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Raising the profile of Aberdeen bands


FatHand

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This really has to be an ongoing project rather than one off events like Go North. It also has to be supported and organised by the people it is actually going to benefit - people in bands.

I have recently had an idea that might help with increasing the exposure of Aberdeen bands outside of Aberdeen. You hear a lot of complaints about Aberdeen music scene being overlooked by music industry types and that they never come here (except to some degree at Go North). The way I see it is that they have no reason to if the only place your band is famous is Aberdeen. You must go to them if they don't know you exist. If you want to make headway, you also have to be able to draw a crowd wherever you play. This involves playing outside of Aberdeen.

I know a lot of bands are already doing this but it may help if this is occasionally done as a collective. An Aberdeen Bands night in Glasgow/Edinburgh once every couple of months (or alternating) might be a way of showcasing some of the quality that exists in Aberdeen. It may also open up doors for some bands to play more regularly down there and for some bands just to get down there in the first place.

This is also good way for bands/musicians to raise their game. Whenever we've played with high quality bands, especially outside of Aberdeen, the pressure and excitement have pushed us to another level. A good crowd can also make the atmosphere more intense which again makes you play with more energy. These are elements which could make a night like this work. It would also show that Aberdeen has a thriving music scene and give us the opportunity to make contacts that would not normally be possible.

Is this something that anyone would like to try out? Any suggestions for getting it to work/venues to approach? In the worst case, it'll be a chance to play somewhere other than Aberdeen.

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i'd be abseloutely all for it. It's a good plan but there would be alot of hard work and communication needed for such an event to pan out the way it's intended to and who would put in the work and effort in a place round here?

p.s: as woody said however, i'd be up for chipping in a hand to help out! :up:

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what a pile of bollocks

geography is the main reason' date=' no matter how great the scene is here (or not)

look at brighton, one of the best music scenes in the uk but no industry stuff happens there.

if its industry you want i would reccomend you move away somewhere else[/quote']

now that right there is a valid point.

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indeed' date=' tho would still be nice to play there[/quote']

damn right it would be fun to play out of town. But on a bigger scale i think it would be hard and i think soundian has a point when he says who the feck would go out and see a group of bands they'd never seen? lots of advertising would need to be done.

Personally i reckon a night of only aberdonian acts wouldn't really work, it would need to be mixed with bands from the area.

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That is a good question!

It will be all about the promotion. Glasgow has a different mentality than Aberdeen. Get a good night in a good venue and people will come anyway - gig goers. Whenever we play down in Glasgow now, the crowds get bigger as people remember the name of the band. Gradually have more people we know who would not miss a gig we play down there. This should work for any band of some quality.

Plus, with all nights of this nature, reputation for providing quality will also help. May not hit the spot the first time but should develop as people suss it out.

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Plus' date=' with all nights of this nature, reputation for providing quality will also help. May not hit the spot the first time but should develop as people suss it out.[/quote']

It basically would be a hell of a long process and wouldn't be an overnight thing, but nothing ever is. I'd be willing to see if something could be sorted out so if you wanna gimme a shout im at sponge_bean@hotmail.com :up:

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Ah the bubble has been pierced!

Any constructive ideas are welcome.

I would rather this not be one of those things where negativity keeps rubbing down a genuine wish to set something of this nature up. I am open to suggestions, help and encouragement. If you want to get involved then its a case of the more the merrier. It should also be something that is fun. That, after all, is why we play in bands!

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Ah the bubble has been pierced!

Any constructive ideas are welcome.

I would rather this not be one of those things where negativity keeps rubbing down a genuine wish to set something of this nature up. I am open to suggestions' date=' help and encouragement. If you want to get involved then its a case of the more the merrier. It should also be something that is fun. That, after all, is why we play in bands![/quote']

it's a brilliant idea but be prepared to have it bashed and criticized from every angle.

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That is a good question!

It will be all about the promotion. Glasgow has a different mentality than Aberdeen. Get a good night in a good venue and people will come anyway - gig goers.

utter garbage

for more info on what glasgow is getting like, see london. you struggle like fuck to get a good crowd in london and most big touring bands will struggle to get a decent pay at the end of the night, never mind some pap local bands from aberdeen that nobody has heard of

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Fair enough. I'm going to give it a trial run anyway. Won't hurt anyone to try.

As I said, in the worst case, it would be a chance to play outside of Aberdeen and If I have a foot in the door and can set up these type of gigs for other Aberdeen bands I will do my best.

As the guy from black matter mentioned, it will take time to warm up.

Do be warned, as Stuart Maxwell says, you don't play down in Glasgow to make a profit. It is all about the thrill of playing somewhere else, a bit of a road trip. It is fun and that is how it should be viewed.

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Does anyone ever read that "My Scene" bit in the Radar section of NME. Basically, each week they pick a UK city and write a little blurb about some of the best local bands there and provide a web link or something like that. They've featured some of the most fucking ramshackle backwaters in the UK with four dire bands playing covers, yet as far as I'm aware Aberdeen hasn't been featured!

If a band from Aberdeen got well-known on a national level, would the Aberdeen music scene suddenly get more attention, in the same way the Arctic Monkey's have got a lot of bands in Sheffield recognised, or would it continue to be generally ignored?

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Guest Gasss
One question springs to mind: Who would go to see a bunch of out-of-town bands they'd never heard of?

Exactly. You need to get out of the ghetto, not try and move it to another city. There is no easy way around this. i.e. If you want success on a national level, start seeing yourself as a Scottish act rather than an Aberdeen one.

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If i was everyone i would stop worrying about the 'INDUSTRY' and just start playing out of town/tours etc...and if you are good enough then the 'INDUSTRY' will come to you, regardless of home location.

As for this idea, it would be good if someone could hook up the younger bands with out of town dates, it might actually teach some of them a harsh lesson, that because 200 of your mates goto your gigs in aberdeen doesnt make you good, try playing to no-one/everyone hates you and if you still love playing in a band after that then you will progress your sound. Its all an experience that naive people need to get.

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it wouldn't be easy to convince a promoter to take this venture on because there are so many pay to play venues in glasgow and pulling a crowd might well be tough without local assistance but that's no reason not to try it out! why not get some band and venue contacts in glasgow and go from there. you seem to have the right attitude in terms of having fun with it and even though it's gonna take a lot of work, it seems like a worthwhile venture.

best of luck to you

/x

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If a band from Aberdeen got well-known on a national level' date=' would the Aberdeen music scene suddenly get more attention, in the same way the Arctic Monkey's have got a lot of bands in Sheffield recognised, or would it continue to be generally ignored?[/quote']

I reckon it would get more attention, but it would be short term, flash in the pan type stuff.

Aberdeen doesn't really need someone to get big, it needs people who are willing to build upon what's already there to get average attendances up over the long run, not here-today-gone-tomorrow types.

To the people considering Glasgow - why not try it out in Dundee first? If you can get the concept to work there, then you'd have far more to approach Glasgow promoters with - rather than an untried concept that may or may not fail.

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it wouldn't be easy to convince a promoter to take this venture on because there are so many pay to play venues in glasgow and pulling a crowd might well be tough without local assistance but that's no reason not to try it out! why not get some band and venue contacts in glasgow and go from there. you seem to have the right attitude in terms of having fun with it and even though it's gonna take a lot of work' date=' it seems like a worthwhile venture.

best of luck to you

/x[/quote']

Cheers!

Yeah, I've got a lot of work to do on it in terms of networking, I only have a few reliable contacts at present but should be heading down to Glasgow for a series of gigs over the next few months. I intend to find out the viability of it first. I could muster up a large enough crowd for the first gig organised but it will require the bands who will be playing to do some leg work as well. I never rely completely on promoters when I go out of town.

I'll let you know when my band is next playing in Glasgow, I take it you are based there at the moment?

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To the people considering Glasgow - why not try it out in Dundee first? If you can get the concept to work there' date=' then you'd have far more to approach Glasgow promoters with - rather than an untried concept that may or may not fail.[/quote']

That is a really good idea. I will start looking in to that as well. Anyone have any Dundee contacts they are willing to share?

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