Booking headliners has become a real issue for festivals of all sizes but is tying up bands TWO years in advance the answer or a very dangerous gamble?Gav and James respond to the latest drama to hit promoters and how it impacts their f...

It’s a new year but there’s no time for hugs and handshakes. Let’s get back to business.Why don’t Gav and James throw bands who are having a tough time on tour a few extra quid? Is Spotify really the devil of the music industry? And how...

We made it! The milestone pod, Episode 52. But is this the end for 2 Promoters, 1 Pod or just the beginning?Gav and James pop the bubbly, beers and ciders and get merry to mark the occasion.Merry Christmas.

Exactly what it says on the tin. 

It's back to the bottomless mailbag to tackle another batch of your probing questions.How much of a band do we listen to before deciding to book them? When will Damnation day ticket be on sale? Will the live shows be recorded?An...

A staggering 72 UK festivals have cancelled, postponed or called time so far in 2024 - double the number from 2023, and more than 200 have gone since 2019.Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) CEO, John Rostron, joins the pod to di...

For the fan enjoying their favourite band at a headline tour date or festival there might be a different setlist but for the promoters, it’s a different journey nailing the booking.The approach, the availability, the fee, the rider and ...

Gav and James dive bag into the mail bag to tackle this week’s most pressing issues including the Sleep Token backlash from Download fans and why our two promoters will never, ever work together… unless there’s a Butlins to hire.We go a...

The Download line-up is out and Gav and James avoid all spoilers to react to it in real time. The highs (Green Day), the lows (Steel Panther) and the billing stunners (Sikth) are all the topics of the night. But what’s...

Damnation ‘24 is in the bag and we’re still rattling in disbelief days later but there’s no time to feel sorry for our souls because there’s an event to pick over. Thankfully, Damnation’s Irish general, Paul Farrington, joins the p...

It's here...Damnation is tomorrow, Gav is stressed and James is ready to go big. Gav chats us through some of next year’s Damnation plans, and boots off about  lanyards and car number plates. Whilst James gets stuck into some ...

Five headliners for three nights with an unbelievable reunion coup on top? 2000trees dropped an atom bomb of a band announcement and it exploded over every self-respecting rock fan’s socials.Gav and James quickly reconvened...

Gav and James dive back into the virtual mailbag to address the most pressing concerns of the listeners. Would we allow an artist to "curate" our festivals? What's our thoughts on oversold shows? And why did James have the police a...

The Damnation clashfinder is out and Gav is ready to take his licks as the fans demand to know what idiot clashed Dragged Into Sunlight with Ahab and why?But before the slot by slot lines-ups of A Night of Salvation and Damnation can be...

Let's get down to business. And who better than to pour over the industry spreadsheets, receipts and album charts than Mr Andy Farrow, manager of the likes of Opeth, Devin Townsend, Paradise Lost and Katatonia?The Northern Music Company...

The first wave of bands have been announced for 2025, and it's a tsunami worth diving into.Karnivool, Melvins, Rolo Tomassi, Kylesa, Between the Buried and Me playing Colors, The Fall of Troy playing Doppelgänger and not just one, but t...

When you're up to your eyes in it on show day a friendly tour manager can save your mood but an aggressive tour manager can ruin it.But what is a tour manager, why are they so important to bands and why do their roles and attitudes vary...

You've made your offer for the band, it's been accepted and even the ballache of billing the poster might have been settled... but now what?There's a series of hurdles to deal with before your prized booking ever sets foot on your stage...

Gav and James commit 90 minutes to catching up with as many questions as they can to clear the backlog... and fail miserably.Slam Dunk taking a gender balancing beating from the BBC, the pressures of Damnation mounting, a film review no...

Our first (and hopefully last) Friday pod after a Spanish drama that required an Emergency Passport.Gav and James tackle the hot topic of Oasis' "dynamic pricing" PR disaster before getting stuck into Damnation planning and your questio...

It's exactly six months from the release of episode one and we're in the mood to celebrate but first we have to savour the delights of another spectacular edition of ArcTanGent.Best sets of the weekend, how surreal the live pod was and ...

Gav and James took the stage in a PACKED Elephant In The Bar Room Stage at ArcTanGent for their second live outing, only for the "curse of Johannes" to strike just as they were warming up.But it takes more than a full power outage to st...

As we near the end of a summer of chaos, James prays the wi-fi holds up from a campervan in Fernhill Farm to tackle the most pressing of fan questions.What is our favourite Metallica record? Are payment plans and risky business strategy...

ArcTanGent's 10th birthday bash is almost upon us and we're in the mood to party.Co-hosting from a campervan in Fernhill Farm, James talks us through the "holiday mode" site build, where Spiritualized appeared from at the 11th hour and ...

Gav and James dust off their old budget sheets and company accounts and crunch the numbers of running festivals over the past two decades.How is it possible that in 2024 James paid more for diesel than the ENTIRE bill for Damnation 2005...