Some people are unbelievable.

[Tait]

a few weeks ago one of my mates told me he's got a friend organising a couple of gigs, and she's looking for bands. so he gives her my number and a link to our myspace, and she says she likes our band and do we want to play. so i checked with my band, and we were booked to play at a pub this coming saturday.

anyway, she tells me a few days ago there are 3 bands playing, and can we bring our drumkit and can the other bands borrow it. i told her no because my dad's band has a gig the same night and so will be taking the big car, and we can't really fit a bass, a whole drumkit, an amp and 3 people into a fiat punto. well can't i get someone else to take them? maybe, i'll ask my guitarist if he can take some bits, but he usually takes our other guitarists so thats 2 guitars, 2 amps, half a drumkit and 3 people in one car, which isn't entirely plausible. what if she sends someone around to pick the drums up? i'm not comfortable with the idea of a total stranger taking our drumkit.

i ask her why another band doesn't just take their drumkits, and she just tells me they can't. so i say well neither can we. but she says why not? if its trouble getting it there, she'll get someone to pick it up. in the end i tell her "well i'll check with my guitarist, see if i can sort anything out. no promises though."

anyway, today she added me to the event on facebook. it says in massive letters 18+. now, i'm 17 and one of the older ones in my year at college, so all my friends are 16 or 17. my drummer and guitarist are 15, and our other guitarist is 14. so i asked her about it being over 18, and of course i can't bring any friends under 18. then i said "you do realise none of the band are over 18 right?" and she replied with "sh*t, i just assumed you were! i should have asked, really!" why yes, yes you should. bearing in mind she's only just 18, and the friend that told her about us is 17, is it really that difficult to imagine that his friend's band might contain members under 18? obviously i dont say this to her, i just ask if we can still play. "well, technically you're not allowed. but if you go in the back entrance where there aren't any bouncers, and don't shout about being under 18, you should be ok. obviously don't try to buy any drinks either."

me: "but the pub WILL mind that we're under 18 then?"
her: "well, if they find out they'll be mad. they've had a go at me before for having under 18 bands play. they've even kicked one band out for being under 18 before". funnily enough, when a different mate found out where we were playing he was suprised because he always thought that pub was strict on 18+ only, but i didn't really think anything of it.
her: "anyway, like i said, just go in the back entrance and keep a low profile, you should be ok"

later on, another thought strikes me.

me: "doesn't it make sense to have another band bring the drumkit anyway? i mean, if we get kicked out, none of the bands will have a drumkit at all, so it doesnt make sense for us to bring it."
her: "yeah but none of the other bands CAN bring a drumkit."
me: "we've gone through this. we CAN'T bring a drumkit."
her: "yeah you can. i'll get a friend to pick it up. you won't get kicked out anyway if you sneak in the back entrance."

so... you expect me to go to a stupid amount of trouble to bring a drumkit, involving trusting some total stranger with my brother's drumkit, to a we have to sneak into because we're not allowed to play there, and there's every chance we'll get kicked out and then there'll be no kit at all for any band to play on, thus ruining the gig anyway? i bet you a fiver if that happened another band would magically be able to produce a kit.

some people are just unbelievable.

i figured before dropping out of the gig i should check with the band, and we decided pretty much straight away (there was no need to think about it), to tell her where she can shove her gig. it's too late to text her now, but first thing tomorrow morning i'm gonna let her know we're not playing. its just stupid.

on the bright side my guitarist has just told me he had to turn down a gig at a nice place we've played a few times before (and i know at least one other basschatter has played there before, too, and he said he really enjoyed it) because of this gig, so he's going to try and see if we can still get in there. obviously they might be full now, but they might still be able to fit us in

sorry about the rant by the way, i'm just pretty pissed off by it all.

[Kiwi]

Just tell her you're not interested in doing the gig anymore because she's turning it into a complete ball ache. Keep it simple for yourselves and don't get sucked into her maelstrom of disorganisation and incompetence. Unfortunately these people crop up in all walks of life from CEOs right down to scatty college girls.

[NickH]

[quote name='Tait' post='734611' date='Feb 3 2010, 11:05 PM']a few weeks ago one of my mates told me he's got a friend organising a couple of gigs, and she's looking for bands. so he gives her my number and a link to our myspace, and she says she likes our band and do we want to play. so i checked with my band, and we were booked to play at a pub this coming saturday.

anyway, she tells me a few days ago there are 3 bands playing, and can we bring our drumkit and can the other bands borrow it. i told her no because my dad's band has a gig the same night and so will be taking the big car, and we can't really fit a bass, a whole drumkit, an amp and 3 people into a fiat punto. well can't i get someone else to take them? maybe, i'll ask my guitarist if he can take some bits, but he usually takes our other guitarists so thats 2 guitars, 2 amps, half a drumkit and 3 people in one car, which isn't entirely plausible. what if she sends someone around to pick the drums up? i'm not comfortable with the idea of a total stranger taking our drumkit.

i ask her why another band doesn't just take their drumkits, and she just tells me they can't. so i say well neither can we. but she says why not? if its trouble getting it there, she'll get someone to pick it up. in the end i tell her "well i'll check with my guitarist, see if i can sort anything out. no promises though."

anyway, today she added me to the event on facebook. it says in massive letters 18+. now, i'm 17 and one of the older ones in my year at college, so all my friends are 16 or 17. my drummer and guitarist are 15, and our other guitarist is 14. so i asked her about it being over 18, and of course i can't bring any friends under 18. then i said "you do realise none of the band are over 18 right?" and she replied with "sh*t, i just assumed you were! i should have asked, really!" why yes, yes you should. bearing in mind she's only just 18, and the friend that told her about us is 17, is it really that difficult to imagine that his friend's band might contain members under 18? obviously i dont say this to her, i just ask if we can still play. "well, technically you're not allowed. but if you go in the back entrance where there aren't any bouncers, and don't shout about being under 18, you should be ok. obviously don't try to buy any drinks either."

me: "but the pub WILL mind that we're under 18 then?"
her: "well, if they find out they'll be mad. they've had a go at me before for having under 18 bands play. they've even kicked one band out for being under 18 before". funnily enough, when a different mate found out where we were playing he was suprised because he always thought that pub was strict on 18+ only, but i didn't really think anything of it.
her: "anyway, like i said, just go in the back entrance and keep a low profile, you should be ok"

later on, another thought strikes me.

me: "doesn't it make sense to have another band bring the drumkit anyway? i mean, if we get kicked out, none of the bands will have a drumkit at all, so it doesnt make sense for us to bring it."
her: "yeah but none of the other bands CAN bring a drumkit."
me: "we've gone through this. we CAN'T bring a drumkit."
her: "yeah you can. i'll get a friend to pick it up. you won't get kicked out anyway if you sneak in the back entrance."

so... you expect me to go to a stupid amount of trouble to bring a drumkit, involving trusting some total stranger with my brother's drumkit, to a we have to sneak into because we're not allowed to play there, and there's every chance we'll get kicked out and then there'll be no kit at all for any band to play on, thus ruining the gig anyway? i bet you a fiver if that happened another band would magically be able to produce a kit.

some people are just unbelievable.

i figured before dropping out of the gig i should check with the band, and we decided pretty much straight away (there was no need to think about it), to tell her where she can shove her gig. it's too late to text her now, but first thing tomorrow morning i'm gonna let her know we're not playing. its just stupid.

on the bright side my guitarist has just told me he had to turn down a gig at a nice place we've played a few times before (and i know at least one other basschatter has played there before, too, and he said he really enjoyed it) because of this gig, so he's going to try and see if we can still get in there. obviously they might be full now, but they might still be able to fit us in

sorry about the rant by the way, i'm just pretty pissed off by it all.[/quote]

Oy vey. Sounds like a nightmare!
Would this by chance be her first attempt at organising a gig? Please dear God say that it is, because if it's not and she's still that bad, there may be no other option but to shoot her... or just lobotomise her and hand her a guitar.

[Rich]

[quote name='Tait' post='734611' date='Feb 3 2010, 11:05 PM']a few weeks ago one of my mates told me he's got a friend [b]making a complete and utter fcking horlicks of[/b] organising a couple of gigs, and she's looking for bands. so he gives her my number and a link to our myspace, and she says she likes our band and do we want to [b]be subjected to her incompetence[/b] [s]play[/s]. so i checked with my band, and we were booked to play at a pub this coming saturday.[/quote]
Corrected for you
What a farce. A career as a promoter does not await her.

[Huw Foster]

I can safely say we've all been there. Not your exact situation per se, but the incompetent organisers? Definitely.

My advice is to drop it. Not worth the effort at all. Sometimes these things can somehow come together at the last minute and actually be quite fun (well, that's happened once for me at least). However, I very much doubt that will happen in this instance.

[basshead56]

[quote name='NickH' post='734659' date='Feb 4 2010, 12:33 AM']there may be no other option but to shoot her... or just lobotomise her and hand her a guitar.[/quote]



Steer well clear mate!
No gig is worth that amount of bother-even starting out! Trust me-well used to this sort of carry on.
And the drumkit issue just proves your lot are being pis**d on from a great height.
She clearly doesn't know her opinon from her elbow and is trying to pull a fast one-getting your band to do all the work.
Unfortunately, these people exist all over the world and are increasing in number rapidly

[Stingray5]

[quote name='Tait' post='734611' date='Feb 3 2010, 11:05 PM']me: "but the pub WILL mind that we're under 18 then?"
[b]her: "well, if they find out they'll be mad. they've had a go at me before for having under 18 bands play. they've even kicked one band out for being under 18 before".[/b]
funnily enough, when a different mate found out where we were playing he was suprised because he always thought that pub was strict on 18+ only, but i didn't really think anything of it.
her: "anyway, like i said, just go in the back entrance and keep a low profile, you should be ok"[/quote]
Un-freakin'-believable!! She ain't no budding 'Harvietta Goldsmith'(!), that's fer sure!
Glad to hear you're walking away from this one and hope you can get the other gig back.
At the very least, you can chalk it up to experience.

[Bassassin]

Happens all the time.

Tell her where to stick it - but be polite & diplomatic. If she stays in the game & sorts herself out, the last thing you'll want is her putting the idea around that you're unreliable & have an attitude problem.

Jon.

[MIJ-VI]

OP. Good on you for thinking this through.

[bassbloke]

This gig WILL be a disaster, but it could be a good learning experience for you in a 'let's see just how much of a mess this person can make of organising'. I quite enjoy really, really badly organised gigs. All the bands usually club together to salvage what they can from the event and you never know who might be in attendance and be impressed by your professional attitude.

Refuse, politely, to provide a kit. What if the gig does go pear shaped and you can't get a lift back. Recommend she hires a basic kit (probably something around the £50 mark). Her friend can go and collect it. She can recoup it from the costs of putting on the gig.

[MIJ-VI]

Personally I believe her [i]sole[/i] aim was/is to angle the OP for free use of a drum kit.

Deceit. Not incompetence.

But then I'm old and cynical.

[dave_bass5]

What a joke.
So you cant bring friends, you cant drink, you have to hide in the back but you also have to go to a lot of effort for others, and i bet you wouldn't even make any money.
Tell her to shove it. At the very least agree that she can pick a drum kit up but then tell her to pick one of the other bands kits up. That will then put her on the spot,.

Its only when you are mega famous that you should be sneaking in the back door of your own gig, and i assume you aren't at that stage yet lol.

[BigAlonBass]

Read between the lines:- None of the other Bands have their own Drumkit, or can't be bothered to bring it, so the only reason you've been asked to play is because your Band will provide one. Just in passing, if [i]The Management[/i] find out you're all under 18, what are the chances of you being ejected forcibly and violently? (I've seen it happen) If so, will you have time to pack the drums whilst flying through the air? Which would mean coming back with Parents or suitable over 18 personnel to collect it. Even if you can get someone the same night, what are the chances the Gig will be over by the time you get back inside, and the other Bands will have battered seven bells out of the Drummers Equipment. (with no recompense to him)
I'm sorry, but I got more and more annoyed while reading the post, not at her, but at you for even considering being shafted by this manipulative bitc....female. Walk away, don't look back. NO Gig is worth all that sh*t.

[Adrenochrome]

That was too funny! Unfortunately there are lots of middle-aged, experienced, gig promoters walking round who are not really much better.

[retroman]

Quite recently, had a promoter want us to supply the back line, do the advertising, sell tickets, book the other bands.......WTF?

My response is not repeatable on this forum!

[skankdelvar]

Bearing in mind the potential disaster that could have ensued, all this individual has done - so far - is waste some of your time on the phone.

While it's always tempting to reduce these hopeless gobsh*tes to a quivering mass of jelly, I suppose it makes sense to slide out gracefully. As someone sensibly pointed out above, the 'promoter' may be in a position to help you out at some time in the future. If not, at least they've demonstrated how [i]not [/i]to go about setting up an event, thus providing you with some pointers should you wish to self-promote at a later date.

The good news is there's a better gig for you somewhere else. Enjoy.

Edited February 4, 2010 by skankdelvar

[xilddx]

[quote name='NickH' post='734659' date='Feb 4 2010, 12:33 AM']there may be no other option but to shoot her... or just lobotomise her and hand her a guitar.[/quote]
Sounds to me like she's had her lobo already.

She is clearly thick as sh*t, doesn't learn from her past mistakes, augments that by trying to pull a fast one and puts everyone at risk by trying to flout the pub's policy, couldn't organise a fart in a fart factory, etc.

I'd leave her and her gigs well alone.

[Sibob]

Amateur promoters are the bane of the live music industry, there should be some kinda certificate needed to put shows on lol.
All you have to say is that you don't wanna play the show because you're not interested in breaking any Licensing Laws, which you're causing the pub to do by-proxy. What if they have an inspection that night? That's their licence gone. Partly their own fault for allowing this charlatan to promote again, but hey, you don't have to be a part of it!

Hope the other gig comes through!
Si

[Bassassin]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='734799' date='Feb 4 2010, 09:54 AM']That was too funny! Unfortunately there are lots of middle-aged, experienced, gig promoters walking round who are not really much better.[/quote]
In my considerable experience, many are much worse - these are the cynical bastards who view young/originals bands as nothing but a meal ticket, willing to jump through any number of hoops just to get to play a gig. They'll expect you to provide gear, poster & advertise the gig (while still calling themselves "promoters"), bring an audience - often requiring you to agree to bring a minimum number of paying punters before they'll give you the gig. If they know you have contacts, expect to be asked to sort out & organise other bands for the bill - and then you can add ticket deals & pay-to-play to that equation.

Calling them subhuman scum is being insulting to subhuman scum.

J.

[fatback]

[quote name='Rich' post='734668' date='Feb 4 2010, 12:47 AM']Corrected for you
What a farce. A career as a promoter does not await her.[/quote]


Or most lkely it does.

[Rich]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='734760' date='Feb 4 2010, 09:03 AM']So you cant bring friends, you cant drink, you have to hide in the back but you also have to go to a lot of effort for others, and i bet you wouldn't even make any money.[/quote]
Yeah, but apart from that, it'll be a great gig...

[johnny_frog]

lovely fuster cluck. hope it all turns out ok

[Doddy]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='734871' date='Feb 4 2010, 11:14 AM']In my considerable experience, many are much worse - these are the cynical bastards who view young/originals bands as nothing but a meal ticket, willing to jump through any number of hoops just to get to play a gig. They'll expect you to provide gear, poster & advertise the gig (while still calling themselves "promoters"), bring an audience - often requiring you to agree to bring a minimum number of paying punters before they'll give you the gig. If they know you have contacts, expect to be asked to sort out & organise other bands for the bill - and then you can add ticket deals & pay-to-play to that equation.

Calling them subhuman scum is being insulting to subhuman scum.

J.[/quote]

The thing(problem) is,there are many bands who will only be too happy to do all of this in the hope of
gaining 'exposure' or to play a 'headlining' slot(which,at that level, really means that you will be on last and nothing
more).
The bands are just as much to blame in a lot of instances because they accept all of the bs and believe that this
is how it works. If more bands were to go against the promoters and have the balls to say 'no' things would change.

[KevB]

Can the original poster tell me which pub it is, I might just turn up for the entertainment value

[Tait]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='734760' date='Feb 4 2010, 09:03 AM']So you cant bring friends, you cant drink, you have to hide in the back but you also have to go to a lot of effort for others, and i bet you wouldn't even make any money.[/quote]

haha i couldn't have put it better myself!

[quote name='KevB' post='735031' date='Feb 4 2010, 01:43 PM']Can the original poster tell me which pub it is, I might just turn up for the entertainment value [/quote]

in all fairness, i've listened to the other bands on myspace and stuff and they seem like decent bands. if the gig was organised properly, i'd have loved to have played it. hopefully it'll be a good night when it gets round to it - i just wont be there!