The inside scoop on my solo shows…
So this month I’m going to be answering some of the questions I get asked about my solo shows from how I prepare the songs to how I decide what to wear, and more!! Let’s get into it…
Over the years I’ve built up relationships with different venues who all work in different ways, with different tech systems and facilities, payment schedules and performance times so you have to be adaptable and work around them while also making sure the show you’re putting on isn’t jeopardised! I actually reach out to many venues, sometimes with no response which is frustrating but you always want to feel wanted so when a venue does get back to you and seems keen to work together that’s always really lovely!
I try to have 1 LIVE in person gig per month to give those who want to come to everything a chance to be able to do that and also allow space between shows to keep them fresh.
Alongside LIVE in person gigs, I have my monthly zoom concert so again that works quite well as it’s a lot of different songs to learn and I always want to do the best job for each show as every show is completely different.
My solo shows work really well as an intimate venue where there are around 60-80 people as this means I can see everyone in the audience and get to really interact with everyone and hopefully they really feel my emotion when I’m singing songs.
When it comes to picking a theme for a show, I like to keep things quite broad. Unless I’m specifically doing a theme of ‘swing’ or ‘Disney’ then I’ll always try to include a mix. Even when there’s a specific theme I’ll usually find a way to broaden the theme to include other songs. Mainly suggestions from fans but also just songs I enjoy singing! I do really like trying new songs but I have sung so much now that lots of songs do come back around in gigs and I do find that when I repeat a song, it sparks memories for myself and the audience of when I sang that song before and it makes quite a moment. I also find songs that are very well known go down well with audiences as they have their own attachments to those songs and enjoy hearing them LIVE.
I tend to start the set list by writing out all the suggested songs for that gig, plus songs I’ve been singing, plus songs that I feel could be relevant and normally end up with about 30. I then put these in a playlist and listen to them over and over in my car whenever I drive anywhere and sing along to them. This helps me learn the words and also can be a good exercise to work out if some don’t feel right and therefore I can eliminate them from the setlist.
I then find backing tracks for the remaining songs to rehearse to. Sometimes I change the keys here to maximise the potential of the song to allow the high notes to sit in the best place for my range. At this point again, some songs stick out or don’t seem to work as well as others and I can make another cut from the set list. I then practise along with the backing tracks and rearrange the set list if I feel I’ve sung too many ballads back to back and I need to decide on a good opener and closer for each half. Plus I need to think about an encore song (if people ask for more!) So by the time it comes to the show, I’ve probably sung each song more than 20 times!! Even then I still sometimes feel like I could do with just one more practise before the show but that’s the perfectionist in me!!
What to wear?? This is a difficult one as I always want to look and feel good on stage. Collabro always wore suits and that is a really good starting point as I want to look smart, but I also feel sometimes in these intimate venues I like to maybe wear a tshirt under my jacket just to give it that more comfortable element in order to make the audience feel more comfortable too as it’s not a red carpet dinner- maybe it could be!! Haha. I’d love to hear what you all think I should wear or is there a particular look you like me in- let me know!!
I got asked the question of what I would do if I got to soundcheck and a song wasn’t working. That’s actually never happened I think based off the process mentioned above but if it did, I definitely have songs in my wheelhouse that I can pull up to replace anything that wasn’t working.
Now I want to know what your favourite song I’ve ever sung is so please let me know! I genuinely love performing and hope I can continue for many years. I love meeting you all at the VIP meet & greets and also knowing every live show is different keeps it exciting.
Thank you all for your support,
Michael