'Hey, let's form a group and save the youth club from evil property developers!'

This optimistic, but unlikely scenario seemed to be a staple of those late '50s/early '60s youth movies: Cliff's The Young Ones, for example. When I came to play in bands, in the mid '60s, the reality was somewhat more problematic than Cliff and the Shadows had led me to believe. As a result, televisions were dismantled, and tall, anorexic PA columns loaded with eight-inch elliptical speakers were produced, whilst large tape recorders were used as guitar amps. Oh yes, a bass player then always seemed to be the kid who couldn't really play and didn't have a bass, but was prepared to let his guitar's E and A strings flap round his ankles. Somehow, we still managed to gig, but it was often very frustrating to scratch around for gear. And we never even got to save a youth, let alone a youth club.

In more recent years, until the dawn of the '90s, it seemed that a gigging band wouldn't even play the 'Newt and Firkin' without towing in at least half a dozen spare guitars, giant bass bins, racks of outboard effects, and a giant cooling fan behind them, as well as the usual gear. The needs of the average gigging musicians had, in reality, grown huge and, frankly ridiculous. I was as guilty as anyone and freely admit to a temper tantrum at one gig when my monolithic guitar rack refused to function. The Cult's 'Sanctuary' just didn't sound the same without flanging, reverb, overdrive, delay, and compression, not to mention the noise gate. And believe me, with all those effects a noise gate was essential!

Today, however, the situation seems to have changed, and in my view, for the better. From amateur to professional, musicians seem to be a lot less inclined to indulge in the excesses of the '80s. Why, then, has this change come about? Well, I believe that it is all down to the current popularity of guitar-based melodic rock, Britpop, Indie, call it what you will. Put simply, the musical form lends itself to a more rudimentary approach to gigging equipment and logistics.

Drum kits are getting smaller and consequently require less elaborate miking up. Bass players no longer have to wear surgical trusses in order to play their five or six string instruments and don't need huge cabinets capable of handling San Andreas fault-triggering frequencies. Guitars that hitherto displayed more pointy bits than a hedgehog in heat and a tremolo system requiring a PhD in quantum physics to adjust it are out, Gibson and Fender are back in. Combos are now more popular than stacks, and effects are limited to basic functions only. Keyboard players do not need a pile of technology resembling mission control at NASA — good Hammond and piano sounds are all that are needed. So, for instrumentalists, the trend is 'back to basics', with lower-tech, quality gear that is more reliable, more compact, and easier to set up and mike.

Paradoxically, the singers in the band are rescued by a high tech response from the PA industry. I refer to the emergence of compact, powerful, sophisticated PA systems. Why bother with separate amp, mixer, and FX units when they can all be contained in one unit, and in some cases incorporated into one of the speaker enclosures? Speakers? I will always remember the day I carried half my band's PA speakers into a gig. They were those plastic Ramsa jobbies, and I had one in each hand whilst the bass player carried the other two. Contrast this with the occasion when I nearly gave myself a double hernia with one of those tall Marshall 4 x 12 PA columns. Of course, modern gear is far more transportable and can be carried in cars. No need for a battered, unreliable Transit these days!

There will be times when you are going to need a mega PA and backup guitars — it would be impractical and unprofessional to appear ill-equipped at larger venues — but, for the majority of bands in the real world of pub and club gigs, the self-imposed restraints outlined above are simply seen as the norm for gigs and not as restrictions. The consequences for young bands, in particular, are far-reaching — where an inhouse PA is available, it will be that much more effective with less signals needing to go through it, and the band's own PA will be less bulky, easier to set up, and significantly more efficient. As for cost, good systems can be bought new for around a grand and a half, and there is always the second-hand market.

For the first time in years, the needs of the musician are served by the gear, and not vice versa. More profoundly, the form of current guitar rock makes it easier for the budding band member to get up and running. No longer does our fledgling player have to learn a million solos and possess a mountain of gear before he even dares to set foot in front of an audience. The music is easier to play and I make no apology for my support of the simple — it doesn't have to be ornamented, decorated or complicated to be effective. The music may indeed be derivative, I acknowledge, but then again, aren't we all guilty of colouring our listening and playing with our own influences?

I realise that I haven't got the hair, figure, stamina, looks, and, above all, the youth to go out and play good rhythmic guitar pop. However, when it comes to music at home, I know who I'd rather listen to out of the Bluetones and Joe Satriani. So long, Joe!

Now, where's that evil property developer...?

Steve Cobham is a guitar teacher, who has also gigged regularly for 30 years. His heart is still in playing, but his back is sometimes out!