I joined a rock band in France

In the UK, my career had been developing ambulance services in various places across the world, while Kathy was the director of an NHS Trust.

I took early retirement, but when we moved to France I started working again, and took a job developing remote healthcare in third world countries.

I finally retired in 2017. 

When we arrived in France, we joined a local association called AFA (Association Franco-Anglaise) which has around 300 members, split pretty evenly 50/50 French and English. 

They run all sorts of leisure, cultural and sporting activities aimed at encouraging language exchange. 

They already had a trio who were looking for a drummer and, since my family gave me a drum kit for my 60th birthday, thought I was a great fit.

They also took on a second guitarist and a singer, so we are now drums, lead, rhythm and bass guitar, plus a saxophonist and a singer. 

We changed the band's name to Affability, which we chose because the first three letters are AFA and ‘affability’ means the same in both languages.

Retired and amateur

We are all retired, and play 1960s and 1970s rock and pop covers, including lots of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, Bee Gees, Serge Gainsbourg and Celine Dion.

We play at garden parties, nightclubs, birthdays, parties, fêtes – anywhere really!We played at the anniversary party of a garage once. 

We also play at events organised by the local Royan/Gosport twinning association. 

We do not charge for our performances, but we raise money for Restos du Coeur and the Croix Rouge. Sometimes venues make a donation and we always pass the hat around. 

We usually play for an hour, take a break, and then play a second hour.

Because we are strictly amateur and do not take any fees, we are not registered as an association and we do not have to deal with copyright issues.

We rehearse every Wednesday for two hours come rain or shine. 

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Great fun

It is great fun, has been a lovely way to integrate, and my French has improved a lot because we speak Franglais in the band.

We have made loads of French friends. My wife gets everyone up dancing and passes the hat around.

My drumming has improved after three years with the band, and we have fans who say the band in general has improved too. 

Drumming keeps me fit. Hauling the drum cases, the PA and the lighting in and out of every venue is a workout in itself, as well as playing for two hours.

To book Affability, contact affabilityband@gmail.com and to see their videos here.

How to get into music in France

The website bandmix.fr offers a free service putting musicians and singers in touch. You can filter results according to your location, genre of music and whether you are an amateur or professional.

Most bands start out playing for free in order to build a following and perfect their act. Look for scène ouverte events or opportunities to faire un boeuf (improvise) at un boeuf (jam session). These are often midweek.

If you want to charge for gigs to cover expenses, you need to start an association. 

If you aim to make a living, you need to choose between becoming a micro-entrepreneur or intermittent du spectacle. Various other options are available, including declaring a band as a business (SARL).

Leboncoin.fr is a great place to look for secondhand sound and lighting equipment, and instruments. 

Having a Facebook page helps raise a band's profile, and is a good platform to post contact details. A YouTube channel is also a good way to publish videos of the band in action. but most bands get gigs through word of mouth.

Finding a place to rehearse can be tricky. If all else fails, google 'studio de répétition'.