Venues, venom and vendettas

PUNTERS AND PROMOTORES

I have "Put on a Soul do" so I suppose I have been a promoter.

The question I want to ask is "What problems and experiences have you had as a promoter"?

I matters not if you have been instrumental in your local pub playing Northernsoul or if you have been involved with a mega event such as a weekender or a Allnighter.

Have you been let down by venue managers, pub owners, local authorities, punters, DJ's or even plagues of locusts?

What are your experiences?

(Can we please avoid the temptation to slate any one, thank you)

Hi Simon

Why post up a subject like this ?

You know as you were typing its gonna cause more unpleasentness on here!

"Can we please avoid the temptation to slate any one, thank you " and this bit is a joke

Be intersting to see though how long it is till it gets locked off

Have fun trouble junkies

Nige B

Edited July 12, 201014 yr by Nige Brown

I hope Mike deletes any post that is either deliberate or a stealth attack on any one individual.

Not every thing has to be a hate campaign, we do still have some good guys on Soul source, I have faith in you.

H SIMON, I'M WITH NIGE ON THIS ONE.....WOULDNT EVEN BOTHER GOING DOWN THIS ROAD AS THERE'S ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP ON HERE AS IT IS.

BRI PINCH

I hope Mike deletes any post that is either deliberate or a stealth attack on any one individual.

Not every thing has to be a hate campaign, we do still have some good guys on Soul source, I have faith in you.

Fair comment Simon

Then Let the games begin

Shall we be seimg you at Stoke?

N

I hope Mike deletes any post that is either deliberate or a stealth attack on any one individual.

Not every thing has to be a hate campaign, we do still have some good guys on Soul source, I have faith in you.

all anyone has to do is hit the "flag" post feature and a mod'll come running....

all anyone has to do is hit the "flag" post feature and a mod'll come running....

Edited July 12, 201014 yr by Mace

Venues, venom and vendettas

PUNTERS AND PROMOTORES

I have "Put on a Soul do" so I suppose I have been a promoter.

The question I want to ask is "What problems and experiences have you had as a promoter"?

I matters not if you have been instrumental in your local pub playing Northernsoul or if you have been involved with a mega event such as a weekender or a Allnighter.

Have you been let down by venue managers, pub owners, local authorities, punters, DJ's or even plagues of locusts?

What are your experiences?

(Can we please avoid the temptation to slate any one, thank you)

been promoting 30 odd years Big and Small

Big ones go ok if you have a thick skin

But I will tell you a tale of a smaller event and greed of the venue owners

myself and karen ran a local soul night a few years back at the request of local people who had "No where to go" they were very successful

as regard numbers and atmosphere-but carried a huge financial burden because of overheads involved so it was either break even or a loss at most of the events-coupled with myself having to use holidays from work for the Friday nights. As many of the DJs who attended were "Names" all were paid well.

They were 6 deep at the bar and the venue took a fortune !

The last one we ran clashed with a one off event locally (within 10 miles) so we lost 30 odd regulars --so we made a loss on the evening -which is ok.

The same evening the manager at the venue approached me and said that due to another local "Wedding" venue closing the hire charge was going to double for our future soul nights--we were running Friday nights not saturdays-- so that was £400.

I told him the venue ought to be free due to the large bar take--oh no we can't do that was the reply- so I told him to stick it !

5 months later..a phone call-err we'd like you to come back.. "How much is the venue ?" £400--call me when its FREE--still waiting for the call and the venue sits un-used on friday nights most weeks Short sighted or what

Rob

Fair comment Simon

Then Let the games begin

Shall we be seimg you at Stoke?

N

My two little Belarusian guests don't go back until the 19^th so I am going to miss the July 17^th Stoke Nighter.

My two little Belarusian guests don't go back until the 19^th so I am going to miss the July 17^th Stoke Nighter.

Gonna miss you ...... Haven't seen you in a lonnnng time....

Hi Simon

Why post up a subject like this ?

You know as you were typing its gonna cause more unpleasentness on here!

"Can we please avoid the temptation to slate any one, thank you " and this bit is a joke

Be intersting to see though how long it is till it gets locked off

Have fun trouble junkies

Nige B

You're right Nige......so lets turn this into something positive..........

Until the end of last year I was a resident dj at Stolen Hours in Ramsgate. We went through a few changes of venues for a variety of reasons until finally setting up in the cellar bar of the Churchill Tavern, Ramsgate.

At the last one I attended Pam and I arrived first so that we could order some food in the upstairs eatery as we live 45 miles away and didn't have time before setting off.

We were sat at a table looking at the menu when someone shouted from the bar " I hope you're not wanting food - the power is off downstairs so there's no kitchen!"

This was an hour before we were due to be up and running!

To cut a long story short, Karen, the Churchill Taverns' landlady, ended up phoning around and found us an alternative venue nearby. Not only that, she took us there initially, re-directed all our punters, and then even turned up herself to help out behind the bar as they weren't geared up for our numbers. We were up and running at the new venue just an hour later than advertised.

What a top lady! Why can't all venue managers have this attitude?

- Kev

P.S. What's that old nonce doing in the kiddies play area in Mace's post, and are they boxing gloves or blisters?

On one of the regular manager changes at The River Bar we got double booked with an Elvis impersonator.

Luckily we got there first and so bagged the cellar, so he did upstairs with the Jazz band.

We just told everyone it was the R&B room and everything went fine

we have been running our soul night at the lord hill hotel shrewsbury now for a number of years ,had some very good nights some not so good but never had any problems from the owners at all , alway helpfully

lord hill hotel shrewsbury 6th august djs mark www.soulechoes.co.uk Jones.Gary p, spook, gator and guest Errol green:hatsoff2:

simon i'm not convinced this is the best thread to speak on but speak i shall

from my experience it not venom and vendettas that are the problem

the problems are and always will be the venue

it seems to me that most (not all) venues are only concerned with hire price and bar take other than that they do not give a flying toss about the state of the venue, the level of pleasure the punters get from being there or the atitude of the bar staff

for people that are being paid, in many cases very well, they do not seem to give a monkeys

i have spent many a friday afternoons holiday from work mopping floors and cleaning toilets, fuck me i've been flushing shits in the toilet from the preious weeks festivities that no one seems to care about to make the evenings experience as good as i can only for the bar staff turn up late, the lighting to be next to prehistoric and worst of all the bar not be stocked.

it seems to me that venue owners see us, a self governing scene as an easy touch and think they dont have have to step up to the plate and offer the same service they would unquestionably supply without any thought to say a wedding reception or a conference....

grrr...bastards

but anyway, will i do it tomorrow? will i do it next month or next year...damn right....i love it!

to see a floor of smiling faces makes it all worth while

if you havent promoted before....dont, its a thankless task

if you have then you have...then continue, its as addictive as crack....

simon i'm not convinced this is the best thread to speak on but speak i shall

from my experience it not venom and vendettas that are the problem

the problems are and always will be the venue

it seems to me that most (not all) venues are only concerned with hire price and bar take other than that they do not give a flying toss about the state of the venue, the level of pleasure the punters get from being there or the atitude of the bar staff

for people that are being paid, in many cases very well, they do not seem to give a monkeys

i have spent many a friday afternoons holiday from work mopping floors and cleaning toilets, fuck me i've been flushing shits in the toilet from the preious weeks festivities that no one seems to care about to make the evenings experience as good as i can only for the bar staff turn up late, the lighting to be next to prehistoric and worst of all the bar not be stocked.

it seems to me that venue owners see us, a self governing scene as an easy touch and think they dont have have to step up to the plate and offer the same service they would unquestionably supply without any thought to say a wedding reception or a conference....

grrr...bastards

but anyway, will i do it tomorrow? will i do it next month or next year...damn right....i love it!

to see a floor of smiling faces makes it all worth while

if you havent promoted before....dont, its a thankless task

if you have then you have...then continue, its as addictive as crack....

Like that post

The 'unstocked bar' comment above reminded me of an occasion a couple of years ago when Angela & I went to the Cock Tavern in London for one of Eddie Piller's dos. It's normally OK, but for some reason that night 'unstocked' didn't really cover the situation. Here's how the conversation went when we arrived:

Me - Two large glasses of rose please

Barman - Sorry we've no rose

Me - No worries, we'll have white wine then please

Barman (checking behind him) - Er, we've no white wine

Me - Any wine at all?

Barman - Nope

Me - Oh OK, two rum & cokes please

Barman - Sorry, we don't appear to have any rum

Me - No rum of any description, dark or light?

Barman - No

Me - Bugger. OK fine, we'll have vodka & coke then

Barman - We're all out of vodka sorry

Me - Tell you what, we'll just go with two cokes for the moment then please

Barman - We haven't got any coke sorry

Me - Lemonade?

Barman - Uh-uh

Me - Two halves of lager?

Barman - No one here who can change the barrel

Me - Cider then

Barman - fresh out

Me - I'm obviously approaching this in the wrong fashion. Why don't YOU tell me what I CAN have?

Barman - I'll ask the manager

The two barpersons then disappeared for fear of being lynched, never to return. We drank water from the sink in the ladies bog that didn't have a light, or a door, but that's another story

The 'unstocked bar' comment above reminded me of an occasion a couple of years ago when Angela & I went to the Cock Tavern in London for one of Eddie Piller's dos. It's normally OK, but for some reason that night 'unstocked' didn't really cover the situation. Here's how the conversation went when we arrived:

Me - Two large glasses of rose please

Barman - Sorry we've no rose

Me - No worries, we'll have white wine then please

Barman (checking behind him) - Er, we've no white wine

Me - Any wine at all?

Barman - Nope

Me - Oh OK, two rum & cokes please

Barman - Sorry, we don't appear to have any rum

Me - No rum of any description, dark or light?

Barman - No

Me - Bugger. OK fine, we'll have vodka & coke then

Barman - We're all out of vodka sorry

Me - Tell you what, we'll just go with two cokes for the moment then please

Barman - We haven't got any coke sorry

Me - Lemonade?

Barman - Uh-uh

Me - Two halves of lager?

Barman - No one here who can change the barrel

Me - Cider then

Barman - fresh out

Me - I'm obviously approaching this in the wrong fashion. Why don't YOU tell me what I CAN have?

Barman - I'll ask the manager

The two barpersons then disappeared for fear of being lynched, never to return. We drank water from the sink in the ladies bog that didn't have a light, or a door, but that's another story

Had you wandered into a chip shop by mistake?

I think you were in the Monty Python's Cheese shop lol