Hiring a band

[Silkyskills1]

Something away from our woes for a while.I was a student in London 1970-73 and was just looking at the price of hiring popular bands around that time. A message from the social secretary of Commercial Entertainments on Great Compton St. in London in 1969 provided a list of prices. At that time their most expensive one was the brilliant Small Faces at £450; Fleetwood Mac( the real one with Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer) cost £200 and if you liked Deep Purple they would play for £115. Now I do feel old.

[jos]

The cost of hiring a band has significantly reduced in the last five years, as a member of a band it’s hardly worth the effort to bother performing anymore.

Even festivals don’t pay as much as they used to, but at least you don’t have to cart a P.A. System about for those.

I reckon when on a gig it costs me eight hours out of the house, (loading, travel, unloading, set up, hang about a bit, perform, and loading, travel, unloading) and whilst it can be enjoyable for a five piece band with a sound guy probable won’t get minimum wage to cover all those hours.

It’s why I prefer studio work. Far less people get drunk and stupid.

[DAVETHEVICAR]

It just shows how prices have risen in 60 years both the cost of the Bands performing and the cost of tickets to attend
I still have my stub for a concert at Manchester Odeon for 7 shillings and 6 pence (37 1/2 pence) to see The Beatles, Roy Orbison and Gerry and the Pacemakers .

[dougcollins]

My mate had a club in Yorkshire in the 70's, and I overheard him on the phone telling this band to **** off.

'Cheeky b******s wanted £300' he said to me.

That was The Damned.

He did get The Pistols on though.

[Clovius Boofus]

At that time their most expensive one was the brilliant Small Faces at £450

£6,223 in today's money.

[elwaclaret]

The cost of hiring a band has significantly reduced in the last five years, as a member of a band it’s hardly worth the effort to bother performing anymore.

Even festivals don’t pay as much as they used to, but at least you don’t have to cart a P.A. System about for those.

I reckon when on a gig it costs me eight hours out of the house, (loading, travel, unloading, set up, hang about a bit, perform, and loading, travel, unloading) and whilst it can be enjoyable for a five piece band with a sound guy probable won’t get minimum wage to cover all those hours.

It’s why I prefer studio work. Far less people get drunk and stupid.

Funny how times change, I worked with Bad Manners and the Beat in the early 90’s they hated the studio and just wanted to play live.

[elwaclaret]

Anyone wanting to see a decent Small Faces tribute (lookalikes of Steve Marriott included) I recommend the Small Fakers… (they cost a lot less too) often found supporting bands with original members… both Loving Spoonfull and Kinda Kinks loved them.

[dougcollins]

Funny how times change, I worked with Bad Manners and the Beat in the early 90’s they hated the studio and just wanted to play live.

I spend a lot of time in the studio but you really can't beat playing live.

I loved The Beat, really underrated musicians.

[Paul Waine]

I was part of the "6th Form Recreation Room Committee" at SMC in Blackburn. The school allowed us to put on one "dance" - is that we called them back in 1970/71/72? - in the school hall to raise funds for things like dart boards (we were all Luke Littlers) and table tennis equipment.

We booked a Manchester group, from memory (I could be wrong) called "The Answers." Again, a distant memory, I think we paid them £25, or maybe it was £20. One of the 6th formers said he could provide the disco. Unfortunately, he bought a new deck immediately before hand. He couldn't get it working. At the start of the evening we had people standing around wondering when the music would start. "The Answers" got themselves set up and played and then played some more. Somewhere in the evening "The Answers" linked up their amps to the DJ's deck and there was a little DJ music. "The Answers" were great doubling up on their booking. I remember we paid them extra because of how much they helped us out.

We also put a lot of money into the "Rec Room Ctte's funds" - paid for a fun "post-A-levels" party in the Polish Club in Blackburn.

[elwaclaret]

I spend a lot of time in the studio but you really can't beat playing live.

I loved The Beat, really underrated musicians.

I think most of that Two Tone crowd were better musicians than they were given credit for…. Even Kix could play… it was teaching him the right key to play in that lost Madness their early ‘nutty’ sound, he could no longer play off key. Winston Bazoomex was dynamite with the harmonica, Andy Cox and Roddy Radiation were top top guitar players.

[IanMcL]

My pal used to promote bands in Reading Town Hall. I used to help on the night.

Steeleye Span, Uriah Heep, The Strawbs come to mind.
No idea what he paid. It was about 1972.

I went on to hire local bands and cabaret acts. I stopped in 1978 with Freddie and the Dreamers for £400.

I very distinctive Russian band I hired for cabaret was Tziganka, who only cost £80!

My later career was military and brass bands plus pipe bands, of course, together with singers and dancers.

My late, late career was back to bands in Salisbury City Hall. Scottish and Irish mostly. Blazin' Fiddles, Teada, Cherish the Ladies, Kathryn Tickell band, Fiddlers Bid, Danu, Tannahill Weavers and Battlefield Band.

All good fun. The fee was around £1500 for most plus air fares, b&bs rider on the night and a sound system. Not to mention hiring the hall!

[Neil]

My bosses friend organised a small festival last year (Oyster festival) and hired Rick Astley. His fee was £10k and he sang for about 45 minutes.

[Clovius Boofus]

At least Rick always turns up. He's never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I used to buy SOUNDS weekly music newspaper in the mid to late 70s.One week in 1975 they published a list of bands and their gig rate.I distinctly remember Thin Lizzy could be hired for £450

[Carlos the Great]

Apparently Leslie Crowther the Tv host told Phil Lynott when he asked to marry his daughter .. Go on then you’ve shagged everything else ,, bit of a strange response for a father but there you go

[South West Claret.]

Something away from our woes for a while.I was a student in London 1970-73 and was just looking at the price of hiring popular bands around that time. A message from the social secretary of Commercial Entertainments on Great Compton St. in London in 1969 provided a list of prices. At that time their most expensive one was the brilliant Small Faces at £450; Fleetwood Mac( the real one with Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer) cost £200 and if you liked Deep Purple they would play for £115. Now I do feel old.

Your as old as you feel SS.

[boatshed bill]

Something away from our woes for a while.I was a student in London 1970-73 and was just looking at the price of hiring popular bands around that time. A message from the social secretary of Commercial Entertainments on Great Compton St. in London in 1969 provided a list of prices. At that time their most expensive one was the brilliant Small Faces at £450; Fleetwood Mac( the real one with Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer) cost £200 and if you liked Deep Purple they would play for £115. Now I do feel old.

This is brilliant.
Whilst at college we (ents committee) had the privilege of booking The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Supertramp, Marsha Hunt... others less well known whose names I don't recall. Late 60's was a brilliant time to be young

[Middle-agedClaret]

I used to buy SOUNDS weekly music newspaper in the mid to late 70s.One week in 1975 they published a list of bands and their gig rate.I distinctly remember Thin Lizzy could be hired for £450

Book Thin Lizzy for £450?
Don’t Believe A Word…

[Carlos the Great]

Book Thin Lizzy for £450?
Don’t Believe A Word…

Must have a good memory ? 50 years ago and can remember that ,, let’s ask Rimplestlltskin what he had for breakfast that morning ? More Golden Nuggets ?

[Silkyskills1]

This is brilliant.
Whilst at college we (ents committee) had the privilege of booking The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Supertramp, Marsha Hunt... others less well known whose names I don't recall. Late 60's was a brilliant time to be young

Great that it's jogging a few memories. Made a mistake on the OP saying Fleetwood Mac was £200; looked down the list again and their price then was £500.
Anyone remember Love Sculpture? Really just another guise of Dave Edmunds. They did a version of Katchachurian's 'Sabre Dance'. Anyway they were available for £250. Have to admit I don't know of anything else they did so perhaps Sabre Dance got more than one airing during the 'gig'.

[boatshed bill]

Great that it's jogging a few memories. Made a mistake on the OP saying Fleetwood Mac was £200; looked down the list again and their price then was £500.
Anyone remember Love Sculpture? Really just another guise of Dave Edmunds. They did a version of Katchachurian's 'Sabre Dance'. Anyway they were available for £250. Have to admit I don't know of anything else they did so perhaps Sabre Dance got more than one airing during the 'gig'.

Yes, I remember "Sabre Dance" though I'd forgotten the band.

[ClaretTony]

I was once involved with setting up a performance from the cheapest band of the lot. I was involved at uni and this bloke turned up, said he’d set up a new band and offered to do a free concert.

He was a really decent bloke and he persuaded us to say yes to him. We charged £1 for the tickets and sold out but they weren’t very good. They called themselves Wings and the bloke I spoke to went on to headline at Glastonbury in 2022, around fifty years later.

[Neil]

I was once involved with setting up a performance from the cheapest band of the lot. I was involved at uni and this bloke turned up, said he’d set up a new band and offered to do a free concert.

He was a really decent bloke and he persuaded us to say yes to him. We charged £1 for the tickets and sold out but they weren’t very good. They called themselves Wings and the bloke I spoke to went on to headline at Glastonbury in 2022, around fifty years later.

The band The Beatles could have been.

[Carlos the Great]

Must have a good memory ? 50 years ago and can remember that ,, let’s ask Rimplestlltskin what he had for breakfast that morning ? More Golden Nuggets ?

Don’t believe a word was one of my favourite thin lizzy tracks ,, I’m not sure how he died but was only young ..

[TheOriginalLongsider]

Phil Lynot was dancing in the moonlight with whisky in his jar near Strangeways, but there was a jailbreak and he met his demise when he came across a killer on the loose. I’ll get my coat

[ClaretCliff]

I was once involved with setting up a performance from the cheapest band of the lot. I was involved at uni and this bloke turned up, said he’d set up a new band and offered to do a free concert.

He was a really decent bloke and he persuaded us to say yes to him. We charged £1 for the tickets and sold out but they weren’t very good. They called themselves Wings and the bloke I spoke to went on to headline at Glastonbury in 2022, around fifty years later.

Wings also offered to do a free concert at North Staffs Poly, only to be turned down

Another memory was Shakin’ Stevens performing in the students union. There was no proper stage so they made a temporary one out of plywood boxes. At one point Stevens was stood singing on top of the upright piano and to finish the song with a flourish he jumped off and went through the stage, ending up invisible from the waist down

[Clovius Boofus]

Phil Lynot was dancing in the moonlight with whisky in his jar near Strangeways, but there was a jailbreak and he met his demise when he came across a killer on the loose. I’ll get my coat

He may well have at one time or another had a whisky or three in many a Manc pub. His mum owned a hotel/club in Manchester's Whalley Range - The Clifton Grange. He also lived in Moss Side for a time when he was a child, but I don't think he'd have got served at such a young age, especially whisky.

[LeadBelly]

My pal used to promote bands in Reading Town Hall. I used to help on the night.

Steeleye Span, Uriah Heep, The Strawbs come to mind.
No idea what he paid. It was about 1972.

I went on to hire local bands and cabaret acts. I stopped in 1978 with Freddie and the Dreamers for £400.

I very distinctive Russian band I hired for cabaret was Tziganka, who only cost £80!

My later career was military and brass bands plus pipe bands, of course, together with singers and dancers.

My late, late career was back to bands in Salisbury City Hall. Scottish and Irish mostly. Blazin' Fiddles, Teada, Cherish the Ladies, Kathryn Tickell band, Fiddlers Bid, Danu, Tannahill Weavers and Battlefield Band.

All good fun. The fee was around £1500 for most plus air fares, b&bs rider on the night and a sound system. Not to mention hiring the hall!

You weren't involved in Salisbury Folk Festival at City Hall in 2006 (Sept 15/16/17) were you? There was a fab bill of folk stars there and I managed to get across there for a couple of days. Presumably made a big loss as it never ran again.

Swarbrick & Carthy, Ashley Hutchings Band, Jacqui McShee's Pentangle, Magna Carta, Rob Johnston, Megson, Johnny Dickinson, Four Hand Reel and many others.

[ClaretTony]

Wings also offered to do a free concert at North Staffs Poly, only to be turned down

It was a hell of a rush to sort it for that night but the view was that you shouldn't be turning down Paul McCartney. When we put out the announcement that the concert was on, the queue for tickets built up so quickly. I don't think anyone was too bothered that they weren't very good but I think it's fair to say they did improve as time went on. What a nice bloke he was too.

[LeadBelly]

The cost of hiring a band has significantly reduced in the last five years, as a member of a band it’s hardly worth the effort to bother performing anymore.

Even festivals don’t pay as much as they used to, but at least you don’t have to cart a P.A. System about for those.

I reckon when on a gig it costs me eight hours out of the house, (loading, travel, unloading, set up, hang about a bit, perform, and loading, travel, unloading) and whilst it can be enjoyable for a five piece band with a sound guy probable won’t get minimum wage to cover all those hours.

It’s why I prefer studio work. Far less people get drunk and stupid.

As a punter with no involvement in the running of gigs- I feel that ticket prices have at least kept pace with inflation since COVID struck. I go to gigs where I live (Basingstoke) + Winchester & Reading. Quite a few venues here and always something to see each week spring & autumn. I tend to go to the smaller gigs 50-150 attendances. Maybe the venues are keeping more of the ticket income to make up for their losses in Covid years?

Maybe attendances are down so there's not so much total income? Must say, I've started to go less since that first post-COVID "get back and at it" period. Train strikes have hit me as I dont drive + I've had too many gigs where acts have been late/not well prepared/rude.
I think also some people got out of the habit of going out during that COVID period. Certainly there aren't so many sell-outs lately.

[Jel]

He may well have at one time or another had a whisky or three in many a Manc pub. His mum owned a hotel/club in Manchester's Whalley Range - The Clifton Grange. He also lived in Moss Side for a time when he was a child, but I don't think he'd have got served at such a young age, especially whisky.

I spent an evening drinking with him, just the two of us sat at the bar in a club near Marbella.
The following night he played there, I managed to see him play twice as he also did a jamming session in a bar in Peurto Banus.
Great memories

[IanMcL]

You weren't involved in Salisbury Folk Festival at City Hall in 2006 (Sept 15/16/17) were you? There was a fab bill of folk stars there and I managed to get across there for a couple of days. Presumably made a big loss as it never ran again.

Swarbrick & Carthy, Ashley Hutchings Band, Jacqui McShee's Pentangle, Magna Carta, Rob Johnston, Megson, Johnny Dickinson, Four Hand Reel and many others.

Leadbelly - now there's a name!

No, not me. I remember it well. Fabulous line up.
City Hall is currently closed after being used as a covid centre. Tories want to farm it out. Grrr!

[LeadBelly]

Leadbelly - now there's a name!

No, not me. I remember it well. Fabulous line up.
City Hall is currently closed after being used as a covid centre. Tories want to farm it out. Grrr!

I've still got the t-shirt from that event, it's worn quite well.
The only other time I've had a ticket for that venue ( later date than the above) it was cancelled. I was seeing Show of Hands but Steve Knightley's son was seriously ill so it was called off. Maybe one of yours?

[tarkys_ears]

...just paid £70 to see NG

Could have hired him to my house back in the day with a few mates round for that kind of money!

[Sutton-Claret]

I used to be a trustee of a Festival in North Yorkshire - which started small and grew to a 5000 ticket event. I was surprised at the prices we had to pay to bands (most also wanted cash...) Adam Ant -8K, Dodgy - 2K, Billy Bragg - 10K... I remember giving Ian Brodie an envelope with 5K in tenners - he panicked when he saw it, thought he was going to get mugged. A couple of years later (after I'd got out) it went bust as the main guy got too big for his boots and started booking bands like The Stranglers for 20K and not selling enough tickets.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Book Thin Lizzy for £450?
Don’t Believe A Word…
[/quote

Suit yourself ! We’re talking 1975 and I saw Thin Lizzy in October 75 at Champness Hall Rochdale on the Rocktober Tour

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Must have a good memory ? 50 years ago and can remember that ,, let’s ask Rimplestlltskin what he had for breakfast that morning ? More Golden Nuggets ?

Well done !

[IanMcL]

I've still got the t-shirt from that event, it's worn quite well.
The only other time I've had a ticket for that venue ( later date than the above) it was cancelled. I was seeing Show of Hands but Steve Knightley's son was seriously ill so it was called off. Maybe one of yours?

No again. I was very much Scottish and Irish bands that I wanted to see myself plus my own show, 'The Scottish Tattoo' which I promoted in some very good venues. First one being the Royal Albert Hall. The shows were the best of Scottish history, music, song and dance. That was my living, post my BT career (proper job!)

[IanMcL]

The only other time I've had a ticket for that venue ( later date than the above) it was cancelled.

I used to go and see Kate Rusby there. She is excellent.
John McCusker (Battlefield Band) was her husband at the time.

He is now married to Heidi Talbot, who performed as part of Cherish the Ladies, which was one of my band promotions in City Hall. They do a double act now!

[dougcollins]

I have one of Kate's guitars, though to be fair, she's never seen it!

My mate built her one but in his opinion it wasn't 'perfect'- so he went ahead and made her the perfect one, and I have the first one.

Absolutely nothing wrong with it.

[LeadBelly]

I used to go and see Kate Rusby there. She is excellent.
John McCusker (Battlefield Band) was her husband at the time.

He is now married to Heidi Talbot, who performed as part of Cherish the Ladies, which was one of my band promotions in City Hall. They do a double act now!

Kate Rusby gets to The Anvil in Basingstoke every few years, though it's possibly 10 years since I saw her there. She's very good live - got an impressive repertoire and always has excellent musicians supporting her.
I saw Heidi Talbot solo in March last year at South Street Reading, she was decent enough alone but probably even better in with a couple of other musicians.

If you're into folk music generally, Ian, have you spotted that there's a folk festival in Whitchurch (easy by train from Salisbury) this May? I've been to the folk club there a few times in the last few years and sorely tempted to get to this as Whitchurch is a short train or bus journey from me. Ages since I saw some live Morris dancing https://whitchurchfolk.com/

[IanMcL]

Kate Rusby gets to The Anvil in Basingstoke every few years, though it's possibly 10 years since I saw her there. She's very good live - got an impressive repertoire and always has excellent musicians supporting her.
I saw Heidi Talbot solo in March last year at South Street Reading, she was decent enough alone but probably even better in with a couple of other musicians.

If you're into folk music generally, Ian, have you spotted that there's a folk festival in Whitchurch (easy by train from Salisbury) this May? I've been to the folk club there a few times in the last few years and sorely tempted to get to this as Whitchurch is a short train or bus journey from me. Ages since I saw some live Morris dancing https://whitchurchfolk.com/

Where are you based LeadBelly? You are hovering around my growing up area and my adult life area! That's huge for Whitchurch. Just a silk mill and now it's own Golk Festival!

I am now mostly in Scotland, so it is a long way!

By the way, I live the Anvil!. Best acoustics outside Birmingham Symphony Hall.

I saw Capercaillie at The Anvil and my claim to fame would be that Tge Scottush Tatyoo has performed at both those venues!

One of my Anvil shows was when 9-11 happened. We were on the Saturday. We made a collection for the fund and out of 1150 in the hall, we raised £900. Superb.

[Carlos the Great]

Listen Up Rumpo ..: I know your a big Thin Lizzy fan .. but when he wrote Don’t Believe a Word … that was a song from Thin Lizzy … maybe you went for pull your Rumpleforrskin while that was playing in 1975

[LeadBelly]

Where are you based LeadBelly? You are hovering around my growing up area and my adult life area! That's huge for Whitchurch. Just a silk mill and now it's own Golk Festival!

I am now mostly in Scotland, so it is a long way!

By the way, I live the Anvil!. Best acoustics outside Birmingham Symphony Hall.

I saw Capercaillie at The Anvil and my claim to fame would be that Tge Scottush Tatyoo has performed at both those venues!

One of my Anvil shows was when 9-11 happened. We were on the Saturday. We made a collection for the fund and out of 1150 in the hall, we raised £900. Superb.

Ian. I've lived in a lot of places around England & Wales but Basingstoke (Buckskin area) for the past 25+ years (moved here to work for the AA but well retired now). The Anvil and (especially for smaller gigs) The Forge are walkable for me. Several good reachable venues in each of Reading and Winchester too.
I've been to Whitchurch quite a lot, played cricket there (and at Hurstbourne Priors) a fair few times and visited the silk mill a few times (I have a couple of their very nice ties). Ive yet to get to the Bombay Sapphire gin distillery though.
The folk club reopened 5/6 years ago, they dont have a lot of gigs but usually quite decent English folkies. One of the joint organisers of the club was (latterly local) musician Paul Sartin who died young a year or two ago and I think this festival is partly in remembrance of him. He played in Bellowhead and Faustus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Sartin

Yes The Anvil has great sound and The Forge is very intimate with 80/90 seats, Ive seen some really good music there from the front two rows. The Haymarket theatre is increasingly used for misic nowadays too (less plays), seen a few good acts there in the last few years- ones that are too big for the Forge but wouldnt fill the 1000+ Anvil main auditorium.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Listen Up Rumpo ..: I know your a big Thin Lizzy fan .. but when he wrote Don’t Believe a Word … that was a song from Thin Lizzy … maybe you went for pull your Rumpleforrskin while that was playing in 1975

Thanks Richard.I’m well aware that it was a Thin Lizzy song.Very enlightening of you !

[IanMcL]

Ian. I've lived in a lot of places around England & Wales but Basingstoke (Buckskin area) for the past 25+ years (moved here to work for the AA but well retired now). The Anvil and (especially for smaller gigs) The Forge are walkable for me. Several good reachable venues in each of Reading and Winchester too.
I've been to Whitchurch quite a lot, played cricket there (and at Hurstbourne Priors) a fair few times and visited the silk mill a few times (I have a couple of their very nice ties). Ive yet to get to the Bombay Sapphire gin distillery though.
The folk club reopened 5/6 years ago, they dont have a lot of gigs but usually quite decent English folkies. One of the joint organisers of the club was (latterly local) musician Paul Sartin who died young a year or two ago and I think this festival is partly in remembrance of him. He played in Bellowhead and Faustus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Sartin

Yes The Anvil has great sound and The Forge is very intimate with 80/90 seats, Ive seen some really good music there from the front two rows. The Haymarket theatre is increasingly used for misic nowadays too (less plays), seen a few good acts there in the last few years- ones that are too big for the Forge but wouldnt fill the 1000+ Anvil main auditorium.

Thanks for that, LeadBelly. From .memory, The Snvil is about 1800 capacity. Great stage and I could my dancers and pipe bands in and out through loads of entrance,/exit places! Long time sgo now.

My most recent attendance as a fan was Christmas in Stirling. Skerryvore and Manran. Superb.