What is it with bands who can't do two simple things:
1. Get to a gig
2. Bring the equipment they need to a gig
For the second time in 10 gigs, it looks like an act we've booked isn't going to turn up.
She emailed us saying she might not be able to make it because she couldn't get a lift and the train is too expensive.
The train is £17 return, and we're paying her £70 for the gig...
Now she's not responding to emails, she's taken our flyer off her Myspace page and it looks as though we're a band down for the night on Saturday.
Since when has this sort of thing happened?
When I was in a band, we piled all our stuff into a Fiesta and drove ridiculous amounts of miles up and down the country to play for about £20....
Am I wrong to be really, really pissed off about this?
I'm not going to name her yet, because there's still a chance she might turn up, but if she doesn't I feel like telling all and sundry to never bother booking her again.
Shit. Rant over.
That's out of order
Breaking down on the motorway and being stuck for hours on end is a pretty valid excuse, but being too tight to splash out £17 on the train is ridiculous. Spill the beans, who is she?!
at least she had the decency to let you know
despite the short notice.
I've booked bands who just never turned up because they 'forgot'
Well that;s even worse
But I'm not about to give her credit for 'letting us know'.
And theeterscrimp: It's a bit harsh to say who she is just yet. I'm still giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming it's all been one big understanding.
I may be a little less friendly about her come Sunday morning...
From what you say he hasn't let you know anyway.
She's said she 'might' not be able to do it and then refused to be clear one way or the other.
why on earth did you book georgre pringle anyway?
.
*george
.
lol
man, that's a terrible
excuse isn't it? If i were in a band, i'd be loving the fact that i'm playing at different venues and my subsequent excitement certainly wouldn't lead me to 'forget'! Unimaginative bollocks band!
I think you're right to be pissed off.
Bands should factor in travel when agreeing to gigs and, especially if they're being paid anyway, they should factor in maximum price of travel into cost and take that into consideration.
On top of that taking the gig details off Myspace before confirming to the promoter you definitely aren't doing it, and not replying to promoters' emails is absolutely disgraceful behaviour that shows a complete lack of respect to people who are putting an effort to make this gig happens.
Fuck her - you're better off just messaging her and saying if you don't hear by the end of the day you're assuming she's pulled out.
And if you don't hear back then go ahead and book an act who's actually got respect for other people.
i'd tell her that the gig is no longer available
and book someone else, you're avoiding being completely fucked on the day.
Its totally out of order that she has treated you like that, there is a lot said when promoters stitch up bands, but little is said when it happens the other way round.
We have been going 4 years, and luckily only a few bands have fucked us over, all local acts and I have told other local promoters, as it can completely mess the night up and potentially leave you severely out of pocket.
Well we're looking for another band to fill the space
But it's short notice for anyone to be able to play, and being around London on a Saturday night, most bands are pretty busy...
I'll do it.
But you have to cover my monthly travelcard from Zone 6+D
Hmmm
Howabout 1-5 and a free Ginster's pasty?
Perfect, I live in Zone 5
the extra was just for the hell of it.
Seriously though, I will do it if you want... I'm a demon with an acoustic guitar and some reverb...
these guys'll play
http://www.myspace.com/alexandriaquartet
i've had a few misunderstandings with acts
van breakdowns most of them so thats ok.
The worst ever was a headliner being held by customs on the day and finding out.
Then the support band/label/agency assuming i would guess that they were not coming because the headliner had pulled out, which was confirmed around about 8pm after trying to call someone who knew for ages when they didnt turn up at soundcheck time.
Is it really £17?
Or is it £17 if you book in advance on very restricted trains going at times outside rush hour?
I just mean that maybe the only train she can actually afford to get is going to cost £70. Rail fares are stupid these days.
I went to the Bull and Gate in 1986 to see The Wedding Present
and they couldn't play because they were stuck in a snow drift. They were replaced by My Bloody Valentine.
U bastard.
Jealousy!
Nah - it's only London to Chelmsford.
And to be honest, maybe it's just me, but once I'd said yes to a gig, even if I then found out it was gonna cost me more to get there than I was being paid, I'd still turn up, and learn my lesson for next time: Check you can a) get there and b) cover your costs before saying yes to a gig.
I remember booking DJ Scotch Egg
It got to about half 6 and he still hadn't turned up. I got a call from him at 7 saying he was stuck on a plane in Amsterdam, and he'd been sitting there since 10am. I was literally close to tears, then get a text from him at half 10 saying he was in Luton. I don't think I'll ever forget running round Luton airport screaming 'SCOTCH EGG!!' at the top of my lungs. Good times.
I bet you got some right weird looks.
Naturally
People look scared, probably due to my Asian friend frantically running around shouting out the name of a mini snack. Definitely terrorist material.
Do people still throw
scotch eggs at him?
I'd have bought a load along with his super size KFC bucket and held them all back as punishment!
we once had to cancel a gig in leeds
because someone in one of our family was really ill.
we re-booked the gig about a year later and had to cancel the night before because another family member belonging to a different band member had died.
we emailed the promoter and he never replied. I'm sure he thought we were cunts- but it is actually true!
Oh god
not only would he have thought you cunts, but cunts who pretend that their family members are dying in order to get out of playing gigs...
The sheer irony of reading this story...
...our drummer's old man has just passed away and it means he has to go to Bangladesh for all the funeral malarkey.
Which also means that we have to pull out of a really good gig at my favourite clubnight at the end of the month.
It was a headline slot and it was also going to be my birthday party, seeing as I turn 87 that day. All in all, it's the first birthday I've looked forward to since I was 15.
The promoters put a lot of fucking work into the night and I can't help but feel as if we're cunting them off, even though somebody's died and it was going to be my big birthday bash.
To try and help salvage the situation, I've emailed them the Myspaces of a few mates' bands who could replace us. You know, fit in with the night, bring a crowd, etc.
The worst thing is that I'll most likely be there , and I'll be 'celebrating' my birthday with grim and selfish feelings of envy when I'm watching one of my best mates take 'my' slot.
Add to this the fact that the promoters might not even believe us, seeing as it's fairly common for bands to pull out of gigs at the final minute and blame it on some fucker dying.
Rant over.
that's a shame
I hope you enjoy your 87th birthday anyway.
87?
I didn't know Keith Richards posted on here!
You wouldn't believe how many times this has happened to me.
:(
The Pleasure Unit
refused to put us on ever again after the Mumps hospitalised two of our band.
Which I felt was unreasonable.
So I changed the name of our band and we played the gig a month later. Without the wanker who answers the phone there ever realising.
I kind of wish we hadn't bothered now.
The Mumps
They sound like cunts.
Yeah, i heard The Mumps
were bastards - going around smashing up the place with their cockish attitude, infecting everyone's salivary glands.
The bastards.
Great second album though
it was almost worth all of their bully boy tactics to get gigs
Yokels
I booked someone who just "forgot" to turn up and about 6 weeks later he Myspaced me to ask for another gig and he was sorry about last time. No explanation as to why he hadn't answered the numerous calls he had made etc. His name was Yokels. However, he has probably changed his name now...
Seriously, if you are treating the band right and being messed about in that way it is well out of order. The not being able to afford the train fare is probably a cop out cos she no longer fancies the gig for whatever reason. Shop her!
Yeah you might be right
And if she doesn't pitch up, I'll definitely shop her!
I'm not sure promoters would get pissed off at some of the excuses given above. We had The Clik Clik pull out recently at the last minute (the day before) because the singer was really ill. It happens - it's no biggie.
He was really apologetic, very sweet about it all and offered to play another date, so it obviously wasn't just him deciding he couldn't be bothered.
We booked them again and they were bloody ace. It's just the fact that this time round, it's the worst excuse ever - and it's not as if train prices have changed in between us booking her and her saying she might not be able to play!
The Cult
1987, when I got to the venue there was a sign on the door "cancelled due to the flu". The flu- right.
OK....
So she finally let us know for definite that she wouldn't be coming. On Saturday morning. About 8 hours before soundcheck was due to start.
Lele [Speaks] was her name. And she has pissed me off.
Luckily, Trailing Laces were also on the bill and they carried it off on their own and were bloody brilliant.
oh she's mates with goldielocks
not brilliant, but quite hot ha. yeah, i wouldn't worry about not having her on the bill. the one time i saw her she was pretty amateur (though this was early days - she may have got lost better since)
She's the Hip Hop Pringle!
to my ears...
Once she body-pops
She can't stop?
*abandons bad joke and runs away..*