On Tuesday 22nd February I went to see Desert Storm at my favourite local’ish’ gig venue; the Craufurd Arms, Wolverton, Milton Keynes.
Regular readers will know that I have written about the band on a number of occasions (previous posts detailed below). The fact is that I have been to more gigs than I have written about, and I now tend to write something when I gain new insight about the band or its members.
The long overdue tour was intended to promote the ‘Omens’ album. That was released in 2020, but obviously the last two years have been miserable for the live music scene and the fellas couldn’t get on the road.
The 15th anniversary tour was originally supposed to arrive in Wolverton on the 24th February. That gig ended up being cancelled because of a booking clash at the Craufurd.
The show on the 22nd was supposed to be in Blackpool but got cancelled by the venue at the last minute because it was worried about the volume of pre-sold tickets.
Matt Ryan and I debated the state of advance ticket sales. The Blackpool venue was not willing to gamble on door sales; but given all the chaos over the last few years, you could expect people to want to buy tickets on the door instead of in advance… because at least they know the band has turned up and the gig is going to actually happen.
To illustrate, I was supposed to attend a Diamond Head gig in January 2021 (at the Craufurd incidentally); that gig got postponed to January 2022 and then got cancelled altogether by the covid-nervous and aging rockers. I got my money back, but only the face value of the ticket, not the booking fee, the insurance etc. So, no gig and I was still out of pocket. I’d much rather have taken my chances on the door.
After some hasty phoning around, the guys secured a last-minute fill in Craufurd slot and ended up arriving two days earlier than originally anticipated. It’s funny how things work out, Blackpool’s loss was my gain.
But the band’s gain was limited. Announcing a gig with 24 hours’ notice wasn’t going to be a ticket selling or even awareness creation success. The decision was made to make the gig free to access and the agreement with the venue was that the fellas wouldn’t get paid.
Then, to make matters more depressing, even though it was free, only a handful of punters turned up. I was one of them and thoroughly enjoyed the inadvertently socially distanced show.
The guys were philosophical about the turn out and, even though it was way below their usual expectations, put in a good natured and professional performance.
It just proves that the music industry is a tough mistress; the band has been going for 15 years, has a recording contract, has produced five albums, with a sixth in development … and still has to do the occasional gig for free, or in front of a tiny audience. But free isn’t accurate, the chaps have to fund their own transport, hotel rooms and other expenses. so a ‘make no money’ gig becomes a ‘make a loss gig’.
Reality, and it’s harsh, is that the band don’t earn a living from Desert Storm. The love of their craft keeps the band motivated, not the cash. Even after 15 years, the day jobs are still essential.
Coming to the gig itself, the band played a mixture of old and new tracks, the set list was as follows:
The original bass player was Chris Benoist, that meant two Chris’ in the band. Now there are two Matts instead. Then of course there are two Coles, brothers Ryan and Elliot; and two Ryans too – Matt Ryan and Ryan Cole.
For the band’s gig on 26th February, at Oxford’s O2 Academy, Chris Benoist will return to do the second half of the set ... and get the proper send-off he deserves. Chris White will play that show too, so there will be two Chris’, two Matts, two Coles and two Ryans. I may have got side-tracked here!
But I kind of got to where I needed to be anyway. I am going to the Oxford show, that means I’ll have seen the band twice in the same week. That’s a first.
Seeing the band again so soon is worthwhile because the band is that good. In my last gig review for British Lion, I stated that I wouldn’t bother seeing that one again. Unlike Tuesday, that gig was sold out, but ticket sales aren't an accurate gauge of the quality of the band. Desert Storm is a better band than British Lion and much more deserving of a full auditorium.
The good news is that the Oxford show, on the band’s home turf, has a significant volume of pre-sold tickets and is going to be a full house. Can’t wait.
Blog Home
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Previous posts:
17/02/15 Eating, drinking and rocking on the Cowley Road
19/03/15 Desert Storm and some other noisy bastards
10/12/15 Desert Storm at The Craufurd Arms – a gig review
10/08/16 Digression, Desert Storm and Honky
04/12/17 Ten year, cellar matured Desert Storm joy
04/07/18 Desert Storm and Karma to Burn at the Craufurd
Regular readers will know that I have written about the band on a number of occasions (previous posts detailed below). The fact is that I have been to more gigs than I have written about, and I now tend to write something when I gain new insight about the band or its members.
The long overdue tour was intended to promote the ‘Omens’ album. That was released in 2020, but obviously the last two years have been miserable for the live music scene and the fellas couldn’t get on the road.
The 15th anniversary tour was originally supposed to arrive in Wolverton on the 24th February. That gig ended up being cancelled because of a booking clash at the Craufurd.
The show on the 22nd was supposed to be in Blackpool but got cancelled by the venue at the last minute because it was worried about the volume of pre-sold tickets.
Matt Ryan and I debated the state of advance ticket sales. The Blackpool venue was not willing to gamble on door sales; but given all the chaos over the last few years, you could expect people to want to buy tickets on the door instead of in advance… because at least they know the band has turned up and the gig is going to actually happen.
To illustrate, I was supposed to attend a Diamond Head gig in January 2021 (at the Craufurd incidentally); that gig got postponed to January 2022 and then got cancelled altogether by the covid-nervous and aging rockers. I got my money back, but only the face value of the ticket, not the booking fee, the insurance etc. So, no gig and I was still out of pocket. I’d much rather have taken my chances on the door.
After some hasty phoning around, the guys secured a last-minute fill in Craufurd slot and ended up arriving two days earlier than originally anticipated. It’s funny how things work out, Blackpool’s loss was my gain.
But the band’s gain was limited. Announcing a gig with 24 hours’ notice wasn’t going to be a ticket selling or even awareness creation success. The decision was made to make the gig free to access and the agreement with the venue was that the fellas wouldn’t get paid.
Then, to make matters more depressing, even though it was free, only a handful of punters turned up. I was one of them and thoroughly enjoyed the inadvertently socially distanced show.
The guys were philosophical about the turn out and, even though it was way below their usual expectations, put in a good natured and professional performance.
It just proves that the music industry is a tough mistress; the band has been going for 15 years, has a recording contract, has produced five albums, with a sixth in development … and still has to do the occasional gig for free, or in front of a tiny audience. But free isn’t accurate, the chaps have to fund their own transport, hotel rooms and other expenses. so a ‘make no money’ gig becomes a ‘make a loss gig’.
Reality, and it’s harsh, is that the band don’t earn a living from Desert Storm. The love of their craft keeps the band motivated, not the cash. Even after 15 years, the day jobs are still essential.
Coming to the gig itself, the band played a mixture of old and new tracks, the set list was as follows:
- Black Bile
- The Machine
- Vengeful Gods
- Lockjaw
- Master Of None – new, unreleased
- Queen Reefer
- Mr Strongbatch
- Path Of Most Resistance
- Drifter
- Titan
- Scorpion
- Enslaved In The Icy Tundra (my favourite track of the night)
The original bass player was Chris Benoist, that meant two Chris’ in the band. Now there are two Matts instead. Then of course there are two Coles, brothers Ryan and Elliot; and two Ryans too – Matt Ryan and Ryan Cole.
For the band’s gig on 26th February, at Oxford’s O2 Academy, Chris Benoist will return to do the second half of the set ... and get the proper send-off he deserves. Chris White will play that show too, so there will be two Chris’, two Matts, two Coles and two Ryans. I may have got side-tracked here!
But I kind of got to where I needed to be anyway. I am going to the Oxford show, that means I’ll have seen the band twice in the same week. That’s a first.
Seeing the band again so soon is worthwhile because the band is that good. In my last gig review for British Lion, I stated that I wouldn’t bother seeing that one again. Unlike Tuesday, that gig was sold out, but ticket sales aren't an accurate gauge of the quality of the band. Desert Storm is a better band than British Lion and much more deserving of a full auditorium.
The good news is that the Oxford show, on the band’s home turf, has a significant volume of pre-sold tickets and is going to be a full house. Can’t wait.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
Previous posts:
17/02/15 Eating, drinking and rocking on the Cowley Road
19/03/15 Desert Storm and some other noisy bastards
10/12/15 Desert Storm at The Craufurd Arms – a gig review
10/08/16 Digression, Desert Storm and Honky
04/12/17 Ten year, cellar matured Desert Storm joy
04/07/18 Desert Storm and Karma to Burn at the Craufurd
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