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Living In The 80s are looking for you

So that you know what you are getting into with us, it is important that you read the following text:

Founded in autumn 2022 in the area of Northwestern Switzerland (Sissach), the band has the 80s in its blood and has set itself the goal of becoming the best 80s cover band in Northwestern Switzerland and the 3-country region over the next 5 years.

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Living In The 80s are (Photo from right to left):

Kathi Dienstl – Rhythm Guitar / Bass & Synthesizer / Backing Vocals

Martin Stöckli – Drums / Electronic Drum Modules

Dave Bechtel – Lead Vocals / Bass

Marianne Lauber – Keyboards / Synthesizer / Backing Vocals

Jörg Hurter - Lead Guitar / Backing Vocals

not on the picture

Fernando Geneto - Technik / Sound Engineer

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In the past 1 ½ years we have developed a repertoire of almost 2 ½ hours, which covers the wide range of the 80s between pop, rock, new romantic, synth pop, dance and electronic in a versatile and colourful way. LIT80s pay homage to some 80s acts (Queen / Depeche Mode / Simple Minds / Bryan Adams), so to speak as a trademark of the band, their own show blocs with shortened versions of their greatest hits or pack them into gripping medleys (e.g. The Alan Parsons Project & Pink Floyd).

Over the past few months, we have done a lot of promotion with videos we made in the rehearsal room and have already gained over 400 followers on Facebook. We created a professional homepage and wrote to a wide range of promoters in late autumn. Now we are ready for the stages of this world to reap what we have sown. For the first half of 2024, we have already managed to organise a few concerts in north-west Switzerland (including an open air as the main act in front of around 500 people).

On 27 April 2024, we had our live premiere in front of 120 people at the totally sold-out Fat Attack in Dornach and the frenetically acclaimed concert showed us that we are on the right track with our performance and repertoire. However, we have been thinking for some time that our lead guitarist Jörg Hurter is a very good guitarist and a lovely person, but that he has far too many other musical projects going on in addition to Living In The 80s, which are also important to him. Jörg also doesn't have the same passion for the 80s as the rest of the band. We realised in conversation that this would not be compatible with the band's objectives in the long term, as Jörg's busy schedule would also make it difficult to find concert dates together. That's why we jointly agreed to look for a new lead guitarist. Until a new lead guitarist has been found, Jörg will continue to support us on concert dates.

 

So, after this somewhat lengthy introduction, we have now arrived at the here and now:

Living In The 80s are looking for an incredibly good lead guitarist and finding that person won't be easy. You have to have the 80s in your blood and be willing to put your heart and soul into this band, because the rest of the band members of Living In The 80s have that spirit. We are not all professionals, but we work very goal-orientated and invest a lot of time in this band.We are professionally organised (rehearsals / distribution of tasks / social media / booking etc.) and have high-quality equipment at our disposal. We simply want to achieve something great with this band. The financial aspect is of secondary importance to us.

How good are Living In The 80s musically? To find out, go to our homepage https://www.livinginthe80s.ch/ and click on "The Rehearsal Sessions" or "The Live Sessions" in the top right-hand corner under "Videos". There you will find various clips that we have recorded in the rehearsal room, as well as live clips from our performance at Fat Attack. ATTENTION: Don't despair, unfortunately it takes a little longer for the pages to load.

The range of great songs from the 80s is huge and we're only just starting out with the song selection and the live show. But we have to admit that we don't like 80's rock and metal bands like Mötley Crew, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Aerosmith or AC/DC because our lead singer doesn't have the rock voice that these artists need. Besides, there are already enough cover or tribute bands that have dedicated themselves to these bands.

The band will be based in the north-west of Switzerland, but should be able to be booked throughout Switzerland and in the 3-country region, which is why we are also very open to a guitarist from the Bern / Aarau / Solothurn / Zurich area or from southern Germany.

What does Living In The 80s expect from you as a guitar player:

  • The wide range of pop / rock / disco etc. and as already mentioned: Queen, Pink Floyd and Simple Minds are an integral part of our repertoire. That's why you have to be confident that you can play solos by Brian May, David Gilmour or Charlie Burell 1 to 1, both in terms of flow and sound. 

  • For the Queen Showbloc, our lead singer Dave will put on a Freddie Mercury outfit and come on stage together with Brian May (i.e. with you). You will also need to be dedicated to visually matching Brian May (wig /outfit)

  • A good band needs good backing vocals. Our two women in the band have been given a mic and now sing good backing vocals. However, we need a 3rd voice in some places, which you will have to take over.

  • In order to play songs as faithfully as possible, we sometimes work with backing tracks. It is therefore a must that you work with "in-ear" monitoring. The technology for this is available.

  • In a band with such a wide range, it is not possible for the lead singer to play all the songs in the original key. You have to be willing to adjust the keys of some of the songs by 1/2 tone or a whole tone.

  • Every successful band needs a captain. In our case, it's our lead singer Dave Bechtel who pulls the strings. We vote on a lot of things democratically as a band, but ultimately we need a leader who has the final.

  • We are travelling as a modern "silent band", playing with electric drums and in future we will be playing guitars and bass directly from the effects board into the stage rack mixer. In this respect, amps will soon be a thing of the past for us. 

  • Regular rehearsals

  • Scheduling flexibility for band rehearsals and concerts. You are welcome to pursue another musical project, but this band must be your top priority 

  • Collegiality and helpfulness  

  • Assistance with administrative work within the band and for promotion

  • Assistance with transport and assembly of PA system

  • Transport option for own equipment

  • Awesome outfit at concerts

  • Share of rehearsal room rent of CHF 50.00 / month

What Living In The 80s offers you:

  • Air-conditioned or heated rehearsal room with car park and toilets in CH-4450 Sissach BL

  • Professional PA system

  • Band and sound technician as a permanent band member

  • Broad network of event organisers in Northwestern Switzerland

  • Good networking on social media

  • Great friendships and lots of great experiences

  • Frenetic audience

  • Hard work, fun and poor pay*

*) Fee is rounded after deduction of 20 % (general costs for technology, drinks etc.) and divided by 6 band members

If you've read everything and are still on fire for this band, you should definitely get in touch with Dave Bechtel on 079 444 89 55 or livinginthe80s.ch@gmail.com We look forward to hearing from you.

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