Reflections on a pretty hellish week

It's been a chunky week for sure.

Life at the Towers has been rather challenging of late, our inability to catch a reasonable sleep has made much of the working week more difficult than normal, stress levels have been high, patience very low. Probably not the best time to run 3 double headline shows at a new venue.

That said, we were never meant to be running three shows, we were simply meant to be providing the acts for a series of shows promoted and managed elsewhere, when that programme fell through, we could have pulled the plug and made life easier for ourselves but that's not our style. So we moved from No Hire Cost and a level of guaranteed income to around £1000 of Hire Costs, £300 Backline Costs and a couple of thousand pounds worth of artist payments. Not the most comfortable position to find yourselves in.

We explained much of this in last weeks email when we cajoled many of you into coming. As it happens nearly 400 of you turned up in the end and by all accounts had a marvellous time. Thanks to everyone who played and special thanks to Billy Reeves for coming all the way from Staines and to James King and His Lonewolves for stepping in and killing it on Friday.

I think the venue - which needs a little work - could prove to be a really good addition to the local scene. We are very keen to explore a long term relationship. You have to love a ground floor load in!

A few things occurred to me, though, in the run up.

I've mentioned this before, I'm sure. What is the obsession with telling people stage times. We have always been dead against it. Why? Because we are going to the trouble of paying a support artist or, in this case, joint headliners. So from our perspective, tell folks when it begins and when it ends. They really do not need to know what time they can turn up and barge past folks who were actually wanting to see the opening act. I understand an opening artist wanting their fans to know when they might play but there really is no need to publish headline stage times, it simply encourages folks to be disrespectful. Tell folks when the doors open and when they close and let them work out the rest, they are adults - it shouldn't be tricky :)

Secondly - why are folks so scared to ask people to buy tickets? It's not just artists, we have the problem in LNFG also. I'll send a staff email telling someone to push concert tickets and they will respond with a 20 minute redesign of an existing advert. When what I meant was- "email Kenny or email Brian and tell them to buy a fecking ticket"

I end up fielding ridiculous discussions about obstacles rather than actually seeking solutions.

"Oh I think we would sell more Brontes tickets if the venue info was more bold and the poster had a different font!"

"Do you now? - I think we would sell more Brontes tickets if we asked more people to buy Brontes tickets"

"let me spend three weeks making sure the depth pespective of the poster photograph perfectly resonates with my artistic vision"

"How about you spend three weeks emailing everyone you know saying that they need to come to your show or the promoters won't put you on again"

The let's find something to distract us rather than let's find a solution way of life. Nothing is more infuriating than time wasted on such stuff.

I use this analogy a lot when describing this pretence. I was always great - as a kid - at designing beautiful study rotas, I could spend all my bloody study time drawing charts, did I ever lift a book and study for an exam, once - nope!

You can draw as many nice posters, make as many fabulous gifs as you like but nothing is more effective than saying "Hey Jane - you said you were coming, have you bought that ticket yet?"

Be honest about the numbers, why sugar coat the harsh reality of gigging these days.

I know of one artist famed for the bullshit success story. Tickets were selling "so fast" for a headline in Leeds that noone bothered buying any and they played to 3 people!

Anyway I'm sure you'd rather hear about some new releases so lets do just that.

Montjuic - Still Looking For Angels - LP / CD / Box Set

Valerie and the Week of Wonders - Rhythm of Lies - LP / CD / DL

Davey Woodward - The Bristolian (Pre-Order)

In late summer 2027 we will bring you the brand new album from Montjuic. Why are we telling you this now? Well because we have an extra special variant available - a mere 25 of them and you might want to know.

In 4 weeks time Valerie and The Week Of Wonders will play a small stripped back set and sign copies of their album at a Big Blue instore. Signed Pre-Orders will ship after this event and you can secure yourself your own signed copy by ordering before then. Full details will land in the next newsletter.

We took delivery of Davey Woodward's marvellous new album The Bristolian this week. If you are quick you can snare yourself a signed copy of this also. A mere 4 or 5 remain.

2027 LNFG Membership Pricing will take effect from September, so if you want to snare renewal at 2026 prices, best jump in the next few days. You can also still secure 4 installments but this facility will disappear at month end. Simply hit the early bird button below. Only 11 Unobtanium Slots remain for 2027

EARLY BIRD

Gold 15 Membership 2027

175

Gold 6 Membership 2027

Unobtanium CD Membership 27

165

Unobtanium Membership 2027

325

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