Alternative 'gigs'

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theflyisbacktheflyisback Frets: 71
edited April 2019 in Live
My band are going through a bit of a break after a fairly intense few months of gigs but we're going to reconvene after the summer.

There's a big consensus amongst us though that we're not particularly enjoying run of the mill gigs, well, here in Liverpool anyway. 

Aside from the odd few venues who still have the old school approach we're finding that to get anything fairly high profile we need to go through promoters.  Sometimes it works, most of the time its a ball ache and they're on at us to get early ticket sales or they start getting a bit shirty.  Most of them don't do any actual promoting either, they just want the bands to do the work.  

Yes, i get that there is some responsibility on us but in the end we still rely on dragging the same friends and family down and i begrudge them paying 7 or 8 quid a ticket to line a third parties pockets and we get nothing in return - not that we do it for money.

All in all its making it more like a business than about the music and playing which is what we do it for.  Its becoming less enjoyable.  And we're getting fed up of the "routine - ness" of turning up ridiculously early for a sound check, then hanging around all evening, then all night, to go on late when half asleep and knackered and just wanting to get home - thankfully the nights generally over run so we're not expected to play as long as we planned anyway  (we're not teenagers any more, bless!)


So we've decided to start doing something that is not the norm.  Our own nights (or days even).  We would feel more enthusiastic promoting something that we had more control over.  And we're not interesting in making money.  We just want to create a good, enjoyable event, or 'show', that people can turn up, stay right through and enjoy.  Not necessarily all music.  More like a private party.

Also, venue wise we're looking at doing things in non music venues.  Seems mad but there's a barber shop i go to which would be a great setting for a show.  Would look nice filmed too.

There's great KEXP radio sessions/ videos on youtube where they play in a bike shop.  Something like that.  


Just wondering if anyone else has done something along these lines and what sort of 'events' you've done.  How have they been received and attended?  

Is this sort of thing a bit difficult, obviously i know dedicated live music venues are licensed and have the correct permits and regs in place (well you would expect them to anyway) etc. so there may be some red tape issues if its somewhere else.   

  



    
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Comments

  • soma1975soma1975 Frets: 6627
    My Trade Feedback Thread is here

    Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
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  • There’s a whole culture of this at moment the live in your living room brigade go for it and have fun.
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • My missus wouldn’t want craft beer spilt on the rug in my living room
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  • camfcamf Frets: 1190
    @theflyisback ; Sounds like a good approach. The 'house concert' thing seems really popular in Europe and the US but doesn't seem quite as established here. I'd have thought a well curated and thoughtfully organised event would soon pick up a bit of interest. I do think people appreciate music in a more interesting setting. I know I would.

    I'll be interested in following your progress and hearing how it goes. I might even try and do something similar up here in Edinburgh.

    Good luck. 

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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    You could always play on a dam. We did, and even as a purely acoustic gig we could be heard over half a mile away 
    :)

    http://i67.tinypic.com/m75l68.jpg

    http://i66.tinypic.com/2qn2v08.jpg
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  • mike257mike257 Frets: 374
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
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  • gringopiggringopig Frets: 2648
    edited July 2020
    .
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  • camfcamf Frets: 1190
    mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    That’s a great offer, Mike. I’d appreciate picking your brain as I’m thinking along the lines of small events in unusual locations and it would be good to get some ideas about the potential pitfalls.

    Cheers,

    cam f
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  • sev112sev112 Frets: 2739
    p90fool said:
    You could always play on a dam. We did, and even as a purely acoustic gig we could be heard over half a mile away 
    :)

    http://i67.tinypic.com/m75l68.jpg

    http://i66.tinypic.com/2qn2v08.jpg
    Did you turn the water off while you played?  It’s rather noisy when it’s spilling over :)
    PS is that Vyrny Dam in the latter pic?


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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4027
    edited April 2019
    Was going to say it reminded me of Elan Valley.  But after googling I think one dam looks very similar to another!  Looks lovely at any rate.

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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    sev112 said:
    p90fool said:
    You could always play on a dam. We did, and even as a purely acoustic gig we could be heard over half a mile away 
    :)

    http://i67.tinypic.com/m75l68.jpg

    http://i66.tinypic.com/2qn2v08.jpg
    Did you turn the water off while you played?  It’s rather noisy when it’s spilling over :)
    PS is that Vyrny Dam in the latter pic?


    It's in the Elan Valley, the pic with water flowing is just a stock pic of the same dam to give an idea of scale. 

    When we played there it was eerily quiet, we started off inside the dam in a stairwell playing the bride up the 'aisle', then at the signing ceremony in that tower at the top. 

    Fun gig, good sound, easy money :)
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  • mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    Hi mike. 
    Haven’t viewed this thread for a while so only just noticed this. I will definitely get in touch soon to run a few ideas we have past you. Thanks for the offer of help much appreciated. 
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  • thebreezethebreeze Frets: 2797
    camf said:
    mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    That’s a great offer, Mike. I’d appreciate picking your brain as I’m thinking along the lines of small events in unusual locations and it would be good to get some ideas about the potential pitfalls.

    Cheers,

    cam f
    mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    Hi mike. 
    Haven’t viewed this thread for a while so only just noticed this. I will definitely get in touch soon to run a few ideas we have past you. Thanks for the offer of help much appreciated. 
    Rather than contacting Mike separately perhaps we could open this up in a separate thread?  It would be interesting to learn about some of the things involved.
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  • joetelejoetele Frets: 947
    I'm going to have to do this with my band as we're not going to be the preferred choice for most of the pubs in the locality who just want covers bands to keep the punters happy. As an instrumental ambient / post rock two piece, I'm not sure we're what they're looking for. So thinking of doing something unconventional like record shops, weird coffee shops etc in Cardiff and Bristol
    MUSIC: Pale Blurs
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  • camfcamf Frets: 1190
    thebreeze said:
    camf said:
    mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    That’s a great offer, Mike. I’d appreciate picking your brain as I’m thinking along the lines of small events in unusual locations and it would be good to get some ideas about the potential pitfalls.

    Cheers,

    cam f
    mike257 said:
    I'm a sound engineer/tour manager based in Liverpool and run a live production company, so if you want to have a chat about what's involved in putting something on in a non - venue space, from a technical and practical standpoint, feel free to give me a shout and I'll see what we can do to help. 
    Hi mike. 
    Haven’t viewed this thread for a while so only just noticed this. I will definitely get in touch soon to run a few ideas we have past you. Thanks for the offer of help much appreciated. 
    Rather than contacting Mike separately perhaps we could open this up in a separate thread?  It would be interesting to learn about some of the things involved.
    Yep, great idea. @mike257? Would you be up for that?

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