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 fir...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 18
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 ...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 17
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 m...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 16
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.
May 02, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 15
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.
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The ArcTanGent stage times are out and everyone has been colour coding their digital day plans and having a social media rant about the decisions they've been forced to make. But what does the man responsible for the clashes, which can make or break your weekend, have to say for himself? How did Clown Core and Author & Punisher find themselves pitted against each other? Is Torpor at 11am on the final day really a bright idea? And do fans really want to see both Amenra and Tokky Horror? James...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Green Lung, Creeper, Brutus, Malevolence, Zeal & Ardor, Bob Vylan, Dinosaur Pile Up, Bleed From Within, Boston Manor... all names we hope to see headline our festivals in the future. But what does it take to get there and why does the path to the top of the bill seem so clear at 2000trees, yet so complicated at ATG and Damnation? Gav and James also have a bash at booking a stage for the other's festival, from the sublime (We Lost The Sea and Tomb Mould) to the ridiculous (Moon Tooth?) . And ...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 12
21 UK festivals have been cancelled or postponed so far this year with up to 100 at risk without Government support, according to the The Association of Independent Festivals. It's grim reading, so how are ArcTanGent, Damnation and 2000trees coping in this brutal landscape and what can be done to help the situation? Gav and James have a plan and it involves you! We go again, every Thursday morning.
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Bob Vylan to Din of Celestial Birds, Idles to Amenra... have our festivals helped "break" bands to a larger audience in their scenes and if so, is that important to us or a byproduct of the job? Gav and James get in about it. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Apr 04, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 10
After a month or so of agent bashing, it was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to put us back in our place. And that someone is the brilliant Mr Tom Taaffe, the man behind the bookings of the likes of Every Time I Die, Pallbearer, Spanish Love Songs, Deafheaven, While She Sleeps, Beartooth and Elder at our festivals. What's his take on the ballache of billing and A-Z line-up posters, the rising fees for bands and promoters asking US arena-level bands to play club shows in England? ...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The mailbox is full and the questions keep coming in, so here's an episode dedicated to all your curiosities. Do festival promoters talk to each other about band fees? Have we ever got into a bidding war over a band we wanted? What other festival would we like to book? What are the marketing challenges in 2024? We answer them all, and plenty more, in the usual candid fashion. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Mar 28, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Ten years of increased offers, multiple snubs, endless fan demands and with almost all hope lost... Mogwai finally agreed to play the final night of the 10th anniversary of ATG. It had to be part of the masterplan, right? Or a chance phone call, "going big" with an offer over text and the dilemma of having no headline slots left. Turns out landing the dream band is never straight forward, as Bolt Thrower playing Damnation had its own unique quirks too. Gav and James get in about it all. We go ag...
Mar 21, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Booking bands is the Wild West of music promotion, where cash, gamesmanship, ego and relationships clash in the process of sealing a deal. But it isn't as simple a just working out a fee. There's hotels, flights, catering, drum kits, video walls, billing and exclusivity to haggle over... and don't forget that nudity clause! Then, even if that's all agreed, it might not stay that way because half the contract doesn't make sense, or the agent might just "forget". Understand, no? Neither do we... W...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 6
2,000 Trees, Damnation and ArcTanGent have carved themselves out solid reputations on the UK festival scene but not without almost two decades of graft, good fortune and the odd costly mistake, or twenty, along the way. Thankfully we fell into those traps so you don't have to. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Mar 09, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The right headliner can make or break your year, whether the rest of the line-up is excellent or not. But it's not as easy as just throwing heaps of cash at your favourite band to land the booking you need. With more events to choose from, competitive festival exclusive deals, fees going through the roof and bands booking further and further in advance, it can be a nervous time trying to get the right cherry on top. James and Gav get into it... We go again, every Thursday morning....
Mar 07, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In a short space of time, Slayer transformed themselves from dependable festival fodder, who filled academies on tour to an arena outfit who have returned to share top billing alongside the likes of Slipknot and Motley Crue with one simple trick: the fake farewell. Should fans be delighted with the return, or question why they were duped in the first place? Will other bands and their management follow the same strategy? And where are promoters left in the mix of booking the panto? We go again, e...
Feb 29, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Who goes one line up on the poster? Whose logo needs to be bigger? Who goes left or right when two bands are virtually identical in stature? And who decides? The art of billing the line-up poster is a messy and confusing one, which often leads to heated rows, fall outs and promoters being left with tough calls to make. But do fans even notice or care? James and Gav share their pain and misery on 2 Promoters, 1 Pod. We go again, every Thursday morning....
Feb 29, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Dillinger are back and everyone is buzzing, so why aren't they playing any of the UK festivals? Is Calculating Infinity worth the gamble? Is there anything to learn from the At The Drive In, Refused or Botch reunions? Will we see Dimitri and co. play London in 2024 instead? Damnation and ArcTanGent organisers, Gav and James, share their thoughts on the first episode of 2 Promoters, 1 Pod. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Feb 29, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 1
After three decades on the road, grindcore Godfather Shane Embury has committed his tour tales to paper with the release of Life...? And Napalm Death. Shane joins Damnation Vs to discuss the decision to publish the novel and where to draw the line with what's for the masses and what stays on tour. Playing arenas to Volbeat fans, why he needs to see the faces of the crowd when he's playing and rediscovering Cult of Luna. #napalmdeath #damnation #damnationvs We go again, every Thursday morning....
Oct 21, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 36
It looked like it could all be over for Anaal Nathrakh but Dr Dave Hunt has some "unfinished business" to attend to, which will include a one-off headline performance at this year's Damnation Festival. How did it feel to release Endarkenment in the middle of a pandemic and have no stages to take it to? What was the process of rebuilding a live band with no Mick Kenney? Will we ever see Nathrakh live again after 2023? And is there any hope of more records in the future? Dr Hunt tackles it all, in...
Aug 01, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Packing out their debut year only to crash into a global pandemic, moving to Manchester then being chucked out their new arena shortly afterwards and landing Sleep Token before they became the band who'd sell out Wembley Arena in 10 minutes... The first few years of Radar have been a rollercoaster and as they head into this year's festival, co-organiser/director Ash Cook joins Damnation Vs to share the highs and lows. We go again, every Thursday morning....
Jul 18, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Bloodstock booking boss, Vicky Hungerford, returns to the Damnation Vs podcast with all guns blazing - plans for this summer's festival no matter what restrictions the government throws at them, her feelings on an "all British" event, the highs and lows of appeasing some of metal's most demanding headliners and what do you do when oral sex is on the rider? #damnationvs #bloodstock For further info on Damnation Vs, or Damnation Festival visit: damnationversus.buzzsprout.com damnationfestival.co.u...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 47 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Man of many roles, Sam Loynes, joins Damnation Vs to discuss THAT Goat of Mendes set, becoming Akercocke's unofficial "fixer" and the band's plans for the year ahead. Also, his long and rich relationship with Damnation and quest for more gin, limes and ice, Voices' latest record 'Breaking The Trauma Bond', if we'll ever see The Antichrist Imperium live again and the future of his most "fun" project, Shrines. Pure satan worship, at its most enjoyable. #damnationvs #akercocke For further info on D...
Jan 05, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 31
From playing on broken stools in The Red Lion pub in Stevenage before the pandemic to being offered Bloodstock, ArcTanGent and Damnation post-lockdown, Pupil Slicer have caused a stir in isolation with the release of their debut album, Mirrors. Singer, guitarist and "band Führer" Katie Davies joins Damnation Vs to talk about the insane reaction to the record, future tour plans and that one time they played "internationally"... in Cardiff. #damnationvs #pupilslicer For further info on Damnation V...
Jan 05, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 23
Few bands had a 2021 like Conjurer; levelling the main stages of both Download and Bloodstock before returning to their natural habitat of a packed indoor show at Damnation and leaving no one in any doubt that they are one of the finest metal acts the UK has to offer. Guitarist Brady Deeprose joins Damnation Vs for a mammoth two-hour stint to pick through the bones of those sets, his feelings on open air performances to 10,000 fans compared to packed "sweatboxes" and the possibility of being the...
Dec 01, 2021•2 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Routing a tour can be a dog-eat-dog world, riddled with "avails", "holds", "first pencils" and "challenges"... and that's just in "market one". Venue boss, promoter and booking agent Ian Shaw is a man with his fingers in all the pies and he cuts through the jargon to explain how best to his bands from Brighton to Aberdeen without a ten-hour jaunt. We also discuss the problems facing venues currently booked for tours that are unlikely to happen this winter, promoters who won't pay up and making D...
Jun 09, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Will Pig Destroyer make it to the UK this winter to headline a sold-out Damnation and if so, where else are they planning to play on a rare overseas venture? Blake Harrison, the band's electronics maestro, tour manager, manager and social media voice joins Damnation Vs to lay out the 2021 plans for the US grindcore kings. He also takes a trip down memory lane to revisit the band's first taste of Britain - and haggis - on tour in 2004, their previous Damnation show in 2012 and the Temples double-...
May 26, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 22
ArcTanGent 2021 is cancelled. Organiser James Scarlett explains why the decision was made, the fears about hosting events without government-backed insurance, the response from bands across the world and where the festival goes next. Plans for an indoor event to mark the loss of 2,000 Trees and ATG this year, refreshing the line-ups for 2022 and the depth of talent emerging from the UK. We get in about it all. We go again, every Thursday morning....
May 21, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Andy Farrow, manager of Opeth, Devin Townsend, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Bloodbath, Anathema and The Wildhearts, unpacks three decades of experience in an episode that digs deeeeeep into the business. The importance of bands getting their master tapes back, licensing deals, filling in those PRS sheets, 'syncs' with gaming companies and, finally, an explanation of what 'publishing' actually means. Pulling festival favours from Devin, setting up a merch company with Opeth, Zoom calls about Anathem...
Feb 10, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Tom Taaffe - the hero responsible for Nails at Damnation - is this week's guest to discuss being a booking agent for the likes of Sleep, Exodus, Pallbearer, Higher Power, Every Time I Die, Loathe, Vein and... Vance Joy. He discusses the imminent decisions facing the major summer festivals which could cost them "millions of pounds" if they don't call it right, the shock of being dropped by bands who "fancy a change" and the love/hate tussle between promoters and agents. And why getting the most m...
Jan 20, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 16
