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[PVH]

Also all the students have returned to the suberbs, leaving college towns totally dead, touring in summer is nice in one way, but not really the best way to get your band noticed.

You also need to build up healthy contacts before you start booking.....no-one is gonna take a totally unknown band and just put them on for the fun of it.

[black_matter]

Originally Posted by project:venhell

Also all the students have returned to the suberbs, leaving college towns totally dead, touring in summer is nice in one way, but not really the best way to get your band noticed.

You also need to build up healthy contacts before you start booking.....no-one is gonna take a totally unknown band and just put them on for the fun of it.

It may sound really pathetic for such a smalltown band as us, but I was really hoping to get some out of town gig i.e dundee, perth, inverness etc but getting any contacts that are willing to even give a small support slot is proving difficult. Obviously you'll have some contacts what with you guys touring so would you be able to maybe pm me with some places to look up?

[PVH]

Plan a route of what you would like to tour, go on myspace, find bands/promoters from those towns, make friends with them and take it from there. Also ask for local message boards etc...anything that might be able to help you.

[Old Gold]

It's important that just ONE person takes on the responcibility of getting everything at least venue wise sorted out. I've seen a couple of bands suffering from lack of communication and winding up with pretty cruddy tours.

Also, for a first tour there's no point in even dreaming about making wads off of merch. Sell lots of t-shirts and cds for a tiny profit instead of one or two for probably the same profit overall. At least you're getting your name out there too.

ps.all the tips would make a corkin' wee article.

[stuartmaxwell]

Originally Posted by black_matter

It may sound really pathetic for such a smalltown band as us, but I was really hoping to get some out of town gig i.e dundee, perth, inverness etc but getting any contacts that are willing to even give a small support slot is proving difficult. Obviously you'll have some contacts what with you guys touring so would you be able to maybe pm me with some places to look up?

gig swap with bands from othet towns and put on your own gig at a venue is always the easiest way to do it. once you make mates with these bands you will find it more and more easier to get shows outta town

[black_matter]

Originally Posted by stuartmaxwell

gig swap with bands from othet towns and put on your own gig at a venue is always the easiest way to do it. once you make mates with these bands you will find it more and more easier to get shows outta town

I've actually got a gig swap in the pipelines with a band named apogee from stoke on trent! I've heard only good things about the band and got speaking to them through the unsigned magazine that runs in there area. Ill look to follow that up.

[stuartmaxwell]

p.s.

take a cheap easy to put up tent with you, just in case you get let down. far comfier than sleeping crumpled in a van with 5 others

if you are on the cheap take rice and cous cous with you, a tub and a pan and ask the people you are staying at if you can make a pot of food to keep yous going if you dont get any at the gig.

a torch is always handy

cigarette lighter chargers for phones and stuff.

dont leave your small stuff in venues, try and take it with you or lock it away somewhere. stuff gets nicked very easily

if you are unsure about the area/parking restrictions of where you are staying, get someone to sleep in the van.

take a pair of sunglasses with you

before you have left make sure there is a jack and you are able to get the spare tyre off of the van.

tying smelly shoes to the back of the van is a great way of making them smell less

take washing line with you so you can hang your towels.

if in leeds and huddersfield area, go and visit the matamp factory to kill a bit of time. great drive, great scenery and the best amplification in the world.

always try and get into recotrd shops in town and see if ye can get cds in.

bit iof flyering in the town never goes amiss. esp if there is a university in town and its term time

always make a point of thanking and appreciating everyone involved with the show, feeding/putting you up. be sociable with them, try and get some banter out of them and the other bands etc. introduce yourself to the other bands. you find that if you are nice to the local bands they stick around and so do their mates. plus, they might take you out on the sauce and then rave about you to everyone who didnt go to the show and the next time you come back you have loads of people eager to see you.
--------------------------------

it would be a perfect world if this happened. but its usually wake up in skanky flat, play ps2, pay for breakfast in a nice cafe/morrisons, find venue in next city and hang about outsid eit drinkign cider and playing footy

[RF Scott]

Originally Posted by stuartmaxwell

take washing line with you so you can hang your towels.

Good point. A hairdryer is also good for drying towels, or at least getting the wetness reduced to dampness!

[shaun]

Originally Posted by SpanishArmada

ps.all the tips would make a corkin' wee article.

i agree, i love reading things like this.

[black_matter]

Basically sam, compile a note form few pages of all the ideas mentioned in this thread and put it together into a handy ringbinder so you can make a checklist of stuff for touring!