Bluewine Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I'm not sure if this will generate very much discussion. We've probably all had a great gig in a great venue with a great crowd and loved by the owners. However we we're never asked back. Why, is the big question. There could be tons of reasons. I don't book gigs or have contacts with venues so I'm somewhat at a loss in coming up with an answer. I tend to think some of it is poor follow up on the part of the band. Asking to rebook at the end of the gig would be tough for us. We have 2 band members with limited availability. Or maybe they did ask us back and we were already booked for that date and there was no follow up. I would think change in venue ownership or management might play a part in it. Over here in the States venue management change is the kiss of death. Could be the gig was turned down because the money wasn’t right. Thoughts or stories? Blue 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 6 minutes ago, Bluewine said: ... Thoughts or stories?... The gig was taken by these guys ... 3 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Many years ago I was in a great trio - we were tight, the set list was good and we were playing two or maybe three times a week. Some of the work was through an agent but perhaps half was in local pubs and clubs with no middle man. We had residencies in two places (gigs every 4-6 weeks booked in advance for the year). Then it all started to dwindle. We didn't get advanced bookings for our regulars, places we'd played where I know we'd gone down well were no longer in the diary. I wasn't the main booker (that was our singer/guitarist) and when we asked him, he had stories about venues stopping live music or having no money to pay bands. My suspicions, and those of the drummer, were aroused when after a charity gig in a local club where we'd been received really well, the singer said they didn't like us and would never book us again, The drummer happened to know the people who organised it and they confirmed my interpretation of the night having been a total success. It turned out that for whatever reason, the singer was upsetting the venue owners with his pre and post gig attitude. I saw this first hand when we were asked to play a high profile venue launch with several local celebrities. The drummer and I turned up looking our usual smart selves (I decided to treat it as a club gig and although there'd been no discussion about dress code, so did the drummer). The singer turned up looking scruffy and proceeded to have a stand up argument with the guy who had organised the gig about his appearance and because we were late. It turned out the organiser had given the singer an earlier arrival time than the one he told us and had asked for a smart casual dress code, which the singer had also failed to mention. Although both the drummer and I witnessed the argument, the singer claimed he knew nothing about it and made up some story about being double booked. We played about 45 minutes and they paid us off as the singer just wasn't trying. One by one he managed to p*** off all our regular venues, and/or the word got about and we were left with out-of-town agent gigs - the kind that no one else would touch. If I hadn't seen the argument, and the drummer hadn't known the charity show organisers we would have been none-the-wiser. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 19 minutes ago, Franticsmurf said: Many years ago I was in a great trio - we were tight, the set list was good and we were playing two or maybe three times a week. Some of the work was through an agent but perhaps half was in local pubs and clubs with no middle man. We had residencies in two places (gigs every 4-6 weeks booked in advance for the year). Then it all started to dwindle. We didn't get advanced bookings for our regulars, places we'd played where I know we'd gone down well were no longer in the diary. I wasn't the main booker (that was our singer/guitarist) and when we asked him, he had stories about venues stopping live music or having no money to pay bands. My suspicions, and those of the drummer, were aroused when after a charity gig in a local club where we'd been received really well, the singer said they didn't like us and would never book us again, The drummer happened to know the people who organised it and they confirmed my interpretation of the night having been a total success. It turned out that for whatever reason, the singer was upsetting the venue owners with his pre and post gig attitude. I saw this first hand when we were asked to play a high profile venue launch with several local celebrities. The drummer and I turned up looking our usual smart selves (I decided to treat it as a club gig and although there'd been no discussion about dress code, so did the drummer). The singer turned up looking scruffy and proceeded to have a stand up argument with the guy who had organised the gig about his appearance and because we were late. It turned out the organiser had given the singer an earlier arrival time than the one he told us and had asked for a smart casual dress code, which the singer had also failed to mention. Although both the drummer and I witnessed the argument, the singer claimed he knew nothing about it and made up some story about being double booked. We played about 45 minutes and they paid us off as the singer just wasn't trying. One by one he managed to p*** off all our regular venues, and/or the word got about and we were left with out-of-town agent gigs - the kind that no one else would touch. If I hadn't seen the argument, and the drummer hadn't known the charity show organisers we would have been none-the-wiser. Yep, that sounds familiar. Never underestimate the effect of even a few seconds of rock-star arrogance between a band member and the venue to scupper future gigs irrespective of how well you went down. I've a mate who I used to gig with who is the most polite and respectful person you could hope to meet. Until around 2-hours ahead of a gig when he arrives at a venue and finds the slightest thing not to his liking and puts on just enough attitude to avoid a direct confrontation while still managing to fosters off people at the venue, IME gigs really can bring out the best or the worst in people, often because of a mix of excitement, anxiety, impatience, and ego. Not me of course, i'm lovely 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Then there is the bit where one particular member picks a fight with the sound engineer in every venue you play. That always helps. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 minute ago, Owen said: Then there is the bit where one particular member picks a fight with the sound engineer in every venue you play. That always helps. Yes, there is that, not uncommon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBass Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 On one occasion a Landlady got quite upset with us as someone from another band had posted something on Facebook about the way the venue treated bands and she thought it was us, despite our lead singers protestations. Thankfully it was sorted out and we have been rebooked. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Beedster said: Yes, there is that, not uncommon So many names, but just the one strange mix of defiance of the laws of physics and hunger for power. Edited October 10, 2023 by Owen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 8 minutes ago, Owen said: So many names, but just the one strange mix of defiance of the laws of physics and hunger for power. Soundguys/girls really do have to put up with a load of utter onanists don't they 😀 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I think this stems from certain members who think they're above playing the venues. Usually its the members who don't actually book gigs and then complain that the band isn't getting any gigs. We did turn up to a gig once where the landlord said we weren't the kind of band he wanted paying at his pub. The pub had changed hands, he'd seen that "we were booked on Lemonrock, but he had no way of contacting us." He spent the entire night upstairs, the audience loved us, dancing and at the end had lots said we were better than the other bands he'd been putting on. He came down to pay us and said he wouldn't be rebooking us because his customers didn't want our kind of band. Anyway, he's gone now and we really should go and see the new landlord for a gig. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 (edited) We have noticed this in some of the “music “ pubs on the Isle of Wight . Our set list comprises of eclectic/ oddities from the 70’s and 80’s which most people know but have forgotten about , so most people say how different and refreshing our gigs are , but they don’t seem to sit well with the landlord’s expectations of what a pub band should be . If we played Ska or Dad rock , we would have loads more gigs , but we enjoy being on the fringe of popular music , so we just play where we are welcome , even if they are low paid or freebies . Edited October 10, 2023 by martin8708 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Having read through the posts it all sounds so familiar. The music business is a minefield! Great thread! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 IME the problem is members with limited availability, you can't afford to keep turning down gigs that you would like to do because some of the band have other commitments. Venues and promoters will generally give you 2 chances (maybe 3 if they really like you), but after that they'll stop calling and ask bands who are always going to say "yes", because they are less hassle. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Never ever say "Jim cannot make it that night" - instead say "I think we are booked for a private event that night" - and then give them your list of currently available nights. They have no way of checking if it is a private event, and it makes you seem more in demand. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nige1968 Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 We played one in a bar where everyone was dancing and we went down well. When our singer offered to rebook, they told him we were "too mellow" for a Saturday night (the only night they did live music). He's not normally an onanist (in public anyway) so we took that to mean the staff didn't like our act. Random, but there you are. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 29 minutes ago, BigRedX said: IME the problem is members with limited availability, you can't afford to keep turning down gigs that you would like to do because some of the band have other commitments. Venues and promoters will generally give you 2 chances (maybe 3 if they really like you), but after that they'll stop calling and ask bands who are always going to say "yes", because they are less hassle. Good point. My first band (we were in black and white, it was that long ago) weren't particularly good and played mostly originals. But we got loads of gigs because we were available, we told everyone we could do short notice gigs to fill in for cancellations and most importantly, we turned up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 What also rankles is when you know you're a good entertaining band. Sure, not the best out there but pretty good with a different selection of songs. Engaging with punters, nice clean teeth.. you know, and yet you struggle to get into a venue that you see three or four decidedly substandard bands getting regular bookings. Not blowing smoke up our on bots, but it does get rather frustrating, especially when you find out the booker rarely ever sees the bands. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 11 minutes ago, Franticsmurf said: Good point. My first band (we were in black and white, it was that long ago) weren't particularly good and played mostly originals. But we got loads of gigs because we were available, we told everyone we could do short notice gigs to fill in for cancellations and most importantly, we turned up. We had a similar attitude with The Terrortone in the early days when we did every gig that we were asked to play often at less than a week's notice. Having established ourselves this way we could afford to turn down gigs later on, but generally because it was too far to travel for the money being offered. We did sack a guitarist and drummer because they turned down to opportunity to play a fairly high profile gig (WGW April) with a week's notice. The band had been approached at the beginning of the year about our availability to play, but ultimately we weren't chosen, but that meant for a couple of months it should have been pencilled in everyone's diary. What particularly annoyed me was they made no attempt to even see if whatever else they were doing that evening could be re-arranged and neither appeared to be particularly bothered about not doing the gig. I attended the weekend as a punter and while I was away Mr Venom told them they were no longer required for the band and when I came back he had already lined up a new guitarist and a temporary drummer. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 Had this issue with the Punk band. Punk isn't everyone's "cup of tea" but every gig i've played with the band has gone down really well and we alsways get dancers having fun. In one gig where it was a busy venue with people dancing almost every song we were never asked back and when we approached the venue they were evasive so we just stopped approaching them. It used to be my local bar when i was in my 20's so i know it well. What i found was that they didn't want to pay a full band fee when they can get a singer/guitarist in with backing tracks for half of what they pay a band. For me that is quite annoying as that particular bar had a long history of having live bands. Obviously owners want more profit from the night. One of my mates 5 piece band was offered £150 if they played two 1 hr sets. We were getting £300 so i'm assuming the solo player is getting same as a band. Mates band refused the gig and it was still his local bar. Dave 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 2 hours ago, BigRedX said: IME the problem is members with limited availability, you can't afford to keep turning down gigs that you would like to do because some of the band have other commitments. Venues and promoters will generally give you 2 chances (maybe 3 if they really like you), but after that they'll stop calling and ask bands who are always going to say "yes", because they are less hassle. Yep, if it`s difficult to get a band through the door venues & promoters will go to the ones it`s easy to book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 15 hours ago, Bluewine said: I'm not sure if this will generate very much discussion. We've probably all had a great gig in a great venue with a great crowd and loved by the owners. However we we're never asked back. Why, is the big question. There could be tons of reasons. I don't book gigs or have contacts with venues so I'm somewhat at a loss in coming up with an answer. I tend to think some of it is poor follow up on the part of the band. Asking to rebook at the end of the gig would be tough for us. We have 2 band members with limited availability. Or maybe they did ask us back and we were already booked for that date and there was no follow up. I would think change in venue ownership or management might play a part in it. Over here in the States venue management change is the kiss of death. Could be the gig was turned down because the money wasn’t right. Thoughts or stories? Blue You insist on putting pictures of yourself all over the venue? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 13 hours ago, Owen said: Then there is the bit where one particular member picks a fight with the sound engineer in every venue you play. That always helps. Especially problematic when the sound engineer is also the bassist. 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 21 minutes ago, tauzero said: You insist on putting pictures of yourself all over the venue? Or they didn't approve of the drummer's light-up genitals. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) We have played at a local large venue many, many times but haven't been asked back recently for some reason. I suspect it was due to a last minute gig the venue asked us to do, due to a cancellation. Myself and the drummer couldn't do it so the singer and guitarist got a couple of deps in to replace us. It obviously didn't go down too well with the manager at the venue as we've heard nothing from them since. Edited October 11, 2023 by gjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philbie Posted October 11, 2023 Share Posted October 11, 2023 I just wish venues would be honest. We've had loads of venues saying they'll rebook us if we give them dates for next year but then never reply they just ghost us. Just be honest man 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.