Gigging

About the Book

Oscar has always lived for the night. The pulse of a crowd, the sweat and chaos of a packed venue, the promise that something unforgettable might happen if he just stays out a little longer. He's a swaggering hedonist with a talent for running from responsibility, hiding behind jokes, bravado, and whatever distraction keeps him from looking too closely at himself. Music is his religion, nightlife his sanctuary, and growing up is something other people do. So when Oscar stumbles into the chance to relive some of the greatest gigs in history, he doesn't hesitate. Why would he? One moment he's drifting through another messy night; the next he's shoulder‑ to‑ shoulder with the birth of punk, lost in the haze of Madchester, or watching legends before they were legends. It's everything he's ever wanted - a backstage pass to the moments that shaped him, the scenes he worships, the culture he never quite fit into but always chased. But the more Oscar indulges, the more the cracks in his real life begin to widen. Nights blur. Days vanish. The people who care about him start slipping away, pushed aside by his obsession with the past. What began as the ultimate thrill becomes something darker: a way to avoid the truth he's been dodging for years, and a dangerous escape from the responsibilities he's never learned to face. As the consequences of his choices spiral, Oscar is forced to confront the chaos he's unleashed - and the version of himself he's been running from. The device that once felt like salvation now threatens to destroy the fragile life he's built, along with the one relationship that still matters. To put things right, he'll have to stop chasing the nights that made him and finally reckon with the man he's become. Set against the thrum of Britain's music underground, Gigging is a darkly funny counterculture thriller about nostalgia, self‑destruction, and the seductive pull of the past. It's a story for anyone who's ever lost themselves in a crowd, loved a scene too hard, or looked back at a moment and wished they could live it all over again - even when they know they shouldn't. Sharp, chaotic, and unexpectedly heartfelt, Gigging asks a simple question with dangerous answers: What happens when mankind's greatest invention ends up in the hands of an idiot?

About the Author :
Mick Beatle is a writer, DJ, promoter, and the founder of Havok Records, a label and creative project that championed independent music and countercultural voices across the North West. Though Havok Records is no longer active, its spirit - DIY, loud, and defiantly community‑driven - continues to shape Mick's work and the stories he tells. Rooted in Britain's underground music culture, Mick's fiction blends dark humour, emotional honesty, and the lived texture of late nights, small venues, and the people who build their identities around sound. His writing explores nostalgia, self‑destruction, and the messy, magnetic pull of scenes that feel like home even when they're falling apart. With years spent promoting club nights, supporting grassroots artists, and documenting the chaos and creativity of nightlife, Mick brings a rare authenticity to his storytelling. Gigging is his debut novel and the first step into a wider world of interconnected stories shaped by music, memory, and the desire to escape - or return to - the past. He lives in the North West of England, surrounded by records, ideas, and the occasional questionable decision.