Monkey Steve Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 On a more general note (not just the hotel rooms) I tend to think that the gigs we've done where the promoters/venues have been the worst have typically been the ones where the band made this mistake of expecting them to know how to do their side of things properly, and haven't bothered checking arrangements beforehand. Still, you live and learn...sometimes more slowly than you'd hope... The most memorable one was turning up at a pub and being told that they hadn't really thought about where the band would be set up, and being directed to an alcove off one of the two bars, with no electrical sockets, and no room for any punters to fit in the bar once we'd finished setting up. Which wasn't a huge problem because, unsurprisingly, they hadn't actually told anybody that there would be a band playing that night so we had half a dozen of our mates and two regulars who sat in the other bar and complained about the noise. Turns out the pub had an entertainment budget from the brewery and was seeing what having bands on would be like. Other examples of being told that we're to play in a particular area of the pub, but the pub then expect us to shoo away the drinkers that are already there, and move the furniture so that we can set up, usually finding that the pubs estimate of how much room a band would take up was way off. The best ones have always been venues that have a lot of music on so know what they're doing and what they need to tell the bands in advance, or the ones where the venue says that they want the band but don't really know what to do so could we come and have a look round ahead of the gig? Wouldn't suit every band, but I've done a couple of really good gigs in London at non-music pubs on the basis of the landlord asking me to pop in and have a chat about how it's going to work and what do I need them to do ahead of/on the day of the gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 We turned up at a venue, we'd been told there would be a PA and soundman, but the PA was a couple of knackered 12" speakers and a knackered powered mixer, one mic, and a woefully short XLR-jack cable. We had to do our own sound. The next time we were booked for the same venue, we took the bassist's PA and did our own sound. Fine, except there were two unexpected support acts that demanded to use our PA and needed us to do the sound for them. The next time we were assured, 100%, there would be a brand new PA and a sound engineer to operate it. When we got there it was the same old knackered PA and no engineer. WTF?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 11 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said: The most memorable one was turning up at a pub and being told that they hadn't really thought about where the band would be set up... Ah, yes - nothing gives you the sudden feeling that you're just going to be a nuisance to people in the pub than the staff looking around the place saying "oh yes...erm...you can set up...uhhh...over there!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Breda Jazz Festival. We used to go over each year, seven of us and all sleep in sleeping bags on the floor of an upstairs room of a pub, the Fruchtvagen. Four inches between each bag and a near-derelict loo upstairs. Until we found the basin cracked one year we used to bring our own sink plug. And, you know, it was a lot of fun. The last time I went I was with a pro band and we were put up in the best hotel in the city, one to a room with en suite facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 22 minutes ago, cheddatom said: We turned up at a venue, we'd been told there would be a PA and soundman, but the PA was a couple of knackered 12" speakers and a knackered powered mixer, one mic, and a woefully short XLR-jack cable. We had to do our own sound. The next time we were booked for the same venue, we took the bassist's PA and did our own sound. Fine, except there were two unexpected support acts that demanded to use our PA and needed us to do the sound for them. The next time we were assured, 100%, there would be a brand new PA and a sound engineer to operate it. When we got there it was the same old knackered PA and no engineer. WTF?!? I did a gig where the soundguy had called in "sick"... has had all the mics and mic cables... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 (edited) One of the reasons we play so rarely is that we have a minimum standard of acceptable accomodation and all hotels must be approved before we commit to the gig. We ask for 4*. Almost every gig is overseas. We also will not travel on day of show so always minimum of 2 nights - we also demand single rooms for 5 of us plus our merch man. So, if you want to put us on, it's return flights for six, transfers to/from airport, 4 star accomodation for 6 in single rooms with no travelling on day of show, backline provided as per our tech rider plus, of course our fee. Edited September 9, 2019 by Twigman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 The day job is classroom teacher and I used to run a 18 piece soul band with the school. We got asked play to a village fete, so did all the necessary admin- book minibus, parental consent forms etc and schlepped all the way out to the back of beyond. The kids arrived as I was working out where we were playing. The space was an open fronted marquee with rain coming in sideways. The power had been run from a single socket in the church 50m away, whereby the catering got it first, running 4 vats of tea/ coffee, the cable itself being held up off the ground directly above the water vapour by the sopping tent frame. They had then daisy chained an extension cable for me to use, which was just sitting in a clump of wet grass. We ran a 2k PA, monitors, the works and it was all meant to go into this single socket. The kids had worked really hard on their performance and there was bank of parents who'd given up their Saturday afternoon, but after 15 minutes of discussion and questions I couldn't justify the risk and sent them all home. One dad tapped me on the shoulder and whispered "thank you' so I guess it was the correct decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 isn't the answer to put the cost of accomodation on top of your fee and arrange it yourself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 1 minute ago, PaulWarning said: isn't the answer to put the cost of accomodation on top of your fee and arrange it yourself? That's too much like hard work - we get the promoter to do it and send us links to appropriate places before we agree to play. So we still choose and he does the leg work. When the gigs are in foreign cities then local knowledge helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc S Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Had some bad ones, and looks like a festival I'm playing at next weekend is going to fall into that category. The "organisers" seem to have little or no idea of what bands need - and they've booked quite a lot of bands to play from lunchtime through to 8:30 or 9 at night. Lots of pink torpedo-ups so far, and it seems a couple of the bands have already pulled out - because the organisers didn't think to arrange any parking for loading / unloading of equipment They seem to be expecting bands not only to play for free, but for every band to turn up before mid-day, and then stay until after the last band has finished and the crowds have dispersed! We'll see though.... lets not pre-judge too much, in case they see sense I have to mention a funny tale though. Sometime back, a drummer pal who I was in a band with, had decided to look for some open mic nights - so our band could do a few, before we felt we were "gig ready". Anyhow, we went along to one bar who were advertising open mic nights. Got there, and the place was empty, with no sign of so much as a 10 watt practice amp - let alone a PA or any mics. Bear in mind, this bar is on a pedestrian only road, with no parking and no road access whatsoever.... On chatting to the staff, they said bands were to bring their own drum kit and any amplification and mics they might need. "What about some sort of PA?" we asked.... "What's a PA?" was the reply. "It's what you're going to need, to be able to hear anyone singing, in a room of this size" was our reply "Oh, we can't be expected to provide everything" was the reply.... "Why can't you bring your own amps, mics, guitars and drums on the bus?" lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borntohang Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 A couple of years back I depped with a soul group who had a particularly unpleasant keyboard player who was also incapable of holding his drink - after a week or two we were all thoroughly fed up with him and only one of the eight of us was still willing to bunk with him. On the last night of the tour we were booked into four doubles at a Travelodge, so we finally get in at 2am and discover to our delight that the hotel have given me and the guitarist two double beds in our room. After a fortnight in a van this was sheer luxury! We did the usual hotel room appreciation things (sink vs. kettle game, hotel olympics, spot the naked neighbour, etc) and then nipped back out to the van for the spare bags only to find the keyboardist and his unlucky roommate sat glumly in the foyer. "They've given our room away somehow. They've booked us a taxi to the next place down the road and we'll get a room each, but it'll be at least half an hour drive each way and we'll have to be up at 5 to book a taxi and make van call..." They looked so miserable that I actually felt obliged to offer them our spare double, but before I could open my mouth the guitarist looked over at me and right then I understood how people could believe in psychic communion, as our understanding was both instant and complete. "That sucks mate. See you in the morning." Slept like a baby. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, Marc S said: the organisers didn't think to arrange any parking for loading / unloading of equipment Memories of Henley Regatta - load/unload over a 4 foot picket fence about 100 yards from the gig & get treated like a bloody serf most of the time - did it for years - don't miss it................... 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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