An Open Letter To: People Who Go To Gigs Alone

To the people who go to gigs alone,

I salute you. You are a hero. I am one of you, and I love you with all my heart.

Who cares if you get a few ‘looks’ or if you feel chronically aware of your insignificance in the world whilst standing alone, in silence between bands? The important thing is you made the effort to get down to the gig and support live music. That is something that needs to be championed.

We’re all getting busier, and sometimes schedules clash, you can’t find a plus one and you risk missing out on your favourite gigs purely because you don’t want to look like you’re socially inept. Going solo to a show is a challenging but rewarding experience (you already know this), and it’s great that you don’t let a lack of company hold you back.

I mean, mates are over-rated. If you think back far enough, I’m sure you’ll remember a time when a ‘friend’ ruined a gig for you (or vice versa). Perhaps they didn’t conduct an in-depth study of the new album before going to see the band live, or perhaps they spoke the dreaded line “I’m just not that big a fan of *insert name of favourite band here*” at the end of the show. Awful, just awful. That was probably the moment you decided to sever all ties and explore the possibilities of going it alone.

You made the right choice. Once again, I congratulate you.

So what are these possibilities? (again, you already know) but let’s share our wealth of knowledge with those on the verge of becoming solo gig-goers.

Firstly, it’s super easy to sneak down to the front when you’re on your own (you coy bastard), so your view is always better. Actually, you have complete freedom of movement whether you want to get to the front or not. You can side-step away from the couple who insist on eating each other alive throughout every song. You can glide away from the gob-ache behind you who’s boring their friend to death about what they had for lunch. And best of all, you can push that unfortunate soul who reeks of BO in to oblivion when you find yourself next to them in the mosh pit. You can behave how you like, move where you like, and leave when you like without worrying about offending anyone. Absolutely brilliant.

Jake Bugg knows the struggle/rewards of being on your one…

If you’re feeling brave (and don’t have a face like thunder) being alone in a busy crowd also gives you the perfect opportunity to talk to other people. I mean, you’ve all got something in common; you love the same band and you parted with your hard earned cash to get here to see them. If you look a bit forlorn and lonely, there’s a high chance someone within the vicinity will take pity on you and ask you a few questions so you don’t feel totally excluded from life. Bless those people, they are the people that make the world go round.

The down side to this, is that sometimes, those people are actually total creeps, and like that friend you ditched ages ago; they only came to the gig to get pissed, irritate you, and not listen to the band. You can avoid these timewasters by running away at full speed, saying you’re going to the bar, or hiding in the toilets until the lights go down. Generally though, when the band’s on stage, 99.9% of people don’t give a hoot whether you’re with a mate or not, and those timewasters will venture off to annoy some other lonely wretch just like you.

Always remember: it’s far better to go alone and love the living daylights out of live music, than it is to choose a plus one who can’t even be arsed to sneak off to the bar and buy you an over-priced pint.

Maybe you had a shit day at work and don’t want to talk to anyone. Maybe you want to make new friends in the mosh pit, or maybe you want to sneak out early to avoid the post-show pigeon-walk to the nearest train station. You’re a solo gig-going soldier. You’re a good person, and your lack of company is not a reflection on your glowing personality or your superior music taste.

The music industry needs you more than it needs those annoying fourteen year olds taking selfies whilst your favourite band’s on stage. Keep up the good work.

Yours sincerely,

Kate x (your equally lonely but optimistic ally)

P.S. Give us a wave if you see a blank-faced blonde girl with a bob cut standing on her own at the next gig. We all need a bit of reassurance sometimes.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut