To Dave the Gnome:

Can I have a gig, please? Not expecting a reply, but sometime in the future when you're thinking to yourself "who should I go out and ask to appear?" you'll remember "oh, yes, there's that Mudcatter Hamish who's allegedly very good (and cheap, er, good value!)" and think "I hope he's available. How do I contact him..."

To the rest of the thread: don't be afraid to take a "no" for an answer, and expect to be ignored. Always ask, and keep persisting. Let them know you'd prefer a "no" to a "maybe" which means "no".

Hamish

Oh, and Dave, for future reference, you can PM me here, or e-mail via this link   ;-)