gigs per week you or the Amish average. It’s about the two of us attending at least one gig, every single week of the year. Still unimpressed? 

Yes? This isn’t going well.

So where do my brother Sandro and I fit in this continuum of gig-going? In the 10th percentile to be precise. It’s true, I drew a graph and everything. I also made up all the figures so it’s probably not that useful. Somewhere in the middle of the top anyway.

Regrettably (but understandably), neither of our jobs are connected in any way to the music industry, although they do sometimes let me touch the radio in my office. Like most of those message boarders I referred to earlier though, we do like live music more than the average bear. Not quite as much as the dancing bear or Bear Grylls, but that pair are far from average.

We initially resolved to attend at least one gig a week in 2010. Unfortunately, by January 8th we had failed miserably. At least we outlasted most New Year’s Resolutions.

Throughout the year, I probably averaged about one gig a month (counting the annual pilgrimage to Glastonbury as one gig that is). One gig a month is pretty poor going for a person purporting to be a hardcore gig-goer, which is why I’m not purporting to be a hardcore gig-goer. Sandro however. . . 


Well, Sandro may have managed a couple of gigs more than I did through the year, but nothing like Gigaweek proportions. 

Our records were not too dissimilar in 2009, which prompted the idea of Gigaweek. An idea spawned in the sprawling mind of Sandro. I thought of the name though, which is clearly more important. Not many people have the power to perceive how Sandro’s mind works (fewer the desire) but I believe Gigaweek was conceived as a result of an urge to see more live music, and to spend fewer nights in front of the TV. 


I wasn't born this perceptive. It's taken a few blows to the head to get me this far.

Having failed in 2010, the spark was reignited after a double header of gigs in December. Arcade Fire on Thursday 9th in Cardiff, followed by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s 999th gig the next day in Bristol. Two gigs in two days, I know, who wants to touch me? Anyone?

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Of course, going to watch a band or musician is neither a challenge or chore. It’s entertainment. A luxury and a privilege for anyone who can afford it. So if you’re choosing to do something that you have to pay for, how can you possibly fail, if you really want to succeed? Well, there are endless reasons.

A year is a long time, and there are all kinds of events that occur during the year to derail you. Some are planned and expected. You can account for them and organise around them, such as a summer holiday or a stag do. But some are unplanned and creep up on you, such as your birthday.

A lack of discipline or commitment. Money issues. Work issues. Tissues. The list of reasons is endless, but that's about the end of it.

You may also find yourself making excuses or using reasons that are imagined or exaggerated. For instance, in the first week of 2010, the reason we failed to attend a gig was because Sandro wanted to reread all the books in the Twilight saga and reorganise his collection of Taylor Lautner photos.

The reason we didn’t manage a gig in the 2nd week, was that I was busy in Africa, teaching poverty stricken kids how to fish.

Admittedly, one of those reasons isn't true. All I know is that I don't know how to fish.

But mostly, I think you just get lazy. Or one gets lazy. Or I get lazy. I’ve frequently been described as laid back, by people too polite to call me lazy, but there’s laid back, and there’s lying down, and I’m often guilty of the latter. Including now.

Therefore, finding an excuse, or allowing Sandro to get away with an excuse that shouldn’t really be acceptable, such as wanting to stay in to comb his beard, was never a problem for me. I blame money, time constraints, football and not wanting to drink too much, for reasons I don’t fully understand.

In truth though, there’s nothing in either of our lives that can’t be worked around if we’re committed to the Gigaweek challenge. There are no kids for either of us to feed (Thank God, the Helen Lovejoys among you are thinking). And you don’t have to drink to enjoy a gig. It just helps.

If you can’t spare a few hours a week to do something that you love, what can you spare them for? Shit TV?

Consequently, the reason for this blog, is to encourage the necessary discipline, and provide the motivation required to succeed in the Gigaweek challenge. Wish us luck. Or don’t. It won’t really make any difference, and if anyone overhears you they might think you’re weird.

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The rules of the Gigaweek challenge:

1 - The challenge requires that participants attend at least 1 gig per week, over the course of a 12 month period, commonly known as a year. (That’s year, pronounced to rhyme with fur or beer, but never pear. Unless you’re a bit kooky, or struggle with English in general. Lyke me.)

2 - 2011 begins and ends on a Saturday. For the purpose of this challenge, a week will run from Saturday-Friday. The 53rd week of the year therefore, consists of one day: Saturday 31st December 2011. This day shall henceforth be known as 'New Year's Eve'.

3 - A gig, is defined as live music which requires the purchase of what’s commonly referred to as a ‘ticket’ to attend. I’m not saying that’s the actual definition of a gig, but that’s our definition, which means live comedy doesn’t count, and nor sadly do pub singers/bands, as enjoyable as both can be. Novelty folk music does count, but seeing as we saw Flight of the Conchords in 2010 and they’re not due to tour the UK in 2011, I’m not sure why I bothered to make that point.

4 - My brother and I don’t need to attend the same gigs, or any particular gig together. This rule was his idea. If you’ve met me you’ll probably understand why he suggested it.

5 - We live in the glorious city of Cardiff, which has a variety of venues that range in size and quality, and attracts some fantastically talented musicians, and some pretty shitty ones too. They all count though. But, seeing as in life, variety is spicy (or something vaguely similar), we must attend at least one gig a month outside Cardiff.

5b - And if you think it still sounds about as spicy as a chicken korma, to add further spice, we must attend at least one gig during the year outside the UK. In hot pants.

N.B. I reserve the right to amend any of these rules, should I need to cheat at any stage. Especially the hot pants abroad rule.

P.S. Yes, Sandro is his real name. Honest.

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What people are saying about Gigaweek:

“What’s Gigaweek?”

- You


“I couldn’t give a stuff.”

- Everyone else

“Gigaweek - Gimmicky? Yes. It’s a bit like the film 9 songs, but with less gratuitous sex between the two leads. Thankfully. And it’s not a film.”

- The Author's Father.

“The last thing you’ll read by this author.”


- I.P. Freely

“The best thing you'll ever read.”

- This Author


“What a stinking pile of shit.”


- The Author's Mother.


“I really am a complete twat aren’t I?”

- The Apprentice’s Stuart Baggs The Brand


(Disclaimer: The above quotes are entirely fictitious. Except the last one. . . and the one above it.)

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The Itinerary so far (There’s a fair bit of work to do):

January

1-7 - ?
8-14 -?
15-21 -?
22-28 -?

February

29-4 -?
5-11 - ?
12-18 - NME Shockwaves Tour
19-25 -?

March

26-4 -?
5-11 -?
12-18 -?
19-25 - Elbow
26-1 -?

April

2-8 -?
9-15 -?
16-22 -?
23-29 -?

May

30-6 - Camden Crawl
7-13 -?
14-20 -?
21-27 -?
28-3 -?

June

4-10 -?
11-17 -?
18-24 - Glastonbury
25-1 - Glastonbury

July


2-8 -?
9-15 -?
16-22 -?
23-29 -?

August

30-5 -?
6-12 -?
13-19 -?
20-26 -?
27-2 -?

September
3-9 -?
10-16 -?
17-23 -?
24-30 -?

October

1-7 -?
8-14 -?
15-21 -?
22-28 -?

November
29-4 -?
5-11 -?
12-18 -?
19-25 -?
26-2 -?

December

3-9 -?
10-16 -?
17-23 -?
24-30 -?
31 -?

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