rcalder82

Tape The Radio & Ross Buchanan added as supports on this. On sale and selling fast. Get yours now

on sale now - tickets in One Up

AGP presents

THE FIRE & I

The Wetflex

Battle Ads

Talking Sideways

Thu 30 June 2011

8.30pm

14+ show

Tickets from One Up, Belmont Street, AGP ABERDEEN — Home and Welcome to TicketWeb!

-----------

The debut album "Stampede Finale" is now available

from iTunes, Amazon, HMV, Play

"The Fire And I are one of the best bands in Scotland right now."

Resound Scotland

"44 minutes of mind-bending, jaw-dropping musical addiction that's arguably the most sensational thing you've heard come out of the UK indie scene in years"

Dead Earnest

"This record is a sheer delight from beginning to end, combining the very best of unashamedly catchy punks and the depth of post-hardcore into one tidy package. A record not to be missed. (9/10)"

Soundshock.co.uk

"Evoking Biffy Clyro at their most experimental, Blood Red Shoes at their heaviest, and DFA9179 at their most genius, theres certainly a bright future for these guys."

Pushtofire.com

___________________________

The Fire And I are an energetic 2 piece band using only Bass and Drums, with occasional synth.

Gordon and Hooligan have molded a very distinctive and powerful sound, often difficult to comprehend from their two members.

"They put on an amazing show and really have to be seen to be believed."

Amy Macdonald, Singer/Songwriter

JJ Bull and Foxhunting have been added to this cracking show

Get your tickets now!!

There were two guys who practiced for 2 weeks and sat and did Coldplay covers. That's horseshit. And shouldn't be condoned. I'm with Old Gold on this one, it's quality not quantity that's needed. Just because something's 'local' doesn't mean it should be exempt from the same criticism as something that's not.

I thought that crooked veins band were alright, it was the other half-arsed pish that folk were slagging no? .

What the point is though is that he judged the bands on 30 sec clips without being there...no doubt there has been a lot of poor quality bands but that was the point, to let bands we havent seen before have a chance.

To reply to your points...

Is there a list of all the bands who have played available?

I can find out and post one - dont have it on me just now - when I have time Ill stick it up.

I fully understand that it's your business and you need to run it as a business. It would have been nice if you were upfront from the beginning and had actually said that it was not a free for all competition, which was my understanding, and that it had been set up and altered to suit bands that you thought were beneficial to your business.

Its not my business as such but I am booking it to make the bar as busy as possible for the benefit of the bands and the company. I have nothing to be up front about though - every band that has asked to play a showcase has been offered a slot and if able to make it have played. Yes some thought went into which night would suit best but that in no way constitites any pre conception as to a bands ability. I havent heard of loads of them.[ As such it was still a "free for all" /B]

As you see by this thread people were suspicious of events and as it turns out the suspicions had some grounds.

I dont see how - everyone has played and everyone has been judged by people totally independent from the venue and myself. Those that had been decided in advance didnt have to play a showcase at all and these slots were totally separate. Everyone had an even chance. Obviously anyone interested in music may well know that a certain local band is better than another but the showcases are and always were a platform only for bands who we may not be aware of and bands that wanted to perform for the festival reps. It was never a battle of the bands style event.

How many of these favoured acts have already been booked to play the festival and how many genuine spaces are there left for others?

there are some that have been decided in advance that are completely separate from the spaces available to those on showcases

You ask if it's worth it? Given that I've been to quite a few showcase events so far and every midweek one has been near empty, I wonder that myself.

I dont mean if the showcases are worth it - they have generally been very well attended and have certainly been busier than a line up with the same bands would be had it not been a showcase. What I meant was that the attitude of people here makes me wonder whether putting on the shows I do with my actual business (AGP) are worth it - I know for a fact that other promoters of touring bands feel the same.

I was there on Tuesday night and there was no more than 14 people who were either with me, with the band, did not even pay attention or left in the middle of You Dead set.

Again like I said the showcases are an opportunity for the band to impress and lets face it show how much of a pull they have. If bands cant get people to a free gig then there is little hope they are going to be worth putting on a festival that relies on selling thousands of tickets. I wasnt at that event so cant comment on individual bands or nights.

If there was a judge he did hide well!

Im not going to bother continuing to justify this - there is a judge at each and every show. Full stop.

I thought this competition might attract a few more people along to the bar and fail to understand the lack of interest. I do have to say I've only caught a couple of bands that were anywhere near good enough.

It has - most have been very well attended - again it is largely down to the work/appeal of the bands in this case. Where as if a promoter is putting on a touring band it is their job to make a show busy these are largely going to rely on the band taking people. As a random person not knowing the bands, its unlikely youd see the listings and go on the off chance.

I'm quite surprised at the overall low turnout at Drummonds. You seem to get busy nights at the end of the month and other nights it is not so good.

Drummonds is one of the busier bars over an evening. yes attendances at gigs depend on what band is playing but over the year there are many, many sell out shows and most touring bands do very well. Local line ups can indeed by dodgy but again if bands dont get people to come and see them at the early stage they are at when they tend to play Drummonds, there is little hope./B]

There seems to be little link between the quality of music and the amount of people on a regular basis.

I cant change peoples tastes - I wish I could!

Saturday night was one of the better nights in Drummonds. I enjoyed all three bands and thought the second band who I believe are called The Trade were very good indeed.

As Saturdays go in Drummonds it wasnt that busy however it is a trend that middle of the month is quieter and around "pay day" is busier as per the whole of town. The Trade have asked for a showcase slot and we are trying to work out a date. Glad you enjoyed it!

If it's not a fair fight for the festival slots or not enough quality, it's bands like The Trade that should be approached then.

There is plenty of quality locally - had we wanted to fill the festival with the local bands we think are best we would have done it without showcases mate - I dont see where the allegations of unfairness are coming from??? I could put the whole of my booking agency roster on the festival in a second and ignore everyone else if it wasnt fair. Like Ive said so often now, a few bands that have given a lot to Aberdeen music scene and the venues involved over several years have been rewarded with a slot, the remaining slots are up for grabs from the showcases. Simple - perfectly fair! I dont see what the problem is

Ok

- showcase slots have generaly been selected at random. If you notice the posts we put out its simply a list of dates and people can take what they wish on a first come first serve basis. The one on the last video (Tijuana Sun etc) had already been booked in as a normal gig long before as they regularly play Drummonds on weekend nights - this date was then turned into a showcase. This may have happened once or twice but all other showcases have been pretty much midweek and open to anyone, however a certain degree of sense needs to come into it. I wouldnt be putting 5 bands on a bill that I didnt think anyone would come to see as the bar needs to take money obviously. With regards charging to certain events the above explaniation applies to that too - the date was already announced and door charge was already on that show. All other showcases have been free entry

- with regards people calling bands "horse shit" etc - yes there have been varying levels of quality and yes some in my opinion have been horse shit - but thats only my opinion. For me its good to see people getting involved, coming out and playing and good to see bands making the effort to get people along to shows. The attitude of someone judging a band on these clips is exactly whats wrong with Aberdeen and why a few promoters including myself are beginning to doubt whether its worth it.

- re judging - there is always someone there in the crowd. They arent meant to be seen etc but they are there blending into the crowd. Each band has been seen, written about and safely filed away. This is not the bar staff or the sound engineer.

- and finally where yes a few slots may have been decided before the showcases for certain local bands I can assure you that there are plenty of slots open to bands taking part in these events or we wouldnt be running them.

- And extra finally - if your showcase wasnt well attended you are in a minority. Nearly all of the events have been well supported and have been busy. Obviously a great deal of this for an event like this lies with yourself. If you dont take mates, you might not get as big a crowd. Its not the same as a gig where you are the support act and people will be there for the headliner anyway. With events like this its realitvely unlikely that random people are going to come and see you.

Anyway hope that clears some points up.

Tonight...........

Tonight!!!!!!!!!!

Full line up for Sat

THREE KNOTS

SUSPIRE

VELVET AUDIO

DR TROG & THE GINSBERG DEVICE

VLADIMIR

7.30pm doors - first band 8pm

5

This is on Thursday

LAKI MERA

MUNICH

HEADLIGHT

Cafe Drummond 8.30pm

14+ show

Tickets from One Up, Belmont Street and AGP ABERDEEN — Home

Thanks to everyone who played and came along. Was an enjoyable evening.

I personally thought the out front sound was okay. To be fair to the engineer it was his first time on that desk and in that room so difficult to be too harsh.

Enjoyed Preteens, as always thought Min Diesel were great and tbh I thought Katerwaul sounded pretty good out front. Bloody loud but I like bloody loud. I think the time it took to soundcheck Cats as he got used to the desk made a difference. Obviously took ages but they were pretty happy with their on stage sound as well. Unfortunately everyone elses checks were rushed a bit hence not being to the same standard Id imagine.

Off to Dundee with them tonight. Always a pleasure. Heres hoping their new album does ok so they stick with it.

Thanks again. Pleasure as always!

Looking forward to this tonight...would be great to see a decent turnout for 4 awesome bands!

Bump!!!!!!!

Tonight!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry not seen this for a while...

In response

Both Tunnels and Drummonds are 14+ venues for gigs. Whereas its impossible to stop an underage person drinking prior to a show, both venues are incredibly strict with IDing on 14+ nights - Id suggest its more likely they were high on Red Bull or something. I feel personally that its important for kids to be allowed to go and see live music.

With regards drunks I would say again that this is unfortunately common place for any bar/venue in town - at free entry events its obviously a lot harder to stop, but certainly at paid entry shows doorstaff or promoter are doing everything they can to stop anyone drunk from entering. I for one at AGP gigs could make a lot more money by charging pissed people to get into my shows, but have no urge for my events to be ruined by neds so dont allow them in.

And with regards the showcases - there have been over 200 bands applying and we are getting through them,. We have tried to fit everyone in. This has never been a battle of the bands format, merely a way for bands to play in front of festival reps at each showcase.

There is no set number of bands from each event going through. Alot of those taking part are far from ready, and hopefully know that and will get better, but from my point of view its good to see people getting involved with something and making an effort. Gigs during the week for local bands can be pretty hard to make busy so its been nice to see all of these events well attended and younger bands getting excited.

I would suggest it wont be that hard to decide on the bands getting offered a place at the festival, as despite the quantity there havent been that many that would suit or be capable of playing at a larger event. Thats not a slight on most of the bands - just fact that they may be too young, too inexperienced, and yes I guess in some cases - too shit.

I would also add before anyone says anything that despite booking the showcases - I still have nothing to do with deciding who gets offered a slot (cant be too careful on here!)

AGP presents

THE MAGNETIC MIND + Support

(feat ex The Needles members)

Fri 29 July 2011

Tunnels Aberdeen

7.30pm

14+ show

5

------------

The Magnetic Mind formed in early 2011, brought together by a shared love of 60s garage and psychedelic music. They are currently in the process of finishing off their first recordings, and are getting ready to play their first gigs in summer 2011.

The Magnetic Mind | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos

The Magnetic Mind - Wall | Facebook

AGP presents

The LaFontaines (as seen supporting Twin Atlantic)

He Slept on 57

+ support

...

Wed 17 Aug 2011

Cafe Drummond, Aberdeen

8pm

14+ show

Tickets 5 adv from One Up, Belmont Street, AGP ABERDEEN — Home and Welcome to TicketWeb!

--------

THE LAFONTAINES

Combining portions of Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock and Electro into one melodic element of noise, welcome to the new innovative sound of The LaFontaines

Hailing from Motherwell, the old industrial heartland of Central Scotland, The LaFontaines have already forged a dedicated following after showcasing their energetic live set at venues such as King Tuts, 02 Academy, ABC, Classic Grand and Strathclyde University. Their unique genre mash-up has gained critical acclaim from press and radio throughout the UK and continues to spiral as the band strive to conquer new ground.

It shouldnt work, but it does. The LaFontaines are the real deal - Rachel Devine (The Sunday Times)

The young, fun and exciting five piece fronted by boyish teenager Kerr Okan express their views on everything from partying hard to their Spock-tastic views on Star Trek and then round everything off by using their socially conscious lyrics to take pop shots at todays unvarying rap scene.

"After they were described to me, I was almost expecting a Rage against The Machine clone. Thankfully The LaFontaines have a hell of a lot more to offer." - Jim Gellatly (BBC Radio Scotland)

The bands name stems from no other than the late great Don LaFontaine. The band were huge fans of the voice-over legend and were thrilled when the man himself wanted to work with the guys on some voice-over material for their live shows and CDs. Sadly to the bands deep despair, Don LaFontaine passed away shortly after committing to the project. The LaFontaines carry on his name and legacy as a tribute to the legend that was Don LaFontaine.

So far 09 has brought the band a sold out headline show in Glasgows top venue ABC2, where they released their debut self titled EP. On the back of this success they hope to build on what has already been achieved by supporting top acts such as N-Dubz, Kid British The Cool Kids, Mongrel (Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and the Makers)The Xcerts, Flamboyant Bella, and Beardyman (UK beat boxing Champion).

The LaFontaines were also part of the NME/Guitar Hero sponsored Britbus tour, which took them out and about all over Glasgow on an open top double decker tour bus playing live to thousands as they were driven slowly around the city.

To book or get in touch with the band directly please contact through myspace or email @ TheLaFontaines@hotmail.com

The time is surely ripe for the world to take notice of Motherwells The LaFontaines (The Herald)

I can't remember the last time I heard a song that so obviously screams hit, it has to be the strongest debut of the year. - Steve McKenna (Real Radio)

"The LaFontaines make Glasvegas sound like they come from Bearsden - Tom Morton (BBC Radio Scotland)

Sounds cool - Mikey Rocks (The Cool Kids)

That was sick! - Beardyman (UK BeatBox Champion)

AGP presents

THE MOUSE THAT ATE THE CAT

(Brian Henderson - The Dykeenies)

(Colin Keenan - Drive By Argument/Atlas Skye/Oliver Stays)

plus support

Tunnels Aberdeen

SAT 13 AUG 2011 - 7.30pm

14+ show

5 advance tickets from One Up, Belmont Street - AGP ABERDEEN — Home and Welcome to TicketWeb!

---------------

Tunes and stuff here TMTATC - Info | Facebook

Featuring The Dykeenies frontman Brian Henderson and Colin Keenan, formerlly of Drive By Argument, Atlas Skye and Oliver Stays - this electro pop duo have recently been making waves in the good old world of music.

In their short space of time together the band have already enjoyed Radio One airplay and reached No5 in the Amazing Radio charts.

Things are really kicking off now and this first headline tour is your chance to be there from the start.

This is tomorrow (Monday) - be good to see you all there!

This is TONIGHT!!!! Doors 7.30pm

Last night was simply beautiful! Those of you who decided to stay away would be strongly urged to take your second chance tonight!!

Jonah is clearly a genius!!!

Hope to see some more people there tonight!

This is finally here!!!! Yas!!!!

This is TONIGHT - tickets on the door if you need

this is TONIGHT!!!!