The originals band playing pubs experiment

[BigRedX]

Sounds like a great night.

Looking forward to playing with you guys too!

[ead]

It's got us wondering about doing something similar...

Great to hear you had such a positive experience.

[Low End Bee]

Landlord rang me tonight. He had great feedback for the gig and we're sorting out some more dates. These will be at an increased rate too. Marvellous.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1171525' date='Mar 21 2011, 11:18 PM']These will be at an increased rate too.[/quote]

You're going to play faster?

[Low End Bee]

We're back in a proper boozer after a two year break. 2 sets, no stage, not a cover in sight and taking a step back mid song so people can get to the gents.
I'm really looking forward to it. These gigs are so much more relaxed than when we play a 'music venue'. Looks like it'll be busy too. If we get asked back I might put a second band on the bill as my knackered body and brain prefer an all action 45 minutes rather than 90.
The most fun so far has been re-arranging some old stuff we haven't played for ages to fit our current style. It's like having half a dozen new songs sorted in record time.
The pub rock revival starts here.

[Happy Jack]

I'll be there ... might even bring the same drummer I brought last time.

[TimR]

Excellent. We play 3 originals in our cover set. More people dance to our originals. Go figure...

[Happy Jack]

They know what the covers are [i][b]supposed [/b][/i]to sound like ...

[Norm]

This is a similar story to my band down in the south west, we have stuggled to convince landlords who are used to covers bands but after much pushing we are picking up more paying pub gigs with our brand of energetic groove rock (funky & danceable but with enough kerrang for the rockers). We are getting re-booked for more after doing discounted first gigs. Its not been easy but its starting to pay off.
Good on ya Low End Bee, if the songs are strong & the performance is comitted & fun, it aint no barrier to punters that its new to them. Covers or originals? I know what I'd rather see!
Good luck mate,
Norm

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1378370229' post='2199148']



We're back in a proper boozer after a two year break. 2 sets, no stage, not a cover in sight and taking a step back mid song so people can get to the gents.
I'm really looking forward to it. These gigs are so much more relaxed than when we play a 'music venue'. Looks like it'll be busy too. If we get asked back I might put a second band on the bill as my knackered body and brain prefer an all action 45 minutes rather than 90.
The most fun so far has been re-arranging some old stuff we haven't played for ages to fit our current style. It's like having half a dozen new songs sorted in record time.
The pub rock revival starts here.
[/quote]

Same sortof thing with The Tuesday Club, Ad. Normally we do a 40/45 min set, but every now & then do a pub with two 45 min sets.

Whereas with The Daves, the punk covers band I play for, well we do a minimum of two one-hour sets, depending on venue requirements. For New Years Eve the pub want three 45min sets from us.

[Low End Bee]

Terrific fun.
Kicking leads out of pedal boards mid song. Squealing PA's. Taking a step back so people can get to the loo/go out for a fag. Playing Chic's Good Times with the lyrics to Wham Rap to fill in some time. Lots of dancing. Gentle heckling and a close proximty to lubricated audience members.
Good crowd despite the biblical rain.And the landlord wants us back.

[clauster]

Cool beans Mr Bee!

[Happy Jack]

Most memorable moment for me was the inappropriately-dressed 20-something who turned up as part of an inebriated crowd halfway through the second set.

Within 10 minutes, she was walking through the pub clutching both a double G&T and a full glass of Chardonnay in her left hand, leaving her right hand free to accept the largest short I've ever seen (I'm guessing it was a triple vodka of some sort) which she knocked back in one.

She then stood there in a daze for several minutes, weaving and wobbling and being held up by two friends, while she very obviously considered vomiting over much of the audience.

Good times.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Great thread. Glad it's working out;)

[flyfisher]

Good initiative - glad it has worked out well so far.

But it's interesting that no one seems to have a problem with putting on a show for free as far as the non-paying public are concerned, as long as someone else pays the band.

I guess that's the business model for the pub though, but doesn't it all help to contribute to the general trend of devaluing music as far as the end consumer is concerned?

This isn't a criticism as such, more a recognition of the reality of the modern music scene. Nobody seems to want to pay for music anymore, except for festivals and showpiece concerts, and this must surely trickle down to venues that then become reluctant to pay for bands.

Tough business.

[JTUK]

On that point you need to stay out of pubs. Nobody is going to want to cough up £10 a ticket if they can see you down the Down and Gun
the week before for free.
We aren't very consistant... we don't want to pay to see a band in a venue...
but we like to get paid ourselves...
It is hard to position yourself as a band that gets a decent fee, decent venue and gets people to pay to come and watch.
I am the frist to bleat about the many many Free 'charity' beer festivals, with a 10 band line-up... with a door charge
but then the same type of festival that actually pays bands is very rare.
There are a few that do it.... but the investment/risk is pretty big.

The best one round here, pays a good budget to ALL bands, has weekend camping and isn't a total blokes piss-up...
It gets families there during the day and women feel comfortable enough to stay thru the evening.
Not an easy thing to do AT ALL.. and still sell the drinks and be THE festival gig around here..IMO..

Anyone who can get £400-500 gigs out of a pub is doing very well indeed.
People have become used to free music... because there is too much of it.

Don't really want to go OT, but pubs doing food AND music on a cover charge seem to be catching on quite well round here... as it is somewhere
for couple to go....
This is a misunderstood area of the market, I think...

[BigRedX]

At the risk of repeating myself yet again, there are paying gigs out there for bands, provided that like the Jetsonics you are prepared to put in the work to get them.

Unfortunately it seems to me that far to many musicians think that if they've learnt some covers or written some songs and practiced playing them with some other musicians, then the world owes them a living - or at least some venues owe them a gig that will cover their petrol, beer and strings costs. However it doesn't work like that. In order to get the gigs that matter you have to do some crap ones at first and then you need to work very hard persuading venues, promoters and other bands that you are worth their time effort and money.

My band probably spends several evenings every week making contact with venues and promoters, sending them material in their preferred format, getting back in touch later and reminding them who we are etc. If it sounds like hard work, then you are right because it is. However we're the band playing our own songs getting paying gigs every weekend all over the country, when lots of other bands are moaning that the gigs never come their way.

Of course it helps if you have a reputation for putting on a bit of a show. Also being able to be fitted into a couple of niche genres that have a dedicated fan-base doesn't hurt. Especially if said fan-base are of an age where paying for music both live and recorded comes naturally. Having said that we seem to have people of all ages at our gigs and just as importantly buying our recorded music.

What you will find is that the venues and promoters putting on these gigs are big fans of the music. They do it mostly out of love and while on the whole no-one is getting rich, the smart bands and venues are most definitely doing more than just covering costs.

[TheRev]

+1 to wot BRX said. Getting a pub to pay you decent money for a free to punters gig isn't rocket science but it does require hard work. As long as you can bring in enough people to cover your fee and ensure that enough booze goes across the bar to make it worth the landlord opening the doors, then you'll get paid.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1379351618' post='2211603']
People have become used to free music... because there is too much of it.
[/quote]

True, but that's the way the world is at present.

People can see pretty much any band, any concert, any song on YouTube and similar websites. People can download most music for nothing. Music CDs are frequently given away with newspapers and magazines. Live music can be seen for free at any number of pubs and many towns organise 'mini-festivals' where people can see loads of live bands for free.

Some people bemoan bands willing to play for free because they think it spoils things for bands that want to be paid for playing. fair enough, but what about bands willing to pay for non-paying audiences? Aren't they just as culpable for encouraging people's expectation of free music?

I can't see that it really matters because the 'free music' genie is unlikely to be squished back into the bottle anytime soon, so we might all just as well get what pleasure we can out of playing music, whether we get paid for it or not.

[JTUK]

yep..which is why I say stay out of the typical pub scene and put on something different.

If you are a pub band doing a pub show..then what is in it for the promoter/venue ? and why will they pay you anythng other than pub money?
and how will you ever get out of the pub syndrome?

Selling out 1200 seats at £10 is very good going indeed for one or two bands round here.... and they had to do a good few years of busking.
That doesn't translate anywhere else yet tho... but nobody says it was easy otherwise we'd all be doing it.

Something has to set you apart... however you achieve it...

[M@23]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1299504922' post='1152462']
pubs around Stoke put originals bands on all the time!
[/quote]

Same on the Isle of Wight, we play a couple of pubs regularly at £200 a go. It's fairly standard here for originals bands to play the pub scene.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1379357012' post='2211729']
yep..which is why I say stay out of the typical pub scene and put on something different.

If you are a pub band doing a pub show..then what is in it for the promoter/venue ? and why will they pay you anythng other than pub money?
and how will you ever get out of the pub syndrome?

Selling out 1200 seats at £10 is very good going indeed for one or two bands round here.... and they had to do a good few years of busking.
That doesn't translate anywhere else yet tho... but nobody says it was easy otherwise we'd all be doing it.

Something has to set you apart... however you achieve it...
[/quote]

Definitely not easy, though I guess a lot depends on individual aspirations and dedication, which is probably why there's such a range of opinions about this whole issue. BCers seem to range from committed hobbyists to semi-pros (with a handful of actual pros?), so it's understandable there's a wide spread of views.

[BigRedX]

BTW can someone give a definition of a "Pub Gig"?

Is it simply a gig in a pub, or is there more to it than that? Because although I do most of my gigs in venues that are pubs they don't seem to have much in common with a lot of what gets described as a pub gig on here.

[Maude]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379367748' post='2211955']
BTW can someone give a definition of a "Pub Gig"?

Is it simply a gig in a pub, or is there more to it than that? Because although I do most of my gigs in venues that are pubs they don't seem to have much in common with a lot of what gets described as a pub gig on here.
[/quote]

Depends on the pub I suppose, wether they think they're a 'trendy' wine bar type or just spread the sawdust a bit thicker and shoo the chickens into a corner for Saturday night.

We have convinced a few pubs by saying we're confident enough that they'll be happy with us that we won't ask for a fee, just pay us what they see fit at the end of the night. As long as you get the punters in you will get a decent fee.
A second booking will be properly negotiated once the foots in the door.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1379367748' post='2211955']
BTW can someone give a definition of a "Pub Gig"?
[/quote]

My definition would be one where nothing is charged on the door. Customers can just turn up and watch the band(s) for free - well apart from the drinks of course.