I have two stories both relating to two different Battle of the Bands experiences which offered a chance for us to play a major festival last year.
The first was a show in London. I had been recommended getting on the line up by a good friend in another band so we could play on the same night and essentially do a fun gig with friends, whilst hopefully picking up a few more fans.
The BOTB rounds were meant to be specific to each genre. Being as we were two of the few bands still doing our genre on the underground circuit and we had even asked to share a bill we thought that wouldn’t be too hard to achieve…
It was when we were then asked to attend a meeting with all the other competitors in London before hand that we started to smell something was shit. When we asked who had won previous competitions and what they achieved the promoters seemed to dodge the question, but by this point we were already committed and had paid the £50.00 to enter, which I was told we'd get back.
We got ourselves onto one of the nights with a whopping 20 minute set. I was slightly greener back then, so despite my instinct telling me to say no, I thought there was the off chance it could end up being a fun night...
WRONG.
We didn’t get put on the same bill with our mate's band, or any other heavy bands for that matter. We ended up sharing the stage with some of the most bizarre shit I have ever witnessed.
Upon arrival the organiser was desperate for the tickets we hadn’t sold, and because we hadn’t sold any we consequently didn’t get our money back.
We played to a crowd consisting of fairly nasty and egotistical London-creative types along with a few of their associates/arseholes. We were booed and heckled between songs and to top that off the amplifiers we were provided with sounded like utter shit.
Despite what this competition claimed, no industry insiders turned up, and the end result was us getting the lowest rating in the history of this sham competition.
The bottom line was the whole thing was a scam and an utter shambles. Lesson learned; bands should do their best to avoid playing any gigs which require them to sell tickets or flat out pay for the right to be on the bill.
A few months later there was a prominent Battle of the Bands final taking place in Colchester with the chance to win a slot on a major festival. Now we didn’t take part in the competition, but it turned out a second stage with guest bands was also being organised for the night and we were offered a slot, be it from the man with one of the worse reputations on the circuit.
By this stage I was wise to some of his exploits, and within minutes of us agreeing to do the gig we were asked to supply the backline.
The gig was two days away and the man hadn’t even organised a backline...
I refused to supply it and asked him as to why he hadn’t organised one already. He said his drum kit was in storage and it was the least we could do.
However, he soon stopped asking me about the drum kit and decided to make me the offer of a lifetime; if I was to buy all of the remaining tickets we could be a “wildcard” entry in the final, subsequently win the competition and get to play the major festival in question.
This man was essentially asking me to screw bands we knew personally out of their hard earned place at said festival after they had dragged their fans to his shows for his financial benefit.
He actually thought I would go for that? No. I told him straight up what a piece of shit he was for even suggesting it.
He consequently threw us off the "guest" slot and ensured we would be ruined as a band as he was "well connected."
Promptly after the incident, like the brave man that he is, he took to Facebook to defame me. In rebuttal I decided to rightly expose said promoter for what he is - after all everyone already knew his reputation but this act was particularly low.
What happened next? Did the festival organisers step on the man who was damaging their reputation whilst profiting from their name?
NOPE.
I then got a strange message from one of the festival 'big dogs' saying we were effectively blacklisted from the festival FORVER.
As for the big night of the final itself, the promoter actually bothered to go out of his way and get the crowd to insult us on the microphone, proclaiming we were finished. And all because I wouldn’t buy my way onto the festival and make him money.
Well, the bad news for him is we are far from finished.
I have since been told that this promoter has lost tens of thousands of pounds with his exploits and has since given up promoting altogether. Ironically the scene in Essex has improved dramatically since his departure from it. Oh and he’s never had the courage to see us in person to slag us off despite all of his threats online and at his BOTB final.
So sometimes it’s worth being the good guy. Sure I pissed some people off but I did the right thing.
Always expose these parasites for what they are because they will never deliver to you what they promise.
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