Bella Todd’s review writing workshop for gig buddies!
It was great to see Bella again! I am kind of new to review writing in the art scene. So it was great to join Bella’s workshop with some other gig buddies to learn how to write reviews for live music, I liked this challenge!
Here is her main advice for writing reviews
- If you get stuck, imagine you are speaking with friends
- Be honest! If something wasn’t right then say why
- You don’t have to cover everything
- Be creative with your descriptions
- You don’t have to say stuff in the order they happened
- Try and write the really interesting stuff
- Remember to record the bands name, date and venue
Things to review
- Stage set
- Band costumes
- The band’s body language
- Style of music
- Quality of sound system
- Accessibility
- Booking process
A fun task that I found very useful!
We listened to different fantastic, unusual songs, which I hadn’t heard of before, and compared them to weather, animals or ice cream flavours!
We compared some of the music we heard to Ben and Jerry’s strawberry cheesecake ice cream with chocolate sauce…. that must have been a good song!
Another song sounded like stormy weather, while another made me think of cats sitting on a windowsill.
Use easy, visual guides to help too. You can use film, drawings or pictures to help describe the gigs you go to.
Metaphors and similes
Metaphors and similes compare one thing to another thing.
For example; Coldplay’s music is like sherbet lemons in your mouth!
You can describe the style, atmosphere, pace of music and trend using similes and metaphors.
Are you ready to write a review about your last gig now?
By Sarah Watson
