Live Performance, gis and venues
Practice Makes Perfect:
It may seem blindingly obvious to most of you, but if you’ve been to as many shows as we have, you’ll understand that it has to be said. There are simply too many artists who take to the stage before their live set is ready. The fact is, if you’re not prepared to take your music seriously, how can you expect promoters and audiences to do so? Make your mistakes in the rehearsal room, not in front of paying customers.
Getting a Gig:
Firstly, do a little research on the venue’s music policy. It’s no good sending your hardcore Drum’n’Bass CD to the local indie promoter, or vice versa. Check the venue’s listings and see if there are any bands playing that are similar in musical style to your own.
Demo Tips:
We recommend no more than two or three songs per demo, with a short biog including any recent activity by your band. Remember, most promoters are very busy people; they won’t find time to listen to an album’s worth of material and read your life story. You may think it’s interesting that your band formed three years ago at school after discovering you had a mutual love of Frank Zappa, high energy disco and cheese toasties - however, your average promoter is simply not bothered. Many promoters will now accept links to your web space and MP3s, but check first.
How long should we wait before following up our demo?
Times vary. However, we recommend leaving at least two weeks before following up your demo with a call. Promoters have a large amount of music to get through, and this takes time. So is it worth pestering a promoter about a possible show?
“Sure, but keep in mind that a promoter is one man with one phone and one pair of hands. We are happy to reward pro-activity but stalking isn’t recommended.”
Jay - Night & Day Café (Manchester)
It’s also worth considering when you’re looking to play. Most venues book two to three months in advance so forward planning is essential. When sending your demos as mail, remember not to send them by registered post. Most promoters have had a late one at the previous night’s gig and are not at work when the mail arrives. If there is no one there to sign for your package it will be taken back to the Post Office. The promoters we have spoken to say it can be weeks if not months before they get round to collecting undelivered mail.
So, do you need a following to get a gig?
We’re not going to beat about the bush because a following does help. However, it’s not the be all and end all, but honesty is certainly the best policy, as the nice folks from London’s Water Rats and The Betsey explain:
“It helps to have a following, but it’s not crucial - we know that even the biggest bands in the world started out with just a small handful of mates coming to see them. If we really like what we hear, we’ll try and find you a slot no matter what. If you don’t want your first gig with us to be your last however, it’s vital that you’re straight with us about the following you have so that we can put you in the right venue in the right slot. You don’t want an empty venue any more than we do.”
Plum Promotions
Most venues operate the 21 day rule. This means that should they offer you a gig, they expect you not to play any other shows in their city/town during the 21 days preceding your allocated show. This not only helps to keep numbers high through the door, but also keeps things fresh for your audience. Remember, promoters and venues have to make a living too, and there’s nothing worse than playing to an empty room.
Building a following:
We are more than aware that most bands will start by playing to a small group of friends and family. However, there is plenty you can do to start building your audience. Get some of your friends to go round the audience collecting email addresses after the gig. Mailing lists are a great way of keeping in touch with your fan base, keeping them in touch with what your band is up to.
Where possible, make sure you have posters up in the venue a month before your gig. However, unless you can afford to pay a professional company to place your posters we strongly advise you steer clear of fly-posting. In most towns fly-posting is illegal other than on designated sites and can result in large fines. The legal sites are usually facilitated by existing organisations. You are unlikely to make many friends by placing your posters over those paid for by record companies, promoters and venues: you have been warned.
If you are playing a show, hand out flyers with information on future gigs and details of your web site or MySpace account. If you can afford to give away copies of your demo, don’t be afraid to do so. People love a freebie and it makes them feel part of something special. If they’re getting your music free now they’re more likely to be willing to pay for it later. It’s also great promotion for future gigs. If ten people play your demo to one friend each telling them how much they enjoyed your show, you’ll double your audience for your next gig. You don’t need a degree in maths to work out that if this trend continues your audience numbers are sure to swell.
Don’t rely on the local promoter to do all your PR for you. Make sure you inform all the local papers and listings of upcoming gigs. This is not only good promotion for the event but also begins to get local journalists familiar with your band’s name. If it’s possible to pre-sell tickets for your gigs then do so. Once people have parted with hard cash they are far more likely to attend the show. All of this of course depends on people thinking your band is as brilliant as you believe it to be. We are not going to pretend its not hard work, but the harsh reality is, if you fail to get people through the door you are unlikely to get another gig at that venue. So get out there and give it everything. Good luck.
