I Will Do My Worst #5
Having trouble finding bands to play your upcoming show this summer? Here are some tips (yes, I used to book shows):
1. Book outside your bubble
You gotta broaden your search for openers outside of the shortlist of bands your friends are in. Try booking a band from an adjacent scene or friend group, even if they aren't your cup of tea. Just because you don't know them doesn't mean they don't have a following of friends. People get sick of seeing essentially the same 2-3 locals on every show you book, it can actually be a liability for a show even if on paper it's a "solid lineup". And squash stupid beefs preventing you from booking certain bands. Just stay away from the streaming-corporate-wannabes.
2. Book outside the genre
Every show does not need to be 5 bands playing d-beat/crust or grindcore/powerviolence. Get creative. If you look back at legendary show fliers, they were all mixed bills. GREEN DAY playing with NEUROSIS and shit. When I booked shows more often I would usually ask a solo noise act to open the show, or even a zinester or local writer to do a reading. It works super well and it challenges people's expectations about what happens at a show. Plus it's only one person with minimal gear requirements to deal with.
3. Check your punk calendar for inspiration
In Montreal we have a local show calendar: https://montreal.askapunk.net. You can scroll back through past shows to get inspiration for local bands you may have forgotten. A good strategy is to look for someone who hasn't played in awhile (or get ideas for bands outside your bubble, as per #1). This is one of the many advantages of having a local calendar like this that doubles as an archive.
4. Book new bands who suck
Greg aka Not Dead Yet in Toronto used to have this policy where for every show he'd book, he'd get a new band of younger kids to open. Even if they sucked. Even if they had no gear and had to borrow everything. Especially if it was their first show. It can be extra work on your part to help a new/young kids band get to a show on time, borrow gear, etc. But people are always excited to see new blood and it helps new/young bands get better. They play a show opening for a world-class DIY punk touring band and get inspired. You're not just filling out your lineup, but you are investing in the process to create the good local openers of the future.
5. Three bands is enough
The optimal punk show is three bands. A big part of the TBA problem is half the shows this month have 5-6 bands, and so the locals are all booked up and can't play other shows. Everyone thinks they need 5 bands at a regular show to get a decent turnout. Newsflash: you don't. There is false a delusion that each band on a lineup has it's own completely separate draw and they will all add up to a sold out room (this is especially false when all the locals are from the same friend group/scene).
In fact, a tight 3 band lineup can often have a better turnout. I've been to way more 5+ band shows with a terrible turnout (when you account for how many of the people there were in bands) compared to poorly attended 3 band shows.
Why? Many people look at a 5+ band show and have an internal debate about whether or not they want to spend another summer night stuck in/around a stinky hot venue for 4+ hours trying to catch the one band they care about. I often look at a 6 band lineup and I see 3 bands I want to see and 3 bands I don't want to see. By comparison at a 3 band show there is going to be at most only 2 bands I don't want to see. Adding bands can actually dilute a good lineup and discourage people from coming!
It also makes the show more expensive (or feel like it should be more expensive, when it's PWYC/NOTAFLOF), which can negatively affect the turnout (so you raise less money at the door anyways) and there is less money give to touring bands because you have more locals to pay.
Fests can be a special elevated punk experience for sure, but we already have too many fests here in Montreal, so stop trying to make every single show a fest!!