Raising the profile of Aberdeen bands

[FatHand]

Am I right in saying that this 'concept' involves bands from Aberdeen playing in Glasgow/Dundee/Edinburgh' date=' possibly with bands from said areas?

Cutting edge![/quote']

Its more like an Aberdeen invasion in theory. But in reality... its a matter finding the bands from Aberdeen and venues that are willing to go for a slightly risky venture. I think we could put on a great show in the other cities of Scotland. We will see though!

[stuartmaxwell]

and do you think you could find four GOOD bands willing to take part

most good bands have their own contacts for gigs

[FatHand]

I'm sure they do, but there is something good about having control over a gig when it is out of town. I've had some very bad experiences where I've ended up having to organise everything myself anyway - no drum kits, no sound engineer turning up, absolutely no promotion, mysterious venue changes, too many bands on the night and only getting a 10 minute slot - but on the day of the gig. This is not fun, it is stressful. It has meant having to make contacts fast but with reliable people rather than promoters you don't really know.

I think the hardest thing will be agreeing on dates to play and finding a suitable vune.

[Paulscoconutass]

I think this is a decent idea. If a bunch of bands from another city came up here i'd be inclined to check them out just to see what's going on elsewhere, it'd also make a change from seeing 'kef bills' in most venues. It's obvious the bands wouldn't represent the entire < insert city > music spectrum, but it'd still be good to see different bands.

Only problem in Glasgow would be that there's decent gigs, ususally touring bands, on most nights (in comparison with up here / dundee), so the promoting would have to be a bit better.

[incredibledisc]

Cheers!

Yeah' date=' 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?[/quote']

I was gonna bring this up but it seems you beat me to it - surely the key to this is networking. Isn't this how punk groups in the US have been doing it for years? If your band wants to become known outside of Aberdeen then arranging gigs with likeminded souls in places like Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth etc is the way to go. The added bonus is you can then reciprocate and bring bands from outside the local scene up here - everyone's a winner baby!

Just my two cents

[FatHand]

Being positive... I'd say your best bet is to attempt to get weekend dates at the student unions' date=' I happen to know that Strathclyde are lookign for bands to play HOWEVER I imagine (considering your competition) that the easier dates - ie: the weekend dates will be take. You also have the problem at student unions that the crowd would be diverse and so you'd be shooting yourself firmly in the face if you put on a pile of bands that are very similar (especially if the crowd hates it).

The negative spin is simple... as Maxi said... are you confident you can find four GOOD aberdeen bands to play? The standards are higher in Glasgow and a hell of a lot higher in London. Chances are that you'll loose money, you'll probably have to hire the entire backline/transport it down yourself and you probably won't be spoon-fed an evening that has regular punters. It'd take more than good promotion to get people through the door.[/quote']

This is all excellent advice. I have at least 3 good bands interested who will not be named until I follow up with getting the first tester gig under way! I have also started putting together a team of people to organise and promote it. Honestly, if anyone thinks their band can

a) play well enough for an out of town audience

b) commit to a date

c) do plenty of their own promotion as well (get on to all those myspace buddies everyone seems to be accumulating!)

then get in touch over the next couple of months. Let me know when your band are playing and I will do my best to come along and watch and talk about the project.

Breaking even will be the aim of the game, anything less would be annoying and anything more will be a bonus!

Colin

[black_matter]

This is all excellent advice. I have at least 3 good bands interested who will not be named until I follow up with getting the first tester gig under way! I have also started putting together a team of people to organise and promote it. Honestly' date=' if anyone thinks their band can

a) play well enough for an out of town audience

b) commit to a date

c) do plenty of their own promotion as well (get on to all those myspace buddies everyone seems to be accumulating!)

then get in touch over the next couple of months. Let me know when your band are playing and I will do my best to come along and watch and talk about the project.

Breaking even will be the aim of the game, anything less would be annoying and anything more will be a bonus!

Colin[/quote']

well as i said we'll definintly be up for it

[SuperMike!]

As other people have said, a night of purely Aberdeen bands probably won't work in Glasgow or Dundee. Dundee wouldn't be "easier" than Glasgow, it's hard to get a crowd when you live in the place, there's no magical groups of people who will turn up to a gig because they're starved of live music. Think about it this way - if four bands from Stirling or Perth or indeed Dundee that you knew nothing about played a show in Aberdeen, can you seriously and in all sincerity say you'd go along out of curiousity?

The best bet would be to arrange gig swaps, or maybe even do a four band bill on a "mini tour" over four nights. One band from Aberdeen, one from Dundee, one from Glasgow and one from Edinburgh, each organising a show in their hometown.

I'd never risk putting on a bill made up completely of out of town bands and then expect to break even.

[soundian]

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

As other people have said' date=' a night of purely Aberdeen bands probably won't work in Glasgow or Dundee. Dundee wouldn't be "easier" than Glasgow, it's hard to get a crowd when you live in the place, there's no magical groups of people who will turn up to a gig because they're starved of live music. Think about it this way - if four bands from Stirling or Perth or indeed Dundee that you knew nothing about played a show in Aberdeen, can you seriously and in all sincerity say you'd go along out of curiousity?[/quote']

Glad to see someone else agrees.

The best bet would be to arrange gig swaps' date=' or maybe even do a four band bill on a "mini tour" over four nights. One band from Aberdeen, one from Dundee, one from Glasgow and one from Edinburgh, each organising a show in their hometown.

I'd never risk putting on a bill made up completely of out of town bands and then expect to break even.[/quote']

Some good advice there. I really think that you need either a very strong local act, or 4 acts who have built up an audience in the city first.

If you are determined to go ahead with your plan unaltered, consider hiring a bus to transport all the band personnel and backline, and take some of your own crowd with you to help with the costs. By my reckoning it would take 5 cars at least to get 4 bands and backline down to Glasgow.

[SuperMike!]

Yeah, they could hire a bus and take their mates with them, but that's not doing anyone any good. All you're doing is expecting your mates to dig deep once again in support of your own rock star ambitions.

I don't want to piss on anyones grand plans or dent their enthusiasm, but it's really not the smartest idea i've ever heard. If you do it and it works, fair play to all involved.

[ben_1903]

Tears of gracw would totally be up for it i reckon.

[Jamesy]

what a pile of bollocks

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

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

Here's the thing...

If your material is good enough and you show some enthusiasm and you send out demos, then 'industry' will pay you attention, but you'll still have to chase them up on it, because you have to remember that 9 outta 10 times, the person with your demo has received 30 other demos that day, and will probably go and see a gig or 3 that night in London.

The Geography excuse can be applied to any city in the UK that isn't London, with exception of 'Buzz' cities that come in tow with musical trends i.e. Sheffield and this Artic Monkeys thing, and of course, the Old Manchester Brit pop chestnut.

If you really want to get yourself noticed and make a mark then make contacts, go to events like Go North, hand out your CD, practise your ass off, try and get shows with touring bands, and then observe how 'good/professional' they are and make comparisons between them and yourselves, look to blow a touring band off stage, but also remember that touring bands'll pretty much get to a level of slickness and tightness that a band playing the odd local gig here and there will never get too..

You need to create a buzz. Random Aberdeen gig showcases in other cities, unless there's band on the bill that has created a buzz in the city you're playing, are totally useless. You'll lose money travelling, you'll get disheartened because no-one has turned up and so forth..

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

[/quote']

Brighton is pretty much the second city in the UK in terms of industry you pillock. 13 Artists reside in Brighton, their roster includes a few bands you might know..

* The Aliens

* Alterkicks

* Arctic Monkeys

* Athlete

* Bloc Party

* Calla

* Cat the Dog

* Cathy Davey

* Claire Sproule

* Clor

* Damien Rice

* The Dead 60’s

* The Divine Comedy

* Dogs Die in Hot Cars

* Duke Special

* Ed Harcourt

* Exist

* The Fallout Trust

* Feist

* Fields

* Gemma Hayes

* Gisli

* Good Books

* Ian Brown

* Inspiral Carpets

* Interpol

* The Jackson Analogue

* James Yorkston & The Athletes

* Jont

* Kooks

* Kula Shaker

* The Little Flames

* The Longcut

* The Maccabees

* The Magic Numbers

* Make Good Your Escape

* Maximo Park

* Morning Runner

* Mummra

* My Latest Novel

* Mystery Jets

* Nine Black Alps

* Paolo Nutini

* Paul Steel

* Radiohead

* Rick Witter & The Dukes

* Rock n Roll Soldiers

* Secret Machines

* Shout Out Louds

* Sigur Rós

Also, there's a little event going on in Brighton this weekend called 'The Great Escape', just a bunch of no-hopers playing though...

* 3Hostwomexicansandatinofspanners

* 65 Days Of Static

* A.S Dragon

* Action Plan

* Agent Blue

* Alice Shaw

* Amanda Ghost

* Andy Gower

* Anna Ternheim

* Archie Bronson Outfit

* Bat For Lashes

* Battle

* Belarus

* Blood Meridian

* Boy Who Cried Wolf

* Brainstorm

* Brakes

* British Sea Power

* Buck 65

* Captain

* Cass Fox

* Channel One

* Charlie Calleja

* Clearlake

* Cord

* DARTZ!

* David Ross MacDonald

* De Rosa

* Devil Sold His Soul

* Dirty Little Faces

* Dirty Perfect

* Disco Ensemble

* District

* DJ Champion

* Duels

* Eighteenth Day of May

* Electric Soft Parade

* Exit Ten

* Fell City Girl

* Figurines

* Foy Vance

* Freeman

* Gem

* Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

* Gojira

* Good Shoes

* Grand Union

* Guillemots

* Hardkandy

* Holy Fuck

* Hot Club de Paris

* Howling Bells

* Humanzi

* Hungover Stuntmen

* HushPuppies

* Immaculate Machine

* Jackson Analogue

* Jeniferever

* Jeremy Warmsley

* JFB Live

* Jim Moray

* Joana And The Wolf

* Jody Wildgoose

* Johnny Truant

* Kate Walsh

* Keith

* Kid Carpet

* Kid Harpoon

* Kira and The Kindred Spirits

* Klaxons

* Komakino

* Kubb

* Kubichek!

* Laakso

* Ladyfuzz

* Leeroy Stagger & The Sinking Hearts

* Les Incompetents

* Liam Frost And The Slowdown Family

* Lisa Lindley Jones

* Lodger

* Low Frequency In Stereo

* M.Craft

* Magneta Lane

* Martha Wainwright

* Metric

* Metronomy

* Midlake

* Mike Rosenberg Band

* Milburn

* Miso Soup

* Misty's Big Adventure

* Mohair

* Morland

* Morning Runner

* Mr Hudson & The Library

* Mula

* Mumm-Ra

* My Latest Novel

* Mystery Jets

* Novillero

* Paolo Nutini

* Plaster

* Prinzhorn Dance School

* Puscha

* Racoon

* Ralfe Band

* Raymond & Maria

* Rhesus

* Richard Hawley

* Rumble Strips

* Scissors for Lefty

* Seal Cub Clubbing Club

* Seeing Scarlet

* Serena Maneesh

* Shitdisco

* Shy Child

* Sign

* Sister Flo

* Small Sins

* Sophie Barker

* Spleen United

* Still Remains

* Sunny Day Sets Fire

* Super Jupiter

* Tahiti 80

* Tapes N Tapes

* The Academy Is

* The Answer

* The Audreys

* The Bees

* The Bellarosa Connection

* The Blackout

* The Cooper Temple Clause

* The Cribs

* The Crimea

* The Delilahs

* The Departure

* The Feeling

* The Fratellis

* The Futureheads

* The Gossip

* The Haze

* The Heights

* The High Dials

* The Hush Sound

* The Ivories

* The Kooks

* The Like

* The Longcut

* The Maccabees

* The Morning After Girls

* The Mutts

* The On Offs

* The People's Revolutionary Choir

* The Pigeon Detectives

* The Pipettes

* The Pistolas

* The Royal Highness

* The Scare

* The Spinto Band

* The Suffrajets

* The Sunshine Underground

* The Tenderfoot

* The Upper Room

* The Wyos

* The Young Knives

* This Et Al

* Tina Dico

* Tiny Dancers

* Trailing Laces

* Tunng

* Vincent Vincent and the Villains

* Voicst

* Waxed Apple

* You Say Party! We Say Die!

* Zillionaire

And to top it all of, there's this little building there called the 'British Institute of Modern Music' where 90% of the lecturers are Music Industry people from Agents to A&R Scouts, The Kooks and Rooster both attended, and it's currently where 2/3 of the X-Certs are..

[Cloud]

You need to create a buzz. Random Aberdeen gig showcases in other cities' date=' unless there's band on the bill that has created a buzz in the city you're playing, are totally useless. You'll lose money travelling, you'll get disheartened because no-one has turned up and so forth..[/quote']

Or you could hook up with someone who knows how to promote, make sure that the bands are a nice mix and generally do whatever it takes to get people to go. I dare say that little tool "Myspace" might be rather useful when it comes to securing a fanbase ahead of time in the chosen city. I dare say there's other methods too.

There's no reason why a gig with four Aberdeen bands couldn't be a success if it was done properly. It might involve a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but surely if you're not willing to spill them, there's no point being in the industry to begin with?

To instantly dismiss an idea as not going to work when it's untested by the people at hand strikes me as being rather silly - especially when the will for diplomacy is there.

[Guest bluesxman]

And to top it all of' date=' there's this little building there called the 'British Institute of Modern Music' where 90% of the lecturers are Music Industry people from Agents to A&R Scouts, The Kooks and [b']Rooster both attended, and it's currently where 2/3 of the X-Certs are..

:laughing:

[framheim]

I was gonna bring this up but it seems you beat me to it - surely the key to this is networking. Isn't this how punk groups in the US have been doing it for years? If your band wants to become known outside of Aberdeen then arranging gigs with likeminded souls in places like Dundee' date=' Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth etc is the way to go. The added bonus is you can then reciprocate and bring bands from outside the local scene up here - everyone's a winner baby!

Just my two cents[/quote']

yea that's how bands all over the world have been doing it for years, not just US punk bands. it's still a winning plan though, there actually is no bad thing about gig swapping(unless the band your swapping with are crap at arranging gigs).

incidentally i went to a similar gig about 8 years ago in glasgow with Lift, Pheno and Maple. they hired a bus and we all trooped down to glasgow and it felt pretty busy in king tuts. everything was going smoothly until C from maple said "hands up if you're from glasgow!"

i think there was about two people there from glasgow.

[kallan]

utter garbage

for more info on what glasgow is getting like' date=' 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[/quote']

one way round this would be to have explicit mutual arrangements with bands in other cities, say in scotland first of all.

1. form a collective with them (use myspace to organise it).

2. invite them to play in aberdeen, with local bands supporting

3. in return play in their city, supporting them.

if this was tried a few times we would soon know whether it would work, and was building something that would last, or if it was failing in practice.

easy (on paper at least).

[FatHand]

one way round this would be to have explicit mutual arrangements with bands in other cities' date=' say in scotland first of all.

1. form a collective with them (use myspace to organise it).

2. invite them to play in aberdeen, with local bands supporting

3. in return play in their city, supporting them.

if this was tried a few times we would soon know whether it would work, and was building something that would last, or if it was failing in practice.

easy (on paper at least).[/quote']

We have only managed to get one band up from Glasgow purely because we had control over that gig. Now they are organising a gig for us in Glasgow and have become decent mates with them. We will go down and be able to take advantage of their fan base as well as our own Glasgow fans (we do have some!). It could create more of a community spirit to intercity music rather than as individual places. Need to make it a lot easier for out of town bands to play in Aberdeen.

I would definately go and watch a Glasgow Invasion night in Aberdeen.

[framheim]

one way round this would be to have explicit mutual arrangements with bands in other cities' date=' say in scotland first of all.

1. form a collective with them (use myspace to organise it).

2. invite them to play in aberdeen, with local bands supporting

3. in return play in their city, supporting them.

if this was tried a few times we would soon know whether it would work, and was building something that would last, or if it was failing in practice.

easy (on paper at least).[/quote']

it does work, it's called gig swaps and bands have been doing it for years all over the world. why do people keep introducing this as a new concept in this thread?

[Spoonie]

playing gigs in glasgow and meeting bands has shown me that there's a real intrest in playing in aberdeen. i'm asked at every single gig whether i could hook someone up with a gig up there and i always say no problem and point them in this direction or give them my phone number. based on that alone, gig swapping should be really simple if you have a desire to get out of the city.

/x

[FatHand]

Would you come and watch a bunch of quality Glasgow bands playing in Drummonds on a Friday night?

[kallan]

it does work' date=' it's called gig swaps and bands have been doing it for years all over the world. why do people keep introducing this as a new concept in this thread?[/quote']

because its a very active thread and updates are going on all the time. and who cares if its new or old, it just needs to be done to see if it will work now, this year, in scotland.

[framheim]

because its a very active thread and updates are going on all the time. and who cares if its new or old' date=' it just needs to be done to see if it will work now, this year, in scotland.[/quote']

i wasn't having ago. however you're saying this thread is moving so lightning fast that you missed similar posts to yours from 4 days previous? ok.

and it will work now. it works all the time, gig swaps happen all over scotland every week. it's a tried and tested strategy for any band to use. it's a great way for bands to play to new people and to meet likeminded bands.

it's pretty easy to arrange as well, go onto http://www.jockrock.org and say you're looking for a gig swap in glasgow/edinburgh/dundee/perth etc or go onto specific bands web pages. you could also get in touch with venues and ask them if they know any bands looking for gig swaps or if they could put you in touch with any to ask.

it's not rocket science, you've just got to be motivated. like i said in an earlier post the only drawback is if you gig swap with a band who can't organise a gig to save their lives but that's probably the only risk.

[kallan]

yeah fair point. i didnt check the thread properly before posting the first time, then when i looked again there were suddenly loads of replies - so i figured it was suprisingly fast moving...

ill check out jockrock. cheers for pointing it out.

i wasn't having ago. however you're saying this thread is moving so lightning fast that you missed similar posts to yours from 4 days previous? ok.

and it will work now. it works all the time' date=' gig swaps happen all over scotland every week. it's a tried and tested strategy for any band to use. it's a great way for bands to play to new people and to meet likeminded bands.

it's pretty easy to arrange as well, go onto [url']http://www.jockrock.org and say you're looking for a gig swap in glasgow/edinburgh/dundee/perth etc or go onto specific bands web pages. you could also get in touch with venues and ask them if they know any bands looking for gig swaps or if they could put you in touch with any to ask.

it's not rocket science, you've just got to be motivated. like i said in an earlier post the only drawback is if you gig swap with a band who can't organise a gig to save their lives but that's probably the only risk.