Session Diary - A Little Prspect

When it came to arena-sized solos Adam Goldsmith had to discover what sound was acceptable in the 80s

- Adam Goldsmith

This month I’ve been involved in a project that has proved more fun than many things I normally do: playing in the house band for the Children in Need Rocks. This 80s concert at London’s Wembley Arena included the artists Erasure, Mica Paris, Nick Heywood, Katrina and the Waves, Jason Donovan, an X Factor winner or two, OMD, Europe and various others. This has proved fun because a) The 80s are chock-full of comedy potential as well as some truly classic songs, and b) I don’t often get to play big rock guitar solos in arenas (then again, I’m not sure how many Persil adverts Kirk Hammett has played on recently, so horses for courses I guess).

The general premise of the gig was slightly odd, as it was filmed like a live TV show, but in an arena, so it felt more like a gig. I found one of the main challenges to be combining the performance element of a big arena gig with maintaining the accuracy needed for a studio date.