STV Local continue coverage of Northern Lights Showcases

[Pilot Error]

Ok

- 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.

Exactly the point I was trying to make, but you put it a lot better than I did!

[Old Gold]

I'm not making any broad strokes about the general output of Aberdeen as a whole here. There's loads of great, creative musicians in this town. None of them were in that particular video however.

[Lethal10]

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

If there was a judge he did hide well!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

[ca_gere]

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? .

[Van McLaughlin]

Another STV video package goes live

Northern Lights showcase June 13, 2011 | Aberdeen City News | STV Local

Three very different acts brought their unique sounds to Cafe Drummonds last week to prove they have what it takes to play this year's Northern Lights Festival.

The homegrown talent hoping for slot on the July festival included local alt-rockers Bears Can Smell Fear, finger-picking solo artist Craig John Davidson from Ellon and Scottish folk trio Flaxman, who threw everything into their set including pipes, fiddles, a triangle and even a thunder drum.

[Shaki]

Head on down to Drummonds on the 3rd of July to see Escape to Victory's first gig in about 3 months - ABDN HorsePunk. If STV aren't there with hundreds of punters I'm gonna tear the place apart.

[FOX]

Damn it, so they came down with cameras the day AFTER I played...

[rcalder82]

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

[rcalder82]

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.

[ca_gere]

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.

I'm completely with you. The more chances for exposure the better. It's some people's self-awareness I worry about. I mean just take a second to think if the general public should be subjected to your music before entering a showcase. Have you really practiced enough?

I don't get people's complaints about the running of the thing. There are good local bands that have been selected without showcasing because, you know, they're better than other bands. The rest can duke it out for the scraps untill they're in a position to be selected first next time round.

[Old Gold]

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.

Tbh, I'd probably dislike the bands way more if I'd paid to endure entire sets. Hur hur.

[geo1903]

The (local-ish) Sound City Stage at Rockness came in for a fair bit of criticism during and after the event. Anyone else there think it could have been run a lot better?

[Adam Easy Wishes]

The (local-ish) Sound City Stage at Rockness came in for a fair bit of criticism during and after the event. Anyone else there think it could have been run a lot better?

The 'winning' acts were told days before the event that they had been chosen to play, despite applications having been in months in advance. That alone is a ridiculous state of affairs. Were they expecting every band who applied to keep that weekend free right up until the Thursday beforehand? Mental.

[Oedo 808]

This thread smacks a little of people prematurely writing their own obituary. The taste of decay and bitterness is palpable. Anyone who didn't realise a few of the slots would already be handed out or at the very least short-listed is highly naive. I would have been happy to do a slot just to play a gig but to get all excited about playing the Northern Lights festival would have been ridiculous in the extreme.

[Pilot Error]

This thread smacks a little of people prematurely writing their own obituary. The taste of decay and bitterness is palpable. Anyone who didn't realise a few of the slots would already be handed out or at the very least short-listed is highly naive. I would have been happy to do a slot just to play a gig but to get all excited about playing the Northern Lights festival would have been ridiculous in the extreme.

Which is exactly what I'd tried to say in a previous post on another thread. We were under no illusions that we were realistically going to be playing the festival, but rather we were delighted to have been playing shows to people who ordinarily would never have seen us.

[geo1903]

Some good discussion on this thread. Having seen a fair bit of the Sound City stage performers at Rockness I'd say that quite a few acts who have showcased would not have looked out of place on it and I'll include Crooked Little Vein in that. Apart from the obvious (a bands sound, originality, even their following) I think their professionalism and probably experience would count too. Pretty poor show to have endless "banter" with less than 10% of the crowd who know who or what a band is commenting on when all people do is hear you play. Lose the ten minutes of bullshit speak and get another song in there.

I'm quite looking forward to see who gets chosen in the end, there's a few local bands who can pull a crowd at any time so they're probably in with a shout but also acoustic types (Fox, Richards, etc) who will also hold their own on a festival stage. I cant help thinking that it'd be great if one of our local bands got to open the main stage though, how good would it be to see a crowd in front of the main stage (unlike Rockness) on both days from the word go. Stanley on a sunny afternoon to a large festie crowd? How good would that be? Or Tijuana, The Lorelei, Haho, and so on.

Keep the local stage a decent distance any from the others so there is no clash of sound, make it clear to attendees who is on, and when (a board outside the tent that can be updated if things fall behind or whatever) and you'll be doing well.

[FOX]

Stanley, Lorelei or Haho on the Main Stage at NL would be fucking ace. No question.

[FOX]

This thread smacks a little of people prematurely writing their own obituary. The taste of decay and bitterness is palpable. Anyone who didn't realise a few of the slots would already be handed out or at the very least short-listed is highly naive. I would have been happy to do a slot just to play a gig but to get all excited about playing the Northern Lights festival would have been ridiculous in the extreme.

If this is aimed at me, I can assure you I'm not expecting for a second to get a slot. I was happy to be out playing, it's just that there was visibly nobody there to watch as there was implied there would be. That's all that's irking me, not the "oh no, I won't get a slot at a festival"; I know for a fact there are some far more experienced acts out there who arguably deserve it more.

Then again, if Ross etc. turned round and said "want to play?" I wouldn't turn him down.

[Frosty Jack]

The Lorelei are playing the showcase next Friday 1st July - along with Wilson and Be like Pablo, I think.

[rcalder82]

If this is aimed at me, I can assure you I'm not expecting for a second to get a slot. I was happy to be out playing, it's just that there was visibly nobody there to watch as there was implied there would be. That's all that's irking me, not the "oh no, I won't get a slot at a festival"; I know for a fact there are some far more experienced acts out there who arguably deserve it more.

Then again, if Ross etc. turned round and said "want to play?" I wouldn't turn him down.

I will say again that along with everyone else there is a submisson form filled out for you from your showcase by a judge. I dont know from the signature on it who this particular judge is but there is def feedback on your performnace in the magical blue folder mate.

The idea was that the "judge" wouldnt be easily identified. In the past this has led to issued and people claiming favourtism etc. That is the reason that I have nothing to do with the choice, because people had already had a minor fit because I happen to manage/book for certain local bands.

I assure you once again that all showcases have been handled in the same way. Obviously I cant control which ones STV decide to turn up to or indeed which ones crowds turn up to, but there has consistenly been a judge at each event.

[rcalder82]

The Lorelei are playing the showcase next Friday 1st July - along with Wilson and Be like Pablo, I think.

Line up is

The Lorelei

Wilson

Disco Filth

Elevation

Crooked Little Vein

for info

[swiftyg]

does anyone have contact details for the people dealing with the Drummonds showcase tonight? We (the Secret City Sounds) are playing and haven't been told anything about what time we need to soundcheck or what time we are on stage! all we can get a hold of right now is barstaff who understandably aren't sure of what the story is.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

does anyone have contact details for the people dealing with the Drummonds showcase tonight? We (the Secret City Sounds) are playing and haven't been told anything about what time we need to soundcheck or what time we are on stage! all we can get a hold of right now is barstaff who understandably aren't sure of what the story is.

I will PM you in a second.

[swiftyg]

the mystery surrounding tonight's gig is unreal! i don't suppose any other forum members are playing/attending tonight and have an idea of running order? we're bringing a fairly decent crowd down but have no idea what to tell them regarding what time we are on...

the last thing i want is for us to bring a crowd down and them to drift off during the other acts, as a) it's crap to be playing and see people leaving during your set, and b) we want to make the best impression possible and a big crowd will go a long way to achieving that goal... obviously with a show on a weekday night, it's been hard enough to persuade a bunch of people to come in the first place!

[Adam Easy Wishes]

No luck with Ross?

Again, I could be wrong but I'm sure it has been said earlier in this thread or elsewhere that running order is decided on the night for these showcases.