Reviewing gigs

I do enjoy going to concerts, Songkick reckons I've got over five hundred under my belt. But for reviewing them and getting it done properly there's so much effort involved. I can't just let it go, so here's a list of what I do:-

• Go to gig
• Take photies of gig on old IXUS 50 digital camera
• Take photies of gig on Blackberry
• Tap out a review on Blackberry and email to blogger
• Go home
• Log on to blogger and check for typos, add tags and links to bands websites
• Upload camera photies to flickr
• Pimp photies on Twitter
• Crop and adjust photies in photoshop to make them cool
• Add photies to review
• Log the gig in Songkick
• Add photies in Songkick
• Add reviews in Songkick
• Pimp the reviews on Twitter

It takes hours and hours.

And why do I do it? Well, cos no one else is going to. Aye, in the great scheme of things it doesn't matter, but for the bands and the music scene, I reckon this sort of thing is vital. I increase the number of poeple at the concerts by at least one, I increase the number of reviews of the band on the internet by one, the number of photies, the opportunities and the chance of other people hear about the band, and hear the music.

Its not exactly a thankless task, I get no money for it, but bands are broadly grateful and occasionally buy me a drink, occasionally they leave comments on the blog and the traffic increases by a few hits.

Sometimes I think I'm wasting my time, but then, I do it for love.

If only there was some way I could be paid for this sort of thing.