Can I just agree with everybody so that no-one shouts back? Manic, your original post was perfectly fine but IMHO your repsonse to Loungelyzard was excessive and added nothing to this discussion. Can we cool it please?

Back to the plot. I play in a duo with a drummer. I believe having a live drummer gives us an edge (usually) over the "backing tape" brigade, because we can be extremely dynamic (or loud, depending on your viewpoint). Over the 20+ years we have worked together, I've had one punter wander up and say "you're a good band but the drums are too loud".

I do OMB gigs too, and whilst I miss the drummer I still reckon I can get the dance floor filled by the simple expedient of playing tunes people like! The playlist is critical here. Me + my drummer have well over 10 hours of varied material in our heads before the dots come out; this gives us the ability to react to changing "mood" as it happens. I feel that going in with a "we do these songs in this order" is almost a recipe for failure.

It would be nice to play in a 5 piece+ band but I tried that when I was younger and the aggro involved (rehearsal logistics, ego's) was just too much for the benefit gained.