London Bass Guitar Show 2013

London Bass Guitar Show
Olympia, London
2.3.2013

The London Bass Guitar Show was a wonderful event. Sprawling over a whole weekend - and filling a whole floor of the Olympia - the event offered far more than it's stated aim of ''promoting the art of playing bass to the general public.''

In addition to the many hundreds of bass guitars and accessories on display (some of which could be tried by anyone who wanted a go) the show offered a variety of masterclasses and stage performances.

Masterclass Rosta

Slap That Bass!

I'd booked my ticket for one reason - to see Lee Rocker on the live stage. However, I thoroughly enjoyed four masterclasses and two live performances, all packed into a particularly busy day.

The masterclasses were intimate affairs, part lecture, part performance and part question and answer. I attended the first one - featuring David Ellefson, of Megadeath - merely out of curiosity, as Metal is hardly my favourite genre.

David Ellefson

David's demonstration of bass playing, explaining the construction of the songs and the role of the bass as one part of the whole - left me eager to see more masterclasses.

Technique!

Q&A

Post-Masterlass Chat

Wojtek Pilichowski was up next. Explaining that his English was not good enough to guarantee he wouldn't inadvertently offend someone, he delivered his masterclass through an interpreter.

Wojtek Pilichowski

...Complete With Interpreter

Andy Irvine was a very interesting speaker too. He finished on a very thoughtful note, highlighting the healing aspect of music and how important it is to forget the competitive element and simply focus on spreading the word.

Andy Irvine

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I saw two live performances before the final masterclass of the day. After many years of waiting I finally got to see Stray Cat Lee Rocker. More on that in the next post.

Meanwhile, it was time for Jah Wobble to take to the stage. His performance was punctuated with generous helpings of wit and wisdom.

Jah Wobble

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Guy Pratt delivered the final masterclass of the day. He had plenty of stories about working with Pink Floyd, Madonna, Michael Jackson and others.

Guy Pratt

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He is a genuinely funny man and it came as no surprise to hear that he has his own stand-up comedy routine (in fact, I think we treated to most of it).

All of the events were packed out and the audiences were universally enthusiastic. The whole day had a very good feel to it and everyone I talked to was very friendly, from top artists to general punters. It also offered excellent value for money. My ticket for the whole thing cost just over £16.

For further details of the show, please visit the official website.