Styckleback - WE'RE BACK!

We will be taking a weekend off playing this weekend before a very busy gigging schedule ( see gig guide). Hope to see you soon and thanks for your never ending support.
STEVE HOWARD ANDY KEV

Ex Twin Lizzy Drummer Steve Wright has taken over drummimg duties from Damien and after just 2 hurried rehearsals did a fantastic job at his first gig at Maguires (review below)

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Saturday night saw us down at Maguires in Leeds playing with new drummer to a great crowd who were really in a party mood and spurred us on to play until a quarter to one in the morning. This was one of those nights where we were on fire and gave it our all to a very appreciative crowd and the good comments they gave us after the gig were much appreciated. To introduce Steve we asked him to do a drum solo which left us and the crowd totally stunned and probably got the biggest cheer of the night, awesome!

After 5 years of drumming Damien and Styckleback have parted company we wish him all the best in whatever project he takes on next with his enviable drumming skills.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Its been brought to our attention that we have been advertised by blooz promos and The Duck and Drake that we re playing there this Friday which is news to us because our next gig there is 23rd of November, but if you want to see us this weekend we are at Maguires on Saturday night, hope to see you there!

Our gig at The Fox turned out to be another long one, finishing at 1oclock in the morning, but it was worth it to play in front of this great crowd that never know when to go home. Thanks to all the Fox regulars for turning up yet again and to landlord Craig for your hospitality and enthusiasm, hope to see you again when we play down the road at Bar Vida in 3 weeks.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
On Saturday we will be heading out to our all time favourite venue, The Fox, at Thorpe Willoughby. Lets hope it is packed to the rafters as per usual which create the unique "Fox" atmosphere, hope you can make it down.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Last Friday saw the Styckleback van heading west to play in Chorley where we won round some new supporters with a 32 song gig that brought a great response from the local crowd before we headed home in the wrong direction nearley sampling the delights of Blackpool, the joys of touring!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Fridays gig at The Roscoe was a real milestone for us playing our 300th gig and a great night it was too playing to a very busy pub, we thank everyone for coming down.A big thankyou to our friend and photographer Lloyd Spencer for capturing the night on his trusty camera. With more lights added to the stage it was bloody warm up there but we really enjoyed belting out 32 songs to complete a memorable evening

The following night we were in Shadwell to play The Red Lion where we have played twice before and had storming nights and this was to be no exception, playing to packed pub, the enthusiastic crowd really got into it to create a great atmosphere that we just love playing in.
We had to be finished by a quarter to twelve but the way we felt we would have played all night and had to leave with the crowd still shouting for more, another great night!

Another milestone is reached this Friday (26th Sept) at The Roscoe where we play our 300th gig so it would be great to have another full house for this special occasion, we cant wait. The following day we are at The Red Lion in Shadwell which has always been a mega gig for us, hope to see ya there. Sorry this site hasnt been updated or a while but we have had real problems getting it to upload

Saturday saw us at The Cross Keys in Morley playing to a full house yet again in this good venue. Thanks to everyone that came along for their patience after a few technical problems meant we didnt go on until a quarter to ten. This venue has improved no-end by the addition of the new stage which is big enough for any band to really perform and we really enjoyed the night and it was great to see a lot of faces we hadnt seen for a while. All in all another top night.

FIRST TIME AT THE STURDY LADS
The next night we headed out to Barnsley for our first visit to The Sturdy Lads at Monk Bretton, this was a last minute booking which meant the publicity was nil. We were greeted by the Landlord who told us things might be a bit quiet after the previous weeks Bank Holiday Drinking marathon which had left everyone skint, not the thing you like to hear has soon as you walk in. To be fair the turnout was reasonable and we were getting a good reaction, Once word gets about I think the pub will be packed when we return in November.

After our holidays we start our usual busy gig schedule at The Cross Keys in Morley where the crowds just seem to get bigger every time we play there. This is the first time we will play on the new stage and are looking forward to having enough space to really rock out.
Hope to see you there

KEV HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY

We interupted our holiday break at the weekend to play two fantastic gigs on the same day. Firstly we headed over to Squires at Sherburn after being invited to play The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show, a superb out door Charity gig organised by The Satans Slave in aid of The Air Ambulance Service. We were due on at 5 oclock but a P.A failure meant we had a half hour wait and then had to go on with no sound check and relied on the expertise in the sound tent to get it right as we played.
This was a great stage to play on and a great large, appreciative audience to play to but our 1 hour alloted time seemed to come far too soon. Thanks to everyone who came along and for all the good comments,it's much appreciated.
The minute we had finished our gear was been taken off stage by an army of roadies and packed away and off we went to our second gig at The Boot and Shoe in Ackworth. We have played The Boot many times but this was as full as we had ever seen it with a crowd that are just brilliant and that just encouraged us to really give it our all and rattled off 36 songs coming off shortly after midnight to complete a very hectic day.
Thanks to everyone for your support and see you all at The Boot and Shoe on the 6th of Sept

After a 3 week break we are back to gigging again this weekend with two mega gigs, the first one being at The Boot and Shoe at Ackworth which has always been a good one for us and then the following day we are playing The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show at Squires in Sherburn which will be a 5 o'clock start. Get ready to be Rocked!

We are just taking a short holiday break so our next gig will be on the 15th of August at the famous Boot and Shoe in Ackworth which will be a good warm up for the following days mega gig at The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show in Sherburn where we are on at 5 o'clock. Howard is then flying out to New York but will be back for the 30th of August at the Cross Keys which is the start of an hectic run up to Christmas, check the gig guide as more dates have been added and I dare say there will be more to follow.

See ya soon

KEV HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY

Saturdays visit to Bar Vida in Selby saw us play to a full house, probably the biggest crowd we have ever played to at this top venue and what a hot and steamy one this was with the air conditioning only being switched on during the second set. Its always a pleasure to play Bar Vida with its great stage and nice surroundings and playing to the people of Selby who really know how to party.36 songs of pure enjoyment, we cant wait to return!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
This Saturday we are retuning to a favourite venue of ours, Bar Vida in Selby, which has always been a mega gig,great crowd.
Hope that all our friends from The Fox at Thorpe Willoughby can make it down, it will be good to see you all again.
Get yourselves down to this cool bar, see ya there

ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD KEV

This was our first visit to The Spencers in Barnsley and what an enjoyable gig this turned out to be playing in front of an enthuisastic crowd that included our good friends from The Rakkiteers . We were all pretty knackered from the Travs gig the night before but the great atmosphere in this pub soon livened us up to do 32 songs and all thoughts of the previous nights Jack Daniels fest were forgotten. Another good gig at a good venue.

On Saturday we headed out to Stanley for our first visit to The Travellers and were pleased to find a good sized raised stage area for us. This was a satisfying gig where the crowd didnt know what to expect but we had the pleasure of winning them over and despite a few electrical gremlins we had a ball.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We are visiting two venues that we have not played before, on Saturday we are at The Travellers in Stanley for a 9.00pm start and on Sunday we have a 5 oclock start at The Spencers Arms in Baugh Green, Barnsley.

Last Friday saw us return to The Cross Keys in Morley and we were hoping for a big crowd for this well publicised gig including a bit of air time on Real Radio. Landlord Howard kindly let us set up on the dance floor to give us more room to rock out and it certainley improves the overall sound. By half past eight were set up and sound checked and were really wondering if the big anticipated crowd were going to turn up, we shouldn't have worried because 45 minutes later the place was packed to the rafters with new and old faces of every age group who seemed hell bent on having a good night which created the sort of atmosphere we love playing in. This was another one of those gigs that just flew by even though we ended up playing 34 songs including 5 encores to a crowd that were really up for it and were totally manic by the end and made this one hell of a gig.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
This weekends gig at The Old Oak as been cancelled after talks with the new management at this pub.

Photography Lloyd Spencer
We are really looking forward to returning to The Cross Keys in Morley this Friday (4th July), it promises to be a busy gig, with Styckleback follower Gary having his birthday bash down here and a bit of air time again on Real Radio, thanks to DJ Dave Rhodes, we are hoping for a great night.

Hope to see you there

KEV DAMIEN HOWARD ANDY

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
Last weekends triple header started on Friday night with our first visit to The Roscoe this year where we played to a 200+ crowd who seemed to enjoy every minute of this 34 song gig where the dance floor was full for most of the night, it's always a pleasure to play on this big stage that really gives you the space to rock out. Things nearly came to an abrupt end when Damien had chest pains but after a short break felt he had recovered enough to carry on and put it down to cramp after his non stop night of strenuous drumming.
Next day we headed out to Bolton to play Barnstormers where they are really trying to get the live music scene off the ground, this is a good venue run by a landlord and landlady that couldnt have been more helpful. This is a pub that gets busy later in the evening so we decided to not go on till half ten, even so, by the time we went on the pub was only reasonably busy but after a few songs we noticed the pub was filling with a very appreciative crowd. Another 33 songs later we came off to enjoy pizzas with the Landlord and barstaff to finish off a very enjoyable night.
We finished the weekend by playing a teatime gig at The Duck and Drake in Leeds which has always been a favourite of ours. Panic set in in the afternoon when Damien fell ill but a quick call to Jim who had only ever drummed with us once before, stepped in and did an amazing job to get us through the gig, top man! We were all a bit knackered from this busy weekend but this great crowd lifted us to play our hearts out to ply 2 sets and 9 encores before we packed up and went for a well earned Naffees curry.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
A busy weekend lies ahead and starts on Friday with our first visit to The Roscoe since New Years Eve and we hoping for a big crowd to play to at this great venue. On Saturday we are travelling to Bolton for a gig at Barnstormers and back to The Duck and Drake for a teatime gig. It would be great to see you at one of the gigs.

HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY KEV

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
Andy has now been with us for six weeks and the way he has fitted in you would have thought he had been with us from the start, great guitarist and all round good guy, get to see him in action at one of our next gigs!

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
We are having a weekend off this week but are back with avegence the following week with gigs on Friday 27th at The Roscoe, Saturday 28th at Barnstormers in Bolton then Sunday 29th at The Duck and Drake in Leeds City centre, we're looking forward to seeing you at one of the gigs.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
On Friday (13th June) we headed out to the Three Horseshoes in Otley for our second visit to this venue and like last time a big thankyou to everyone that travelled here to swell the numbers. This is a decent enough pub but it's popularity seems to be on the wain so for a band that feeds off the audience its probably never going to set us on fire.
Two sets, Three encores, Thank you and good night and off to bed just about sums it up, I think we will give this venue a miss in future.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
This was to be our first visit to The Crown and Anchor in Rodley and slightly tired from the previous nights gig in Otley we started to set up and soon had the stage area looking the biz. As the pub started to fill up we just got the feeling that this was going to be a good one and all thoughts of tiredness were forgotten as we ripped into the first numbers that got the sort of reaction from a full pub that we are more accustomed to and set the tone for the rest of the night, the atmosphere was brilliant.Nice to see that a lot of people that had seen us at a previous Rodley gig had come to this pub to check us out again
With all thre guitars now being wireless we all went "walkabout" table hopping during Damiens great drumming/singing performance of "Are you gonna be my Girl" which really went down well with this enthusiastic crowd. We had to be off by half eleven due to this pub being in a residential area but we still managed to belt out 36 songs to end a very enjoyable night.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Saturday night saw us back at our favourite venue, The Fox in Thorpe Willoughby which is always good one for us. Arriving early so we could enjoy a meal at The Fox was a great way to start the evening before we got down to setting all the gear up and sound checking to a pub that was not as busy as it usually is but as usual that was all to change once we started playing.The first set of 14 songs flew by and the inclusion of a couple of new ones were well received by everyone but it wasn't until the second set that the atmosphere rose to a typical Fox level as the pub became packed and we were giving it our all. Good to see all the usual suspects and new faces enjoying the night where Andy was having his first "Fox Experience". This is a venue where playing only two sets is never on the cards, we just want it to go on as long as possible so on we went for a third set which took us into the early hours of the morning as per usual and we enjoyed every minute of it and the crowd participation in American Idiot was just brilliant. Looking forward to doing all again in October where we we will be armed with plenty of new songs to unleash on this fantastic crowd. Thanks again for all your support.

KEV ANDY HOWARD DAMIEN

Photography : Lloyd Spencer
This Saturday we are back at our favourite venue, the Fox, in Thorpe Willoughby near Selby, where we have played some mega gigs to the best crowd that we have ever come across, and its the scene of many a 50 song gig for us. This will be the first time we will have played here since Andy joined us and we cant wait to show the new Styckleback line up to this brilliant audience. Dont let the half hour drive put you off, this really is one to see, miss it at your peril

See you there ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD KEV

Our weekend gigs started at The Lion in Cas on Friday night and it was one of those nights that was plagued by P.A problems. We played to a reasonable sized crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves but the sound problems which we were experiencing made it very difficult on stage at times and we went home a bit gutted.Least said the better.

Sunday night saw us at the 3 Horseshoes in Headingley and we were desparate to eradicate memories of Friday nights gig and I can safely say we did it in style. Playing to a good enthusiastic crowd we belted it out with attitude, the first 4 songs were played with no stops between them which got us off to a brilliant start and set the tone for the rest of the evening and it soon got the dancers up on their feet.This is a favourite venue for us with a great atmosphere, plenty of stage area, and fantastic landlord and landlady in Barry and Jan. We were enjoying every minute of this gig and Im sure it showed in our performance which was captured on camera by our friend and top photographer Lloyd Spencer, we cant wait to see the results which will be used to illustrate this site. By the time we had finished we had belted out 30 songs but were still shouted back on and did 5 encores to end a fantastic night.

Tonight (30th May) we are at The Lion in Castleford and Sunday sees us playing the 3 Horseshoes in Headingley which will be a 9.00pm start, hope to see you at one of the gigs

KEV ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD

Whilst other pubs reported poor turnouts we were lucky enough to attract a good sized crowd at the Boot and Shoe in Ackworth. This has always been a good one for us and this was to be no exception and with Andy playing his first gig on familiar Styckleback ground it was great to show off the new line up. This is the first time we had managed to squeeze in our full lighting set up and coupled with the already impressive lights at the Boot the stage looked awesome.It wasnt long before we got the dance floor full of regular supporters and a large crowd of andy's friends that had come along to see us in action.We did two full sets then got called back for 6 encores and then went back on for 2 more, this was turning into another boot marathon.Two old songs were revived and two new ones were slipped in which went down really well, lots of new songs will be added as we progress.Its really pleasing to us that the momentum of Styckleback carried on uninterupted by the line up change and the way that Andy has fitted in has ensured that, as Jay said "he is no shrinking violet", and that suits us fine!

Our next gig is at The Boot and Shoe which has always been a great gig for us and we are hoping for a big crowd for Andy's first gig on familiar ground.Voted Rock pub of the Year, The Boot is a great venue with big stage in-house PA and Lights and last but not least Landlord, promoter and all round good guy and friend Les Thompson who's enthusiasm for live music and copious amounts of falling down water is to be applauded
Hope you can get down to this special gig
See ya there ANDY HOWARD DAMIEN KEV

Well, after all the euphoria of the previous night we had to get back to business as usual with the much anticipated debut of Andy at a new venue to us which was The Clarence at Huddersfield. We arrived at 6.30 and set up in a good sized room and soon had it looking the part with our black drapes full lighting rig, new lazer, flash bombs etc, we were going to give it the full works. We had done all the rehearsals now we just wanted to get up on stage and show everyone the new Styckleback. By 9.15 the pub was only a quarter full but we went on and started with 20th Century Boy and set off the flash bombs and went straight in to Born to be Wild, amazing how quickly a pub can fill up The idea was to bombard them with songs with minimal pauses and it seemed to work and the first set was over before we could catch our breath. Andy just settled in like a pro and enjoyed evey minute of it and we didnt tell anyone that this was his first gig because he was so good there was no need to. It was only half time but we had turned a small apathetic crowd into a large enthusiastic one which fired us up to go back on for a repeat performance which was a signal for everyone to get up and dance. The punk numbers were going down great but just giving every song a bit of attitude seemed to bring a good reponse so much so that we were shouted back on for another 6 encores. The feedback from the crowd after the gig was brilliant and the landlord couldn't praise us enough offering us more gigs at his other pubs in Lancashire as well as a revisit to Huddersfield. Last word is for Andy, with only the minimal of rehearsals you were brilliant, we are going to have great times ahead.

Saturday night at The Miners was the venue for Jays last gig and the place was heaving with well wishers, musos and our loyal faithful to give him a send off to remember. Thanks to Tracey, Chris and Diane for all the party accesssories and effort you put in to make this a top night. Jay would like to thank everyone for the cards, Gill for the engraved tankard and Chris and Diane for the bottle of JD which he opened and kept him company throughout the evening.
The first set was kicked off with Vertigo which resulted in a fantastic response from the packed crowd and that set up the atmosphere for the rest of the night, MANIC! As Jay said on myspace, on the second set the dance floor turned into a mosh pit and we had to ask dancers to move back to avoid falling over the monitors and mike stands. We gave our new laser a blast and it looked brilliant and is going to be a great edition to future gigs.
The night was flying by, Jay was being fuelled by J.D to the point where he daubed I Love U Guys on his chest aimed at the band and audience unfortunately I had drunk a few sherberts as well and when I first read it I thought it said " I Love Guys" lol.
During the second set Andy was introduced to the audience and did Buck Rogers and Ever Fallen in Love as though he had been in the band years and it certainly gave him a taste of whats to come. Jay came back up to finish off the night in style, what a brilliant send off this has been .
Jays contribution to Styckleback extends far beyond the time we spend on stage and his leadership in the rehearsal room got many of our songs into the set in quick time.
Its been a great 5 years and 270 gigs, we have had some great experiences, great laughs, we have had highs and lows, tears and tantrums and reached heights that we wouldnt have thought possible when we first started, it will seem strange you not being up there on stage, we wish you all the best from KEV, HOWARD, DAMIEN.

The warm weather and a good a big crowd made Maguires one of the warmest gigs we had played for a long time, prompting the shirts to come off early. We wanted to deliver a good gig tonight for everyone that had come to see Jasons last gig in Leeds and Im sure no one went home dissapointed apart from a girl who had 5 pints of lager spilled on to her £120.00 shoes when Howard did his table walking routine and got it slightly wrong, table,beer, glasses and wine everywhere. Apart from that this was a gig that went really well and was a fitting last gig in Leeds for this present line up.Thanks to everyone that travelled to make it a memorable evening.

On Saturday 10th May we will be playing at Maguires and this will be the last time we will be playing in Leeds with this line up so get yourselves down to give Jason a good send off, this is going to be a great night!

So, whats going on in Styckland, well, rehearsals with Andy are going well and are on schedule for his 17th May debut at The Clarence in Huddersfield and he is chomping at the bit to get gigging.We now have a week off playing and rehearsing whilst Damien is on holiday in Rhodes, but it will give Andy a chance to learn his last few lyrics.
The new line up will be using our bigger pa system which has had a few improvements made to it, more lights to light up the drum kit and a lazer are also on the cards in the near future.
The last two gigs with Jay are looming fast so get it in your diary to come and see us at Maguires on the 10th May and The Miners on the 16th May to give him a send off to remember

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We have always had a good time playing at Bar Vida in Selby so we were looking forward to this gig. We arrived to set up at 6.30 and were ready and sound checked by 8.15 by which time the bar was beginning to fill up, I went out for half an hour and when I came back the place was heaving including many who had made their way over from The Fox at Thorpe Willoughby, we thank you. We kicked off at 9.15 and it was great to look over a crowd who were in dance mode making the sort of atmosphere we have become used to at Bar Vida. With the heat of the lights and a full house the temparature in the room was the warmest we had played in for a long time and by the end of the first set we were gasping for fresh air and a drink.
20 minutes later we were back on and picked up where we left off and it carried on like that for the rest of the evening right up to the end of our 7 song encore. A big thank you to everyone that came to see us a make it brilliant night, we really enjoyed it.

Next gig is on home turf at Maguires in Leeds so try to get down to this one which is Jason's penultimate gig, should be a stormer.

One of the new Cross Keys gigs was put on our gig guide for the 4th of May, it should read 4th of July, sorry my mistake, I will be shot at dawn!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We were back in action on Saturday to play at Stycklechick Emma's birthday bash and what a great night it turned out to be with a big crowd and great atmosphere. The venue was Gildersome Conservative Club, where they are not used to having bands play, but its small stage made a perfect drum riser which still left us acres of room to rock out and the acoustics were superb. Everyone was up dancing from the first song encouraged by Howard as only he can do, I dont think the regular club goers had seen anything like it but everyone seemed to be enjoying it, even the older end that had wandered in. We had to be off by half eleven by which time we had belted out 34 songs on a thoroughly enjoyable night, thanks Emma, the crowd you invited were fantastic, hope you had a great night.

I think everyone knows by now that Jason has decided to hang up his guitar to persuit other interests and give him more time for family life. After being with Styckleback for 5 years and 265 gigs we are sad to see him leave and it will seem strange him not being up there with us. Jason still has 4 gigs left before he leaves so it would be great if you could get down to one of them to catch him for the last time, especially his last gig which will be at The Miners Arms in Morley on Friday 16th of May where it promies to be packed out and we are going to have one hell of a send off, tell everyone you know to get themselves down!

SO, WHO WILL FILL JAYS SIZE 10s
After weeks of searching we have struck gold with Stycklebacks new member-to-be , Andy Jackson, and if rehearsals are anything to go by, the band have a bright future. Andy's first gig will be at The Clarence in Huddersfield on 17th May.

Styckleback Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Even though this gig at The Miners had only been booked 3 days earlier word must have got around because this was one very busy pub, a big thanks to everyone that turned up. It was another one of those feel good gigs with an enthusiastic crowd dancing on chairs and tables as well as the dance floor, fantastic. We kept it to two sets and 5 encores because we knew we had another gig the following day in Barnsley, not a lot more to report other than this was another typical Styckleback gig.

This Fridays gig which was due to be played at The Roscoe has had to be changed to The Miners Arms in Morley due to a mix up at The Roscoe which had another band down to be playing that night even though we had booked this gig months ago. With only 3 days notice the chances of getting another booking were slim so a big thankyou to Peter at The Miners for taking a booking at short notice. I hope everyone that was going to make i down to The Roscoe can come down to The Miners, we have had some fantastic nights at this venue.
Sorry for all the confusion, Hope you can make it down.

Jason Damien Howard Kev

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
At Sundays gig at The 3 Horseshoes we were lucky enough to have brilliant photographer Lloyd Spencer come down and take some "live" shots of us and the results are fantastic. I have been back in touch with Lloyd to do more live sessions, rehearsal shots and some promo photo's which we will use to illustrate the Styckleback website.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
This weekend saw us playing two gigs, the first one was on Saturday at The Old Oak in Liversidge, venue we have played twice before. We started at 9.30 to reasonable sized audience but after 5 songs we had almost turned into a human juke box because the reaction from the crowd was minimal but after that the applause got louder and louder with each song that passed and by the break we had one this crowd round. There were encouraging comments at half time from a crowd that really were made up of every age group and musical preference. By the time we came back on for the 2nd set the pub had filled up and truly woken up with each song getting the sort of reaction we are more accustomed to. By the time we had finished the last song the crowd were cheering for more which we duly obliged doing another six and then we were shouted back to do another two after that.
I cant say we enjoyed the quiet start but it does make it satisfying to turn an audience round.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
The next day we headed out to The 3 Horseshoes at Headingley where a previous visit saw us playing to a packed out manic pub.
On arrival things looked like it was going to be a quiet night with only a handful of people in the pub. With the stated 8.30 start time fast approaching there were a few people in but nothing like we had expected so we delayed till 8.45 which saw a slight increase in the body count so we went on and the reaction we got wasn' t as quiet as the night before but it was still "reserved". Just like the previous night things got better as the night wore on and the pub filled up until eventually everyone was singing and dancing and the shout for more once again rung out at the end of the gig so back on we went for another 8 encores. The only thing we can say about both these gigs is "alls well that ends well"