Looking for gigs...

Africa

Well i was looking at the resources thread and the thing is like 3 years old! So... i was wondering what contacts people have for getting gigs in Dublin?

At the moment i am struggling along to get gigs in dublin with Dublin Underground and some other local bands but im looking to get hold of people or promoters that can get me more gigs more frequently. People that are not playing ONLY in Dorans (which seems to be the case with DU.)

the music i play with my band is rock/classic rock and we are only a 3 piece. But we have a lot of gigging experience and have no problems with the big places or stuff like that.

Main problem is we dont have the contacts, and a lot of promoters are total rip offs.

Any suggestions?

Also, if you ever need a support band in dublin, send me a message. Band name is Black and Blues

bassbomber

hahaha having the same problem here i feel your pain man

Des Claypool

Hey guys! sign up with gigsmart an if ya get involved an support the other bands you'l get the odd big gig in the button factory.

Also head down to fibbers and talk to john claude the sound engineer (he's a ledgend) and all ya need is 3 bands, ya's get about 45 mins each an 300 bucks or something like that

also open mic in the hub if ya wanna play a non payin free fun gig

or if your really arsed, plan ahead, get bands equiptment and transport sorted well ahead of time, make some posters an sell your own tickets, an stick on your own show in any venue. can be risky if ya don't have either a big following or a lot of friends!

Africa

wait... you get PAID for playing in Fibbers??!?

We were headlining there a couple weeks ago and didnt get anything! And it was a Saturday night!

Grrr!!!

but id totally play there again it was deadly
dont really mind playing for free - its this whole selling tickets to play thing is the thing that kkills me.

Ill take a look at gigsmart though, thanks.

any other suggestions? That thread on resources really needs updating!

Des Claypool

yeah i was playin the same night as ya! don't worry that one went so horribly wrong that noone got paided, everythin was last minute, but if you play there you usually get paid once everything go's according to plan an some people pay attention to the acts:)

Africa

yeah it wasnt our fault it was the other chaps that decided on the day they werent coming and we had to sort out the amps! What was thats bands name again??

Planning to get another one together there. Which band were you??

Does anyone know how to get gigs in Pravda?

Africa

Just want to bump this, to keep it on the first page. Im sure a lot of people can avail of this thread

the_syco

Des Claypool wrote: »

Also head down to fibbers and talk to john claude the sound engineer (he's a ledgend) and all ya need is 3 bands, ya's get about 45 mins each an 300 bucks or something like that

2nd this. JC is excellent. Have noticed that they have bands on pretty much every day of the week. Find a date they don't have any bands, and see can you play on that date. What ever date you get, put up posters around town. It's funny when people only advertise on metalireland...

I was updating the resources thread, however real life caught up with me. The play I'm directing is finished on the 23rd, so I should be updating and cleaning up stickies then.

Des Claypool

Africa wrote: »

yeah it wasnt our fault it was the other chaps that decided on the day they werent coming and we had to sort out the amps! What was thats bands name again??

Planning to get another one together there. Which band were you??

Does anyone know how to get gigs in Pravda?

not sure what they were called, hate when you get undependable musicians like that.

i was in glenn and the floorshow we were on first cause we'd to run early. didn't even know anyone played pravda?? ask in the bar i guess i'm sure they could tell ya

Africa

yeah im thinkin that myself.

JC is a legend, i mean he DOES look like an aging Chong... but he got onto me saying you have to bring 100 people!!! And he doesnt deal with bands personally, only promoters.

Thats a bit of a joke

el_tiddlero

Africa wrote: »

yeah im thinkin that myself.

JC is a legend, i mean he DOES look like an aging Chong... but he got onto me saying you have to bring 100 people!!! And he doesnt deal with bands personally, only promoters.

Thats a bit of a joke

be your own promoter. Every band should do that. run your own shows, generate your own publicity, and you keep whatever you make.

Running a gig will probably cost you 200-300 in terms of venue hire, transport, and publicity (posters mainly - online and print promo should be free, you just need to be well organised to make print deadlines).

Set your entry price at a fair level (no more than €5 if you're worried in any way about numbers.) and you'll only need to get 60 or so people in to break even (which is great, profits come later, cost-free exposure is what you're after).

Playing with bands you don't know is a great way to bulk up the crowd (no overlapping friends) and maybe get some new fans. If you put on a night with 3 acts and each brings 20 people, you break even. Anything more and you're into profit.

Some venues are cheaper than others, some are even free, so you can run gigs in a free venue that's more out of the way in order to finance gigs in a dearer, more accessible and well-known venue.

Promoters, in general, do not promote. Not to the same extent that a band does when they're running their own show anyhow. All they want is for you to do the work and for them to profit.

wrt what venue to play, or how to get gigs, it's simple, look on entertainment.ie for a list of venues in your area. Get on the phone and see what they have available and for how much. Make your decision based on price and availability (no one goes to gigs on Tuesdays for example). Give yourself 6-8 weeks prep time so you can have your posters ready to go in the 2-3 weeks beforehand and have your press listings sent to papers ahead of their deadlines (each publication is different, usually their website will have details, or a quick call to their arts dept willl tell you. in general it ranges from 1 week (dailies) before the show, to 1 month before the show (weeklies))

To conclude, i know everyone in a band wants to play gigs all the time, but for a small band trying to build a fanbase, once a month is more than enough. Honestly, your friends will always come to your shows, but should they have to go see you 4 nights a week? Who in their right mind would go to see any band 4 times a week? Or even once a week. I know I wouldn't, and don't. Don't overdo it. It's easy to make the mistake that more gigs equals better. It doesn't. Gain a reputation for putting on quality shows every so often, and you'll find your crowd swelling with each passing month. That's what matters. Anyone can play to an empty venue, but it does you no good financially, or in terms of confidence within the band. Occasional gigs with decent crowds lead to everyone enjoying it more, which is the point really, right?