Getting gigs

PLOP · February 11

Hey,

the time has come with my band that we’re looking around for live shows. We’ve just released our EP and it’s time to promote it!

Problem is, all of the venues I email or message on FB etc just don’t reply. I have no idea how to get my foot in the door so to speak. In my opening message I provide links to our socials and music, I’m polite, I describe our music with comparisons to fairly well known bands in the metal genre, and I’m only contacting places I know host metal shows too. And every single message goes unanswered. I know I can phone them up but I know from my own time working in a pub, requests from cold calls like that are never followed up on.

Obviously I’m missing a trick somewhere here. If anyone has any tips I’d be very grateful!

Thanks

bloodandtears · February 11

Either hire a place, maybe mid-week and give away tickets... or pester similar acts in your area for a support slot .....??

ElectricXII · February 11

One trick you could also be missing is to visit the venues in person if you can. It's time consuming, especially if you have to go back to see the person who does the bookings, when they're not there when you first visit, but your success rate should improve.

if your band does originals only, then try to organise a multi-bill gig with a couple of other bands. Securing a gig on your own will be hard.

Musicwolf · February 11

Typically, you get an incredibly low hit rate with emails, unless your mail arrives just after another band has phoned to cancel.

Actually visiting the venue is preferred, telephone is second best. You need to have your 'elevator pitch' ready i.e, you've got 30 seconds to make your pitch.

PLOP · February 11

Most of the venues I’ve emailed are places that only open for events, a few small bars with stages and diy spaces. I go into town fairly regularly for gigs but not really at other times because it’s a chew on but I’ll definitely start asking in person when the opportunity presents itself and I’ll prepare an elevator pitch too!

shufflebeat · February 11

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

PLOP · February 11

shufflebeat said:

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

We’ve actually done the last couple of M2TM and got a couple of gigs off the back of that but wanting to keep it moving as it’s been a while since we’ve been gigging due to lineup changes

Littlejonny · February 11

We’re gigging again after a nearly two year hiatus. It seems in that time the music scene has changed again…we’re having to hire venues and take door money.

We’re talking originals gigs here - I image getting covers gigs is easier.

Anyway, I sympathise…the music scene is different since covid I think.

shufflebeat · February 12

PLOP said:

shufflebeat said:

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

We’ve actually done the last couple of M2TM and got a couple of gigs off the back of that but wanting to keep it moving as it’s been a while since we’ve been gigging due to lineup changes

Nice!

Any videos we can flick through?

PLOP · February 12

shufflebeat said:

PLOP said:

shufflebeat said:

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

We’ve actually done the last couple of M2TM and got a couple of gigs off the back of that but wanting to keep it moving as it’s been a while since we’ve been gigging due to lineup changes

Nice!

Any videos we can flick through?

We have stuff on youtube but we only did one gig last year then needed to find a new bassist and drummer too, so instead we focused on recording the EP which was 80% written already.

https://linktr.ee/gloamer

Since you asked

Revolutions · February 12

https://maryspender.teachable.com/p/touring

PLOP · February 12

Littlejonny said:

We’re gigging again after a nearly two year hiatus. It seems in that time the music scene has changed again…we’re having to hire venues and take door money.

We’re talking originals gigs here - I image getting covers gigs is easier.

Anyway, I sympathise…the music scene is different since covid I think.

I don't know if its covid, I wasn't in a band then so don't know what it was like before that but as a regular gig-goer there is definitely the same energy as pre-covid. Even shows that previously would only be around 50 people or less are still pulling those numbers and more in many cases. There's surely a demand for this, and I mean in my music circles of metal, shoegaze, doom/drone and a fair bit of more experimental things. I can't speak for the crowds at genres for more normcore folk!

rze99 · February 12

We are going to hire and invite occasionally we don’t need to make money out of it and I bought my own PA. We can barely get rehearsals regularly let alone gig

roberty · February 12

The most successful approach for me was to get out to gigs and talk to the promoters and bands

The second most successful approach was messaging people on Instagram

distressed · February 12

roberty said:

The most successful approach for me was to get out to gigs and talk to the promoters and bands

This. Basically, you have to hang out with people involved in that.

Or to have really killer recorded songs.

PLOP · February 12

Instagram seems to be the winner for online work. No one replies to Facebook, but instagram seems to have a better hit rate? Shows what I know cos I thought they were the same platform and the messages overlapped.

Hoof · February 12

PLOP said:

shufflebeat said:

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

We’ve actually done the last couple of M2TM and got a couple of gigs off the back of that but wanting to keep it moving as it’s been a while since we’ve been gigging due to lineup changes

Our second ever gig was answering a post from M2TM who had a cancellation slot. We ended up winning the wild card slot to the semis and got to the finals. The local promoter who puts it on has given us other gigs off the back of it. I find contacting other M2TM promoters and saying we were finalist in our area can get a response as it seems they like to keep things in the M2TM family.

From there it's just been a matter of hooking up with other bands, being supportive of others and being active on social media and gigs seem to come our way. Not just mindlessly posting and spamming but trying to support your scene as a whole. Remember you're basically asking strangers for a favour, so if you do them one in advance it can go a long way.

As has been said earlier, emailing does very little. A few weeks back I spent a weekend researching and emailing promotors and festivals and unless you have some sort of metaphorical foot in the door it was a fruitless task.

Stratavarious · February 12

Getting involved in the local scene is good info. I help with sound as well as playing local town and pub beer fests.. helping generally guarantees a band slot. There any rock venues nearby that run band nights to muck in at?

Visit, ideally when not heaving.. ask who makes the bookings, speak to them if you can, get their direct contact details.. find the local venues and music centres that all the local acts play it and get involved and chat to them.

Get on all the Facebook gig finder and venues groups for your region.. respond to all the requests for bands. Get to know the local town and country fair type festivals and try to get a slot. Offering music for local community fundraisers can get exposure and live practise and an early follower group… unless you are proper screamy heavy.. which might scare the kids and grannies. Local WMCs and village halls have people who organise things.. could suggest a ‘rock and bacon roll night’ or something interesting…

Expect to take a year to build up enough rep or exposure to get more direct bookings from people seeing you or getting you recommended. Effort will pay off.. make sure you are easy to contact.. flyers and biz cards with essential info.

Evo · February 13

Littlejonny said:

I image getting covers gigs is easier.

Sadly, it isn't.

These days, the majority of worthwhile covers gigs are all hoovered up by the same types of acts.

They'll have really high end promo, a very slick website and booking process, and the leader will take on any and all gigs. Then they'll look at the diary, take the best paying gigs for themselves before throwing together a scratch band of deps to fill the other bookings (taking a slice off the top as well of course).

The sheer number of dep gigs I've taken in recent years where literally nobody in the band is an actual member is ridiculous!

PolarityMan · February 13

PLOP said:

Hey,

the time has come with my band that we’re looking around for live shows. We’ve just released our EP and it’s time to promote it!

Problem is, all of the venues I email or message on FB etc just don’t reply. I have no idea how to get my foot in the door so to speak. In my opening message I provide links to our socials and music, I’m polite, I describe our music with comparisons to fairly well known bands in the metal genre, and I’m only contacting places I know host metal shows too. And every single message goes unanswered. I know I can phone them up but I know from my own time working in a pub, requests from cold calls like that are never followed up on.

Obviously I’m missing a trick somewhere here. If anyone has any tips I’d be very grateful!

Thanks

We find especially for local metal shows the venues themselves don't really do the booking anymore, typically there is a local promoter who hires the venue and they put on the shows so my guess would be you need to find out who they are. I'd suggest go through the flyers on socials for metal gigs at the venues you want and look for any clue to the promoter. If you can find the facebook events see if they are all being created by one person etc and contact them.

Do you have a link to your stuff btw?

PolarityMan · February 13

PLOP said:

shufflebeat said:

PLOP said:

shufflebeat said:

Maybe go where your audience are and chat to the bands.

”Metal for the Masses” has a small but enthusiastic following in the NW, I’d be making friends with that crowd.

We’ve actually done the last couple of M2TM and got a couple of gigs off the back of that but wanting to keep it moving as it’s been a while since we’ve been gigging due to lineup changes

Nice!

Any videos we can flick through?

We have stuff on youtube but we only did one gig last year then needed to find a new bassist and drummer too, so instead we focused on recording the EP which was 80% written already.

https://linktr.ee/gloamer

Since you asked

Added to my library for next car journey.

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