[stuartmaxwell]

Originally Posted by Cloud

Sam (and Austin for that matter) - don't bother with Whistlebinkies. Unless things have drastically changed, they basically treat bands like utter shit - and they will fuck about with stage times (had friends who were supposed to play at 10pm, ended up not getting on until 1:30) if the venue is busy. They're more interested in their bar sales than they are about the music - and the same friends were promised a payment which didn't materialise. They've also got a bad habit of putting on random lineups so you won't even be guaranteed that you'll get to play with complimentary bands. My friends were in a bland, inoffensive, think Oasis meets The Corrs band - and yet they got told that they wouldn't get to go on until the venue emptied a bit and people stopped dancing.

"To let the staff experience a band" - ie, to see if you can pull a crowd. If you can, great, they make a decent bit through the bar. If you can't, no bother, they don't have to pay you anyway. And it's a Tuesday, which most definitely isn't going out night in Edinburgh.