Getting pub gigs?

[41Hz]

I play in a Rock covers band. Our singer normally books all the gigs, we do OKish, probably averaging about 1 a month with most of these being repeat bookings.

 

I thought I’d better pull my weight a bit more with regards to gigs and see if we can get into some new venues. A few weeks ago I contacted 10 pubs that I know have had bands before. I mostly used Facebook messenger giving a quick overview of some of the bands we cover, highlighting the number of Facebook followers we have and the number of positive reviews with a link a link to our Facebook page.

 

Out of the 10 pubs contacted, 8/10 didn’t respond, though I think 2 or3 were showing message unread on messenger. One said they would pass the details onto the person that deals with bands - no response so far, the other said they had all their monthly music slots filled but would consider us if they put on any more bands or have cancellations.

 

Am I doing something wrong or is that pretty much par for the course? Any tips greatly appreciated.🤣

[neepheid]

Persist. I think the first fob off/ignore is to weed out who's actually serious about getting a gig...

[skidder652003]

wrong time of year, most pubs around here start booking for the following year this September

you'll need youtube video links of past performances if possible. Failing that, record some rehearsals so they can see you can play to a decent standard.

[Mudpup]

I agree with Skidder above. We play almost exclusively pubs and start booking in July. We're usually fully booked for the following year by September and the popular pubs will be mostly the same. 

 

Prepare for a long hard slog - you'll probably be trying to break into an established circuit and there are more bands than pubs. It can be soul destroying. I book most of our gigs and it took a few years to reach the point of being booked into all the venues we wanted to do. Fortunately we're now pretty established so it's much easier 

 

(One of the few benefits of Covid is the huge amount of last minute gigs popping up. This is making it easier to get gigs if you keep an eye on the social media. We've picked up a couple of regular gigs in venues I was trying to get into this way) 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Mudpup

[Gasman]

Breaking into the pub scene in my area is very, very difficult unless you know a landlord or a landlord happens to hear your band and like it while they are at another venue where you are playing. Why? Because they like bands with fans and a track record of playing music that will get drinkers into their bar - and that’s fair enough. For a previous band I canvassed ten pubs in the area with links to recordings and video, offers to play a trial gig for expenses, but zilch. Finally got a breakthrough after playing a local festival- a landlord who had totally ignored me got in touch and offered us a gig saying he loved what we did. I had to refuse because ironically that was the band’s last gig before its break up...

 

[ubit]

We found that word of mouth saw us get a decent amount of gigs. We never had to chase them. I suppose playing in a smaller town word does get about if you are a decent enough act. We were doing it for so long that the gigs just kept coming. I know it can be hard when you are first trying to get a following. Maybe offer to do one gig for  nothing or for a reduced rate. Pubs will be more likely to book you if they are getting you cheap. Make sure you only do the one right enough.

[41Hz]

Yeah, it’s a lot harder than I though, we do have 6 gigs in the diary for the coming months but these are mostly repeat bookings from pubs we have played before. We had to turn one down recently because I wasn’t available so part of the reason why I’m keen to bring in a few more is to redeem myself🤣

[thebrig]

About five years ago I messaged/texted 182 pubs, clubs, etc, I included video and audio links, but only 9 out of the 182 bothered to reply, we got one gig out of the nine that replied.

 

We were a decent enough band and all the local gigs that we played, we went down really well and as word went around, we were being contacted by venues to play for good money.

 

So when a band is starting out, its not really about how good you are, its just making that breakthrough onto the circuit that has been occupied by bands playing the same venues for years because landlords and venue owners don't want to take a chance on something new.

[warwickhunt]

You've started on the right foot.  Try looking at social media for local bands playing similar music and track where they are playing, no point chasing venues that won't suit.  A phone call is often better than a FB message but be prepared to be fobbed off.  

 

A couple of points and some may disagree but I've got 40+ years of this... don't be tempted to cut your fee to get gigs; you'll end up very quickly with a label of being a £xyz band and venues won't pay you more, neither will the venue who booked you cheap (you will get the odd venue/manager that might but these days it is dog eat dog and managers rarely stay/last).  Watch social media pages for venues wanting bands at short notice, register/like FB groups which are for musicians/bands/venues; chase and take these gigs at every opportunity.  It is much easier to get gigs when you are on the inside.  

 

Bear in mind that a venue/pub putting bands on 1 night a week will only ever need 12 bands that they like/know will pull punters.  Those 12 bands will get 3-4 gigs a year which leaves very little chance of getting in.

[ubit]

In my experience it doesn't matter if you don't suit the style for a certain pub. If you are good enough you can play pretty much anything and punters will appreciate it. I have seen really heavy rock bands go down well in the same bar that a rockabilly band went down really well in. Likewise country bands.

[warwickhunt]

1 minute ago, ubit said:

In my experience it doesn't matter if you don't suit the style for a certain pub. If you are good enough you can play pretty much anything and punters will appreciate it. I have seen really heavy rock bands go down well in the same bar that a rockabilly band went down really well in. Likewise country bands.

 

I've first hand experience of this and wouldn't disagree BUT with regards to the OP trying to get started in new venues, time would be better spent going for gigs in venues where they 'generally' play/listen to a certain type of music.  I've known venues where managers fall into opposing camps; those that are oblivious to the style of music and put anything on (generally so long as it is cheap) and those who manage established music venues who will rarely veer from the tried and tested (no disrespect but often 'blues' in the broadest terms).  The latter used to bug me as I once played such a venue and we didn't stick to their usual style of rock/blues (doing rock/blues but in different styles) and LOADS of punters loved us and said it was such a refreshing change... manager simply said we had played the wrong music and wouldn't be getting back in his pub!  

[ubit]

51 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

manager simply said we had played the wrong music and wouldn't be getting back in his pub!  

 

 

That manager clearly wasn't listening to his punters.

[warwickhunt]

4 minutes ago, ubit said:

 

 

That manager clearly wasn't listening to his punters.

 

Nope but there's nowt as strange as folk!    

 

To be fair I'm lead to believe that he does listen to punters... but only a vocal minority have his ear and what they say goes!  

[Happy Jack]

IME (which is genuinely quite extensive) random cold-calling by phone or email is at least 90% useless ... I'd actually go to 95% in truth. Every now and then you get lucky and think "well that didn't cost me anything so clearly this is a great method for getting gigs" but it ain't, it really ain't.

 

Every pub / landlord / band is different so there's no magic bullet, but I can tell you what works for me and @Silvia Bluejay.

 

We use Lemonrock & similar to identify which pubs within 30 miles of us put on the sort of bands we play in, then we use Google Maps to plot a circular course which will allow us to visit half a dozen of those pubs without wasting too much petrol, then we go and visit all those pubs on a MONDAY. Yup, a Monday lunchtime. By a country mile, the best time to get gigs.

 

The pub will be very quiet, the manager can't justify paying bar staff to stand there for three hours doing nothing so will be running the bar (and using the down time to go through the weekend's paperwork in their cubbyhole behind the bar), and has no alternative but to engage with you if you are buying a drink. In practice, I hardly ever even need to buy a drink - we just walk in and ask "where do the bands set up?".

 

Pubs are absolutely a people business and there is just no substitute for facetime with the manager. We also find that gig-hunting as a married couple makes us easier for the manager to engage with, especially if it's a woman on her own in a deserted pub. 

 

You can maybe replace the Monday with a Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe, but don't even think about visiting pubs to ask for gigs on a weekend. You can guarantee that you'll be told the pub's gigs are booked by the wife's nephew's second cousin and he only comes into the pub on days with an Q in them so feel free to come back then.

 

 

[Mudpup]

7 hours ago, ubit said:

In my experience it doesn't matter if you don't suit the style for a certain pub. If you are good enough you can play pretty much anything and punters will appreciate it. I have seen really heavy rock bands go down well in the same bar that a rockabilly band went down really well in. Likewise country bands.

I think there's a difference between a pub that is really a music orientated venue with music throughout the week and one that sticks a band on every Saturday night. You stand a better chance of getting a gig or having a good night if you can match the venue to the music you play. 

 

There are a few that we do that have jam nights in the week, lighter stuff on a Sunday afternoon and maybe the bigger stuff in a Friday and Saturday. They have a regular crowd that just enjoy seeing live music. One in particular local to me has everything from metal bands to Blockheads tributes but you'll see the same crowd there all the time. They just love their music but you can't be trotting out Alabama and Comfortably Numb in there as they want something a bit different or challenging. The crowd and owners may not play instruments themselves but they can spot shaky musicians or an unrehearsed band a mile off. You'll also never see them book a 'Blues Rock' band. The crowd tends to be a bit harder work (that's not meant in a bad way - they're all lovely people in the places I have in mind) but, as they see so many good bands, you really have to earn your applause. Most genres of music can get a look in here if they're good enough at it though. 

 

The others just want a band to play Mr Brightside, Alabama and Mustang Sally. Different band each week maybe but the same old stuff in general and they just want to keep punters in till midnight drinking. People go there because its a safe bet - they know they want a few drinks and to be able to jump around at 11.30 singing along to stuff they know. The crowd is easier as a result as long as you play the right material. 

 

Either tailor your set to the venue or pick the right venues for your set. 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Mudpup

[Bassfinger]

There does seem to be seperate and discrete "circuits", and breaking into a new one can be tricky.

 

Nepotism can help, and a surprising number are also asking for demos as well, so we've had some studio time this to get a few tracks laid down for that very purpose.

[uk_lefty]

Firstly I'd say don't restrict yourself to pubs, a gig is a gig. Round Hertfordshire way there's all kinds of 'festivals' which are a good way to get seen and "network" with other bands and the people running the sound. Some are paid, some are not, whether you take unpaid ones is a debate I don't want to get into. My local practice studio is a great place to get gigs, the guy who runs it runs loads of events so if he knows what your band is about or if you just ask him he can get you pub gigs and festival slots.

With pubs going direct is a lottery. I tried allsorts over the years from leaving cassettes or CDs with them, leaving guitar picks with the band contact details on through to sending links to live videos. 

[Al Krow]

22 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

IME (which is genuinely quite extensive) random cold-calling by phone or email is at least 90% useless ... I'd actually go to 95% in truth. Every now and then you get lucky and think "well that didn't cost me anything so clearly this is a great method for getting gigs" but it ain't, it really ain't.

 

Every pub / landlord / band is different so there's no magic bullet, but I can tell you what works for me and @Silvia Bluejay.

 

We use Lemonrock & similar to identify which pubs within 30 miles of us put on the sort of bands we play in, then we use Google Maps to plot a circular course which will allow us to visit half a dozen of those pubs without wasting too much petrol, then we go and visit all those pubs on a MONDAY. Yup, a Monday lunchtime. By a country mile, the best time to get gigs.

 

The pub will be very quiet, the manager can't justify paying bar staff to stand there for three hours doing nothing so will be running the bar (and using the down time to go through the weekend's paperwork in their cubbyhole behind the bar), and has no alternative but to engage with you if you are buying a drink. In practice, I hardly ever even need to buy a drink - we just walk in and ask "where do the bands set up?".

 

Pubs are absolutely a people business and there is just no substitute for facetime with the manager. We also find that gig-hunting as a married couple makes us easier for the manager to engage with, especially if it's a woman on her own in a deserted pub. 

 

You can maybe replace the Monday with a Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe, but don't even think about visiting pubs to ask for gigs on a weekend. You can guarantee that you'll be told the pub's gigs are booked by the wife's nephew's second cousin and he only comes into the pub on days with an Q in them so feel free to come back then.

 

So much wisdom right there! Cheers fella.

[Phil Starr]

23 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

IME (which is genuinely quite extensive) random cold-calling by phone or email is at least 90% useless ... I'd actually go to 95% in truth. Every now and then you get lucky and think "well that didn't cost me anything so clearly this is a great method for getting gigs" but it ain't, it really ain't.

 

Every pub / landlord / band is different so there's no magic bullet, but I can tell you what works for me and @Silvia Bluejay.

 

We use Lemonrock & similar to identify which pubs within 30 miles of us put on the sort of bands we play in, then we use Google Maps to plot a circular course which will allow us to visit half a dozen of those pubs without wasting too much petrol, then we go and visit all those pubs on a MONDAY. Yup, a Monday lunchtime. By a country mile, the best time to get gigs.

 

The pub will be very quiet, the manager can't justify paying bar staff to stand there for three hours doing nothing so will be running the bar (and using the down time to go through the weekend's paperwork in their cubbyhole behind the bar), and has no alternative but to engage with you if you are buying a drink. In practice, I hardly ever even need to buy a drink - we just walk in and ask "where do the bands set up?".

 

Pubs are absolutely a people business and there is just no substitute for facetime with the manager. We also find that gig-hunting as a married couple makes us easier for the manager to engage with, especially if it's a woman on her own in a deserted pub. 

 

You can maybe replace the Monday with a Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe, but don't even think about visiting pubs to ask for gigs on a weekend. You can guarantee that you'll be told the pub's gigs are booked by the wife's nephew's second cousin and he only comes into the pub on days with an Q in them so feel free to come back then.

 

 

This is absolutely my experience too. There is no substitute for legwork when you are trying to break into new venues. I use Lemonrock heavily for my research too. Before you go out make sure you have good video and sound recordings easily accessible. A lot of pubs don't have good IT skills so expect their websites and social media to be set up by the aforesaid wife's nephew's second cousin and not updated since he went to sixth form college two years ago. Anyone running a successful pub is likely to be on their knees with overwork so don't expect them to do anything. 

 

My most successful experience was when I took a bluetooth speaker and an iPad out with me and just played our band's latest recordings. We got three bookings from five pubs, but we went when it was quiet. We checked they had un-booked dates before we left and that they booked our sort of band.

 

Lemonrock is really strong in some areas and not so much in others. It is currently listing 60+ gigs within 30 miles of me next week. It's very old-fashioned but has great functionality for searches but most importantly a lot of pubs use it to search for bands, you'll get a few calls for last minute cancellations which if you turn them into repeat gigs makes it a worthwhile site.

[thebrig]

Lemonrock was great when I lived in Hertfordshire, and I know its strong in the West Country, but since moving to Shropshire, its non-existent in the West Midlands.

[Bleat]

1 hour ago, thebrig said:

Lemonrock was great when I lived in Hertfordshire, and I know its strong in the West Country, but since moving to Shropshire, its non-existent in the West Midlands.

 

Don't move down to Herefordshire. I can't even find any decent musicians or bands to join! 

[thebrig]

I actually contacted Lemonrock a few years ago and asked why they weren't active in the West Midlands, the reply was, "there's not enough bands and musicians interested", and then went on to tell me that I was welcome to join for a fee of about £50 at the time to be the only member in the area. 🙄

[Happy Jack]

Yeh, but you'd have got ALL the gigs!

[Len_derby]

45 minutes ago, Bleat said:

 

Don't move down to Herefordshire. I can't even find any decent musicians or bands to join! 

Interesting. I was down your way last week, went to Ross and Hereford and was pleasantly surprised that both still had reasonably well-stocked music shops. In my part of the world all the music shops have gone in places of similar size.

Having said that, none of the pubs I went in showed any sign of ever having live music on. But there must be something going on……

 

Ps, no gigs going at the Credenhill camp? They’d be a tough crowd to please 😆

[Bleat]

4 minutes ago, Len_derby said:

Interesting. I was down your way last week, went to Ross and Hereford and was pleasantly surprised that both still had reasonably well-stocked music shops. In my part of the world all the music shops have gone in places of similar size.

Having said that, none of the pubs I went in showed any sign of ever having live music on. But there must be something going on……

 

Ps, no gigs going at the Credenhill camp? They’d be a tough crowd to please 😆

 

Those shops are full of stock 'cos there's no musicians around to buy anything. 😄  I'm way over on the other side on the Welsh Border... it's mostly farmers with ruddy complexions, wellies and nervous looking sheep here. Definitely nowhere local to me, though I think there's a small handful of venues in Hereford itself. I've not found a decent band to join to play at any of them though!

 

Yeah, I wouldn't want to go upsetting that lot at the camp, then again If you've heard Jack Dee's SAS story, it just about sums up every bloke in Hereford of a Friday night.