Need a Dep?
Need a Dep?
Let everyone do their thing without having to worry about the replacement piece of the “jigsaw puzzle”.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE NOT AVAILABLE?!
Drummer gone sick/on holiday/been abducted by aliens?
No problem – give me a bell!
I genuinely like doing dep gigs; I like learning new stuff and it mixes things up a bit. And playing things you might never have played live before with people you haven’t necessarily met is always a challenge. I like a challenge, me. Unless it involves team sports. In which case not so much.
Anyway, if you need a drummer even at short notice, then get in contact and let’s get it sorted out. If I’m available and the specifics of the gig are do-able (notice, set, distance, venue etc) then I’ll do my damndest to make the entire experience as seamless as possible for your band.
Before we confirm everything though, please could you give this rider a quick once over? ("Rider" makes it sound more grand than it actually is, but I couldn't think of a better word!)
Here's the aim; let everyone do their thing without having to worry about the replacement piece of the “jigsaw puzzle”.
Honestly, there’s nothing worse than booking a dep and then being given a list of songs they know so you have to rework your set around them. Or them turning up (or worse not turning up!) and by song two everyone is tense because he or she is blatantly winging it. Been there, done that, still having therapy to cope with the nightmares.
Give me the gig; I’ll be there and I’ll know your stuff; I’ll even write charts and everything. That’s if I don’t know the songs or haven’t already got a charts for them. I have charts though. Lots of charts.
To help me to help you though I just need to sort a few things in advance.
This isn’t filled with a with a load of a stupid-ass demands; I’m not asking for bananas or certain coloured M&Ms to be removed from my presence. I’m just trying to make sure we’re all on the same page so the gig goes as smoothly as possible.
Obvious this one; please let me know what we’ll be playing on the night. The order doesn’t matter, just a list of the songs. If you think you might include a song but you’re not sure, then put it in the list just in case. I’ll need a running order on the night though or it’ll make the gig “interesting”.
COVERS
Please let me know each song title and the name of the band who did the original version or the version you cover. Saves embarrassing incidents like me having learnt “It’s My Life” by Roxette and the band actually starting the Bon Jovi number. True story. That was a fun few bars.
If you play it differently to the “standard” version that I’m likely to cue up on Spotify then please let me know the changes, or send me a recording of you playing it, a Spotify or YouTube link or something similar. Basically the nearer to your version the better.
ORIGINAL SONGS
Please let me have a recording of each song (doesn’t have to be a studio recording as long as I can hear it clearly) or a full drum score. I consider myself a decent drummer but I’m not psychic...or am I? No.
SONG TEMPO
I take tempos (yes I know it’s actually “tempii” but who honestly says that?) from the standard version, so if you want a song at a different speed, let me know what tempo you actually want. Usually I’ll “click in” each song unless you’d rather I didn’t. Just let me know what you want me to do.
SEGUES AND “FADE OUT” ENDINGS
What do you do live? Knowing this stuff in advance really helps.
VENUE ADDRESS
Please include the postcode. All the better to convince the Sat Nav to take me to the right place.
TIME OF ARRIVAL
What time is everyone getting there? I will try to get there 15-20 minutes before since it’s easier for all concerned if the kit is at least close to being set up before everyone else arrives. Drummers do tend to spread out like a pint of oil.
START AND END TIMES
Obviously this might change a bit on the night (football anyone?) but having some rough indication helps.
SPACE
Don’t stress if you’ve never played the place before and have zero clue. But if you have been there, please give me some indication of the amount of space available, especially if it’s really tight. It’ll help me make a sensible decision over what kit to bring. Also, if you want my gear set up in a certain place or facing a specific direction, let me know. Much less stressful for everyone than moving it all around once it’s set up.
PARKING
Like the above, don’t stress too much about this. I’m an actual adult human – I can sort it out. But it would help me massively if you happen to know about any weirdness. You know the sort of thing; you can’t park outside the venue because the neighbours go apoplectic and hit you with umbrellas. Or the car park entrance is only accessible through the back of a wardrobe. Or similar.
ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW
Could this be more vague and unhelpful? Erm, ok, just anything else you think of that might be useful for me to know. Things like “There’s a noise limiter but you can bypass it by an extension lead hidden under some seats”. Actually, come to think of it, anything about Noise Limiters. Or “the venue is usually stifling hot, so bring a fan”. Things of that nature.
THE SPLIT.
I know, I know; money is a touchy subject. However I do like to know in advance how much to expect at the end of the evening. I’m Scottish. Sue me.
One thing though; payment in cash on the night please.
I realise that might cause an issue if you have agreed payment by invoice with the venue so that’s why I mention it up front. No-one wants awkward discussions and trips to find an ATM at the end of a long tiring night.
MONITORING
I use in-ear monitors connected to my personal mixer so a general mix of everything going through the PA please or I won’t be able to hear the rest of the band. If you can tailor the mix more specifically then that’s great and we can play with it (given time) on the night but a general mix is usually fine.
I’ll bring 10m leads and adaptors for standard 6.35mm jacks and XLRs (male and female). If I’ll need longer leads or different connectors can you please let me know beforehand?
Honestly I’m quite flexible (oo-er missus) over most things but I won’t use wedge monitors. At all. Please don’t ask. If that is all that is available it’ll cause a major issue with me hearing the band as I’ll keep my in-ears in even if they have no feed to them. That won’t be good for anyone. Cards on the table - I’m not 14 anymore and my hearing is already bad enough so I’m protecting it from my own gear as much as anything else.
BACKING TRACKS
If you use backing tracks as part of your set then great – I love playing to backing tracks.
No really, I do.
All I ask is that you send them over to me well before the gig so we can avoid potential train wrecks. You can send the tracks over by email, via WeTransfer or a similar service or I’ll arrange an upload folder in my cloud storage. Worst case scenario we can use a carrier pigeon or I’ll turn up at your door with a USB stick. I don’t care as long as I get them well in advance.
If you could arrange the monitoring on the night so the click is in one ear and the backing track in another then so much the better. If not, everything in both ears but much louder than the band is fine.
VOLUME AND MICS
I have decent gear and both it and I are capable of producing quite a volume. Certainly more than sufficient for most bands and most venues.
However, unaided it’s never going to compete with a 1000 Watt MesaBoogie turned up to 11. Without mic’ing up, the kit and cymbals will only go to a certain volume no matter how hard I or anyone else hits them. And cymbals crack if repeatedly pushed over their limit. Then I cry. A lot.
If your band are used to producing volumes from your back line that would be more appropriate for Wembley (or if you are playing Wembley!) then please let me know and I’ll bring mics and a bigger personal mixing desk. Unless you have a sound engineer who is providing all the gear in which case job’s a good ‘un and I’ll be a very happy pixie.
All of this aside, it is usually a good idea to run the kick drum through the PA just to help it cut through a tad. Not essential unless I’m bringing the compact kit with the 18” kick in which case it definitely does need help from the PA on any remotely “rock-y” gigs. I always bring my own kick drum mic and appropriate leads though so you don’t need to worry.
On the other hand, if your gig is going to require a low volume then please let me know in advance and I’ll tailor the gear accordingly, probably by bringing an eKit. I'll check with you first though.
MULTIPLE-DEP GIGS
If I’m not the only member of the band that will be “depping” on this occasion, please let me know before we agree the gig. It’s not a deal-breaker but it makes my OCD play up something chronic to rock up and find that half the band are sitting in for the night. I’m not going to swan off in a Diva-like huff or anything, but could you let me know anyway?
If there are more than two people depping then, unless it's gig specifically billed as a jam session, I'd rather not thanks all the same.
NO KIT-SHARES
Please don’t ask for someone to “sit-in” on my kit.
Not the drummer from the support band, a best-friend, someone’s enthusiastic kid, the bride or groom, a surprisingly talented cat etc etc.
No-one. Unless I know them personally and we’ve arranged it before the gig. And even then I’d probably ask for a deposit.
This isn’t just me being an arse. I had gear permanently ruined by a punk drummer once who “sat in” on my kit and proceeded to beat the snot out of it with the sticks turned the wrong way round before I could restrain him. He grinned and walked away. It cost me a fortune to replace the damaged gear.
Never again. Seriously.
Chart List
These are just the charts I have written out, not an exhaustive list of songs I can play; I don't chart obvious standards like Mustang Sally (god help us all!), and the few I have are really just for BPM reference and to keep setlists in order.
Given a little time I'll chart anything in your set that I don't know, but if you need a dep at really short notice, these are all ready to go, complete with BPM notes.
- (Everything I do) I Do It For You
- 9 to 5
- 90s Medley (Keep on Movin', C'est La Vie, MmmBop, Wannabe)
- 500 Miles
- 634 5789
- Ace of Spades
- Addicted to Love
- A Design for Life
- A Horse With No Name
- Ain't No Stopping Us Now
- Ain't No Sunshine
- A Kind of Magic
- A Little Respect
- Alive
- All About That Bass
- All for One
- All My Life
- All Night Long
- All or Nothing
- All Right Now
- All Star
- All Summer Long
- All These Things That I've Done
- All The Small Things
- Always There
- American Idiot
- Animal
- Another Brick in the Wall
- Another One Bites the Dust
- Anything Could Happen
- Apache
- Are You Gonna Be My Girl
- Are You Gonna Go My Way
- A Thousand Miles
- Baby I'm Burnin'
- Baby I Love Your Way (Big Mountain)
- Back in the USSR
- Bad Moon Rising
- Baggy Trousers
- Bark at the Moon
- Basket Case
- Bat Out of Hell
- Bed of Roses
- Beds Are Burning
- Bedshaped
- Believe
- Bette Davies Eyes (Deshannon)
- Bicycle Race
- Billy Jean
- Black Velvet
- Blitzkrieg Bop
- Bohemian Like You
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Bootylicious
- Boys Are Back In Town
- Boys of Summer
- Brand New Day
- Breakfast In America
- Breaking the Law
- Bright Lights Bigger City
- Brimful of Asha
- Brown Eyed Girl
- Bubbles
- Buck Rogers
- Burn
- By the Way
- C'est la Vie (Bewitched)
- California Man
- Can't Get Enough
- Can I Play With Madness
- Car Wash
- Celebration
- Changingman
- Chasing Cars
- Chelsea Dagger
- Chop Suey!
- Cocaine
- Cochise
- Come Up and See Me
- Continental Op
- Cosmic Girl
- Could You Be Loved
- Cowboy Song
- Crazy
- Crazy Little Thing Called Love
- Crazy Train
- Creep
- Crossroads
- Daddy Brother Lover Little Boy
- Dakota
- Dance The Night Away
- Dancing In The Moonlight (Toploader)
- Dancing in the Street
- Dangerzone
- Dani California
- Days
- Dear Future Husband
- Dear Prudence
- Dear Rosemary
- De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
- Delilah
- Disco 2000
- Doctor Doctor
- Do I Do
- Domino
- Don't Believe a Word
- Don't Look Back in Anger
- Don't Stop Believin'
- Don't Stop Me Now
- Don't Want to Miss a Thing
- Don't You Forget About Me
- Don't You Want Me
- Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
- Down Under
- Dreams (Cranberries)
- Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
- Eagles Medley (Lyin' Eyes, Take it to the Limit, Take It Easy)
- Easy Lover
- Echo Beach
- Edge of Seventeen
- Eleanor Rigby
- Englishman in New York
- Enter Sandman
- Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
- Ever Fallen In Love
- Everybody
- Every Breath You Take
- Ex's & Oh's
- Faith
- Fall At Your Feet
- Fans
- Fat Bottomed Girls
- Feel Like Makin' Love
- Fergus Sings the Blues
- Fight for Your Right
- Figure It Out
- Find Me
- Fix You
- Flash
- Fool for Your Loving
- Footloose
- Force of Nature
- Forget You (Two Versions)
- Fortunate Son
- Freebird
- Free Fallin' (The Almost)
- Friends Will Be Friends
- Funky Nassau
- Games People Play
- Get Back
- Get Lucky (Three Versions)
- Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
- Gimme All Your Lovin'
- Gimme Shelter
- Girl All The Bad Guys Want
- Give Me The Night
- Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)
- Glad All Over
- Going Underground
- Gold
- Golden Touch
- Go Your Own Way
- Grace Kelly
- Hammer to Fall
- Hanging on the Telephone
- Harder to Breathe
- Hard to Handle
- Hate My Life
- Hedonism
- Hello
- Here Comes the Night
- Here Comes the Rain Again
- Here I Go Again
- Hey Jealousy
- Higher and Higher (Jackie Wilson)
- Higher Ground
- Highway to Hell
- Hocus Pocus
- Hold Back the River
- Hold On, I'm Coming
- Holiday
- Hot Stuff
- House of Fun
- Hundred Mile High City
- Hungry Like the Wolf
- Hysteria
- I'll Be There For You
- I'm A Believer
- I'm So Excited
- I'm Yours
- I Believe in a Thing Called Love
- I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
- I Can't Explain
- I Don't Feel Like Dancing
- I Feel Good
- I Fought the Law
- If You Don't Start Drinkin'
- I Get the Sweetest Feeling
- I Hear You Knocking
- I Love Rock 'N Roll
- In a Broken Dream
- Inside
- In the Morning
- Into the Valley
- I Only Wanna Be With You
- I Predict A Riot
- I Saw Her Standing There
- I Shot the Sheriff
- Is This Love
- It's a Kind of Magic
- It's My Life (Bon Jovi)
- It's My Life (No Doubt)
- I Want It All
- I Want To Break Free
- I Will Survive
- I Won't Back Down
- Jailbreak
- JaJa Ding Dong
- Jean Genie
- Johnny B Goode
- Joy Ride
- Jump
- Jumpin Jack Flash
- Jungle Boogie
- Keep on Movin'
- Keep on Running
- Kids in America
- Killer Queen
- Killing In The Name
- Kite
- Knock on Wood
- Lady (Hear Me Tonight)
- La Grange
- La La La, Naughty Boy
- Land of 1000 Dances
- Late in the Evening
- Layla
- Lazy Song
- Learn to Fly
- Let's Dance
- Let's Hear It For The Boy
- Let's Spend The Night Together
- Let It Roll
- Let Me Entertain You
- Let Your Love Flow
- Life in the Fast Lane
- Like a Stone
- Live Wire
- Livin' La Vida Loca
- Livin' on a Prayer
- Livin' Thing
- Living in America
- Local Boy in the Photograph
- Locked Out of Heaven
- Lonely Boy
- Long Train Running
- Losing My Religion
- Love Shack
- Lovesong
- Lyin' Eyes
- Madame Helga
- Maggie May
- Making Plans For Nigel
- Master Blaster
- Material Girl
- Merry Xmas Everybody
- Message in a Bottle
- Messin' With the Kid
- MmmBop
- Molly's Chambers
- Money (Beatles)
- Money (Pink Floyd)
- Monkey Wrench
- Monster
- More and More
- More Than a Feeling
- Morning Glory
- Moves Like Jagger
- Mr Blue Sky
- Mr Brightside
- Mr Pitiful
- My Girl
- My Sharona
- Nancy Boy
- Never Gonna Give You Up (Foo Fighters with Rick Astley)
- Never Gonna Give You Up (Rick Astley)
- Never Tear Us Apart
- Never Too Much
- Next To Me
- Nights in White Satin
- No One Knows
- Notorious
- Now I'm Here
- Now That We Found Love
- Old Time Rock and Roll
- Oliver's Army
- Once in a Lifetime
- One More Last Chance
- One Vision
- Our House
- Paperback Writer
- Paper Plane
- Paradise City
- Paranoid
- Parklife
- Patience
- Peg
- Place Your Hands
- Play That Funky Music
- Plug In Baby
- Pour Some Sugar on Me
- Power of Love
- Pretty Vacant
- Price Tag
- Proud Mary (2009 Live Version)
- Psycho Killer
- Purple Rain
- Radar Love
- Radio Ga Ga
- Rave On
- Ready to Go
- Rebel Yell
- Red Light Spells Danger
- Red Red Wine
- Rio
- Riverboat Song
- Road to Hell
- Rock'N Me
- Rock and Roll
- Rock and Roll Queen
- Rockin' All Over the World
- Rockin' in the Free World
- Rocks
- Rock You Like a Hurricane
- Rock ´n´ Roll Star
- Rollin' On
- Rolling in the Deep
- Rosanna
- Ruby
- Runaway
- Runaway Baby
- Run To You
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
- Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
- Save Tonight
- Scooby Snacks
- Seven Seas of Rhye
- Sex on Fire
- Shake
- Shake Your Tailfeather
- Sharp Dressed Man
- She's So Lovely
- She Fucking Hates Me
- She Sells Sanctuary
- Should I Stay or Should I Go
- Shout Out to My Ex
- Show Me The Way
- Shut Up and Dance
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
- Since You've Been Gone
- Sin City
- Sir Duke
- Sit Down
- Sledgehammer
- Slight Return
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Smile
- Smooth
- Smooth Criminal
- Somebody's Knockin'
- Somebody to Love
- Something Got Me Started
- Song 2
- Sorrow
- SOS
- Soul Man
- Soul With a Capital S
- Stairway to Heaven
- Stand By Me
- Star Girl
- Starlight
- Still of the Night
- Stop and Stare
- Stuck in the Middle with You
- Substitute
- Sultans of Swing
- Summer In The City
- Summer Of '69
- Superstition
- Sweet Child O' Mine
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Sweet Soul Music
- Swords of a Thousand Men
- Tainted Love
- Take a Look Around
- Take It Easy
- Take It To The Limit
- Take On Me
- Take Your Mama
- Teenage Dirtbag
- Teenage Kicks
- The Bartender and the Thief
- The Best
- The Final Countdown
- The First Cut is the Deepest
- The Hunter
- The Importance of Being Idle
- The Middle
- The Mighty Quinn
- The One and Only
- The One I Love
- The Pretender
- There She Goes
- The Rock Show
- These Are The Days Of Our Lives
- These Boots Are Made For Walking
- The Trooper
- Things We Said Today
- Three Times A Fool
- Through The Barricades
- Tie Your Mother Down
- Times Like These (Album)
- Times Like These
- Time Warp
- Time Is Running Out
- Torn on the Platform
- Town Called Malice
- Town Called Ugley
- Treasure
- Tribute
- Tush
- Twist and Shout
- Unbelievable (Skin)
- Under Pressure
- Under the Boardwalk
- Up Around The Bend
- Uprising
- Up The Junction
- Uptown Funk
- Valerie
- Vehicle
- Vertigo
- Video Killed The Radio Star (Presidents of the USA)
- Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
- Walk This Way
- Wannabe
- Waterloo
- We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
- We Are The Champions
- Welcome to the Jungle
- We Will Rock You
- What's Up
- What About Now
- When You're Gone
- Where the Streets Have No Name
- Whiskey in the Jar
- Whistle For The Choir
- Whole Lotta Rosie
- Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under
- Who Wants to Live Forever
- Wicked Game
- Will It Go Round In Circles
- Wipe Out
- Wishing Well
- Wish You Were Here
- With or Without You
- Won't Get Fooled Again
- Word Up (Gun)
- Working On It
- Wuthering Heights
- You're My Best Friend
- You Belong To Me
- You Can't Hurry Love
- You Can Call Me Al
- You Give Love a Bad Name
- You Know My Name
- You Make My Dreams Come True
- Young Hearts Run Free
- You Oughta Know
- You Really Got Me
- You Shook Me All Night Long
- Ziggy Stardust
- Zombie