2 Promoters, 1 Pod

The right headliner can make or break your year, whether the rest of the line-up is excellent or not.

But it's not as easy as just throwing heaps of cash at your favourite band to land the booking you need.

With more events to choose from, competitive festival exclusive deals, fees going through the roof and bands booking further and further in advance, it can be a nervous time trying to get the right cherry on top.

James and Gav get into it...

We go again, every Thursday morning.

In a short space of time, Slayer transformed themselves from dependable festival fodder, who filled academies on tour to an arena outfit who have returned to share top billing alongside the likes of Slipknot and Motley Crue with one simple trick: the fake farewell.

Should fans be delighted with the return, or question why they were duped in the first place? Will other bands and their management follow the same strategy? And where are promoters left in the mix of booking the panto?

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Who goes one line up on the poster? Whose logo needs to be bigger? Who goes left or right when two bands are virtually identical in stature? And who decides?

The art of billing the line-up poster is a messy and confusing one, which often leads to heated rows, fall outs and promoters being left with tough calls to make.

But do fans even notice or care?

James and Gav share their pain and misery on 2 Promoters, 1 Pod.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Dillinger are back and everyone is buzzing, so why aren't they playing any of the UK festivals?

Is Calculating Infinity worth the gamble? Is there anything to learn from the At The Drive In, Refused or Botch reunions? Will we see Dimitri and co. play London in 2024 instead?

Damnation and ArcTanGent organisers, Gav and James, share their thoughts on the first episode of 2 Promoters, 1 Pod.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

How much money did Damnation 2023 make? The problem with A Night of Salvation being so cheap. the chaos of losing Tuskar and Ahab at the final hurdle. Bossk and Din of Celestial Birds knocking it out the park. THAT Nordic Giants opening set. Fixation on a Co Worker. Highlights and low points of the weekend... Plans for 2024.

We get in about about it all.

Thanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

After three decades on the road, grindcore Godfather Shane Embury has committed his tour tales to paper with the release of Life...? And Napalm Death.

Shane joins Damnation Vs to discuss the decision to publish the novel and where to draw the line with what's for the masses and what stays on tour.

Playing arenas to Volbeat fans,  why he needs to see the faces of the crowd when he's playing and rediscovering Cult of Luna.

#napalmdeath  #damnation #damnationvs

We go again, every Thursday morning.

It looked like it could all be over for Anaal Nathrakh but Dr Dave Hunt has some "unfinished business" to attend to, which will include a one-off headline performance at this year's Damnation Festival.

How did it feel to release Endarkenment in the middle of a pandemic and have no stages to take it to?
What was the process of rebuilding a live band with no Mick Kenney?
Will we ever see Nathrakh live again after 2023?
And is there any hope of more records in the future?

Dr Hunt tackles it all, in his brilliantly blunt fashion on Damnation Vs. 

#damnationvs

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Our first in a series of short and snappy Q&A's Damnation Vs takes on the fans' questions, both about the festival itself and Gav's takes on the wider metal scene.

#damnationvs

Thanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

Packing out their debut year only to crash into a global pandemic, moving to Manchester then being chucked out their new arena shortly afterwards and landing Sleep Token before they became the band who'd sell out Wembley Arena in 10 minutes...

The first few years of Radar have been a rollercoaster and as they head into this year's festival, co-organiser/director Ash Cook joins Damnation Vs to share the highs and lows. 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Man of many roles, Sam Loynes, joins Damnation Vs to discuss THAT Goat of Mendes set, becoming Akercocke's unofficial "fixer" and the band's plans for the year ahead.

Also, his long and rich relationship with Damnation and quest for more gin, limes and ice, Voices' latest record 'Breaking The Trauma Bond', if we'll ever see The Antichrist Imperium live again and the future of his most "fun" project, Shrines.

Pure satan worship, at its most enjoyable. 

#damnationvs #akercocke

For further info on Damnation Vs, or Damnation Festival visit:

damnationversus.buzzsprout.com
damnationfestival.co.uk
facebook.com/damnationfestival
instagram.com/damnationfestival
twitter.com/damnationfest

We go again, every Thursday morning.