Fireball – Fuelling the fire tour. Featuring Less than Jake, The Skints, Mariachi El Bronx (Glasgow Academy)

It is hard to believe that Less than Jake are creeping up on being twenty five years old.

When said out loud he next words on the lips as a response is usually something about where has all the time gone?

It slipped away when we weren’t looking is the answer.

They will be moving out and getting their own place soon as we tearfully wave goodbye and then joke that they will be back with their laundry to be done next week.

Pop punk and ska punk has most definitely come of age.

But while the summer sun, the skateboards, the flipback caps and three quarter length board shorts may be a distant memory for most - and currently the stuff of fashion house irony reboots - the music of the ska-punk bands such as Less than Jake is evergreen.

Slip the needle in the groove, hit play and let the laser pick up the tracks on the CD, or listen to them on your branded mp3 player, and a smile will creep onto your face.

Tired muscles that haven’t had a work out for a while will twitch into action and for a moment you will feel the heat of that sun warming you as the songs start to trigger memories.

Half a song in and the twitching muscles will have reached your legs and the foot tapping, if left unchecked, can lead to a little go at some skanking, but only if no one is looking as the dance like no one is watching meme that proliferates on social media usually results in random strangers laughing at you as the best case scenario, and being sectioned as the worst.

Fear not though.

Instead of making a fool of yourself skanking out of Central Station in Glasgow oblivious to the masses laughing at you there is another option available.

If you can just hold that urge down for a little longer then you can visit the Academy on Oct 9^th where you can dance your legs off with the aerobic work out of a lifetime as the guys hit our glorious city as part of the Fireball – Fuelling the fire tour.

Even better news is that it’s not just a smorgasbord of ska punk that is on the bill, but playing alongside them are The Skints, and a personal favourite of mine, the side project of The Bronx, that are the magnificent Mariachi El Bronx.

What more could anyone want?

An austerity busting ticket price would be nice I suppose.

And guess what?

It bloody well is too.

With the tickets set at the price of ten pounds it’s difficult not to lay a bet on this being a sold out event.

Someone, somewhere, has lost the plot when deciding on how much to charge, but best not to focus on that and instead just get the word out and turn the venue into a heaving mass of a celebration of some great strands of punk rock in all its glory.

#FuelledByFire

www.tickets.o2priority.co.uk/events/fireball-fuelling-the-fire-tour/2898

Music through the ages - Abraham Lincoln.

Most people consider that the murder of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth - a little known actor and Confederate spy - was politically motivated.
However what is not commonly known about Booth is that he also had a sideline job promoting young musicians whom he would exploit by enlisting their help in selling tickets and performing at events he would arrange.
These young men and women were clearly being exploited as they would receive no monetary compensation for their efforts, and instead Booth would only make vague promises about future opportunities where they may perform alongside a rising star of the time.
These promises were of course never delivered on, and due to his failure to follow through with what was in many ways a verbal contract a young woman called Elsie Walker contacted President Lincoln and informed him of her disappointment in Booth and claimed that his actions were ‘far from what would be expected from a gentleman.’
Lincoln agreed, and in return publicly stated that he would not rest until these practices were stamped out prior to going on record to say that ‘the music business is a swamp where the scum always seems to float to the top.’

Booth was allegedly then informed of this while drinking heavily in a local tavern.

Eye witnesses questioned later claimed that in response he criticized Lincoln at length and shouted ‘no man steals the money from my pockets. I party hard on that money’ prior to him overturning a table and storming out gesticulating wildly and heading in the direction of Ford’s Theatre.

The rest is as they say history.

In her memoirs Mary Lincoln (nee Todd) spoke fondly of her husband and his achievements, but expressed some regrets that Abe mistakenly thought that after challenging the slave trade he could do something about the music business.

From the 5^th of March, in honour of Honest Abe, and his attempts to change the fortunes of struggling artists The New Hellfire Club have a run of live events arranged under the banner of the big band pay day.

All the money taken from ticket sales will be - after outgoing costs* - split evenly with the artists involved.

Please do support the cause.

Honest Abe wants you to.

* All outgoing costs are basic and the artists participating in the events can be made aware of them.

Events link.

NHC Music.

Dan Reed - 20/02/15 - Ivory Blacks (Glasgow)

As Dan Reed worked his way through his set in Glasgow you could tell that there is something special about the man.

Here was someone who had commanded stadium stages, played with the likes of The Rolling Stones, won awards and sold albums wherever he went, and then stepped away from it all as he didn't feel fulfilled by the life he found himself living.

Then he carved out a very successful business as a club owner before ultimately coming to the conclusion that what he was looking for was something more spiritually rewarding.

So he simply walked away from the day to day running of that to.

A year in Tibet living in a monastery followed, then some time in India, before settling in Jerusalem for a period prior to then returning to the western world naturally reinvented/rejuvenated by his experiences.

And now in the present you can see and hear the culmination of his experiences in everything he does.

There’s calmness and a positive vibe that spreads outwards from him and warmly embraces those attending the show hosted by ‘Events for Charities.’

It is actually difficult to convey to a reader what the experience was like as words often fail to describe an emotional state of being.

We can dip into a thesaurus, stretch our own vocabulary to its limit and yet still fall far short of being able to effectively describe a feeling.

He makes you think, re-evaluate your own life even, feel something, and he can do that without preaching or being overtly obvious about it.

There was no specific religious message pushed and instead he just engages.

Personal anecdotes were shared alongside personal thanks to individuals and dedications to those he had met on previous visits to the city.

Together they allowed a connection to be made.

And for those who have not experienced a Dan Reed performance over the last few years it may be difficult to understand how powerfully attractive and evocative the communal event is in reality.

There’s a great sense of people coming together in a way that religion often is falling to deliver in the modern age.

Everyone is inclusively welcomed and the barriers are down.

How often as music lovers do we go to a show and leave not just feeling entertained, but also feeling better about themselves and others in the world?

The answer is not very often.

So the ability to do that has to be applauded, maybe even cherished as it is so unique.

In fact right now it has just hit me.

What Dan is promoting by example is hope.

That’s where the attraction lies.

He is showing us an internal path that we can walk down if we so choose.

A path that will take us to a better place and in how he carries himself he also highlights that it is achievable.

We can all be Dan Reed if we want to be, but there is maybe the crux of a problem.

Do we want to be?

Maybe many of us just aren't there yet, but that’s okay as it doesn't mean we can’t start making moves to improve as people in general, and who could argue that we as humans haven’t got very many areas we could make improvements in.

But as long as we set foot on the path it probably doesn't matter where we are on it as long as the intent to move forward is there.

For myself I will happily admit that on the way home after the show the world looked slightly different, slightly better, and there is power in being able to change perceptions of our surroundings like that.

A great deal of power, but thankfully Dan is using it for the greater good.

Is he charismatic? He most definitely is.

Is he talented? Without a shadow of a doubt he is.

But that’s not the appeal.

He’s human and striving to be the best person he can be, and therein lays the magic I suppose.

Best show of the year?

Time will tell, but right now it is the one that holds a great deal of transforming power to it.

Dan Reed

Events for Charities

NHC MUSIC

Dan Reed CDs are currently stocked in NHC Music in Glasgow with his forthcoming new release 'Transmission' available for pre order.

Out March 1st. 

The Bloodstrings/Party Asylum/The Sux Pastels - 18/0215 - The 13th Note - Glasgow

The Sux Pastels are at the watershed point artistically.

Hovering at a point where they are entertaining people with a fifty-fifty set of originals and covers they are certainly touching all the bases, but it is equally obvious that they are also pressing hard on the tipping point as their self penned songs are starting to muscle the much loved classics to the side in the set.

Covers of early Antz and Clash tracks may well have people singing along, but the songs that are about to surface on their debut ep are the real attention grabbers.

Live the four piece power though their set and it’s damn exhilarating to watch them take the year zero punk template and give it a reboot so that it is ready for the twenty first century.

Very often there’s an inordinate amount of attention paid to youth in the music business, but experience trumps it time and time again.

You only have to give a couple of minutes of attention to The Sux Pastels to appreciate that.

They have all been there and bought the t-shirt, and while some very talented young musicians are out there doing a great job of emulating their heroes there is a certain something that the peer group of the greats has that can’t be grasped.

Maybe it’s a fundamental and organic understanding of the roots of the punk ethos that seeps into everything they do.

Regardless of what it is it sounds authentic and evergreen.

If the term punk rock conjures up an image in your head of well crafted songs that have attitude, swagger and aren’t afraid to challenge the listener then The Sux Pastels are for you.

Party Asylum are once again taking things to another level.

With each show they play you can literally see that a fan base is building.

Slowly and assuredly they are making converts and it is obvious why.

It is simply that they are becoming ever increasingly a better act.

We are seeing and hearing evolution in progress here.

There’s still a garage rock element to their set, and the Ramones ramalama that was inspired by Phil Spector is still there, but everything is tighter, more vibrant, more self assured and more, more, well just more really.

There’s a point in a bands career where they go from being considered a good club band to taking on the mantle of just being a good band, and that’s where Party Asylum are now.

They may still be playing clubs, but they are no longer defined by the venues they play.

Take them out of a small club right now and place them on a big stage and they will command it.

You only have to look at the calibre of the support slots they are tucking under the belts to appreciate that the hard work they are putting in is starting to deliver rewards.

And justifiably so.

Go and see them and enjoy your favourite band of tomorrow today.

The horror punk/rockabilly sound isn’t one that has been widely picked up on in Scotland.

While we do have a few excellent bands ploughing that particular field it is basically true that the fans of the bass being slapped and b-movie lyrics have often had to get their kicks from touring acts who are willing to take a chance and venture north of the border.

So all hail The Bloodstrings, who were making their debut in Glasgow.

It has been a while since I had a fix of this particular genre so it was a very pleasurable experience to get the opportunity to get reacquainted with it.

From the beginning they put their foot down and played a set that rarely had a foot near the brake.

You want it hard and fast? Then this was it.

At points Doc Nics hand was blur on the double bass and the guitar licks were an inspired mix of heavy rock and rock and roll.

Just what the doctor ordered, two great supports and then the icing on the cake.

Surprisingly enough the audience was not made up of the usual psychobilly suspects, and instead a very mixed group of music fans, but not playing to what would be a traditional didn’t seem to matter at all as both the band and audience were operating a mutual respect deal.

The band came to rock, the audience came to be rocked and everyone went home happy.

This ability to entertain out with the genre that they exist in is something that has to be credited.

It draws attention to the crossover appeal that they have and on the cover of the Sonny Bono penned Bang Bang they just hammer home that they have a broader appeal than some of their peers.

Quality entertainment and you should keep an eye out for the bands return. 

The Bloodstrings.

Party Asylum.

The Sux Pastels

Christie Connor-Vernal and Roadway - NHC Music - 17/01/14

So far the NHC should be four instore acoustic shows into 2015, but there seems to be a curse on the Sundays.

Last week Genesee had to pull out due to ill health and this week it was the turn of AWOL with an injury, but never fear as both shows, and a set from Arno Blok, will all be sorted out for the future.

Meanwhile what can be said about the Saturday nights though?

Well we kicked off with GR Harrow last week (review here) and he seriously blew us all away, and then just as we thought we could catch a breathe Christie Connor-Vernal and Roadway snatched it from us with a couple of performances that hit every button and ticked every box.

As a coupling they are a rock aficionados wet dream, and I wouldn’t hesitate in going on the record to say that both could give any established act - that people pay silly money to see - a run for their money.

In fact it’s actually difficult to convey how good this show was.

I’m no spring chicken and I have been going to see bands for decades all over the country and sets such as they played are up there with the best that I have witnessed.

In some ways the environment does lend itself to the performances being that bit special though.

As one audience member said about the shop that ‘it’s like an underground speakeasy’ and another claimed that ‘if CBGBs was a record shop then this would be it minus the dog shit on the floor.’

We can live with praise like that, and it’s better than having to claim it myself.

Anyway in the case of Roadway they are not known for playing acoustically, but within the NHC, and in front of a supportive audience, they were free to give the material a run through and see how it feels resulting in what was a stunning set from them.

It’s most definitely another string to their bow and hopefully they are considering exploring acoustic angles on more material as their recorded output that is full on electric certainly deserves to be heard stripped down.

It simply adds a whole new dimension to their sound, and it’s one that most fans – if not all – would welcome with open arms.

If for some reason anyone reading doesn’t know who Roadway are then you really should rectify that straight away.

Especially if you long to hear Classic Rock played with passion and attitude as these guys have both in spades.

There’s no downside to what they do and well written material performed well never goes out of fashion.

Next time they are in Glasgow I’ll be looking to attend and hopefully in the future they will return to us as the door will always be open for them.

And Christie?

Well if you needed a one word review it would just say ‘wow’.

The progression in literally everything since the first time I was told to check her out is partially mind-blowing.

As a songwriter and as a performer everything just keeps getting better and better.

Last time the full band experience had me asking why she wasn’t already in the public eye and gracing larger stages, but equally her solo acoustic shows are similarly of that level.

Surely the next step on the ladder is in reach.

The new songs, and the maturity in approaching the subject matter therein, would seem to indicate that the tipping balance from struggling artist to successful artist has been reached.

Well fingers crossed etc.

A last minute addition to the performance was the inclusion of a duet with Dougie McSween of Scarlets, a band that Christie is currently collaborating with, and this was once again that little magic moment thing that the shop lends itself to.

We were striving to create an atmosphere that anything could happen in and with this song we got that.

It was only a week ago that they started working together and as far as I am aware there has only been one singular working session between them and already the results are far beyond what could have been expected.

All I can really do is jump back and say again that it’s difficult to convey how good this show was.

Everyone should take a bow, the artists and those who turned up for this and made it such an incredible evening.

You’re all heroes. 

Roadway facebook

Christie facebook

NHC facebook

Scarlets facebook

Event pages for the next live in-stores.

The Neverly Brothers

Rebecca Herd/Jamie Angus

GR Harrow - NHC Music - 10/01/15 (Glasgow)

The first live music experience of the year for me has certainly set the bar high.

On what will go down as a thoroughly miserable night of wild weather - forcing most to seek shelter in their own homes rather than venture out - GR Harrow returned to NHC Music (Glasgow) pulling a healthy crowd along with him, and then within the intimate setting of the record shop played a two hour set of mainly originals that chronologically covered his career to friends old and new.

It was the sort of performance that gets filed away as ‘you had to be there’ as he worked his way through his life from his formative years in Ayrshire to those when he went travelling to other continents, and then bringing us all up to date with his now being a settled family man.

If you could imagine someone opening a worn book of photographs and sharing all the moments with their close friends and family then this was in many ways the aural equivalent.

And even though there was a solid contingent of personal friends attending it is doubtful that those who don’t know GR Harrow would have felt excluded.

I certainly didn’t.

In fact the atmosphere was one of casual welcoming warmth.

Somewhat magical in many way and the credit for that has to go to GR Harrow himself who between songs guided us through the process of writing them and comfortably engaged with everyone in attendance.

In a larger venue there is much of the intimacy of this performance that would probably be lost, or changed to accommodate how he could reach out to people, but it was a testament to how comfortable he was in this sort of environ that he even added some new material that had not been publicly aired to the set to see how it would go.

And how did they go?

Very well actually.

Over the course of his set you can clearly hear his journey as a songwriter and while he certainly wears his influences on his sleeve, and it’s the accomplished song writing of the Finn brothers, REM and Jellyfish that flavours his own material, he has now reached a point that the influences don’t necessarily overshadow his writing, and with some recording sessions in Paris with Ken Stringfellow (Posies/REM/Big Star) at the planning stages he could be on the cusp of not just dipping a toe into the artistic world of his heroes, but instead plunging in to join them.

Only time will tell, but regardless of what the future holds the door of NHC Music will always be open to him and his extended family of fans. 

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Ginger Wildheart interview

But it's not here.

I participated in the interview on a moonlighting job with the New Hellfire Club, although moonlighting doesn't really describe it as I spend more time hanging around the NHC than here of late

Anyway. Here's a link.

With just a clickety click of the mouse and as if by magic you will be knee deep in the words of Ginger, and they are rather good words.
There's news on the forthcoming tour and a project with Chris Gordon of Baby Chaos.
Yeah, It's pretty darn good.
Even if I do say so myself, and I just did.

Static Rock/Elvira Stitt - NHC Music in-store - 18/10/14 (Glasgow)

Starting a Saturday evenings entertainment by popping into the New Hellfire Club for a free starter before the main course of a gig elsewhere is always a good idea.

I could of course be accused of being a bit biased in saying that as I am one of the NHC, but I wasn't there working, and instead I had just dropped in to see Elvira Stitt and Static Rock perform acoustically before heading to Broadcast to catch Nashville Pussy in Broadcast.

Having seen Elvira perform once before I fully expected a quality performance, but I didn't expect that the bar would be raised far beyond my already high expectations.

As an artist she has a firm grounding as an eclectic music fan, and it’s obvious on seeing a performance that her broad knowledge forms a solid backbone to what she plays.

In one song you can hear the cadence of a hip hop delivery in the vocals and then she can slip effortlessly into covering a Disney classic in a torch song style.

On paper the two certainly shouldn't work, but it does, and at no point is there a moment that it sounds forced.

Each song simply flows into the next and it is more akin to aural alchemy at play as seemingly disparate sounds are melded together to make a new sound that resonates confidently around the room.

It’s very easy to watch Elvira and consider that this is the start of a journey for her as an artist.

There’s something there that it is hard to pin down and point at as to where the magic lies, but it is most defiantly there.

Four piece rock band Static Rock are a whole different beast again, but what they share with Elvira is that they can also deliver a set that highlights that they can be considered as contenders in the music business.

Playing stripped down - and in that I mean without even having the vocals amped - they could have put themselves in the position of drawing attention to any weak spots that the band are carrying, but instead they showed that they have none.

Strong material, great vocal harmonies and all carried on the back of strong musicianship.

Even with requests of covers from the audience they casually approached them and didn't drop the ball regardless of how wide and varied the material was.

Coolios, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ had some fresh life breathed into it and in my head I was thinking that with Elvira providing some vocals it would have jumped from being well received to leaving people gape jawed in amazement.

Similarly the stalwart of decades of parties in Glasgow that is Kenny Rogers ‘The Gambler’ was dragged from the mouths of many a drunkard and given an impressive reboot.

Now just think about that for a second.

From original material to covers of hip hop songs and finishing on a country classic.

There are not many that can do that, and yet Static Rock eased through it all unfazed.

Throw them a curve ball and they will knock it out the park.

With a support slot secured to open for Brit-Pop legends CAST in December it looks like Static Rock are on the cusp of getting a firm grip on the next rung on the ladder of success.

LINKS - Static Rock Elvira Stitt New Hellfire Club

NHC Shop

As some readers will know I am involved in a new venture.

For those who don’t know what I am talking about I will explain.

We, and I say we as it isn’t just me, are opening a record shop in the west end of Glasgow.

Well it’s not strictly just a record shop as apart from the vinyl and the CDs we are selling books, DVDS, Blue Rays, Merchandise and gig tickets.

The shop itself is really an extension of the New Hellfire Club, a natural next step from the website, podcast, fanzine and promoting of gigs and I am very pleased to be up to my neck in this.

So I hope that explains the lack of content being added to the blog.

We have all simply been run off our feet getting things ready.

Times are indeed a changing.

Now a bit more about why I am doing this.

Well apart from the obvious of why not, it is because like so many others I have always felt a degree of dissatisfaction with the employment side of my life.

There have been many positives in what I do as a day job, and I have worked with very many lovely people, but deep down it isn’t what I feel that I am naturally inclined to gravitate towards.

It’s like that instant association thing when someone asks you to say your dream job, no thinking, just say it fast.

If anyone was to do that with me then what would fly from my lips is not what I currently do.

It would be the word “music”.

I want to be involved in music.

I want to swim in it, breath it in, feast on it and exist within a world of swirling notes that will carry me forward in my life.

And now as middle age wraps its arms around me I have this opportunity and I am not going to let it slip past.

I am going to make that leap and sweat blood to make a success of it as if I don’t now then when will the opportunity arise again?

The words “shoulda, woulda, coulda” will not be part of my future conversations.

This is it.

So wish us all luck, and more than that come and see us.

I think the majority will be surprised at what we are doing as we are looking to be more than just a record shop.

If you do want to pop along then you can find us in the hidden lane in the west end.

The shop is tucked away in a corner at Unit 4, 1103 Argyle Street.

We are open from the 18^th of August, but on the 23^rd and 24^th (Sat and Sun) we have six acoustic performers on each day to entertain you as you browse.

There may even be wine.

Oh okay. There will be wine. J

More information can be found on our facebook page.

www.facebook.com/NewHellfireClubGlasgow?fref=ts

One small step for the NHC

And so it begins...

The first step on a journey that will lead to who knows where.
With a property now being secured and a lease about to be signed it is with much excitement, a bit of trepidation and a whole lot of “is this really happening” being said, that we can proudly announce that the NHCs dreams are about to become a reality because very soon the doors will open on our own little store.
Yes. You heard that right and we shall announce the exact location very soon.
From the store we shall be selling a range of new and used CDs, Vinyl's, Books and DVDs.
This will be at the core of what we do, but it’s all really just there to provide a foundation that will allow us to financially fund having a place from where we can support the artistic community as a whole.
And how will you do that I hear you ask?

Well that answer is that if you are currently unsigned and going down the DIY route, or if you are running an independent label, then we want to sell what you have.
We have looked at multiple options of how to do this and we consider that the best is that you sign up quarterly to us for the princely sum of £3 a month with an introductory offer of three for two which means it’s just £6 you give us and then we sell anything you have at the price you say and you get it all.
Yes. You heard correctly.
If you want to sell a CD at £6 then that’s how much it is.
T-shirts, cassettes, vinyl single and albums?
Whatever you say it is to be then that’s exactly how much it is.
We shall stock it in the shop and online for £3 a month with no hidden costs.
Hell, if you have tickets for a gig to sell then give them to us and it’s in on the deal as well.
No booking fees either.

Of course it is at this point that anyone in a band, who is playing solo or has a label, is asking why they should give us this £3 when other shops will stock their CD for free?
Well the answer is that we all know that when you do that the shop then makes an addition to the cost so that they can get a cut.
For a small act that is trying to carve themselves a niche that additional cost can be the thing that stops a curious music fan from investing in their release though.
We are removing that part of it, and we will also promote your release with online reviews and even by personal recommendations to customers.

For example if someone purchases a Bob Dylan book from us and you are the Celtic Dylan then we will assuredly tell them that they should lend an ear to your release and play them a track off it.

So for £3 you are having two outlets for your release (Store and online), a review, possibly an online interview, and people who will pro-actively try and sell your music to people.

Not bad.

Even if we do say so ourselves.

Also we will be looking to keep the ball rolling with the friends of NHC group with which, for a one-off donation of £10 for a year will receive 20% off any purchases made from our own stock, and get a pre-heads up of one week for any live instore signings, acoustic shows, and special days and nights-meaning you get first chance to snap up limited tickets and spaces! For a mere tenner a year it's a great deal.
Currently we already have a rather large amount that will excite those who like to trawl through the record and book stores to find a bargain and if a canny shopper considers that they will be in often then that £10 donation could be a solid investment with the bonus of it also helping us fund other projects in the pipeline.

Independent record labels can get in on the act too, any record labels, from anywhere on the globe, wanting us to stock music and merchandise from ALL the bands they represent can do so, for the small fee of only £6 per month. For that price (Less than a couple of pints of lagers) we will stock a few of each cd they have, any vinyls/tapes, Tickets (minus any extra handling fees) get some release posters up, flyers on the counter, a mention on the board of  labels we support, airplay on our popular weekly podcast, your items on our online shop and a chance of a review on the blog, and we can even chat about arranging album signings and stuff for them instore. Same deal as before, paid 3 months upfront, and every penny from every sale goes right back to the label. Good deal right? No hassles, no hidden charges, just one wee payment, and you can also be sure that every single penny we make goes right back into the very scene you are part of, making it bigger, and better for everyone involved! Oh and for the record, any bands who donated to our HUB fund campaign at the end of last year, will get this deal for stocking items free for the first six months(for labels) or year (for bands), as well as whatever pledge we have to give you too!

More details for how you can get involved, help us out with what we are doing, or how to sign up to stock your stuff with us, will be live online over this weekend, so stay tuned for that! This is the first big step for us so get in on the ground floor while you can, things are just about to get interesting.

More news coming soon here.

Some Tips For Running A Successful Gig Night -Some Thoughts From NHC MUSIC and ItsaXXXXThing Blog

In what will be an ongoing meeting of minds this is the first of a co-written update from my friends at the New hellfire Club and myself.

Comments can be posted over at NHC or following this.

One question we get asked a lot from the bands on our page is a simple one, but also an extremely important one.

It’s “How do we pull off a successful gig?”

It is one of those things that if you get it right then it can help your gig take off and hugely increase the size of your crowd.

Get it wrong?

Well, get it wrong and it could spell disaster for both your gig night, and your pockets...trust me on that as I am someone who has had nights fall apart due to a poorly planned and disastrously timed gig!

So first things first.

When is the best, and when is the worst, times to plan your gig night?

Well it's a tough one to answer, but there are certain things you can certainly do, and some instances you should avoid, to give you the best chance of success.

We will list them below, and also tell you a wee bit about our own badly planned nights of days gone by, so that way you can hopefully learn from our mistakes, and not have to make the same ones yourself.

1. Remember that time we didn’t look to see what else was on?

In a perfect world promoters and venues would all chat to each other, making sure that their big nights didn't clash with each other, thus pulling the fans away from each others gigs, rather than sharing the same fans on the same nights or over a couple as people can’t afford to attend everything..

Unfortunately it isn't a perfect world and more often than not no one talks to anyone else about anything.

So be prepared to lay the groundwork yourself.

One of the first things you should do is make sure there isn't a similar gig on the same night as your own.

If you are holding a metal night in Glasgow, then of course there are going to be other metal nights on elsewhere.

There is no way around this.

There are just too many bands and too many venues in the one city not to have competition nearby.

This means that you have to consider the competition.

Make sure the competition isn't a David and Goliath style night though, as in real life those types of situations rarely work out good for the David's.

So while another couple of metal nights in the same city is manageable, a super metal extravaganza all-dayer is not.

This might sound like common sense approach to most of you out there, but it's actually one of the most common problems on the local scene when booking a gig.

It will happen that sometimes the big gig nights are launched after your own night.

If that is the case then you will probably just have to suck it up and accept that some of your target audience will be elsewhere, best then to ignore the other gig and just get on with making your own night the best damn night you ever held!

Step up a gear on the promotion and push hard on it.

We had a gig booked last year and had a three months run at promo, then on week 6 of promoting it, we had an all day mini festival announce in a venue five minutes walk from ours.

There was no way to avoid it.

What did we do?

We got drunk and enjoyed our own half-filled gig.

It was still an awesome night with great music that cost us a fortune because we never made the target numbers that the venue wanted for a lower rate.

Nights like this are why I drink.

Also worth noting that it's not just other gigs you are competing against either, one of our other quieter nights was on a big Champions League final night, and there is also the festival season to worry about!

2. Remember that time we booked a gig on the Tuesday in the middle of the month.

Some people swear by Friday and Saturday nights, but it really does depend on who you are putting on the bill as NHC MUSIC has had some of it's busiest nights on a Sunday...and also had one of its (unexpected!) quietest nights ever on a Friday. Generally in our own experience Friday and Saturday are of course good nights for a gig, but you also have to take into consideration that there will be more competition from other venues who would also be scheduling 'big nights' on a Friday/Saturday. The venue will probably be more expensive to hire too, and there will be less drinks promos for your fans (drink prices are something we get asked about a lot, hey folk don't want to be charged 3.50 for a warm can of Red Stripe at a gig!).

So there is something to be said for NOT having your gig on a Friday or Saturday.

If you feel the bands you have are strong enough then just book it on a school night, the fans will still come, although don't be surprised if there are more 'early leavers' than normal.

 Personally we ourselves would avoid Monday and Tuesday though, but that's just us, there are pros and cons for both midweek and weekends, you just have to work out what's best for your particular line up.

3. Remember that time we thought that everyone would want a gig on a national holiday weekend?

'Hey, let's have our punk night on Easter Sunday to see how well it goes, the Monday is a holiday anyway and folk might be wanting to do something different on Easter night!'

That particular idea was one of our worst to be honest and a lesson learned the hard way.

Just because people are off work, doesn't mean they are willing to go out, (to be fair to us a pissing down, cold and windy Glasgow night also kept some bodies at home with their families).

Bank holidays weekends, and national holidays might look attractive for gigs due to people getting a lie-in the next day and thus more likely to hit the town on the previous night, but remember people also have other plans for holidays too...that's why they are called holidays.

Other popular holidays look attractive for gigs too, such as Halloween and New Year, but again remember that the competition will be huge on these nights, so it'll take a lot of work...or deep pockets, to pull off a sell out gig on these nights.

4. Remember how that band thought playing every week was a good idea?

Bands who gig constantly in the one city don't do anyone any favours, (themselves or good promoters) and a few times in the past we have realised that a band who has asked to play one of our showcase gigs, was actually playing the week before it in a venue nearby...and the week after it...and a couple of weeks later too.

Now it might seem a good idea for a band to gig regularly, but doing it in the same city, while always pulling from the same fanbase (no matter how big that fanbase is) just leads to ever diminishing crowds.

While you may get better at what you do, the fans won't be there to appreciate it as there won't be any excitement in coming out to watch you play anymore...who wants to see the exact same show every week?

Try and get bands on the nights who aren't playing in your city that same month, or at the very least a few weeks either side of your own night, that guarantees that the people who want to see that act live come down to your show to do it.

A bigger crowd is better for everyone on the night.

It stops the promoters arse making buttons, stops the venue moaning, and most importantly it gives the bands on the nights a bigger crowd to play to and the chance to pick up more fans for their next gig, which is what it's all about after all.

And now the common sense bit about promotion.

I expect you have all seen people talking about lack of promo leading to no one attending a gig.

Do you know why that is?

It’s because a lack of promotion means no one will come to your gig.

Honestly. That’s it.

It’s not code for something else.

It means that if you don’t cover the bases then the chances of you enjoying a good well supported night is nil.

So if you think that creating a facebook invite page and booking a venue is all you have to do then think again.

1. Posters for online and distributed around the city/town is always a good idea.

Something eye catching that has the basic details on it.

Names of bands, venue, date and cost.

It’s not rocket science.

2. Flyers. Same deal as the posters. Hit the gigs in the lead up to your own and hand them out.

3. Listing sites Use them.

4. Social media. Don’t just use it yourself. In a perfect world every member of every band playing on your night should be sharing links, posters and inviting friends.

They won’t though so be prepared to give a nudge. It’s not as if you are asking them to stand on street corners with a placard.

5. General promotion. Hit up online radio stations, the local press.

All of the above can swell your audience by a solid percentage, and the thing is that f it doesn’t then that’s okay, because no one can accuse you of falling short and not doing what is required.

So there you go.

When to put on a gig, when not to and how to promote a show.

Print it off and pin it to your wall, fold it up and carry it in your wallet.

Do what you want with it, but remember it.