2 Promoters, 1 Pod

In the second of our monthly Q&A bonus pods, we try to get through as many burning questions as possible.

Our biggest triumphs and screw ups? How has Brexit impacted attracting bands? What happens to our festivals if one of us is hit by a bus? Have we ever been held to ransom by a greedy band?

And why didn't Opeth play their full set length at ATG last year?

We answer them all.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

The ArcTanGent stage times are out and everyone has been colour coding their digital day plans and having a social media rant about the decisions they've been forced to make.

But what does the man responsible for the clashes, which can make or break your weekend, have to say for himself?

How did Clown Core and Author & Punisher find themselves pitted against each other? Is Torpor at 11am on the final day really a bright idea? And do fans really want to see both Amenra and Tokky Horror?

James finally breaks his silence...

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Green Lung, Creeper, Brutus, Malevolence, Zeal & Ardor, Bob Vylan, Dinosaur Pile Up, Bleed From Within, Boston Manor... all names we hope to see headline our festivals in the future.

But what does it take to get there and why does the path to the top of the bill seem so clear at 2000trees, yet so complicated at ATG and Damnation? 

Gav and James also have a bash at booking a stage for the other's festival, from the sublime (We Lost The Sea and Tomb Mould) to the ridiculous (Moon Tooth?) .

And there's Blanket and The Moth Gatherer and Meryl Streek and Pig Destroyer and Anaal Nathrakh and Spirit Adrift and...

This is our fanboy episode. 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

21 UK festivals have been cancelled or postponed so far this year with up to 100 at risk without Government support, according to the The Association of Independent Festivals.

It's grim reading, so how are ArcTanGent, Damnation and 2000trees coping in this brutal landscape and what can be done to help the situation?

Gav and James have a plan and it involves you!

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Bob Vylan to Din of Celestial Birds, Idles to Amenra... have our festivals helped "break" bands to a larger audience in their scenes and if so, is that important to us or a byproduct of the job?

Gav and James get in about it. 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

After a month or so of agent bashing, it was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to put us back in our place.

And that someone is the brilliant Mr Tom Taaffe, the man behind the bookings of the likes of Every Time I Die, Pallbearer, Spanish Love Songs, Deafheaven, While She Sleeps, Beartooth and Elder at our festivals.

What's his take on the ballache of billing and A-Z line-up posters, the rising fees for bands and promoters asking US arena-level bands to play club shows in England? 

What's happening with Sleep and are The Reytons a suitable headliner for 2000trees?

Tom gives his honest take on it all.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

The mailbox is full and the questions keep coming in, so here's an episode dedicated to all your curiosities.

Do festival promoters talk to each other about band fees? 
Have we ever got into a bidding war over a band we wanted? 
What other festival would we like to book? 
What are the marketing challenges in 2024?

We answer them all, and plenty more, in the usual candid fashion. 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Ten years of increased offers, multiple snubs, endless fan demands and with almost all hope lost... Mogwai finally agreed to play the final night of the 10th anniversary of ATG.

It had to be part of the masterplan, right?  Or a chance phone call, "going big" with an offer over text and the dilemma of having no headline slots left.

Turns out landing the dream band is never straight forward, as Bolt Thrower playing Damnation had its own unique quirks too.

Gav and James get in about it all.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Booking bands is the Wild West of music promotion, where cash, gamesmanship, ego and relationships clash in the process of sealing a deal.

But it isn't as simple a just working out a fee. There's hotels, flights, catering, drum kits, video walls, billing and exclusivity to haggle over... and don't forget that nudity clause!

Then, even if that's all agreed, it might not stay that way because half the contract doesn't make sense, or the agent might just "forget".

Understand, no? Neither do we... 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

2,000 Trees, Damnation and ArcTanGent have carved themselves out solid reputations on the UK festival scene but not without almost two decades of graft, good fortune and the odd costly mistake, or twenty, along the way.

Thankfully we fell into those traps so you don't have to.

We go again, every Thursday morning.