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June 20, 2013: Glasgow's O2 Academy is marking its 10th anniversary by giving four budding artists the chance to win £1,000 and have their work put on permanent display in the venue through a competition judged by Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. Deadline to enter is July 30.
Plum will play a farewell gig in her hometown at Edinburgh's Sneaky Pete's on June 29 before she moves to Brighton.
Glasgow trio The Amazing Snakeheads have released their debut single Testifying Time through Domino.
June 19, 2013: Adam Stafford's song Please is free to download – it's taken from his second album Imaginary Walls Collapse, out on July 15.
Arches are previewing their debut Broken Clocks EP with snippets of the tracks on YouTube ahead of its release on August 11.
BrewDog are opening up their post-AGM live music bash at Aberdeen's AECC on June 22 to the public, with the £5 entry fee getting you Fatherson, United Fruit, The Little Kicks and Kitty Daisy Lewis.
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has sold out its 15,800 capacity in record time, more than six weeks before the event on August 2-3.
June 18, 2013: The View have released Seven Year Setlist, a greatest hits compilation which also features new songs Dirty Magazine, Kill Kyle and Standard, which comes with this video.
Glasvegas have unveiled the video (introduced by William Shatner) for new single If via NME.com - it's taken from their third album Later…When The TV Turns To Static, out on September 2.
June 17, 2013: Four SAY Award nominees are playing free live sets at HMV Glasgow Argyle Street this week – Stanley Odd and The Twilight Sad are on June 19, while RM Hubbert and Admiral Fallow are on June 20, the day of the ceremony. Each gig runs from 12-2pm.
Mogwai will perform their Zidane soundtrack album live at Glasgow's 220 Broomielaw on July 21.
Applications are open for songwriters to apply for The Gathering, an annual competition run by Burnsong. Entry deadline is June 30.
Alphabetical Order Orchestra have unveiled new song Butterflies.
The New Mendicants – a project formed by Norman Blake and Joe Pernice – release their debut Australia 2013 EP via One Little Indian on July 8. It includes covers of each of their other bands – Teenage Fanclub's I Don't Want Control Of You and Pernice Brothers' Amazing Glow, as well as a version of This Time by INXS. The duo play Glasgow's Mono on July 15.
June 14, 2013: CHVRCHES will release their debut album The Bones Of What You Believe on September 23. They have also unveiled a video for single Gun.
Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, Aidan Moffat, Eugene Kelly, Emma Pollock and Remember Remember will play at Glasgow's Platform on July 27 to support the campaign to save the Sighthill Stone Circle from demolition. You can read more about the issue on The Skinny.
June 13, 2013: Friends In America are streaming Quietly Quietly from their forthcoming debut record What It Is To Be. Its release coincides with the band's launch gig at Glasgow's Broadcast on June 26.
Friends In America have also been added to the Wickerman Festival bill on July 26-27 as part of the GoNorth Festival tour line-up along with Friday acts Three Blind Wolves, Prides, Blood Relatives, Hector Bizerk, Lidh, Pinact, Be Like Pablo, Eugene Twist, The Deadline Shakes, Plastic Animals, The Velveteen Saints and Maask; Saturday additions are Casual Sex, The Yawns, Garden Of Elks, Willie Campbell, Alarm Bells, The OK Social Club, Book Group and Jemma Tweedie.
Shambles Miller has released his new single Deadpool on a mini-comic which contains a download code. It's all explained in his Vine video.
Rick Redbeard and RM Hubbert are playing a free gig at Mugdock Country Park bandstand on June 16 from 2pm-4pm.
June 12, 2013: Belladrum have announced a host of new additions to its festival line-up on August 2-3 including Alabama 3, Malcolm Middleton, We Are The Ocean, Baby Strange, Withered Hand, The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, Anderson McGinty Webster Ward and Fisher, Shutter, Vasquez, Davy Cowan, Woodenbox, The Oxides and Be Like Pablo.
Young Aviators have unveiled a video for new single Forward Thinking via Clash, taken from their debut album Self Help.
Nina Nesbitt has a video for the title track of her Way In The World EP, out on July 22.
Capitals also have a video for A Spectre Is Haunting Europe.
The Grand Gestures have revealed new track Regret Is A Dish Best Served Cold featuring RM Hubbbert, taken from the collective's forthcoming album Second, out on September 8.
June 11, 2013: All five of Aereogramme's Acoustic Tour CDs have been put on Bandcamp. The collection features 23 mostly acoustic tracks, 10 of which are unreleased.
Highlights of various performances from last weekend's RockNess, including Fatherson, The Vaccines, The Futureheads and Alabama 3, are on the Festivo YouTube page.
Werd (SOS) has unveiled a video for My State Of Mind, taken from his Untitled Scot album.
June 10, 2013: New releases include Boards Of Canada – Tomorrow's Harvest; Algernon Doll – Citalo-pop; Poor Things – Hurricane Poor Things EP; The Birthday Suit – Covered Up; KT Tunstall – Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon.
Early-bird tickets are on sale for The Riverside Festival, a new outdoor dance event being held on the banks of Glasgow's River Clyde on August 24, organised by Electric Frog and Pressure. Acts confirmed for the three stages are Boys Noize, Len Faki, Josh Wink, Slam and Optimo.
June 7, 2013: Bwani Junction have unveiled new song Papa Candy.
The full line-up for the BBC Introducing Stage at T in the Park is The Recovery!, Roman Nose, The LaFontaines, Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun, PAWS, Baby Strange, Fat Goth, Discopolis, Departures, Saint Max and the Fanatics, Animal Noise, Astroid Boys, Story Books, Propellers, The Adelines, Emily Burns, Model Aeroplanes, Big Beat Bronson, Steel Trees and The Lake Poets.
Herculean have released their debut EP The Falling Thunder.
June 6, 2013: Discopolis will headline the BBC Introducing Stage at T in the Park on July 13. TITP have also unveiled a promo video featuring a 'fan' interviewing Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, who have released their Late March, Death March EP – you can hear the alternate version of its title track on SoundCloud.
June 5, 2013: The Great Hip Hop Hoax, a documentary about two Scots who fooled the music industry into thinking they were American rappers (and the subject of a feature on The Pop Cop in March), will be shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, with screenings at Cineworld on June 26 and June 27 and Odeon Wester Hailes on June 28.
June 4, 2013: BMX Bandits documentary Serious Drugs is finally out on DVD after its original release date was held up by several months of production delays. You can order it via Bandcamp.
goNORTH takes place in Inverness on June 5-6 with daytime seminars and evening showcase gigs, all free to attend. Check out the festival programme (which includes Rachel Sermanni playing the HIE Opening Reception at 6pm on Wednesday), the Independent Label Fair from 12pm-4.30pm on Thursday and the live music schedule which includes a Scottish Bloggers Showcase part-curated by The Pop Cop featuring Plum, The Yawns, Friends In America, and Garden Of Elks.
June 3, 2013: New albums out today include Quickbeam – Quickbeam; Camera Obscura – Desire Lines; Capitals – A National Service; Birdhead – Pleasure Centre.
Galleries will release their debut album No Miracles on July 29, followed by a launch gig at Glasgow's Bloc on July 30. Click here to get one of the tracks, Great Comets (of 1910), for free.
June 2, 2013: Vigo Thieves are celebrating after winning this year's MD Cup football tournament, beating The Twilight Sad team 4-0 in the final.
May 31, 2013: The 10 shortlisted albums for The SAY Award are: Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow; Django Django – Django Django; Human Don't Be Angry – Human Don't Be Angry; Karine Polwart – Traces; Lau – Race The Loser; Meursault – Something For The Weakened; Paul Buchanan – Mid Air; RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found; Stanley Odd – Reject; The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know (public vote). The winner of the £20,000 first prize will be announced on June 20.
Capitals debut album A National Service is streaming via Glasgow Podcart ahead of its release on June 3.
The Enemy, The Beat, Roddy Woomble, The Moulettes are the first acts confirmed for Loopallu in Ullapool on September 20-21.
May 30, 2013: Pre-sale tickets are available for Sigur Ros at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on November 18.
Admiral Fallow will play Edinburgh's Queens Hall on August 13.
Washington Irving have released a video for You've Seen The Last Of Me featuring footage from their most recent UK tour.
May 29, 2013: The third annual MD Cup, a five-a-side football tournament for Scottish music types run by Miniature Dinosaurs, takes place at Stirling's Forthbank from 2pm on June 1. The 10 teams competing for the trophy (won for the past two years by We Were Promised Jetpacks) are Miniature Dinosaurs, Admiral Fallow, Brown Bear & The Bandits, The Twilight Sad, Fluorescent Hearts, Vigo Thieves, Washington Irving, Pronto Mama, John Wean and DF Concerts.
We're Only Afraid Of NYC have released their debut album Patterns.
Scarlet Shift launch their debut album Found with a gig at Glasgow's Arches on June 1. Lead single Clouds features guest vocals from Vukovi's Janine Shilstone.
Kevin Harper is streaming two bonus tracks from the limited edition version of his debut album Kingdom Of Wires.
May 28, 2013: CHVRCHES are streaming fantastic new single Gun, released on July 15.
Kitty The Lion have changed their name to Blood Relatives and unveiled a video for Dead Hip, taken from their debut album, out in September.
Camera Obscura's fifth album Desire Lines is streaming in full via NPR ahead of its release on June 3.
Free tickets are available for the City of Stars launch party featuring Bwani Junction, Rise Kagona (The Bhundu Boys), Auntie Flo and writer John Lwanda at Glasgow's Arches on May 30 by emailing email@example.com to confirm attendance.
May 27, 2013: The SAY Award public vote runs until midnight tonight, offering the chance to pick your favourite album from the longlist of 20. The record with the most votes will secure an automatic place on the shortlist of 10, with the other nine titles being chosen by a judging panel.
New albums out today include Woodenbox – End Game, Sparrow And The Workshop – Murderopolis and The Pastels – Slow Summits.
People, Places, Maps are to split up. They will release their final batch of songs before bowing out with a hometown gig in Dunfermline on July 26.
May 25, 2013: The first wave of acts confirmed to play the Belladrum festival's GoNorth Seedlings Stage on August 2-3 has been announced – Cleavers, Prides, Roman Nose, Blood Relatives, Red Ronson, Ranald, Dylan Tierney, Crystal Seagulls, Three Blind Wolves, Garden Of Elks, The Oxides, Fat Goth, St Max And The Fanatics, Fake Major, State Of Flux, Bear Arms, Little Fire and Lionel.
Sarah Hayes' debut EP, Mainspring, is streaming on Bandcamp ahead of its release on May 28. She has Glasgow gigs scheduled for The Old Hairdressers on May 29 and The Wee Chill festival at SWG3 on June 29.
Boards Of Canada have unveiled new song Reach For The Dead, taken from forthcoming album Tomorrow's Harvest, out on June 10.
May 24, 2013: The line-up for King Tut's Summer Nights, which runs in the Glasgow venue from July 15 to August 1, has been revealed. The headliners are The Recovery!, Sunshine Social, TeKlo, Alarm Bells, Taffy, Sienna, So Many Animal Calls, Michael Cassidy, The OK Social Club, SOS, Departures, Fake Major, Prides, Waiting For Go and Arches. Other acts worth checking out include Cherri Fosphate, The Clock, The Youth And Young, Campfires In Winter, Kevin Harper, Discopolis and Father Sculptor. There's also a Pop Cop DJ set on July 25.
Quickbeam song Grace is available for free download – it's taken from the band's self-titled debut album, out on June 3.
Giant Fang has unveiled a video for Aqualung.
May 23, 2013: A Music Open Day is being held at Aberdeen's Lemon Tree on May 26 with a programme that includes three music industry panels, a soundcheck workshop and live music from Revere, Uniform, Leanne Smith and Marionettes. Free tickets to the evening show will be available to anyone who attends the free seminars during the day.
The Wickerman Festival has added Admiral Fallow, Chic ft Nile Rodgers, Dreadzone, Waylayers and Greg Wilson to its line-up on July 26-27.
Algernon Doll track Anti-them is available for free download – it's taken from second album Citalo-pop, due for release on June 10.
May 22, 2013: The Basement Coffee House in Ayr has been shortlisted by NME as Scotland's representative in a public vote to find the best small venue in Britain. The 80-capacity venue opened eight months ago.
Tomorrow's second instalment of the Dewar House Experimental Batch series sees Edinburgh's Caves host free live music from Kid Canaveral, The Last Battle and Adam Ross (Randolph's Leap). There will be 550 tickets available on the door on a first come, first served basis.
May 21, 2013: Camera Obscura song Fifth In Line To The Throne is available for free download in exchange for an email address. It's taken from the band's fifth album Desire Lines, out on June 3, and pre-ordering it will get you another track, Do It Again.
Book Group have released their debut EP, Homeward Sound.
Sparrow And The Workshop's third album Murderopolis, out on May 27, is streaming in full via DIY - one of the songs, The Faster You Spin, is also available for free download.
May 20, 2013: Garden Of Elks' debut EP, Extended Play, is available to buy and stream.
The Clock have a video for their excellent song Everything's Eventual, which is released on May 28. They have Glasgow gigs lined up at Broadcast on June 1 and Roxy 171 on June 20.
May 18, 2013: The 16-strong T Break line-up for T in the Park on July 12-14 has been unveiled - Arches, Blindfolds, DARC, Fake Major, Hector Bizerk, Honeyblood, Machines In Heaven, Michael Cassidy, Poor Things, Pronto Mama, Seams, Sunshine Social, The Merrylees, The Velveteen Saints, Vasa, Waiting For Go.
Anna Sweeney has announced she is taking a full break from music and has cancelled her scheduled appearance at Wickerman in July as she relocates to Reading for work in June. Another musician swapping Scotland for England is Plum, who is moving to Brighton in July.
May 17, 2013: The stage times have been released for the 35 acts playing Stag & Dagger across seven Glasgow venues on May 18.
Franz Ferdinand's fourth album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action will be released on August 26 – check out this brief trailer.
Frightened Rabbit recorded a cover of Best Coast's The Only Place for Australian radio show Triple J. The band release their Late March, Death March EP on June 2.
The Mouse That Ate The Cat song When I Wake Up is available for free in exchange for your email address.
The title track of Adam Stafford's forthcoming second album Imaginary Walls Collapse is streaming here.
May 16, 2013: The Discopolis remix of Bwani Junction single Civil War is available to download for free from SoundCloud.
Born To Be Wide's next seminar at Edinburgh's Electric Circus on May 30 is on the topic of goNORTH, with a panel featuring broadcaster Vic Galloway, goNORTH duo Amanda Millen and Alex Smith and Chasing Owls frontman Ben Sunderland explaining how musicians and delegates can get the most out of the annual Inverness convention. Tickets are free.
AC/DC have backed a campaign to erect a bronze statue of their former frontman Bon Scott in his hometown of Kirriemuir in Angus. Community music group DD8 Music hope to raise £50,000 via Kickstarter by June 5.
Kite And The Crane's debut EP, Found In The End, is out on Bandcamp.
May 15, 2013: Biffy Clyro have a video for their new single Opposite.
The View are playing a one-off show at Glasgow's King Tut's on June 12 for the Sunday Mail Centenary Fund.
Adam Stafford is launching his second album Imaginary Walls Collapse with a gig at Glasgow's Glad Cafe on July 5 with support from Siobhan Wilson and Robbie Lesiuk.
May 14, 2013: The Wee Chill will mark its 10th anniversary with a two-stage bill at Glasgow's SWG3 on June 29 for the West End Festival. The line-up features Malcolm Middleton, James Yorkston with Sparrow & The Workshop (collaborative debut), Aidan Moffat (spoken word), Three Blind Wolves, Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire, Miaoux Miaoux, Fake Major.
Tommy Perman, who recently left FOUND, has unveiled his new solo project ComputerScheisse – check out These Beautiful Minds, the title track of his debut EP, out on July 15 through Phuturelabs.
RockNess have announced more acts for the festival on June 7-9 including Fenech-Soler, Fatherson, Public Service Broadcasting, The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, Niteworks and Jemma Tweedie.
Too Many Fireworks Records will donate all profits from sales of Variations Of Chopin, an album of contemporary interpretations of the composer's music, to the fundraising campaign for drummer Robbie Cooper, whose cancer fight was documented on The Pop Cop.
May 13, 2013: New releases out now include Young Aviators' debut album Self Help, Eagleowl's debut album This Silent Year, and Cherri Fosphate's new Burning Youth EP.
May 10, 2013: The live schedule for goNORTH in Inverness on June 5-6 has been unveiled – it includes a Scottish Bloggers Showcase hosted by The Pop Cop, Peenko and Song, by Toad featuring a four-band bill of Garden Of Elks, Friends In America, The Yawns and Flutes.
May 9, 2013: The documentary Hunting For Remoteness details The Magnetic North's visit to Orkney – where frontman Erland Cooper is from – for the making of their debut album. It will be released on June 24 alongside a reissue of that record, Orkney: Symphony Of The Magnetic North. You can watch the trailer here.
Alphabetical Order Orchestra are streaming their first song, The Architect. The band is made up of My Latest Novel members Chris Deveney, Gary Deveney and Ryan King.
A Band Called Quinn have launched a crowdfunding campaign to support performances of their multimedia show Biding Time (remix) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.
May 8, 2013: Three Blind Wolves have released their new album, Sing Hallelujah For The Old Machine.
May 7, 2013: Adam Stafford's new single Please is streaming online – it's taken from his second album Imaginary Walls Collapse, out in July.
May 6, 2013: The T in the Park Roadshow is bringing free live music to Scottish towns this month – it stops at Glasgow today for The View at Kelvingrove Park (1pm) and Buchanan Street (3.30pm); Edinburgh on May 10 for Vigo Thieves at Queen Margaret University's Student Union (noon), Dundee on May 11 for The LaFontaines at Overgate Centre (noon); Aberdeen on May 12 for Sienna at Aberdeen University (noon); and Ayr on May 18 for The Redettes at Ayr Railway Station (noon).
Fake Major have a video for Fiction, a song on their Have Plenty Of Fun EP. Fellow Comets & Cartwheels artist Finn LeMarinel has a new video for Garden, taken from his debut album Violence.
Capitals have released a sampler of all the tracks on their debut album A National Service, out on June 3.
May 3, 2013: Episode 11 of BBC ALBA's Rapal music TV programme is on iPlayer and features Cara Mitchell, Brown Bear & The Bandits, Three Blind Wolves and Anna Sweeney.
Steve Mason has accused Samsung of plagiarising the video for The Beta Band's 2004 single Assessment for their new television advert. Both show historical figures running down a beach and helicopters circling overhead.
May 2, 2013: Young Aviators' debut album Self Help is streaming on Electric Honey's SoundCloud ahead of its release on May 13.
May 1, 2013: Travis have a video for Where You Stand, the first single and title track of the band's seventh album, out on August 19.
Fake Major's debut EP, Have Plenty Of Fun, is available for download.
My Latest Novel have gone on hiatus, with three of the members forming Alphabetical Order Orchestra - look out for music from them next week.
Kobi Onyame has a video for his new single The Real Part 2.
Trapped In Kansas have unveiled new song Collapse Rebuild.
Rob St John's new AA single Charcoal Black And The Bonny Grey/Shallow Brown is out now.
April 30, 2013: Boards Of Canada will release Tomorrow's Harvest, their first new album in eight years, on June 10.
Quickbeam song Immersed is available to download for free from DIY – you can also listen to snippets from every track of the band's self-titled debut album, out on June 3.
Discopolis have unveiled the video for their new song Falling (Committed To Sparkle Motion), out on May 5.
April 29, 2013: The SAY Award will stream each of the 20 longlisted albums for 24 hours through their app, starting today with Miaoux Miaoux's Light Of The North. You can read The Pop Cop's feature here.
Panda Su's new song MAPS is available to buy now on Amazon, while Bwani Junction's new single Civil War is on iTunes.
The Boy Who Trapped The Sun has a video for new song California ahead of his May tour in Scotland.
The Pastels have a video for Check My Heart, taken from their forthcoming new album Slow Summits, out on May 27.
Frank Turner covered Frightened Rabbit's The Modern Leper for Jim Gellatly's In:Demand Uncut session.
April 27, 2013: Episode 10 of BBC ALBA's Rapal music TV programme is on iPlayer and features two fantastic unreleased songs by Beerjacket as well as The Holy Ghosts, The Merrylees and Ray McCartney.
Travis, Johnny Marr, Hurts, James Skelly, Jack Savoretti, Willy Mason, Foy Vance, Steve Mason, Milo Greene and DIIV have been added to the T in the Park line-up, which has now been separated into day-by-day splits.
Edinburgh venue The Forest Cafe, which has been banned from hosting live music due to council restrictions, are looking for acts to play their new monthly event, the Forest Big Night Out at Old St Paul's, which launches on May 23. Email email@example.com for details.
April 26, 2013: The Burns an' a' that! Festival will feature live music as part of Weekend in the Park at Ayr's Belleisle Park on May 25-26. Rose Parade, Little Fire, Pronto Mama and The Bluebells are among the free acts; Justin Currie + Rachel Sermanni play a ticketed gig on May 26.
Other newly-announced concerts on sale include Lana Del Rey + Kassidy at Glasgow's SECC on May 16 (replacing her two dates at the Academy on May 15/16) Bombay Bicycle Club at Edinburgh's Liquid Room on June 7, Belle & Sebastian at Inverness' Ironworks on July 1, We Are Scientists at Glasgow's Oran Mor on July 29, Kid Canaveral + Ballboy at Edinburgh's Liquid Room on August 10.
Kid Canaveral + The Last Battle + Adam Ross (Randolph's Leap) also play a free show at Edinburgh's Caves on May 23 with 300 tickets on the door on a first come, first served basis as part of a Dewar's event.
April 25, 2013: Seasick Steve, The Pigeon Detectives, Julie Fowlis, Meursault, Washington Irving, PAWS and The LaFontaines have been added to the Belladrum Festival line-up on August 2-3.
Washington Irving have released Palomides Volume 1, the first half of their debut album.
The View are streaming Kill Kyle, one of two new songs on their compilation album Seven Year Setlist, out on June 17.
April 24, 2013: The showcase list of artists picked to play goNORTH in Inverness on June 5-6 has been announced. For the third consecutive year there will be a bloggers' showcase stage hosted by The Pop Cop, Peenko and Song, by Toad. More details to follow soon.
Kilmarnock's Dirty Weekender will feature 45 acts over three venues on May 31 to June 2 including Fridge Magnets, Bwani Junction, The Ok Social Club, Ross Leighton (Fatherson) and Chris Helme.
Poor Things' new single Morgan is free to download – it's taken from their Hurricane Poor Things EP, out on June 10.
Similarly, Cherri Fosphate are giving away Wool from their Burning Youth EP, out on May 11.
April 23, 2013: Glasvegas will play Aberdeen's Garage on June 27, Edinburgh's Liquid Room on June 28 and Glasgow's ABC on June 29.
Reverieme's second album With Up So Floating is out now.
Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire have announced they will release their self-titled new album through Middle Of Nowhere Records in July.
Herculean have a video for Red Weather, taken from The Falling Thunder EP, out on June 7.
April 22, 2013: Stag & Dagger have added Phosphorescent, Rachel Sermanni, Randolph's Leap, French Wives, Fake Major, Prides, Chris Devotion & The Expectations and Donald Macdonald & The Islands to the Glasgow festival's line-up on May 18.
Episode 9 of BBC ALBA's Rapal music TV programme is on iPlayer and features Brown Bear & The Bandits, Cara Mitchell, The Open Day Rotation and John Wean.
Texas have unveiled a video for The Conversation, the title track from their first album in eight years, out on May 20.
Bronagh & The Boys have released their debut single Green, taken from A Young Heart EP, out on May 19.
April 19, 2013: Kassidy's Barrie-James O'Neill and his girlfriend Lana Del Rey have recorded a cover of Summer Wine (made famous by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood), backed with a video featuring handheld footage of the pair in Los Angeles.
My Bloody Valentine, Trash Talk, Fidlar and The VirginMarys have been added to the T in the Park line-up.
April 18, 2013: Pre-sale tickets are available for Regina Spektor at Glasgow's Academy on August 20 and Kings Of Leon at the ciry's Bellahouston Park on August 15, the latter being part of the Glasgow Summer Sessions.
The Mirror Trap have unveiled a video for Westminster Ghost Story, the first track to be taken from their second album Stay Young, due out this autumn.
April 17, 2013: Midnight Lion have changed their name to Prides and expanded to a trio with the addition of Kitty The Lion's Callum Wiseman on guitar and vocals. To coincide with the announcement, they have unveiled wonderfully addictive new song Out Of The Blue.
T in the Park have added Local Natives, Lucy Rose, Swim Deep, Theme Park, Lewis Watson and Sons & Lovers to the festival on July 12-14.
April 16, 2013: Doune The Rabbit Hole have announced that this year's festival will take place at the new location of Cardross Estate at Port of Menteith in Stirlingshire on August 22-25. The line-up features Clinic, Meursault, Rachel Sermanni, Alasdair Roberts, Washington Irving, The Pastels, PAWS, Beerjacket, Rick Redbeard, We Are The Physics, Randolph's Leap, Siobhan Wilson, Panda Su, Shambles Miller, Jo Mango and TeenCanteen. See here for full day-by-day splits.
April 15, 2013: James and Twin Atlantic will headline the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival on August 2-3. Other acts on the bill include Admiral Fallow, Fatherson, Rick Redbeard, Noisettes, The Horrors and King Charles.
April 13, 2013: Edinburgh's live music scene has suffered yet another setback with Forest Cafe having its live music licence reviewed, causing the immediate postponement of gigs there, starting with the Solas Showcase scheduled for today.
Newsnight Scotland featured a report on the music industry on April 10, prompted by the Wide Days convention in Edinburgh. Watch the segment on BBC iPlayer, with contributions from Stanley Odd's Dave Hook, Plum's Shona Maguire, Chemikal Underground's Stewart Henderson, Wide Days organiser Olaf Furniss and journalist Nicola Meighan. The interviews were conducted by Galleries drummer Andrew Black.
April 12, 2013: Episode 8 of BBC ALBA's Rapal music TV programme is on iPlayer and features Niteworks, The Holy Ghosts, Miaoux Miaoux and The Merrylees.
Eagleowl have unveiled Not Over, the first offering from debut album This Silent Year, which will come out through Fence Records on May 13.
Dear Lara, aka David Lan, has released his debut EP Plans as a free download.
April 11, 2013: Capitals' debut album A National Service will come out on June 3, with those who pre-order it (from just £5) getting an immediate download of any of the record's 11 tracks, one of which is Reliever.
The View will release singles compilation Seven Year Setlist on June 17 – the album features two new songs, Dirty Magazine and Kill Kyle.
Several Scottish acts have posted tracks from forthcoming new albums – check out Washington Irving – Wandering Wits, United Fruit – Taste I Can't Give Up and Hector Bizerk – Orchestrated Madness.
April 10, 2013: Promoters Cry Parrot will host their 6th Birthday Party at Glasgow's Glue Factory on April 26 with a gig featuring Sacred Paws, Hector Bizerk, Tut Vu Vu, Ultimate Thrush, Ela Orleans and Sad City.
Three Blind Wolves are previewing Slow Summer Deer, taken from their Sing Hallelujah For The Old Machine album, released on May 6.
Where We Lay Our Heads single Keanu Leaves is out now.
Great Cop are giving away new song Stop Hiding as a free download.
April 9, 2013: Mogwai guitarist John Cummings uploaded a photo of himself at Glasgow's George Square yesterday where more than 300 people gathered, inspired by his band's 2011 song George Square Thatcher Death Party.
Hi-Arts, which promotes arts in the Highlands and Islands, has issued notices of redundancies to all 10 of its staff in the wake of funding cuts.
April 8, 2013: Fridge Magnets will play a 'silent gig' at a secret outdoor location in Glasgow on May 15 (6pm) – tickets can be won through organisers Deezer. The band will perform inside a mobile perspex box with the 300-capacity audience able to hear them through headphones.
Kassidy have released new mini-album People Like Me.
April 7, 2013: Song Of Return have launched their Singles Club project on Bandcamp through which they'll be selling unreleased tracks. Month 1 contains Torn Between The Tides (see video) and Enough.
Cairn String Quartet, who were profiled on The Pop Cop in March, have unveiled their orchestral cover of Kid Canaveral's Low Winter Sun.
Travis have made new song Another Guy available to download for free through their website. It also has a video.
April 6, 2013: The following 16 HMV and Fopp stores in Scotland will remain open following Hilco's takeover – HMV: Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, East Kilbride, Edinburgh Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Princes St, Glasgow Argyle St, Glasgow Buchanan St, Glasgow Fort, Inverness, Livingston, Stirling; Fopp: Edinburgh; Glasgow Union St; Glasgow Byres Rd.
Bwani Junction have a video for new single Civil War, out on April 29.
Rachel Sermanni and Emma's Imagination are among the acts playing the Kintyre Songwriters Festival in Campbeltown on May 24-26.
Quickbeam will launch their debut album with a gig at the disused Govanhill Baths in Glasgow on May 31. They will be supported by Fake Major whose debut Have Plenty Of Fun EP comes out on May 1.
April 5, 2013: Spotify director Mark Williamson will give the keynote speech at next week's Wide Days event in Edinburgh as part of a session on the business of streaming. The full running order is here.
Episode 7 of BBC ALBA's Rapal music TV programme is on iPlayer and features Anna Sweeney, Cara Mitchell, Discopolis and Paul McGranaghan.
Dot JR has uploaded new song Waterfalls to SoundCloud.
April 4, 2013: The Tiree Music Festival will take place in An Talla on July 20-21 with a bill that includes Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire, Washington Irving, The Youth And Young and Brown Bear & The Bandits.
Galleries' fantastic new single Midnight Rush is out now.
Casual Sex have made a video for their debut single Stroh 80. They play Glasgow's Nice 'n' Sleazy on April 5 and Oran Mor on April 7.
April 3, 2013: Comlongon Rocks have added a third day of live music to its line-up at Comlongon Castle in Dumfries & Galloway on May 17-19. The festival's line-up features Three Blind Wolves, Emma's Imagination, The OK Social Club and Saint Max.
Chem 19 are offering three days of free recording time to five Scottish acts through their Creative Scotland Demo Fund. To apply, musicians (under-25s only) should email a link to some demos and a bio to email@example.com with the subject Chem19 Demo Fund Enquiry before April 26. Chosen acts will also take part in a live showcase.
Siobhan Wilson + Julia And The Doogans + Jo Mango will play Glasgow's Roxy 171 on June 26 as part of the Scottish Fiction Presents: Aye Tunes vs Peenko night at the West End Festival.
April 2, 2013: Acts confirmed for The Insider Festival in Aviemore on June 21-23 include Rachel Sermanni, Karine Polwart, Hector Bizerk, Urstan, David Thomas Broughton, Miaoux Miaoux, Pete Roe, Jonnie Common, Adam Holmes And The Embers and Sparrow And The Workshop.
Up-and-coming acts can apply to play the Hebridean Celtic Festival in Stornoway on July 17-20 through their One Step Further competition which is open to musicians aged 18-25. To enter, artists need to email email@example.com with the subject HebCelt New Talent Submissions and include links to three songs, a biog and high-res photo. Closing date is April 12.
April 1, 2013: Quickbeam's self-titled debut album will be released through Comets & Cartwheels on June 3 – check out the video for lead track Immersed which will be available as a free download on April 29.
We Were Promised Jetpacks will headline the second night of the three-day Solas Festival in Perthshire on June 22.
Minor Delilah will be giving away copies of their new EP, Only Dust Can Hear You, to anyone who attends their launch gig at Glasgow's Classic Grand on May 3.
Will Haddow Fest stumble and fall?
Organising HADDOW FEST, the multi-venue festival landing on Edinburgh's doorstep this weekend, must be a nightmare since there are more than 100 acts appearing and 10 venues to juggle – The Picture House, Liquid Room, Bongo Club, The Caves, Electric Circus, Maggies Chamber, Whistlebinkies, Banshee Labyrinth and The Store.
There are worrying signs the promoters may have bitten off more than they can chew.
The entire event was pushed back a week from March 26/27 to April 2/3 after the first batch of early-bird tickets had sold out. Just a fortnight ago, headliners Razorlight were moved from the Corn Exchange to the Picture House "to keep everything more central". If that was indeed the genuine explanation (and not, say, because slower-than-anticipated ticket sales made it more sensible to switch it to somewhere with half the capacity), you do wonder why they picked a location 3.5 miles outside of town in the first place given the one-ticket-does-all-venues nature of Haddow Fest.
While non-priority (i.e. no guarantee of entry to see Razorlight) day tickets are on sale at £25, the organisers haven't been shy in promoting discounted £15 tickets, which are available to anyone who makes a request by emailing email@example.com as well as to students. Another telling sign that all is not quite going according to plan is that tickets for the Razorlight gig alone recently went on sale, which would seem to defeat the purpose of calling it a multi-venue festival.
The most bizarre story of all, though, is that local band We See Lights are scheduled to appear at Maggies Chamber on Sunday from 4.45pm-5.15pm despite never having been asked to play. They directed this message to @Haddowfest on Twitter last night: "I know in Wayne's World they said "booked them' and they will come…" but you ain't booked Wsl but you have us down as playing!"
Putting all those logistical problems aside, the festival does have some fine Scottish talent on show, such as the ever-enjoyable live spectacle that is Broken Records (Sunday, 3.45pm, The Caves), The Dykeenies (Saturday, 7pm, Bongo Club), The Pop Cop favourites Sebastian Dangerfield (Sunday, 5.35pm, Maggies Chamber) and Little Eskimos (Sunday, 4.15pm, Banshee Labyrinth), talented newcomer Michael Cassidy (Sunday, The Caves, 1pm) and Strawberry Ocean Sea (Saturday, Maggies Chamber, 9.40pm) who have a Glasvegas-meets-British Sea Power sound that could serve them well.
There's also no doubting Razorlight (Sunday, 9.30pm, Picture House) are heavyweight headliners, but the bill probably could have done with a few more medium-sized bands. Hopefully the organisers can get over the teething troubles and make Haddow Fest a recurring feature in Edinburgh's annual music calendar.
Download full running order: Saturday / Sunday
Razorlight – Stumble And Fall
Broken Records – The Crumbling Wall
The Dykeenies – Sounds Of The City
King Charles – Love Lust
Strawberry Ocean Sea – Today's The Day
Michael Cassidy – Everybody's Scared
Little Eskimos – Would You Think About It?
* Check out Little Eskimos' live appearance on The Pop Cop's Subcity radio show last weekend here.
118 Responses to "Will Haddow Fest stumble and fall?"
Myke Says:
Did you not see Error's twitter? http://twitter.com/#!/Weareerrors/statuses/52733158260621312
Immediately after Homework sent out a press release claiming they were supporting Errors at Haddowfest
Fraser Says:
I heard the exact same thing happened with Sucioperro. They were on the poster quite early on having never agreed to play.
Apparently last year's event was a nightmare too, from what I heard, Make Sparks kept getting electrocute on stage, Idlewild had no idea they were playing until a week or so before the gig (heard about it during a radio interview) and there were issues with bands not being paid.
I've personally worked with the promoter at another event and he is a joke.
Alex Says:
Do you think I should contact the promoters just to ensure they haven't got me down for headlining at one of the main venues and haven't told me? Highly unlikely I grant you but, you never know
Michael Says:
I remember my band got asked to play last year or the year before and, after agreeing in principle (i.e what's the fee, promo etc) the promoter replied but had obviously hit 'Reply All' and not intended us to see his response. It was along the lines of 'I don't like them but a lot of other folk do, so glad they're up for it!'. Needless to say, we declined to play his shitfest.
SoulAuctioneer Says:
Not to mention that tickets for the Alternative Stage are £12 and get you access to everything except the picture house. Add on to that that the alternative stage mysteriously disappeared from the haddowfest website listing, that ripping records are now refusing to stock alternative stage tickets and the fact that none of the bands are receiving any payment for the gigs…. it all sounds pretty dodgy to me
SoulAuctioneer Says:
oh, and the people all over their facebook group asking when their tickets will be arriving
Bainbridge Music Says:
I can ABSOLUTELY guarantee you that every single band advertised shall be playing the Bainbridge Alternative Stage at The Store on Saturday and Sunday, including (over the two days) La Faro, Stanley Odd, A Fight You Can't Win, The Fire And I, White Heath, Matt Norris And The Moon and more. Go to http://www.bainbridgemusic.bigcartel.com to get cheap tickets for this and other stages if it interests you at all, and check Pussbook for a full line-up of the Bainbridge Alt. Stage bands.
Mark Says:
I`ve seen a few bands who were playing then announced recently they were no longer playing (or were never playing in the first place) and bands who have just announced they are playing. There`s some good acts on show though I`de like to see (Ghosts of Progress, Wheres Strutter?, Broken Records etc) but there`s obv gonna be logistical nightmares and a load of clashes. It`s all rather confusing.
Do Razorlight even know they`re playing?
That guy from that band you saw supporting that band who were actual gash Says:
Whole thing's pretty poorly organized. The Bainbridge stage on Saturday and the Liquid Rooms stuff on Sunday should be really good though, regardless of how many tickets have actually been sold. Young people in Edinburgh are scared to fork out a fiver for local gigs, it wouldn't surprise me if ticket sales for Haddowfest have been poor.
SoulAuctioneer Says:
The whole thing should really be 14+ too (at least), such a lost market in Edinburgh.
Having said that the Bainbridge stage line-up on Saturday is particularly good.
Hamish Says:
Even if organisation isn't at its best, it's good to see someone really trying to put on a proper large scale music event in Edinburgh, the city needs it.
dEL Says:
Hamish's comment above is correct.
Edinburgh needs this. There have historically been very few people in this city who bother their arses to put on events that can not only nurture the existing talent and scene, but also perhaps inspire the next generation. Having just moved back to the city after a decade living elsewhere, I am very happy to see that someone is trying to do just that.
So what if there are a few mistakes here and there, and if something doesn't work as well as it should? Anyone who has been involved in the industry for any length of time knows that it's par for the course. Some of the biggest, most legendary gigs were a logistic (and otherwise) nightmare – that didn't stop Woodstock, Spike Island etc etc going down in history, did it?
Personally, I think The Pop Cop should be getting right behind Haddowfest and encouraging people to buy tickets and to get to the shows, rather than just setting themselves up for an "I told you so" article next week. Have a look at how many blogs & fanzines get behind the likes of The Camden Crawl and help to generate good tickets sales and positive publicity for the events…rather than having a dig before it has even happened.
Hahahahaddowfest Says:
Is HAMISH above actually the mystical bull shitter that is Hamish Jolly, creator of Haddow Fest?
Johnny Says:
I heard the haddowfest promoter was after £52k loan to pay their headline acts, You'd think £50 weekend tickets to see shit Razorlite, backed up with what is let's be frank here, terrible terrible unsigned bands would have been enough to cover that. The unsigned bands dont get paid a button apparently, and they have to put up with all the shit with setting up and playing with shit backlines.
I recon more big names will pull out, i've no idea why a band such as broken records are associating themselves with such bollox. The promoter will be in hiding if this happens, £50 to see chaos and below par unsigned bands. Ouch!
SoulAuctioneer Says:
I agree that the city can benefit from an event like this… but an event at a grassroots level which actively engages the music community and music fans would be considerably better. As far as I can tell, the majority of the bands involved are unimpressed and feel taken advantage of.
Sneakyfest managed to do something pretty similar (although on a smaller scale – 3 venues) last year without any drama and they managed to pay ALL the bands. From what I can see Haddowfest is primarily a money-making endeavour which prevents participating bands from taking other (paid or better promoted) gigs within a couple of weeks either side of the festival while not offering them any reward apart from the 'prestige' of being involved. Effectively putting an end to the live music scene in Edinburgh for 3weeks or so. I'm an active gig goer and music fan and have seen almost next to no publicity for the events. So what do the bands stand to gain? Nothing financial, nothing promotional and not new fans on account of the cost of the tickets.
As far as I can see this is a promoter who isn't interested in benefiting the bands. I would very much like to be proved wrong.
Johnny Says:
Here here SoulAuctioneer you are spot on. SneakyFest coped very well, I went and seen some great QUALITY bands, even if they were unsigned. Maybe HF has bit off more than it can chew. From what I've heard the promoter isn't local, maybe this explains amount of crap on offer.
Johnny Says:
Just heard seen someone mention Broken Records have pulled, they didn't know they were even playing!
dEL Says:
"Is HAMISH above actually the mystical bull shitter that is Hamish Jolly, creator of Haddow Fest?"
– I though that might be the case myself!
" tickets to see shit Razorlite, backed up with what is let's be frank here, terrible terrible unsigned bands"
– Razorlite are not my cup of tea, but plenty of people do like them…that's their choice and who am I/you/anyone else to say their tastes are shit? Also, if the unsigned bands are all so terrible (which I don't agree with, again, personal tastes vary); then why are you so affronted at them not getting paid? Bit of a paradoxical opinion there mate…reads like you are looking to be negative about the festival even if your opinion contradicts itself.
BTW – there is an ice-cube's chance in hell that Razorlite & other headliners combined would cost anywhere near the figure you quoted. Urban myths tend to be just that. And Broken Records are not all that either, in my opinion, several of the unsigned acts are better than them – but that's only in my opinion so you are free to think what you want.
@SoulAuctioneer – great to hear there are more things going on here with Sneakyfest.
It is not good if lots of acts are not getting paid for Haddowfest; but surely they at least get a % on referred ticket sales and as much free beverage as they can drink? The publicity aspect might be the reason for a lot of them, which is what they need to get people turning up to their gigs and buying stuff on itunes or whatever. I've seen quite a lot myself but then the bands themselves have been pushing it all over FB the last few weeks, which might be why.
It's also not cool if they can't play for three weeks around the gig this weekend, standard for a big name, but for unsigned acts? I wasn't aware that that was the case when I commented before and I do think that is very unfair.
Personally, I don't think the tickets are all that expensive as it seems to be easy to get the lower priced options, the published 50 quid price makes it look as if you are getting a better deal, when they probably budgeted it based on selling the lower priced ones anyway (well, they should have). I'd never buy a 50 quid ticket myself and I'd not be over the moon at all the discounted ones still available now if I had.
Either way, I still think Edinburgh needs more of this kind of thing and something is generally better than nothing in my book.
Jim Gellatly Says:
Well… I just got the latest Broken Records mail-out saying they are playing… but maybe Johnny's source is more up to date? As for not knowing they were playing, I personally made some introductions, so I not convinced. The Hamish above isn't Hamish Jolly by the way (who has actually moved to Scotland). Disappointing this article appeared without asking the Haddow Fest people for clarification on several things I know aren't quite right…
sg Says:
Well I suppose its good to see that so many people are talking about Haddowfest – good and bad – word must be getting out!!
A lot of the comments above mention that its not a good deal for the bands so I thought it was worth mentioning that a large proportion of the bands played last year – so if it was as bad as some are trying to make it sound – they wouldn't be back for a second year. Also, lots of the same venues so they must not have any complaints either.
All I know is that looking at the schedules I have no problems finding great bands to fill two entire days with several conflicts – so if a few bands do pull out there will still be plenty of choice!! And for people not familiar with Edinburgh's music scene its a great chance to check out the local talent and venues – Bongo club was amazing last year and I love the Caves and Liquid Room!!!
Simon Says Says:
I heard a band pulled out-who'd agreed to play ages ago-because they didn't even get their name advertised on the posters or website!!
At the end of the day HADDOWFEST is just a transparent, old school way of trying to build an average landfill indie bands profile (the 10.04′s) by the bands manager who doesn't actually give a fuck about the other bands or have a clue about music or what's current or remotely good (twisted wheel?), by putting on an 'event' headlined by a 'big' band who are cheaper to book now because their glory days are 4 years behind them.
Why half of some of the better local bands agreed to play and tarnish their names I'll never know.
Simon Says Put your hands over your ears
Simon Says Says:
I also know for a fact all the bands were being emailed-in rather a bullying fashion-by the promoter telling them their social network sites would be monitored to make sure they were promoting Haddowfest, and were they not, they could be moved down the bill or taken off completely.
Probably why there was a massive surge in bands promoting it on facebook!
Sebastian Dangerfield Says:
That's kind of funny about We See Lights – we've never been contacted to confirm we're playing on Sunday either! But we'll be there… even though we sadly didn't make the poster
Paul Says:
Promoter is one of those people to avoid in the music industry. So full of shit it's unreal! Obv alot of people gave him a chance last year being the debut year with the likes of Idlewild, WWPJP etc playing. I think this year the bigger bands and the people behind these would be headliners have got wind of how much of a fuck up last year was. Chaos, late running, electrocutions, no sound engineers, over crowding, bands not being paid. I've heard alot of bad bad things about last year and the promoter from various bands and people.
These unsigned bands play Haddowfest because they're just happy to be playing a festival with the possibility of playing with big acts. I'm afraid if you think anything will come from this you're so mistaken. It's going total hassle from the minute you turn up. Someone mentioned as much free drink as you want, ha yeh and pigs might fly.
I for one will NOT be foriking out a single penny to goto this gig, if I had a free ticket I wouldn't bother going, it's that chaotic (in a bad way).
Another thing, has anyone seen any actual promotion for this gig like flyers or posters? No, that's probably because the promoter is trying to have as little outlay as possible and profiting from all these poor bands getting their mates to folk out fortunes to see them.
This is certainly NOT WHAT EDINBURGH NEEDS.
Stewart Says:
here's an extract from an email i received in october last year when i enquired about the possibility of my band playing the event:
"In order for us to confirm your particpation we need a deposit of 50% of tickets (£150). We send you 25 tickets which you sell for £15(cheaper then early bird discount tickets and half price of full festival tickets). Out of the
25 tickets we take 20(£300) you keep the rest. If you wish to sell any more then we can split all subsequant tickets 50/50. Please not these tickets will not give your fans fast track entry into venues. Once we have got your deposit we can confirm you and add you to our listings etc. Once the full amount has been recieved we can confirm your slot at The Festival.
Obviously we are doing this on a first come first served basis so if the full amount comes in a day before the festival you can't expext a good slot "perhaps things changed for submissions later on, but i'm not really interested in getting involved in those sorts of shenanigans, thank you very much.
Claire Says:
Stewart, that's fucking incredible.
S Says:
It's interesting that no-one's seen posters etc for the festival, though if it's sold out maybe they feel there's no need. But they don't seem to do mailouts either, which is why it's not been trailed on Jockrock (I've tried contacting the promoter both for info and to see about press passes for itm? reviewers). Not really sure what PR 'model' they're working to, but any other gig or festival will ask for publicity – after all, it's all free, can't do any harm etc. And surely apart from selling tickets, getting the smaller bands on the bill exposure is why events like this happen?
SoulAuctioneer Says:
@dEL – there's lots of great stuff going on in Edinburgh if you know where to look This city isn't as musically dead as people seems to believe.
A friends band are playing Haddowfest and they get 0% of referred ticket sales, in fact they get nothing at all. Not even a free drink. They might get a kick in the balls if they're lucky.
@Stewart – that is full on shocking and worthy of an email to the MU. It also completely destroys any credibility Haddowfest has as it's basically a buy-on slot, and a pay to play gig. People should not be allowed to operate like that, it's completely taking advantage of local musicians. What a disgrace.
Jim Says:
This year and last I tried contacting the promoters for info (not freebies, just info) to do a bit of promo on the fest over on my own site. Lots of silence, so they aren't my favourite people. Also heard a ton of horror stories, but I'm not a gossip so I won't go repeating them *ahem*
I will exempt the Bainbridge folk from that though, they've been great with information about their stage to the point I feel a bit sorry that they are attached to something that seems to be a bit of a shambles otherwise.
It is all well and good saying we should get behind this sort of thing, but when we get dingied, hear nothing but bad things, and it generally looks a mess I think you can maybe see why we aren't lining up to give our support.
liam Says:
good to see someone at least trying to do something in Edinburgh. Whether it works or not, we shall see.
Maybe better to do something like this on a smaller scale, maybe a later start in two or three smaller venues in the afternoon with a good crowd puller in a decent sized venue like the Picturehouse/Queens Hall later on where everyone's tickets are valid, and building on it year after year?
Good luck to the organisers though and I hope that this doesn't put people off attempting events like this (especially in Edinburgh) in the future. Nice to see people getting off their arses and at least trying to do a good thing.
Joe Says:
Not good to see someone taking advantage of unsigned bands.
P.s. Where do the 1004′s think they'll get with this joker?
Anonymous Says:
Every Festival has a rumor mill surrounding it. Broken Records are playing – why would they send a mail out yesterday confirming their slot? Rather then slating the festival I think you should get behind it. My band (who I will not mention in this post) played Haddow Fest last year and ended up getting some really good slots in London from the promoter and I know we are not the only ones who benefited from this. Its very easy to jump on a bandwagon and slate the festival but its aim is to obviously promote unsigned Scottish talent- If you can't get behind that then there is something seriously wrong. Punting tickets for gigs and festivals is a norm for any unsigned band, Rome was not built in a day etc and a festival like this allows bands to share fanbases and get to support bigger acts who we would not normally be able to do. Bit disappointed at this coming out a couple of days before the festival as it does not do any of the bands playing any good. I for one will ignore and enjoy our slot at the liquid rooms.
David Says:
I agree in principal that it's great for a multi-venue music festival like this to be on in Edinburgh. There's nothing else like it here and it gives unsigned Edinburgh bands a chance to play in front of new crowds and get some fresh exposure. And if nothing else, it's just fun to play at a festival.
But… all this festival does in reality is take advantage of what seems to be a big imbalance between the number of eager and under-exposed unsigned bands in this city compared to the general lack of audience and opportunity there is for them. My band are playing on Sunday. We've never been contacted with any details of what's happening. We've never even been contacted with any confirmation that we're playing. But there doesn't seem to be any chance of us appearing at any other music festival in Edinburgh any time soon so we'll turn up at the time it says on the Haddow fest website and play anyway. We won't get paid or thanked but we'll do it simply because it might generate a few new fans.
As soon as a different promoter with some respect for musicians comes along and gives us the chance to play at something better we probably won't be at a Haddow fest again. But until then, like most other wee bands in Edinburgh, we'll pretty much take any opportunity we can get to play in front of a new crowd.
Rich Says:
I know of 3 bands who were on the bill and were not even asked to play. the promoter is a fucking joke. Great organisea big festival to promote music in the city, but if you are going to do it you should probably have the decency to ask each artist if they want to play before you put their names on posters and line-ups. Fucking clowns.
Anonymous one Says:
Who is all running stage's I see Bainbridge are running 1 and the guys from Fife has 1, is the rest Haddow Fest's own.
The guy who has running this event, is at least trying, you have to give him that. It may be a shambles but go along and see a few good bands, I am sure I will be. Am sure most festivals take a few years to settle down.
Bob Says:
I have seen the comments here about this being the ONLY festival in Edinburgh. We also have, the fringe and for smaller unsigned bands, there is also the Leith Festival, which is a community festival ran over 10 days in Leith.
I do believe that the communication for HF has been pretty bad, if not damn right poor, but there is a team of bookers for this, not just one promoter, so blame them all not just one.
SoulAuctioneer Says:
@ Bob, Thank you! There is actually loads of stuff going on in Edinburgh! Sneakyfest, MaggiesFest, Twestival, Leith Festival, EdRush Festival (if it's still going), The Edge Festival etc etc (though I would debate the usefulness of the fringe for anything other than shouting in an empty room!)
I agree that there is a team behind it but surely the problems must stem from bad management, communication or lack of direction from the top? As promoter he should be managing his team of bookers and making sure everything is going to plan as it's his reputation that's at stake…
Michael Says:
Agree with Simon Says. Unfortunately this looks like nothing but a sad attempt for a band/'manager' to attach themselves and other bands with 'the' in their names to some credibility. If it's kudos they're after (e.g headinling big venues, playing the Picturehouse etc) then they need a real manager and a booking agent. If it's money they want (which I suspect is the case) then they need to work hard or apply for funding like most bands do. If they want to nurture and promote the Edinburgh music scene, then they need to pay bands, highlight an accurate cross-section (not your pals bands at the top of the posters etc) and do it on a grass roots scale.
SneakyFest was ideal, as not only was it managable and all very close together (like Oxjam), but it was ran by Nick who is absolutely key to helping out Edinburgh bands and has a real passion for live music. I really do wish the festival the best of luck though and would love to be proven wrong, but even objectively it's impossible to say they've made a good job of proceedings so far.
Michael Says:
Also, to any bands reading this: I played enough gigs when my band first started to be able to have a good idea of when a promoter might not cough up the dosh. The guy running this might be sound, but if I were playing it I would certainly ask for payment before going on stage.
Johnny Says:
Agree Micheal, if you are playing this, reading this and want paid I strongly strongly advise you seek payment before turning up this weekend. You'll not see the promoter afterwards, he'll be on his train back down south with a big bag of money.
cc Says:
I just got a press release about Haddowfest. Funny that!
Bob Says:
I think a press release was always going to happen, but maybe it should of been sooner than what it is.
@soulauctineer yes! There is loads of stuff going on in Edinburgh. Sadly, stuff in edinburgh hardly ever gets praised for the good stuff it has going. This only made it here, as people wanted to bitch about it. Not sticking up for HF as I agree that it has had many problems, but bands on here are very quick to moan, simple thing, if you don't want to play it pull out! There is other stuff going on in Edinburgh over the next few months for you to get stuck in to.
SoulAuctioneer Says:
UPDATE: I have just head that Haddofest at the Bongo club on Saturday (where Errors were allegedly playing) has now been cancelled.
And if you want an opinion on promoters from the edinburgh scene you should give this a read http://www.edinburghunderground.com/dearpromoters.html I'm sure most people who have been in gigging bands can recognise a few harsh truths in there!
@Bob, I can assure you that my band are pretty happy not to have anything to do with this! I think a lot of bands would be too scared to pull out due to the myth that has somehow evolved that if you're a musician then you should expect to be repeatedly shit on!
Bob Says:
@SoulAuctioneer I think from the sounds of it, it seems as if it is a bit of a cluster fuck to say the least. Shame the bongo club has been pulled as it is a good venue, but again this may all stem from poor pre sales?
Have read that piece from Lesley before, good piece and one that highlights some of the problems bands seem to have. I stick with what I said however, bands in Edinburgh are more incline to highlight the bad than the good. Which is a shame as there is a lot of good stuff going on in Edinburgh, and the music scene is full of fantastic bands.
ddd Says:
Just received press release; two days before it starts? Have dealt with the promoter before; absolute joke, who seems to live off bank loans, paying big bands to play shit gigs, then ripping off unsigned bands. Edinburgh needs something decent, but not this.
Alex Says:
Ok let me put my business head on here. Taking Stewarts post as an example it appears that the"Promoter" here is offering each band what is essentially TWO business propositions.
The first is an offer to employ bands as Ticket sellers for which he will pay them 20% commission on the first 20 tickets sold, a flat rate of £75 for the next 5 and then 50% on anything sold over this amount.That is his FIRST business proposition.
His SECOND business proposition and one not to be confused with the ticket sellers role, is that he is willing to enter into a business deal energy he will offer to band a slot at one of these gigs for which he will pay them NOTHING.
There are some people ,possibly including the "Promoter" who are under the mistaken belief that the bands do get paid for playing but as shown above these commission payments ,for that is what they are, are for selling tickets not for playing .
So in summation when bands are offered these deals they should be aware of . It s entirely a matter for them whether they accept but if it was up to me I would advise any band who can sell the amount of tickets expected of such promoters to simply get in tow with a few other bands and put on their own gig.
They will make more money that way.
Alex Says:
Please note replace the word "energy" with "whether" in my previous post. Bloody I pad!
sg Says:
The FINAL schedule is now on the haddowfest.com website. The Bongo club is definitely on Saturday but not sunday. It would be nice if you did check your sources before posting!!!
With regards to ticket sales – perhaps very early on the promoter may have considered getting bands to sell tickets but I'm pretty sure that didn't happen since NO BANDS have tried to sell tickets. Again – not nice when people spread gossip that isn't verified!!
I subscribe to ticket websites and have gotten lots of emails (from see tickets I believe) regarding Haddowfest. That is how the early bird tickets sold out. So advertising has been going on for several months. Although it would never hurt to do more and I'm sure that the promoter would appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE advice.If you really are concerned about the bands then the best thing to do is to go and support them at the event – spreading negavitve gossip that may stop people going is a million times worse than anything going on at the organisational level.
Jim Says:
A quick look at Facebook shows umpteen bands asking their fans to get in touch if they want tickets, I'd say that counts as selling.
Sting Says:
Wait your all saying its going to flop, sure this would mean the promoter would be losing money….. How can he be ripping anyone off? It looks all over the place from here,last year was the same and I enjoyed a good few bands. Lets aw just enjoy it and hang him on Monday if it all goes tits up
Ralf Says:
Just seen the revised line ups. Imagine buying a £50 ticket, you'd be spewing.
Anonymous Says:
Is Big Jim Gellatly being paid by Haddowfest..?
Hamish Says:
A lot of people seem to be complaining about the promoter being money-grabbing and the like. Well you'd be hard pressed to find a promoter putting on an event of this scale who isn't in it for the money, why's that such a big deal?
The way I see it is the event might be terribly run, the admin behind it might not have a clue, and the primary overseers of the operation might be headless chickens, but at the end of the day, it's an ambitious effort to put on a vast musical event on in a city which needs more ambition like this.
A large range of bands, a large range of venues (from Picture House to some bars I've not even heard of) which helps remind people what's on offer facility wise. And not to mention the fact that this festival shows there are people out there prepared to at least TRY (even if spectacularly badly and for the wrong reasons) to do stuff like this in places like Edinburgh.
Although that deposit thing mentioned above seems really quite questionable.
Alex Says:
Personally I've nothing against Promoters making profits , but like any business venture there are overheads and that includes the bands. The fact that the bands themselves are not considered an overhead and therefore should be paid is what is the problem with many such events these days.
In an ideal world a promoter should factor in the cost of not just the venue hire etc but also payments for the bands he or she wishes to play.
He or she should be saying to a band if you pay this I will pay you x amount and you can also make additional money by selling tickets for which I will pay you a commission.
What the band get paid obviously depends on their drawing power and for relativley new bands the amount need not be much, but the principle is upheld that bands deserve payment for playing notwithstanding any additional comission they make for agreeing to sell tickets on behalf of the promoter.
If after that a promoter makes a nice tidy profit then good luck and well done.
If they don't then they need to rethink how they do things, that's business!
XX Says:
Bongo Club has been pulled.
Vonny Says:
Personally, I think this is really sh*tty. The event organisation may not have been without flaw, but at least there's an event of this magnitude taking place. It's a chance for genuine music lovers to show their support for local bands, and hopefully discover new music, and scathing press like this only serves to put people off buying a ticket. This totally kills the music scene.
This festival is in it's infancy, and these things are never without teething problems. You should be showing your support instead of giving gravitas to supposition and making the bands who have agreed to take part feel negatively about it.
Broken Records and the like are playing because they haven't forgotten where they've come from, and they actually care about playing to their home fans and the people that helped them to get where they are now.
pish Says:
So Dykeenies pulled out last night becasue it was so badly run
Anonymous Says:
How to run a festival:
- Be SJM, Live nation, AEG or MEtropolis
How not to run a festival:
- Try and compete with SJM, AEG, Live nation and Metropolis
What Haddockfest is is all about is a blagger trying to chance his way along.
1. Blag crap venues to pay for an "event" promising beer sales
2. Blag crap bands to pay to play an "event" to underwrite the cost of bigger bands…
3.Get blagged by an agent who overcharges a well-known has been band to play a warm-up show
4.Stick his "mates" or probably brother's band as main support and cajole a radio DJ into it in an attempt to "manage the band" as if they are going to be the next arctic monkeys..The end result is everyone involved is utterly pissed off.
The only person who isn't pissed off is the agent of the headliner – who feigns being pissed off when his band moan about being associated with a complete shambles, but doesn't really care as he just got 10% for sending an email.
Roll on next year, headliners will be…The Bravery and Ocean Colour Scene…sign uop for the gig now as second from main support – you only have to sell 500 tickets at £50.
Anonymous Says:
Theres a few true responses here.Mainly about getting your money before you go on.One thing i can tell you for certain is the fact that the promotor is a knocker.Makes lots of promises and then diaappears before he pays up
Jim Gellatly Says:
Agreed about the PR… and several other issues… indeed a bit surprised that lessons weren't learnt from last year. Saying that, I've met more people having a great time than otherwise. In reply to a previous post asking if I was paid, I can confirm that a fee was agreed… Not sure I should feel guilty about doing my job. Quite willing to talk more with anyone who wishes to drop me a line, but would rather not do it on a public forum.
Anonymous Says:
Anonymous Says:
Nothing wrong with Jim being paid to do his job – its not right all the negatives rub off on him to be honest as he's just tryign to support whatever goes on in the area. I doubt he'd have got involved if he knew the truth behind how everyone was being dealt with.
It was appallingly put together and really speaking honestly to the other bands who played everyone knows they were used and ripped off.
The guy "promoting it" was rude and threatening with us and was only interested in the money of which we got done over for a silly amount, his mates band were his only interest and to be brutally honest his drinking.
He's also asked us to pay to play for gigs in London – which I am sure will be dodgy pubs and empty rooms and more false promises with a "deposit up front" as he knows "agents, radio DJs and managers" who can do things for us…
I wonder if this whole thing is just an obvious charade to make money out of pay to play and use dead pubs on odd nights…
I've not met someone like this before but you can tell it does not add up.
Yeah everyone was drunk and it was another night out – but it was not good for the bands involved or the punters who got ripped off but had to go along with it as they had no choice but to smile and swallow the shit.
It's not supporting bands in the area or giving something back – it was ripping everyone off for an egomaniacs piss-up and landfill forcing everyone to pay to play to see a "headline band"
I only hope no one falls for it again.
si Says:
the business propositions were delivered after our name was plastered on the poster.
When confronted about it by mr Haddowfest we were told if we sold 20 tickets we'd be playlisted on Xfm and our demo sent to the record labels as he was an agent.
I bet half the desperate unsigned bands fell for that line.
If I wanted someone to tell me lies and take £300 off me I'd go to amsterdam.
Anonymous Says:
Well to be honest having gone along I can say it was absolute crap and a complete rip-off – the whole organisation was non-existent – bands I bought the ticket for pulled out or were cancelled and every other venue apart from the hmv was shite and full of awful bands being shovelled around like shit – it dawned on me I'd been duped into buying a ticket to see razorshite do a warm-up gig with new band members.
it was not a festival – it was a crap razorshite gig who only need to replace johnny borrell to become the male equivalent of the sugababes – they probably picked edinburgh cos they're not so gullible down south.
Hamish Says:
Hmm, on hearing more and more stories like the above, I'm starting to think I might drop my defence of the festival. Sounds a lot like someone trying to manipulate the fact the city will welcome large scale music events for his own gain.
If these stories are a fair representation of the guy running it, then he's exactly what any music community needs rid of.
Also, on a moral level, I can't say I support Jim's paid promotion, but I guess that's the business (it also seems evident that the promoter knew how bad his festival would be if he had to pay people to say otherwise).
Anonymous Says:
I'm shocked dj's's get paid to play new bands and bands have to pay to do gigs – not surprised now I think about it – how else would it work?
£300 to get playlisted though – wow, no wonder you need managers with money and contacts to get anywhere can't see many new bands stumping up that sort of money to get on the radio.
Jim Gellatly Says:
Em, I wasn't paid to promote the event and say nice things about it. That would be immoral aside from anything else. At least I'm using my own name on here. There are some major accusations on here, with little more than rumour to back them up. I'm not say they aren't true, but the credibility is somewhat lacking without accountability.
Hamish Says:
Fair enough, sorry if what I said offended. I wasn't going on rumour though, I was just going on what you said ("a fee was agreed"), and I obviously misinterpreted.
This thread is ridiculous.
I know everything Says:
Hopefully alot of people have learned their lessons here, and the fact that the mystical figure Hamish Jolly is a dodgey chancing bastard and Haddowfest is nothing but a sham of a 'festival'.
As for the comment previously;
"I am sure will be dodgy pubs and empty rooms and more false promises with a "deposit up front" as he knows "agents, radio DJs and managers" who can do things for us…"
100% fact.
Fraser Says:
Jim, you're right, you should be paid to do a job and you shouldn't have to feel bad about it but shouldn't the same be said about the bands? They're providing a service, entertaining the ticket buyers.
Think the comments on this blog pretty much speak for themselves. The festival is a shambles. Bands and venues pulling out, bands being bullied into paying to play and lied to with false promises of exposure is a joke.
Whoever said the promoter is not solely to blame – I actually don't believe he has a team of bookers or a promotional team. Although I have no proof of this, I really do believe he's taken the whole thing on himself and he's bitten off way more than he can chew, hence the poor communication.
Also, it is good that someone is trying to do something bold and bring a big music event to Edinburgh, but the fact that they 'gave it a go' does not excuse it being a disaster. Bands and music fans have been mistreated and the promoter has walked away with a healthy wad of cash.
I would say the lineup was terrible, therefore I didn't go. I know a lot of people would like these bands and would want to go. Take Stag & Dagger for example, a lot of bands on that bill I like, I'll probably go to that. If it was run in the same way as Haddowfest, I'd be gutted. I wouldn't go back next year and I'd tell as many people I know to stay clear of it.
It really annoys me when band's don't get paid for gigs. There are of course exceptions but at the very least we should be given something for the petrol it takes to get there. People seem to forget that musicians spend a lot of money on their equipment, they've already paid to be there. Promoters and venues book us to provide entertainment, it's a service you should be given a little something for. Bands who are just starting out don't think about this, they seem to think that the exposure they're going to get is worth not being paid at all when in truth they'll probably be stuck on at a terrible venue while a big pulling band like broken records or dykeenies is playing elsewhere.
Mikey Says:
This thread looks like the unofficial truth regarding Haddowfest – as you can't say anything negative on the facebook or to local press who are desperate for any story to write about…
Worst of all the bands involved have to big it up under the false illusion that it will "build their profile" or make them look better by saying they played Haddowfest…
Its like being raped, then telling everyone the rapist was good in bed.
The shit venues have to plug it – because they are shit and nothing good happens in them so any press is good press.
There were rumours about all sorts of bands – what happened to the promise of Faithless headlining Saturday? Or was that just obviously to dupe people into buying an extortionate weekend ticket? Those people should sue along with al the bands whose names have been used falsely to market the event.
I don't think unsigned bands should expect paying for playing their stuff unless they've built enough of a reputation to draw a crowd – at which point they'd have a proper booking agent to get them proper gigs.
But this con-artist is basically ripping off those who aren't good enough or are too naive to know better and any punter who is stupid enough to put their faith in a complete load of blag or try and support their mates.
Wondered why it was on a Sunday? Because of course thats when he got all the "venues" for free, he only booked 1 band that would have cost over £1000 – and the figure of £52k rumour he has spread is the most ridiculous blag I have heard about the whole sorry affair from team Haddow-scam
Anonymous Says:
tbh I think the terms were clearly laid out to any band stupid enough to involve themselves. Ticket purchasers – well that is a different story..more options than starbucks
What did bands honestly expect? To get spotted by Johnny Borrell's management, offered a deal and taken on a world tour? For the promoter to give a shit about anything but the money? To play a decent venue in front of a crowd?
It was painfully obvious it was a gig to promote the 10.04′s – the festival was named after their drummer ffs…
But lets be honest the 10.04′s are not going to suddenly appear on the front of NME after warming up for Johnny Borrells moustache at a pay to play gig.
Next year they should just call it "pay to play in an empty pub next to 10.04 's and name headliner fest" to stop all the moaning afterwards.
Tickets should be sold as "pot luck headline band ticket" or "shit bands and venues only ticket"
Matt Norris Says:
I think claiming that all the bands that weren't at the picture house were shite shows that you don't actually know anything about the local and scottish scene anyway. I played at this, and i know a lot of others who did as well. And not one of them played because they thought they'd get anything out of it, but because they wanted to be part of something that potentially could have been really healthy for the local Edinburgh scene. And, you know, for a laugh.
Also, i don't know anyone that paid to play this. My band played the bainbridge stage (which ran like clockwork the entire day, and seems to be the only stage that anyone had anything at all nice to say in this thread), but i know people that played liquid rooms, Maggie's, etc, and not one of them would have paid to play, because, contrary to popular belief, a lot of the bands involved actually have quite steady local or national followings. I'm pretty sure that almost every band i've ever met or played with, by default, would assume that a pay to play gig is a con.
So i'd suggest that instead of insulting every single act involved based on rumours in a comments section on a blog, maybe focus on the organisation at the top, which was evidently shoddy.
To the poster before that: what are you talking about, shit venues? i'm assuming by that what you actually mean is 'small venues'. Also, its not like rape. You are an idiot.
P.s. Of course Jim deserves to be paid for a DJ set. it's his job.
Vonny Says:
We played after Matt's band on the Bainbridge Alternative Stage too, and I have no complaints. We didn't have to pay any money to play either. Given that no one on this thread could have simultaneously been to see all the acts at all the venues, I think it's really sad to tar everyone with the same brush.
My band aren't naive, we're not a bunch of seventeen year-olds who mistakenly saw this as a ticket to the big time; we were asked to play, on a stage fronted by people we know well and trust, and we enjoyed ourselves in the process.
EEN Says:
Matt and Vonny. What's your understanding of pay to play, and what were your ticket deals if any?
Matt Norris Says:
… pay… to play… its pretty much in the name. If this means different things to different people, it still ends up the same thing, and we didn't do that. And at no point were we (or, again, anyone else i know) told of any 'sell x amount of tickets and keep x%' ticket deal. If we, as one of the smaller bands at this event, plus the larger bands i know who played, were not told to do this, i think it can probably be assumed that noone did; it seems pretty unlikely that bands that were pulling the largest crowds weren't just getting a fixed sum, as would be standard practice. Broken records, etc, aren't turning up for an indeterminate amount of money.
Act Like A Haddow... Says:
I just want to add my 2 cents to this as well.
We played the Bainbridge Alternative stage on the Saturday and drew a pretty big crowd. We DID NOT pay to play nor were we forced to sell x amount of tickets. Again, we played for the guys from Bainbridge knowing that it'd be a good night and were taken care of with copious amounts of beer all day (that'll do pig.)
The line-up at The Store (again, not a shite venue) on the Saturday was excellent and from everyone I've spoken to, this was the best run "stage" of the whole weekend – BECAUSE IT WAS COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF HADDOWFEST. The line-up was carefully put together, with bands of similar styles who suited each other perfectly, meaning that I think all bands gained a good few fans on the night. We even had a mini-stage invasion on our last song…
So yes, the organisation of other venues/bands was absolutely abysmal – I hardly saw ANY promotion or 'whoring' of the festival from all their official presences on Facebook etc. and the website was possibly THE WORST designed website I have ever seen. (Microsoft Excel to view a schedule of bands anyone?)
BUT, don't dare tar all bands with the same brush. Some naive bands may have thought this was their big break, but spending a few hours in The Store on Saturday night, or indeed Sunday, and you would have seen a very good advert for the Edinburgh alt/rock/etc scene.
Besides… I heard Johnny Borrell was able to buy 8 new pairs of white jeans with his fee.
Bob Says:
My word I have read a lot of crap on here.
Firstly, bands such as broken records, stanley odd, Marner Brown, kitty the lion and others were paid a set fee not pay to play. This is a fact! Secondly to whoever posted the comment about shit venues, I would not class Electric Circus, The Store, Liquid rooms or Maggies Chamber as shit venues and to claim they are means you do not know the local scene at all!
Bainbridge stage and Maggies chamber ran on time the whole weekend. I know becouse I spent most of my time at both of those venues. The music at maggies was very varied, where bainbridge had more of close connection with the bands and knew what would work for them. But again, Angus and Chris organised this stage as someone else pointed out so they were bound to put a good connection of bands that had a similier(SP) style.
I am not trying to state that the mistakes of last year were fixed, or that communication could not of been 100X times better cause it damn well could of and should of been. Nor am I trying to stick up for the mistakes, but please stop the bitching. If the guy wanted too, he could of taken the festival to glasgow and no doubt made a bucket load of money compared to being in Edinburgh. Glasgow scene is more known and more press would of picked it up due to it being there. Again fact!
As far as I am aware the majority of bands had a good time, and the bitching on a forum like this has to stop
Tricky Dicky Says:
Having witnessed the Bainbridge alternative stage on Saturday and having heard about their stage on Sunday, I think the Bainbridge Brothers should set up their own 2-day fest next time. Same venue, same type of line-up. It was a huge success for them in my opinion, but unfortunately they got their name coupled to a shite "promoter" behind the Haddow Fest organinisation. Bainbridge has done too many good things for the local Edinburgh music scene. They deserve better. I won't go to Haddow Fest next time, but I will go to a festival organised by Bainbridge.
Support your local scene.
Anonymous Says:
Very strange this sudden surge of support.I know bands who this guy owes money to from months ago.Strangely enough he's vanished
Vonny Says:
Who, the Bainbridge guys? I honestly don't have a bad word to say against Chris and Angus, they've been more supportive to us than anyone else I can think of on the local scene, and I get the general feeling that they're like that with most bands they end up dealing with.
I agree with the above, maybe they should take charge and run things themselves. Edinburgh is crying out for more musical recognition, and maybe HaddowFest isn't the answer, but there is most certainly room for some sort of well-run, well publicised musical event.
Matt Norris Says:
The sudden 'surge of support' is because you called us all stupid, Stupid. Although i'd like to point out i wasn't defending anyone except from myself, my friends and the guys at bainbridge, from people who had absolutely no idea what they were talking about in the first place.
Jack Says:
£50 was far too much for the line up(also heard a story that when some1 heard about the student priced tickets, the promoter met her in the pub to refund her the £20). last year I thought worked really well as half the bands were unsigned the other half signed "big bands." I thought this year there was a lack of semi big names. I would have been really annoyed if I had paid for a ticket(especially a £50 one) as the only big bands i would have wanted to see(the errors and the dykennies) pulled out. No offense to the unsigned bands they were great and highlights for we were hagana and scare noir but you can normally see these bands for £4/5.
Anonymous Says:
It was so obviously a scam – pretend its a 2 day festival to get people buying tickets at inflated prices to what was really a Sunday night Razorlight gig – who I quite enjoyed but it was NOT a festival and the same thing as if Razorlight had just opted to do a show at the picturehouse.
The tagging on of other venues and bands was simply a poorly disguised attempt to make money off the locals.
i think the statement that the promoter could have taken the event to Glasgow is laughable – what you really mean is Razorlight could have picked somewhere else to do their north of the border show or another national promoter, they probably only did the show with this dodgy chancer as he paid a guaranteed fee – which was covered from the deposits he took off local bands.
Totally agree with those pointing out why it was on a Sunday – thats when he'd have got the main venue for free to pull it off.
Vonny Says:
Surely no promoter would be stupid enough to think that people like Razorlight enough to fork out 50 bucks to see them? Sure, the Sunday thing may well have been tactical, but then again, most two-day festivals have the main headliner on the Sunday.
As for making money off local bands – who are these mysterious local bands that forked out ridiculous sums of money in order to play? If this is indeed the case, it's absolutely not on, but I've spoken to lots of people who were involved and not one of them had to pay any money, nor were they promised any.
Bainbridge Music Says:
Thanks for the nice words guys. Massive thanks to all the bands who played on Saturday and Sunday, they were great in turning up on time and playing their set times. Not to mention their music being fantastic! Also a massive thanks to Jhed, James and Lynds – the sound engineers at The Store – as they were instrumental in keeping everything on track over the two days. And thank you to all the people who turned up to hear the music, because it just doesn't work without the punters does it?
how many posts on this thread!! Says:
tricky dicky – spot on
Its sad that one dodgy promoter has caused so much bad blood.
the Bainbridge stage was excellent and people slagging off the smaller venues should feel ashamed of themselves for being so judgemental – but to be fair being dragged around on an all day binge with such awful organisation probably made everyone think it was the venues fault, also doing sound must have been a nightmare so sure thats why a lot of bands must have sounded less than 100%
Its obvious this Hamish Jolly bloke is a cu*t – if that is his real name – I suspect "Hamish" is in fact an alias he's used to blag everyone he's Scottish and is trying to "help the local scene"!
I hope we can have this sort of thing once a year – on a saturday or bank holiday and run by genuine people – why not just £5 a ticket, mid-sized headliners and local bands in the smaller venues during the day followed by a club night with Big Jim and local bands spinning crowd pleasers?
Matt Norris Says:
Again, noone i know or Vonny knows has paid to play this gig. So what is 'anonymous' talking about? Also, i wasn't trying to defend the festival as a whole, i'm sure there were a lot of problems. Also, do you think that maybe, (regardless of the main promoters intentions) the fact that you seem to think that if a band hasn't been in NME that they must be shite would suggest this wasn't the event for you?
Also, where are people getting this information that the venues were free on a Sunday? This sounds like another load of shite, but it would be good to know which venues are free to hire for future reference. To be honest, fair play to them. If i could cut out a massive cost from something i was trying to run, i imagine i'd do the same. Actually, i'm not entirely sure why that's something to count against the organisers really. But then, as i said, its almost certainly bollocks.
si Says:
We pulled out when we got the pay to play email to "get a good slot" where the "agents and managers" would be watching – we were told this was at the "proper venues" picturehouse, liquid rooms and bongo club.
As for the venues being free well I think that's people ridiculing the explanation that the cost of booking headliners and venues was £52k and that's why we had to pay to play to support the event.I'm sure the picturehouse cost money to hire but the smaller venues probably did a deal to just be part of it as they didn't want to be left out a local event.
I'm sure most of the bands will be completely unaware they are in fact playing -as using their name is just a way to attract other bands who suddenly feel they must get involved in it or be left out – the same as with small venues and local grass roots promoters who have actually come on this thread to explain how they deal with people in a fair and positive way.
Anonymous Says:
There is a lot of pure crap on here. Its pretty obvious that no bands who played Haddow Fest – paid to play. My band certainly did not- all we recieved were some beers.Notice how 80% of the negative comments are through Anonymous posters- stand up and be counted and leave people like big Jim alone. Yes the festival was a tad shambolic, but I have been to similar festivals and witnessed far more mayhem on the day. As a customer/band manager I was personally impressed on how the sunday was run, there were no issues and everything ran smoothly in pretty much every venue I went in, I think the guys will learn from saturday. It is really easy to write negative comments on a misinformed story but have you decided to speak with the promoter or e-mail Haddow Fest with your so called grievances? Running away with money, free venue hires, changing his name to screw Edinburgh bands, not paying bands- do you really think these are all true? Before you blast on about how you got some e-mail or make another ill informed comment try and be a tad truthfull as as this thread already wreeks of pure bullshit.
Tricky Dicky Says:
It's a real shame Glasvegas didn't play.
hahahaddow Says:
He has changed his phone number though!
Anonymous Says:
@Vonny&Matt Norrris ref Surge of support.Sorry.Should have written a better explanation.I wasnt refering to Bainbridge music but was refering to our other friendly promotor
si Says:
Its all okay I have it on good authority that next year will be a 5 day festival with OASIS reforming to do a headline set…
Early-bird tickets on sale now at £100
there's a list of 50000 bands already confirmed so if you want to play email 1004′firstname.lastname@example.com
Hamish Says:
I've heard the O2 Arena is going to be shipped to Edinburgh brick by brick for it.
Anonymous Says:
Haddowfest 2012:
You can download the gig times for the final last final absolute final last time 30 seconds after the event finishes.
Strong rumour that The Smiths* are reforming for the headline show on April 35th, support slots available…
*mr haddowfest reserves the right to cancel all the bands and go back on everything he says.
Richard Cobb Says:
I found out an hour before I was meant to be playing at 2pm via facebook that the bongo club had pulled out so I no longer had a slot available til 1am. I didn't play it. I'm not fussed but yet again the organisation was piss poor.
Matt Norris Says:
again, in reference to Si's post about the 'good venues', my mates band was down for the bongo club, which (for some reason i'm not aware of), didn't end up putting bands on the second day. His band then played at the liquid rooms. He didn't pay to play, and definitely wouldn't have if asked.
Anonymous Says:
Could be cos he also screws over the venues
Mikey Says:
Venues probably pulled out because they'd been led up the garden path to open up for a shambolic mess that didn't cover their costs.
I keep coming back to this thread to see new posts by the promoter or his mates defending this charade and calling everyone who's rightly pissed off and moaning on here a "bull shitter"
My favourite post is by "anonymous" who points out "Notice how 80% of the negative comments are through Anonymous posters" The irony is amazing – he continues "As a customer/band manager I was personally impressed on how the sunday was run"
Which band does he manage I wonder? Could it be the 10.04′s and "anonymous" is in fact the real mystical bull shitter Hamish Jolly?
Scott Says:
Hinterland got a wee bit last year, no? A lot of the bands from this, including ourselves and the headliners were never paid. Tried to contact them and no joy.
Matt Norris Says:
Umm, i've never met the guy that ran this. I'm pretty certain vonny hasn't either. Again, we were both playing on the bainbridge stage, which, although part of the festival, was essentially ran seperately, by bainbridge music, who i do know. The reason we're calling bullshit is because A LOT of what has been said is bullshit. Not that i haven't already mentioned this a number of times, but noone involved paid to play. There were no dodgy ticket deals. Yes, obviously, some of the stages were badly run, and this possibly led to, for example, the bongo club pulling out. But as none of you have mentioned whether or not you were involved with this festival except from, at most, being in the audience, maybe you shouldn't be insulting all the bands involved, based on completely false assumptions that came from nowhere.
Anonymous Says:
Promoter has changed phone number you can't get hold of him, was going to demand a refund for bands pulling out – no reply to emails either.
Found this on songkick:
Same shit – announce a "festival" with a load of high profile bands he's not booked who all mysteriously pull out or do odd times – punters get ripped off, local bands messed about to sell tickets and promote event, organisation piss poor.
Ring any bells?
Anonymous Says:
In ref to wimbledon calling.Check out the reviews,especially who gave it 5 stars.Think the name may be very familiar to some on here.
His festivals always run late,band order is constantly changing.Nothing ever even remotely runs to schedule.A lot of the bands only play cos they think theyre on a bill with a better known band and it will raise theyre profile.I actually feel sorry for them cos a lot of them are kids.Helps his ticket sales though as they normally end up shifting loads to friends and family to confirm theyre a good seller and get on future bills,of which they never do.
As for London fests.They were done in a single venue due to other outlets dropping out due to working him out a bit sharpish
Si Says:
So to summarize its a scam:
Announce a load of big name bands or start rumours.
Encourage bands to pay to play to be a part of it or sell tickets to friends and family to avoid having to do any actual promoting.
Sell tickets to duped punters who think they'll be seeing the bands on the poster
Announce everyone has pulled out on the day or even not bother to let anyone know – only bands who play are the 1 or 2 bands you always intended to pay – the main headliner and another name band both past their prime..
Change phone number and move on to next town.
Wonder what the 10.04′s are getting out of this bloke?
Anonymous Says:
He's their manager.Thats why theyre on everything he does
I Know Everything Says:
I heard that Wimbledon Calling is also a farce, just ask Pose Victorious boys who went all the way down to support the View only to be told that they wouldn't be playing. Shocking!
My advice… Don't touch Hamish Jolly/Blue Bannana/Haddow Fest/Wimbledon Calling/Phizzfest or anyone connected with him with a bargepole, it's all unprofessional bullshit and it won't do you any favours or give you exposure. You might think you're good supporting a bigger act, it might massage your ego to tell your mates you're supporting Razorlite, but in all honesty nothing will come of it. Avoid like the plague and realise that there are alot of bull shiters out there, Hamish Jolly being the biggest one I've ever met.
Surprise Surprise Says:
As expected…
Hamish Jolly
my phone has blown up , if you need to speak with me please e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com and I will endevour to get back to you asap
20 April at 10:30 · LikeUnlike ·
Anonymous Says:
Try sticking that in google and you'll see how he works
pay to play.
John D. Says:
I didn't realise this thread had become a monster!
All the official reviews of Haddowfest on blogs, the Edinburgh Reporter, the Scotsman etc have been very positive.
Therefore it's been very interesting wading through the less positive comment on here. Of course, some of these commentators lose a lot of credibility through posting anonymously and churning rumours. Jim Gellatly deserves great respect for identifying himself and contributing with facts.
Cutting through the predictable moaning that can occur from keyboard warriors who are naturally negative, or just want to whinge while they sit on their backsides, it does still sound like the Haddowfest organisation left plenty to be desired. Stages running behind schedule is sometimes forgivable, but bands not knowing if or when they're playing is not acceptable. And, despite it not being pay to play, it seems there was still a distinct meanness of spirit being displayed by the promoters, with bands being "encouraged" to try and shift tickets to progress up the bill, and being told very tall tales about potentially influential music biz attendees.
Nevertheless it seems Haddowfest was still an event with a bit of a buzz that got a lot of folk out of their house. Bands involved in Haddowfest probably got watched by more people than they'd get watched by usually. I think that's a great thing. Of course, some bands don't think in these terms. They don't care if they're playing to a big audience; or a new audience – they just want a few quid. In which case they should simply say "no thank you" to things like Haddowfest that involve a bit of ambition or risk, and find some bargain basement venue where they can charge in mums, dads and pals at a tenner a head.
The Bainbridge Music chaps and Nick at Sneakys seem well-liked. Perhaps they could team up and present something similar next year that everybody would be delighted to get behind and support?
Anonymous Says:
Hamish Jolly
should i do haddow fest again? not sure after the pop cops mates rally. oh wait – FUCK OFF
Ken holm says fuck Haddowfest Says:
Hamish Jolly, ehy don;t you just fuck off back to where you came from and take yer shitty Italian band with you.
Not welcome in Edinburgh
haddow crap Says:
As if that was really Mr Haddowfest posting, if it were he'd be plugging next years "early bird" tickets with BIG headliners he can't announce (of course).
He's just a twat who thinks he's going to be the next Vince Power but is actually a crap promoter putting on shoddy gigs.
Do yourselves a favour and go to REAL festivals to see decent line-ups – Rock Ness looks cracking this year.
Oh and if you are a local band, support your fellow local badns and venues and play them DIRECT – why on earth sign up for shitfest is beyond me.
Can't wait to receive the comedic emails regards Haddowfest 2012!!
Anonymous Says:
Actually,that is a direct quote from Mr jollys webpage.There should be a few on here who can verify that.
Anonymous Says:
what webpage? not that horrific site with the excel spreadsheet? I'd love to hear his thoughts on everything!
Anonymous Says:
Next show he's definately doing
Anon Says:
His latest gig in Wimbledon was cancelled hours before doors
Anonymous Says:
If you include his smaller shows that actually comes to his last four in wimbledon cancelled a maximum of the day before