Trying to book your first gig can be a bit of a headache but luckily in Brighton, we're spoilt with a load of great venues and promoters willing to give you a shot and book your first gig. Knowing who they are however, well that's a different story... You may be thinking:
Who do I contact?
How do I contact them?
What do I need?
In this post I've detailed out some of the venues and promoters who will book you on your first gig, if you fit their criteria. I have contacted the promoters personally and found out what kinds of acts they book (full band, acoustic etc) and what genres they book. The following information saves you from having to do the research and instead, you will know exactly how to contact, in the way they best prefer to be contacted therefore making you look more professional.
On top of this, I’ll detail out some other ways you can secure yourself a gig and what you need to do to make it happen. Let’s start with some venues. All the ones mentioned here are ones I’ve played gigs at many times over the years with either: a new band as support or a more established band as headliners.
This list is regularly updated to include more promoters/venues wanting you to get in touch.
Venues
The Green Door Store
The Green Door Store opened it's doors about 6 years ago and quickly became a favourite for live music lovers and club goers alike. They put on a ton of free gigs throughout the year and pride themselves on having such a diverse listing of events, that there's always something for everyone. And to be fair to them, there always is! This is easily the venue I’ve played the most in Brighton and it’s never been anything but a great night.
Who to contact at the venue?
Your first point of call at Green Door is Toni (info@thegreendoorstore.co.uk). She’s in charge of the bookings they have. Bare in mind that they get a lot of emails from bands and will do their best to get back to you, but you may not hear back right away. This is the only way they like to be contacted so make sure you go down the email route. To make sure you have the best chance of getting a reply, make sure you give her a good first impression. We’ll go into that in more detail later.
The Prince Albert
The Prince Albert Pub, situated close to Brighton Train Station, is a great bet if you’re looking to get your first gig under your belt. It’s a really cool pub with amazing artwork featured on the outside of the building. Head upstairs and you enter their intimate venue. I say intimate because it is, it’s pretty small but that’s not a bad thing, especially if you’re just starting out. Let’s face it, playing to a smaller crowd in a small venue is much better than playing to a smaller crowd in a big one!
Who to contact at the venue?
Will (willtheprincealbert@hotmail.co.uk) is your man for this. He’s put on various bands I’ve played in on the bill over the years and is always asking for local bands to come support, so make sure you drop him a message. He’s often posting opportunities on Facebook too, which I’ll go into more later on.
Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
I love this place, it’s got a great vibe, good acoustics and has been brilliant to me over the years. It’s situated on Middle Street around the South Lanes area and puts on awesome shows. These guys always have something going on whether it’s live music or club nights and they cater for all tastes. The place itself has a really cool atmosphere and is decorated with artwork from talented local artists.
Who to contact at the venue?
It’s best to contact the venue themselves direct (hello@stickymikesfrogbar.pub) for this and like many others, you may not hear back immediately but be patient, don’t spam them with a load of follow up emails and just be decent in your approach. If they like you, they’re more likely to book you.
The Latest Music Bar
These guys are based in the Kemp Town side of Brighton and cater for a bit of everything really. Weddings, gigs, club nights, whatever. They’re pretty flexible on what they put on. Head downstairs and you find their venue. They’ve re-designed the place in recent years and it looks and sounds so much better for it. The venue itself is probably a bit bigger than The Prince Albert but not as big as Green Door or Sticky Mikes so you get the intimate feeling when playing there but on quite a large stage. It’s a good one to aim for. They’ve worked hard over the years to give it the atmosphere it now has and is well worth checking out as a result.
Who to contact at the venue?
Jeff (music@thelatest.co.uk) would be the one to get in touch with here as he’s in charge of the live music bookings. Same as before, be patient and don’t come across as annoying. With all of these venues, there’s nothing wrong with popping in and trying to catch the right person. In fact, that’s how I booked my first ever gig in Brighton. I sent an email and then followed up with a visit a week later to see if there was anyone I could chat to.
The Hope & Ruin
This is another one that has had a massive 'face-lift' in recent years. The pub itself has a quirky feel to it that really suits the layout. The venue here is upstairs. Like the pub itself, the venue has had a cash injection in recent years that has resulted in a great new sound system, bigger stage and overall better vibe for both performers and fans.
Who to contact at the venue?
Like with Sticky Mikes, it’s best to contact these guys direct (hello@hope.pub). Don’t quote me on this but I’m pretty sure The Hope & Sticky Mikes are partnered up in some way so if you get an ‘in’ with one, you’re more likely to strike up a contact with the other.
Any More?
Well, yeah, there are many other venues in Brighton, stupid question mate. But these are the ones I know to put bands on for their first gig, from experience. Having the direct contact details for each venue is great but it’s definitely not the only way to strike up a connection with them. Next we’ll go through some promoters. There are LOADS of promoters in Brighton which is freakin’ amazing! But, these are the ones I have checked with about being contacted by peeps looking to book their first show. With this lot, I've gone into more detail on how best to contact them and what makes them more likely to book you and also not book you!
Promoters
The promoters I’m going to go into detail about, work alongside the venues I’ve mentioned, as well as many others. If you’ve got a clear idea on a style of music you’d fit in with, contacting the promoters direct may be the best route for you. I’ve done your research for you but PLEASE don’t go firing off the same 'blanket email' to each one of these asking if your dance band can play the next punk show. I don’t want to get hunted down by this lot! Basically, be polite and decent, there’s not much more to it than that. I’ll give you some tips on getting noticed later on too. I have spoken to everyone listed below and found out who to contact and how best to approach them, follow this guide and you’ll be in the best position to get a gig in Brighton.
Acid Box Promotions
Ollie who co-runs Acid Box, is happy to give bands a go at playing their events and even supporting touring bands, if they like what they hear. This is a great opportunity to get a name for yourself from the very first gig. You don’t have to have much of a profile or social media following to be booked, just a demo and if they like you, you’re in.
What genre of bands do you book?
“We book international touring bands in the psychedelic/stoner/fuzz/noise/post-punk/garage/surf/rock n roll spectrum. We choose local bands that suit to support.”
How best to contact you?
“Email (acidbox@live.com) or social media (www.facebook.com/acidboxpromo) or better yet in person at the monthly event is usually the best way, you come to the show and we’ll give you a show.”
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
The Hope & Ruin
The Green Door Store
Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
The Joker
What do bands do that really irritates you when getting in touch?
‘’Sending a message every week telling me I should book you actually decreases your chance of me booking you. Just send me your music and I’ll listen to it when I get the chance.’’
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
“Unfortuantely most small cap (under 200) venues in this city that we host gigs at are 18+ but we can occasionally make exceptions if there is an underage member of the band”
BITCHCRAFT
These guys are in conjunction with Acid Box but this wing of their promo escapades focuses on bands with female & LGBT song-writers. This doesn’t mean the band has to be female-fronted as such, but that it has a strong female and/or LGBT presence. The whole concept is brilliant. They focus on providing safe/encouraging events for artists to get involved with. In their own words…
‘’Our ethos to is create a safe, friendly and equal environment for girls to come enjoy themselves and promote what they're good at, without pushing away guys at the same time.’’
They also provide a great opportunity for anyone wanting more experience in the running of an event as they are always on the lookout for volunteers to contribute to their nights.
What genres of bands do you book?
“Focus on female and LGBTQ artists - not particularly female fronted but women song-writers.
We have a different theme each month so the genre changes slightly but predominantly garage-rock/post-punk/grunge/rock n roll/psych.”
How best to contact you?
“Email (betchcraft@hotmail.com) or social media (www.facebook.com/betchcraftbrighton) or better yet, in person at the monthly event is usually the best way, you come to the show and we’ll give you a show.”
This is something every promoter will appreciate and shows you supporting the local scene! Which is important for many reasons, I'll go into that later.
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
The Hope & Ruin
What do bands do that really irritate you when getting in touch?
‘’Sending a message every week telling me I should book you actually decreases your chance of me booking you. Just send me your music and I’ll listen to it when I get the chance.’’
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
“Unfortunately this is a club night so strictly 18+ but if any young bands wish to let us know about their band we will support them any way we can, until they reach that age!”
Smashing Blouse
I’ve been to many events (and played at some) hosted by these guys and they’re brilliant nights! If you get booked by Sam and Smashing Blouse, you’re in good hands. They’ve put on some awesome bands who are doing really well at the moment. If you haven’t checked out some of these guys before, get on it: Rag’n’Bone Man, Wolf Alice, Tigercub, Yonaka, INHEAVEN, Demob Happy, Lucy Rose & The Magic Gang. This is just a snippet of the acts that have been booked by Sam. He’s open to being contacted by bands looking to book their first gig, so make the most of this opportunity. Make sure you contact him in the right way, with the information he asks for below!
What genres of bands do you book?
“Rock / Alt / Indie / Punk / Garage Rock / Grunge / Psych”
How best to contact you?
“Getting in touch by email (sam@smashing-blouse.com) is best”
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
The Haunt
Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
The Green Door Store
The Hope & Ruin
The Great Escape Festival
What do bands do that really irritate you when getting in touch?
“Sending blanket emails (copy and paste style emails without any research done into who they’re being sent to) without any songs or links.”
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
“I always need a demo from the band to be able to piece together a cohesive and relevant bill.”
Do the band need to have a following and social media, photos etc established before being considered?
“Yes. Having a social media presence and professional demos is always a plus over and above having managerial or agent representation.”
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
“All our venues are 18+.”
Brighton Noise
Brighton Noise started out as a gig listing guide which I used to check out quite often. Over the years it's now evolved to become a popular promoter around town. It's made up of a collection of musicians, gig goers, writers and photographers who all contribute their time for free. As a result, they put on some great shows and keep interesting things happening in the local scene.
What genres of bands do you book?
"There's no genre we wouldn't book. We'd like to be approached by more electronic acts. Something a little out of the ordinary tends to attract our attention. We also run a weekly session at The Palmeria Pub in Hove that caters for anything that doesn't use live drums.
We generally only book acts from Brighton and the immediate surrounding area."
How best to contact you?
"Email (james@brightonnoise.com) or message the Facebook page."
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
The Palmeira
The Pipeline
The Hope & Ruin
Quadrant
Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
The Green Door Store
The Prince Albert
Marwood Bar & Coffee House
"Generally an afterthought, there's plenty to choose from in Brighton."
What do bands do that really irritates you when getting in touch?
"Approaches that are clearly blanket emails or messages. We're encouraged by acts that know what we do and correctly identify shows that they would be suitable for. It's really nice if they come to one of our shows and introduce themselves."
Do bands need to have a following, social media and photos etc established before being considered?
"Good question. We're always deeply suspicious of acts that talk primarily about Facebook likes or You Tube hits above the music but the opportunity for us to risk booking acts with no following is going to be less. One of the keys is to be honest, the worst thing you can do is suggest you're going to bring people and not."
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
"Absolutely not. However, venues have their own policies so this can reduce our opportunity to put things on we want to put on."
Dirty Noise
Dirty Noise is run by Will and Tim who have managed to put together the kind of the night that is rare to find... BYOB. Yep, bring your own booze PLUS free entry, pretty sweet right? The whole basis of his organisation is to host non-profit, community focused live music nights at Campbell Road Studios. You get a double whammy at these nights because you get to check out one of Brighton's rehearsal rooms at the same time.
What genre of bands do you book?
"We promote anyone who is truly passionate about music. Typically, this ends up as guitar-based rock/indie/punk acts. Though we are welcome to give a gig to anyone who wants to play. The spirit of the night is more about community and people associate the venue with good music and a good time on a monthly basis."
We generally try and line up similar acts per night so the evening flows better. It may be perceived a bit cabaret to have a death-metal band followed by acid jazz, for example. It's about making the audience feel welcome and bands comfortable."
How best to contact you?
"Typically, at the moment we prefer contact via Facebook as that seems to be the easiest. Hopefully, we are aiming to get a website in the near future which would then become the main medium for communication."
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
- Campbell Road Studios
What do bands do that really irritate You when getting in touch?
"I can say this whole-heartedly that we've had a really positive experience with all the bands so far. They have all been enthusiastic and committed to the cause. The only slight negative has been bands contacting us for a gig, us saying "Sure!", and them not getting back in touch, but that has been really rare."
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
Ideally, we'd love a demo or a Soundcloud link, but from being in a band myself I know this can be a bit much to organise! With my band, I've had it where when we have finally got round to recording, the songs we want to record no longer represent us! So, even though the songs are good, it felt like we had transitioned and grown as a band away from them. Some bands have just been totally up-front with us and said "Here is our next gig, come on down", which we are more than happy to do.
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
"Unfortunately, there is an age restriction, but it's to cover ourselves. I remember when I was growing up, some of the best gigs I went to were in my teens, but being as we have only just started out as an organisation we say 18+ to be on the safe side."
Scruff Of The Neck
Scruff Of The Neck are a nationwide UK promoter who regularly book gigs in Brighton. These guys offer a great opportunity to those looking to push their music outside of Brighton. Once you've built up a good level and presence here, they're inclined to book you on shows in: Manchester, Bristol, London, Cardiff, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Glasgow & Edinburgh. Basically, take on board what Harry says below and you've got a good shot at going all over the UK with these guys!
What genres of bands do you book?
"All genres! I've recently booked a night that's hip hop and ska, a couple days after a pretty heavy rock show, borderline metal!
I listen to all genres of music and so I don't discriminate when booking shows."
How best to contact you?
By email (Harry@scruffoftheneck.com) is best.
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
- The Prince Albert
- The Hope & Ruin
- Sticky Mikes Frog Bar
- The Joker
- The Green Door Store
"I don't really tend to work with just one venue in particular as different venues suit different shows, both in terms of capacity and vibes!"
I don't really tend to work with one venue as different venues suit different shows, both in terms of capacity and vibes!
What do bands do that really irritates you when getting in touch?
"Being too brief really bugs me. At Least seem bothered! If you email me with a long term plan and details about the band then I'll be much more impressed. Also, don't be dishonest! Don't email a promoter and claim you can bring 200 people to a show when it's nearer 10, if you're honest then it's easier to book you for the right slot on the right show."
Do bands need to have a following, social media and photos etc established before being considered?
"Not at all. I'll look at a bands social media to get a sense of how active they are but when a band is new they obviously won't have the same following as a band that's been around for years. Some kind of recordings would be awesome, just to know what the band sound like!"
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
"Brighton can be tough for under 18s, there are only a couple of venues that can accommodate and generally, the fee goes up for the promoter and so it's always high risk to put on under 18 shows. Most of the venues I work at are bars or pubs so are strictly 18+ unfortunately."
Small Pond Studios
These guys cover a little bit of everything. Whether it's live events, video sessions, record releases or rehearsal time, they're involved. They're still relatively new to the Brighton music scene but have made a big impact from the start. These guys will keep moving onto bigger and better things so if you manage to strike up a good relationship with them, you're putting yourself in a good position.
WHAT GENRES OF BANDS DO YOU BOOK?
"As an eclectic bunch of musicians and general weirdos we're open to pretty much anything from stoner rock to avant garde electronic. That being said we tend to lean more towards the left of field, so anything that's a bit different than your standard chart music plonk."
HOW BEST TO CONTACT YOU?
"Shoot an email over to our bookings manager Dave at bookings@smallpondrec.co.uk"
WHAT VENUES DO YOU MAINLY BOOK GIGS AT?
I think we've probably hosted gigs at every conceivable space for live music in this city, but you can regularly find us at:
- The Hope & Ruin
- Sticky Mike's
- The Haunt
- Green Door Store
WHAT DO BANDS DO THAT REALLY IRRITATE YOU WHEN GETTING IN TOUCH?
"Hassling us too much on Facebook - your thread will inevitably get lost into the FB ether, so email us instead. Also have a look at our website to get a taste of what we do before asking for a gig."
WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM A BAND/ARTIST TO CONSIDER BOOKING THEM?
"Music, mainly. If we like it we'll consider you for shows. Any recent press coverage is always useful too, along with social media links etc."
DO THE BAND NEED TO HAVE A FOLLOWING AND SOCIAL MEDIA, PHOTOS ETC ESTABLISHED BEFORE BEING CONSIDERED?
"Although not a deal breaker, it always helps if we can see that you have a bit of a following - that way everyone gets to play to a full room! We approach a lot of artists/bands ourselves when booking, so if you see an artist/band that you think your music works well with then hit us up for support slots."
Fem Friday
Fem Friday is run by Cess who specialises in encouraging women, girls and non-binary artists to get on stage. As you may have guessed by now, there’s a great community aspect within Brighton’s music scene with plenty of welcoming promoters. She also said that they happily welcome first-timers.
What genre of bands do you book?
“Any type of music is welcome, although we only use small venues, so smaller/acoustic acts work best for us.”
How best to contact you?
“Email (femfriday@outlook.com) and social media are more convenient than phone as bands can send me links to their music more easily this way. And of course, you can also approach me in person at events!”
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
Artista Cafe & Gallery
Junkyard Dogs
The Marlborough Pub & Theatre
The Dover Castle
What do bands do that really irritate You when getting in touch?
In response to me asking her thoughts to artists/bands dropping links without context as a response to social media posts Cess said:
“this does annoy me as it feels a bit like I'm being spammed.”
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
“A demo (SoundCloud, bandcamp, mp3...) or video is always nice, but if you're new and just getting started, a description of your music and why you would like to play one of our shows will do!”
Do the band need to have a following and social media, photos etc established before being considered?
“Not necessarily. If they do,I'll share and promote their material, but if they don't, I'm happy to book them anyway - we all have to start somewhere. I always try to take some pictures and videos of the events as well so they have something to show.”
Ivy Lane
Ivy Lane do a bit of everything in the Brighton community. It’s run by Mick Robinson who set up Hotel Pelirocco, another great and unique little venue that’s popped up in recent years. It’s fair to say, he’s experienced in running a good live music night. However, that’s the not all he does through Ivy Lane, the company is also responsible for many pop-up bars and restaurants throughout the city.
What genre of bands do you book?
“All types of bands, any genre, but try and keep a balance of new bands and established bands.”
How best to contact you?
“Via social media”
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
Hotel Pelirocco
The Montpelier Inn
The Prince Albert
The Green Door Store
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
“We need either a full demo, a selection of tracks or a live clip of you playing linked to YouTube.”
Do the band need to have a following and social media, photos etc established before being considered?
“Not necessarily, you could be considered as a support act without any of this.”
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
“All our Brighton venues are 18+. But we use one in Worthing which is 14+.”
Mora Promotions
Oliver is your point of contact here. Mora are a good shout for any singer/songwriters or stripped back bands as these styles best suit the vibe/size of the venues Oli books.
Oli has just started doing full band nights at the admiral so rock, pop, indie & folk bands, get in touch!
What genre of bands do you book?
"I mainly promote original music in the form of acoustic acts and stripped back bands but am looking to take on full band nights in the future. These would be original rock, pop, indie and folk bands. I currently have weekly and fortnightly events at various venues but also run one off nights at other venues in and around Brighton."
How best to contact you?
"I prefer to be contacted on social media via the 'Mora Promotions' facebook page but if you do not use facebook, you can contact me via email (oliver_robinson@live.co.uk)."
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
Maggie Maes
The Craft Beer Co.
The Southover
The Admiral
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
"I do ask for all acts to send me some form of footage. It doesn't have to be HQ, just enough to get an idea of whats going on. 30 seconds filmed on a mobile phone is totally fine."
Do the band need to have a following and social media, photos etc established before being considered?
"I'm also relaxed when it comes to online presence. One of the best acts I ever had on had 6 Facebook likes and almost nothing else online and one of the most difficult had a huge online following. Whats important to me is that artists have a friendly and positive attitude and their shows are rehearsed and sound good. Being able to bring a couple of friends along is a bonus but again i don't book acts on how popular i think they are."
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
"There is a +18 age restriction at all of the venues I work with, however if you are 17 and turning 18 soon, I would be happy booking you in for when that time arrives."
They also provide a great opportunity for anyone wanting more experience in the running of an event as they are always on the lookout for volunteers to contribute to their nights.
Mammothfest
Mammothfest is the only Rock/Metal festival in the South East and has been shortlisted in the finals for the Festival Awards for the last 4 years running in the categories: Best Metropolitan Festival & Best Festival For Emerging Artists. They pride themselves on giving up and coming bands the chance to share the stage with some big names in Rock/Metal.
What genres of bands do you book?
"Metal mainly but expanding into different genres, so get in touch!"
How best to contact you?
"Via email - info@mammothfest.uk"
What venues do you mainly book gigs at?
Green Door Store
The Arch
What do you need from a band/artist to consider booking them?
"Send us over your press pack."
Do the band need to have a following and social media, photos etc established before being considered?
"No, we help all bands whether they have this or not."
Is there an age restriction with you or the venues you book?
"Mainly 18 plus."
You’ve Got The Details, Get In Touch
OK ,so you've got a list of venues and know which promoters will give you a shot, what genre of bands they book and how they each like to be approached. Pretty good so far right? Cheers guys, you're too kind! But now what?
Sending An Introductory Email
As you’ve already read, not all promoters need you to have a demo or even a social media presence! Pretty reassuring if you’re well rehearsed but have nothing recorded right? Now it’s important to give a good first impression. No matter what level you’re at, being professional is important. I’m guessing you take what you do seriously and are proud of it, right? So are all these promoters/venue contacts. So naturally, give them all the relevant info in a concise, friendly manner, starting with the most important info and you’ll be in their good books from day one. This also applies to contacting promoters through social media (when that's their preferred method).
Subject Header
Go with something clear and to-the-point, along the lines of:
Booking Enquiry - Brighton (Genre) Band (Band Name) Looking For A Support Slot.
By putting something like ‘Booking Enquiry -’ at the start shows whoever you’re emailing the purpose of your email. It looks professional and also makes it easy for them to notice you within their (probably stuffed) inbox. Next, mention that you are local, what your style is and that you want a support slot. Many promoters are looking for local bands, of a certain genre, to add to the bill of a certain night. So give them the info they need straight away!
Even if they don't have time to read it right away, they'll be able to stick it a relevant folder to open when they do have time. Using this approach makes it more likely your email will be read and not missed or ignored.
The Email Body
This is your chance to tell them more about you, what you know about them (very important!), what you have to offer and why you want the gig! It’s kind of like a CV and cover letter, your CV is the subject header, convince them to open that and your cover letter is the body of your email.
Address the relevant person you are contacting and introduce yourself. If it’s a promoter you are contacting and you went along to one of their gigs to introduce yourself (highly recommended), then remind them who you are and when you met. Everyone will appreciate you doing that. Don’t be shy, we have a welcoming music scene!
After doing the above, tell the promoter what upcoming headline acts you’d like to support (that they’ve booked!) in the coming weeks/months. If you’re a fan, say so! I know mates of mine whose bands have played with their heroes purely because they told the promoter how much it would mean to them! Be genuine, it’s cool. Don’t be ‘cool’, it’s not cool.
Or, if you’re looking to get on a themed night, mention which ones. With either of these options, tell them why you’d fit on the bill. Doing your research, instead of poking aimlessly in the dark, could well be what gets you the gig.
Once you’ve done that, add your band/artist bio. Struggling to write one? Ask a mate to do it for you. It can be hard to big yourself up or describe your band so having someone from the outside do it, is sometimes a good help.
DO NOT promise them a sold out show! Most of these guys have done a hell of a lot of gigs and will see straight through that. What you can do, is promise to promote the gig on your end, invite people to the event pages and give a realistic number of how many people you can pull to the show. Even if that’s 10-15 people, it’s more than a lot of bands do.
After all that, say thanks for their time. Tell them you’ll say ‘Hi’ at the next gig (if you’re planning to go it) and sign off. That’s all there is to it really.
What Else Can I Do?
Go To Some Gigs
What bands do you know of in Brighton that you like? Don’t know many? You’re crazy. Get your face into a sweaty venue, check out the local talent and chat to the bands themselves. Congratulate them on their set but whatever you do, don’t say it was ‘tight’. Saying “Ah mate, you guys were well tight!” is like saying, “Well done on your performance my good (whatever gender), I wasn’t really listening to be honest but when I came in halfway through your last song, you sounded roughly in time with each other.”
Anyway… chat to the bands, take a business card (yeah get business cards, why not) and say you’d love to support them sometime. Go home, check them out online, give them a like / follow / whatever and drop them a message. Say something like “it was great to meet you, if you do get the chance to check out my band, that would be really appreciated! Hopefully catch your set again soon.” etc.
If you don’t know what gigs are going on, use the ‘events’ section of Facebook, so useful! I’ll go more into stuff like that in another post.
Get On The Facebook Groups
If you’re not already, get on Brighton Bands & Musicians Facebook group. Promoters, venues and other bands are ALWAYS posting to these asking for bands to support or put on nights. If you’re well rehearsed and keen, you might get a last minute booking thanks to a band dropping out. I once came out the shower to a phone call from a band mate saying “fancy being on stage in half an hour?” Naturally, I said “hell yeah”, grabbed my breakables and went to venue. Fully clothed that is. I got dressed first.
Put On Your Own Damn Show!
Let’s say you haven’t had many rehearsals yet and you’re not overly confident in playing a gig. Maybe you get stage fright and don’t want to be thrown into a situation like that. Well then, put on a gig yourself! Many of the venues I’ve mentioned before will let you put on something like a Tuesday night free show, two months down the line. This gives you plenty of time to prep, ask a couple mates bands (or bands you like) to play with you and create an environment you are comfortable with. If you have 3 bands on the bill and each of you bring 20 people (and stick around for each others sets, even if all of your fans don’t) then you’ve possibly got like 60 people checking you out, not bad!
Hopefully you find this a useful guide to booking your first gig in Brighton. I hope it's useful to anyone looking to play a gig in Brighton to be honest! This turned into more of an essay than I initially intended butttt it seems to do the job. Plus, I'll be adding to it regularly with many more venues and promoters I'm in touch with. Gutted.
Have a good gig x
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