SteveXFR Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 My originals metal band has now got a demo recorded, currently being mixed. We want to start getting gigs. Who should I be sending demos to? Venues? Promotors? Local MP? Someone else? We're not exactly wedding party material. I love what we do but we're not a mass appeal band. Support slots would be ideal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Everybody!!! Those you've listed and Management companies, members of other band you'd like to tour with, venues, studios, in fact anybody who might have contact with other musicians. Emails cost nothing!! Also try bands who are going on tour shortly to see if there is an opening for a support band. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 When my last band started out the singer/organiser looked at the (punk) scene in general, saw who the promoters were & where they were running the gigs, developed an online rapport with them and got gigs from there. We swiftly realised that Tues & Weds multi genre gigs weren’t the way to go, better to be first on the bill to a “name” on a Fri or Sat and build from there to a genre specific crowd. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Local venues, other bands in your area that are of similar style or vaguely complimentary, local rock/metal Facebook groups etc, friends/former band mates. Everything helps. If you think that you could pull a crowd for your first gig then you can even try putting on a gig yourself and just find some support bands yourself. Good luck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 When it comes to original music, it's usually the bands and local promoters, not venues, who put the gigs on. Start contacting other bands in related genres and build relationships, trade support slots. Go to other band's gigs and talk to them. Since a new original band rarely comes with a paying crowd, you'll get places by networking and building up a rapport with other bands who are gigging. Be prepared to travel. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 Thanks for the tips. There's not much of a metal scene around here but plenty of punk and I think our music has a good punk element to it. I'll get talking to people who know people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 Just tell venues you're a covers band and then turn up and do your own music. When they say they didn't recognize any numbers just tell them they're obscure songs no one remembers and you're keeping the flame alive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 9 minutes ago, Boodang said: Just tell venues you're a covers band and then turn up and do your own music. When they say they didn't recognize any numbers just tell them they're obscure songs no one remembers and you're keeping the flame alive. What do you mean you don't remember Stool Sample Ikea or Septic Frank? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boodang Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 20 minutes ago, Boodang said: Just tell venues you're a covers band and then turn up and do your own music. When they say they didn't recognize any numbers just tell them they're obscure songs no one remembers and you're keeping the flame alive. Seriously did this for years with a band back in the 90s. We had this depressed indie vibe that could clear a pub by set 2. In the end we just started announcing songs as if they were an obscure cover by The Cure or such like, and everyone loved it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 It helps if you can make it easy for promoters to sell you to their audience, who might be into the genre but won't have heard of you. So a good online presence with at least one decent bit of film on a sharable platform, some nice hi res photos, a reasonably active social media account - probably Instagram these days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted March 4, 2023 Author Share Posted March 4, 2023 6 minutes ago, JoeEvans said: It helps if you can make it easy for promoters to sell you to their audience, who might be into the genre but won't have heard of you. So a good online presence with at least one decent bit of film on a sharable platform, some nice hi res photos, a reasonably active social media account - probably Instagram these days. We are working on those things. We're an ugly bunch though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 See if there's any specialist radio shows (airwaves or internet) that play your style of music and send it to them. There's a radio station in Stoke On Trent (we're in Cornwall/Devon) that plays us sometimes on their Sunday night Mod show. Before Christmas they did a little feature and played five in a row and we were getting calls for gigs in Scarborough, Essex, all over, unfortunately we're not playing at the mo. If you're lucky you might be able to get a little tour together. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted March 4, 2023 Share Posted March 4, 2023 10 minutes ago, SteveXFR said: We are working on those things. We're an ugly bunch though Slipknot had a good solution to that one... 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 8 hours ago, SteveXFR said: We are working on those things. We're an ugly bunch though All the better - being smoothly handsome isn't very metal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 My originals band, Diamond Bridges, started off by playing charity events. The guitarist is a vet, through him we get to hear about animal charities having a bash or wanting to. We’ve also done things for a local hospice. My advice would be, assume that you’ll make no money. Anything you do get will be a nice cherry on the cake. It’s great fun playing your own music. No one in the audience knows how it ‘should’ sound. 😉 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted March 5, 2023 Author Share Posted March 5, 2023 39 minutes ago, Len_derby said: My advice would be, assume that you’ll make no money. We're in it for fun. Covering fuel costs would be nice but we don't expect anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrypF Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 My last band got so sick of being ripped off by promoters, playing in between completely different genre acts, we took the plunge and became our own promoters. Hire a function room in a place with a music license, ideally with its own bar, and pay a trusted mate to staff the door. With a couple of other acts on the same page, this can be a money spinner, especially if you add merch. It doesn’t work if any of the acts treat it like a free rehearsal and don’t promote it properly, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodyratm Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Good luck! Years back I could name every promoter in my city, and get a gig whenever I wanted! But now, it’s so hard! Every venue bar one just ghosts us it seems. I don‘t think we’re that bad (and the people who come to the one venue seem to enjoy!). We’ve done videos, audio, etc. we’re debating putting a gig on ourselves somewhere just to play a diff place! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2elliot Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) Find similar bands, see who promotes them. Contact both parties for support slots. Find the same genre festival type gigs, approach them and/or the bands for a slot/support. Put your own gig on with a couple of similar bands, preferably ones who are a bit more established... the people will come. We've done all the above and it's all worked to varying degrees. Promoting your own is a challenge and worrying until people start to pile in the venue. ...side note: you won't get rich but may make enough for a sausage roll and a can of Tizer to share with your band mates after the gig. Edited March 5, 2023 by 2elliot 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 I make no assumptions about your age or experience here, but for me it was a bit eye opening how things have changed. I play bass in an originals band for a bit of fun and here’s what the band leader did to get us gigs: - Paid for a professional video to be made (university student did it for £250 and it was incredible) - Got a social media presence with another young person managing it (this was someone in their 20s) who set it up and did whatever they do - Played a gig at a mates pub which was rammed with all our friends and used that for gig photos and to invite promoters - contacted a booking agent with all this info - made contact with similar bands on other areas (in the 90s and early 00s, this was how we needed up gigging by doing gig swaps!) It sort of worked. We got a few gigs pre covid that paid money and we even did some cool parties and stuff. It takes a huge amount of energy. In the covered band I’m in now we have a booking agent who tells us the dates and sends us the cash. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 On 04/03/2023 at 22:50, SteveXFR said: ...or Septic Frank? Careful son, that one's under copyright © 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Combed20 Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 On 26/02/2023 at 11:06, 41Hz said: Hi Combed20, I saw you were asking about the TE715x recently. Was this at the Friars Inn in Hemel? I’ve also got a gig coming up and waswondering if I should use that or bring my own rig. Did you play with it in the end and if so was it ok? I play in a loud rock band so wondered if a 1x15 would be loud enough. On 04/03/2023 at 21:50, SteveXFR said: Thanks for the tips. There's not much of a metal scene around here but plenty of punk and I think our music has a good punk element to it. I'll get talking to people who know people! What area are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 36 minutes ago, Combed20 said: What area are you? Frome, Somerset Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 IME, you don't actually need a demo, just a good idea of your target audience and a lot of front. It also helps if you have either a manger or a member of the band who can assume the alter-ego of your manager for the purposes of talking to venues, promoters and other bands. Find bands who you like that are playing a similar style of music, who are playing within travelling distance, and then get in touch with the venue, the promotor and the band themselves and ask for a support. Keep doing this until someone says yes. Then build it from there. Have you or any of your band mates get contacts from previous bands that owe you a favour? Both The Terrortones and Hurtsfall got our first few gigs off the back of the bands the various members had been in previously and, having acquitted ourselves both sonically and visually, we had no problems getting repeat bookings for support slots. With both bands we were gigging long before we had any kind of "demo" recording, and in the case of The Terrortones our first gig was less than two months from our first rehearsal. It was useful that Mr Venom's "normal" persona that he used as our manager to get us the gigs was so far removed from how he appeared with the band that only people who knew him well, were aware that they were one and the same. I lost count fairly quickly of the number of promotors and venues who would ask if our manager was going to be at the gig! There is always an element of luck, although IME the harder you work the "luckier" you get. The Terrortones' 5th gig was a late afternoon slot an all-day psychobilly festival with The Meteors headlining. Once we'd done that and gone down well the gigs just kept coming in. Also in the early days be prepared to play anywhere at short notice. If you are serious about gigging, there little point of having band members who need weeks of notice in order to be able to do gigs. We ended up sacking one drummer and guitarist after they turned down the opportunity to play at The Met during Whitby Goth Weekend because we had less than a week's notice of the gig. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super al Posted April 2, 2023 Share Posted April 2, 2023 Just bumping this up, I'm out with the family all day and will read through this later. The rock/metal originals band I joined last year can't get a gig in Salisbury at the moment (I know, a metal band in Salisbury that can't get a gig...we must be bad 😆). Our latest EP was released yesterday on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, etc and it'd be nice to play these tunes live...be nice to have a permanent drummer too but that's another story. Looking forward to reading this later 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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