James, his fellow Trees organisers, trusted crew and a small army of 40 volunteers have descended on Upcote Farm in preparation for scores of bands and 15,000 music lovers who will follow suit in two weeks' time. But what exactly goes into prepping a massive outdoor festival? From who puts in the Sainsbury's order to feed and water the entire team on day one, to who clears the sticks from the forest, to counting power points and checking batteries in the power tools, James breaks down EVERY job ...
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 78
There's more poor musicians out there than rich ones and depressingly, even being a founding member of the incredible Rolo Tomassi isn't going to pay the bills. James Spence explains how he clawed his way out of the hospitality trade to make a career in the music business work, between booking bands, repping shows and touring. He also spills the beans on plans for Rolo's special 20th anniversary set at this year's ATG. But before all that we have Outbreak to discuss, Damnation's latest announcem...
Jun 19, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 77
The gloves are off as OAPs Gav and James take on International Men of Talent, Sugar Horse, over their problematic clash at ATG. Shots have been fired, jokes have been missed and insults hurled... now it's time for our Super Subs to settle it. First though, is the new Turnstile album the worst thing ever uploaded to Spotify? Should we ditch Ghost for Creeper? And are Dimscûa the greatest thing to happen to UK metal this year? Maybe, yes and yes... We go again, every Thursday morning....
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr 48 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Burzum, beans and budgeting... we're all over the gaff this week as Gav returns from Fortress Festival in Scarborough a shell of a man and James comes to terms with some difficult decisions with the ATG site plan as well as explaining some clashes. And is it the pit security's job to save fans from a hospital trip or do you crowdsurf at your own risk? P.S. There's also Kneecap. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 75
The drinks are flowing as the mailbag is plundered for a good ol’ fashioned Q&A. Gav and James tackle secret sets, the latest Metallica tour, favourite festival memories, worst Machine Head records and of course, meal deals. Cheers. We go again, every Thursday morning.
May 29, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Corrosion of Conformity and Napalm Death are FINALLY announce to top the festival bills... but it wasn't plain sailing. In fact, it was a series of sleepless nights aboard SS Nightmare which left Gav and James wondering whether "headliners" for events likes Damnation and ArcTanGent are really worth the effort at all? There's also James being accosted at the school gates about his views on Kneecap, a Dragged Into Sunlight boxset and two headline offers from Eyesore Me...
May 22, 2025•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Irish punk Meryl Streek has bagged a unique hattrick of bookings at Trees, ATG and Damnation this year. But for one-man live revolt, who refuses to play the music industry game, how has he found himself being embraced by the those on its fringes, from the promoters and press to politically driven young students and crusty old grindcore fans? He discusses picking up the mic after 15 years behind the drumkit, winning over "Mr John Lydon" while touring with PiL and pissing people off in as candid f...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 72
The settlements have been paid, the bank statements have been printed off and the spreadsheets collated. Exactly how much were Gav and James paid on their debut tour and how much of it did they spend, and on what exactly? The importance of merch sales, thinking outside the box to drum up extra income and keeping James as far away from hipster coffee shops as possible. £226 on taxis for three drunks and £20 so Gav can have a nap in Birmingham is just the tip of the spending spree. We go again, ev...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 1Ep. 71
It was supposed to a fun afternoon arguing over the 2,000trees clashfinder but Sharon Osbourne, Scotland’s First Minister and the pesky bloody Tories had other ideas…. so the spotlight is back on the Kneecap lads. But what about the promoters, like James, who have red hot Irish trio on their poster? Well, there’s death threats for a start. We go again, every Thursday morning.
May 01, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 70
Gav and James dive back into the virtual mailbag to tackle the most pressing issues of the day. Is Ghost's mobile phone ban a step too far? Have Kneecap become too hot to handle following their controversial Coachella sets? And how much money did we lose on the first years of our festivals? Throw in a some Watain and smelly animal carcasses, checking if bands are racist on ChatGPT and Elton John and you have yourself a belter of a Q&A. Let's go... We go again, every Thursday morning....
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 42 min•Season 1Ep. 69
There's few things in the live music business quite like the circus of a band's contractual agreement with a festival. From sloppy copy and paste jobs to being told to sign off technical specs you haven't received and a shopping list of reasons why a band can cancel to a litany of clauses to say why a promoter can't, it's all a bit of a clown show which would be laughed at in any court of law. But as the promoter do you play the game like everyone else to appease the big agencies or is simply hi...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 68
After a couple of weekends on tour, social media threw a wobbler to welcome Gav and James back with a bump as well as Brand New, Dragged Into Sunlight and poor old Clutch under the bus. We wade through the murky waters of cancel culture, questionable decision making and an unwillingness to be straight with ticket buyers before lightening the mood with some Burzum banter. Laughs galore. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Gav and James hit the road for their first ever tour. From mad for it Manchester to Village Wembley, gifts to guests and hot sauces to hecklers… here’s how it panned out. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 66
The first leg of the debut tour is over but there’s no time to unwind as Malevolence drop a bomb on Damnation and there’s ArcTanGent bands to announce. Oh, and it’s Glasgow tomorrow… We go again, every Thursday morning.
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 65
We’re in Bristol for the opening night of the first 2 Promoters, 1 Tour but don’t fret, we’re here for you, every Thursday, come rain, shine or super stardom. James’ favourite music documentaries, top albums of 2025 so far and Gav’s difficulties with post rock fans. Synthwave, Slamdunk clashes and stupid band fees… We go again, every Thursday morning.
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 1Ep. 64
One last rummage through the big bag of questions before Gav and James hit the road for their first tour. Do support bands get a taste of the 80/20 Vs deal cash? Our thoughts on the return of Ghostfest. Will Damnation remain a two-day event following this year's ticket sales? And what bands have we missed out on down the years we kick ourselves about? Also on our minds; the return of Slayer, Tool taking the piss and the aftermath of Stinky Pete. We go again, every Thursday morning....
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 63
*TRIGGER WARNING* Do NOT consume with food. The infamous "Stinky Pete", who provides toilets for 2000trees and and ArcTanGent, joins the pod - by demand - and does not hold back on the details of what it takes to be the top loo man in town. You may never look at a plastic festival bog the same way again. And shout out to the heroes at Outbreak. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 62
Happy birthday to us. Cheers to every last one of you for the support. Now let's get stuck into what you want to know about, from Bloodstock's winter bash to the worst thing about rock and metal fans. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 52 min•Season 1Ep. 61
It's exactly one month until Gav and James hit the road for their maiden live tour which puts them in the unfamiliar shoes of the artist for the first time. But what exactly goes into planning a tour? Why is a tour manager important? Who is doing the driving and in what? How do you know how much merch to order? And please explain that 80/20 Vs deal again... In usual 2 Promoters, 1 Pod fashion, it's all laid bare, including how much promoters are paying for the pleasure of our company. We go agai...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 60
The greatest metal line-up of all time is heading to Birmingham as the world says its final, final, final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne as a live performer. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastodon and the drummer from Sleep Token are all on the poster but what exactly is going on? Is it a day of Sabbath classics? Are the bands playing 25 minute sets? And why did no one invite the Iron Maiden boys to the all-star gathering of guitar heroes? And is £412 for a "golden circle" pass...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 59
There are few things as important as your breakfast, lunch and dinner to soak up the beer and cider during your stay on a festival site for the weekend. But how do those delightful vendors get through a boggy farm in their ill-equipped cars, vans and trucks? How much do they pay? Who decides what they can and can't sell and why are the meals so bloody expensive? Luckily James is a man with more answers than listeners might expect from a simple "band booker" to address the issues at hand. But bef...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 58
You're not confused, it is Tuesday. But the ArcTanGent line up reveal waits for no man, woman or child so we go again, for a rare bonus pod, before the news breaks for the rest of the world. The exclusive ATG special announcement has two headliners, including a Wednesday "debut" so big, the festival's rulebook had to be scrapped to accommodate the booking. James shares the poster, Gav reacts. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Feb 04, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Today was the day we were all promised the big ATG reveal but James' "wild week of booking" quickly descended into a fortnight of madness and as the big man says himself "we work to the bands' schedule, they don't work to ours". So instead Gav and James tear through a bumper Q&A tackling venue upgrades, the challenges of booking band "packages, submissions from new acts, keeping announcements under wraps and if we feel bigger bands should reduce their fees to help festivals survive. We go ag...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 1Ep. 56
The role of a booking agent can be tricky and demanding at the best of times but when your latest 'client' is a podcast featuring two promoters who routinely bash you and your colleagues, it's a whole different ball game. So why did Mr Haydn Britland, the man who secure deals and routes tours for the likes of Cult of Luna, Enslaved, Leprous, The Ocean and Envy, fancy a crack at 2 Promoters, 1 Pod? What were the challenges of booking the first tour in venues you wouldn't find a metal band? Was it...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 38 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Booking headliners has become a real issue for festivals of all sizes but is tying up bands TWO years in advance the answer or a very dangerous gamble? Gav and James respond to the latest drama to hit promoters and how it impacts their festivals. There’s also a cheesy fest line-up which James is a tad too comfortable putting together and why wasn’t Gav more upset that Bleeding Through didn’t play all of This Is Love, This Is Murderous? Oh, and how about a power metal festival for the UK? Let’s t...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 54
It’s a new year but there’s no time for hugs and handshakes. Let’s get back to business. Why don’t Gav and James throw bands who are having a tough time on tour a few extra quid? Is Spotify really the devil of the music industry? And how the hell did Karnivool end up on Brutal Assault if they were booked as a Euro exclusive for ATG? After those pleasantries are exchanged there’s the small matter of tackling 2025; the live tour, Trees, ATG and Damnation’s 20th birthday bash. James also gets excit...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 53
We made it! The milestone pod, Episode 52. But is this the end for 2 Promoters, 1 Pod or just the beginning? Gav and James pop the bubbly, beers and ciders and get merry to mark the occasion. Merry Christmas. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Exactly what it says on the tin. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 51
It's back to the bottomless mailbag to tackle another batch of your probing questions. How much of a band do we listen to before deciding to book them? When will Damnation day ticket be on sale? Will the live shows be recorded? And what's the difference between headlining, co-headlining and are the costs the same or is it all just in the name? Gav and James get stuck in. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 50
A staggering 72 UK festivals have cancelled, postponed or called time so far in 2024 - double the number from 2023, and more than 200 have gone since 2019. Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) CEO, John Rostron, joins the pod to discuss the bleak landscape and what can be done to stop more events following suit. But before the misery hammer drops, Gav and James celebrate the latest Damnation band announcement, discuss the collapse of Sick New World and kick around the idea of an Only Fans ...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 46 min•Season 1Ep. 49
