Gav and James took a road trip to the big dog of UK metal festivals, Download, for an all too literal dirty weekend.

Swamp conditions aside, we discuss the best and worst sets, our take on the Barclays sponsorship protests and what can go wrong when you take an innocent photo of Pantera's crowd from the top of a ferris wheel and post it on the internet.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

This week's pod is James' emotional rollercoaster: from opening up about a serious health scare, being "pissed off" with a rival festival, to his passion for fence posts and playing invisible Minecraft... this one has it all.

He also explains the challenges of turning a sheep field into a festival site where you can watch The Gaslight Anthem and invites YOU to get involved.

We. Go. Again.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

3 Promoters, 1 Pod! 

Download's Kam Haq joins us to lift the curtain on the workings of the UK's biggest metal gathering.

What's life like at the top of the ladder, all Champagne and cigars at Live Nation HQ? Or is it the same headaches and hassles with billing, booking headliners and clashes as the rest of us mere mortals suffer?

We get in about it all and pick some must see bands from this year's line-up as we look forward to Download 2024.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

We (drunkenly) go again! 

Gav and James get the pints in and tackle some of the more light-hearted questions.

Favourite food vendors at our festivals? What bands would we go back and see with a time machine?  Top three bands we've ever seen live?

And why did Gav buy not one, but two tour buses? 

Hiccup!

We go again, every Thursday morning.

Not all events are booked the same. 

Some promoters enjoy a professionally packaged tour arriving on their doorstep, others don't mind the challenge of luring over bands who rarely play and then there's Damnation, who want artists to dust off old records and perform them as a world exclusive sets in Manchester.

Problem is, that's as time consuming, expensive and as difficult as it sounds. 

But in the end, is it worth all it?



 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

There weren’t too many clashes at 2000trees that raised an eyebrow, but the ones that did raised an army!
 
What kind of cruel world forces you to choose between Bob Vylan and Palm Reader? Are they being serious about Gaslight Anthem and Better Lovers? Surely Sean McGowan and The Sleeping Souls is a twisted joke and you’re misreading Frank Turner clashing with Lonely The Brave, right? Right?
 
The man behind the plan, Mr James Scarlett, takes his licks and explains all... even manages to put one fire out.
 
 We also discuss the Forest sets. How it’s decided who plays twice. The ‘TBAs’ and James’ masterplan to one day rope Biffy Clyde into playing. 
 
This is our love letter to 2000trees. 
 
But before all that, Gav has some tour tales to share and owns up to why he’ll likely never be a tour manager.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

The humble catering rider, which surely started life as a simple hot meal for touring band members, has morphed beyond all recognition to a sprawling wishlist, often with no rhyme or reason.

Seasoned headline acts can ask for so little while fresh-faced tour supports demand so much, but what MUST be provided and who decides where to draw the line?

Like most things in this industry... it's complicated.

James and Gav share their experiences, from 24 McDonald's cheeseburgers to "Gollum Juice",  and how they handle the infamous rider.

We go again, every Thursday morning.

One viral photo of Gojira's merch list prices - including an £80 hoodie - sparked a row that refuses to die and lifted the lid on the murky world of merch concessions at venues and festivals.

But is it as black and white as greedy venues or promoters dipping their hands into the pockets of hard working bands, or is there a more nuanced conversation to be had about what services are provided in return, from a toilet tour to a major outdoors festival?

Do all events approach the issue in the same manner and even if you offer artists a free merch table, would they prefer to pay? 

We get in about it all.


**NOTE: There was a connection issue which led to a small section of buffering video and audio being edited out. 

Discussed was price fixing when headliners force support bands to charge the same prices as them, which ATG, 2000trees and Damnation don't endorse or agree with.

And the huge increase in raw merch costs: Damnation paid £3.66 for tee reprints in 2021 and £16.93 for tee reprints in 2023.**

We go again, every Thursday morning.

As the old saying goes, you learn from your mistakes, but that doesn't make those mistakes any easier to deal with!

From bogged down loos, stages with no stage managers, the importance of building a team and what weather you can survive and what weather you can't... Gav and James relive some horrors from down the years.

And what do we want to see in a band's press pack? 

We go again, every Thursday morning.

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.