The ArcTanGent stage times are out and everyone has been colour coding their digital day plans and having a social media rant about the decisions they've been forced to make. But what does the man responsible for the clashes, which can make or break your weekend, have to say for himself? How did Clown Core and Author & Punisher find themselves pitted against each other? Is Torpor at 11am on the final day really a bright idea? And do fans really want to see both Amenra and Tokky Horror? James finally breaks his silence... We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

21 UK festivals have been cancelled or postponed so far this year with up to 100 at risk without Government support, according to the The Association of Independent Festivals. It's grim reading, so how are ArcTanGent, Damnation and 2000trees coping in this brutal landscape and what can be done to help the situation? Gav and James have a plan and it involves you! We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

The mailbox is full and the questions keep coming in, so here's an episode dedicated to all your curiosities. Do festival promoters talk to each other about band fees?  Have we ever got into a bidding war over a band we wanted?  What other festival would we like to book?  What are the marketing challenges in 2024? We answer them all, and plenty more, in the usual candid fashion.  We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

Bob Vylan to Din of Celestial Birds, Idles to Amenra... have our festivals helped "break" bands to a larger audience in their scenes and if so, is that important to us or a byproduct of the job? Gav and James get in about it.  We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

After a month or so of agent bashing, it was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to put us back in our place. And that someone is the brilliant Mr Tom Taaffe, the man behind the bookings of the likes of Every Time I Die, Pallbearer, Spanish Love Songs, Deafheaven, While She Sleeps, Beartooth and Elder at our festivals. What's his take on the ballache of billing and A-Z line-up posters, the rising fees for bands and promoters asking US arena-level bands to play club shows in England?  What's happening with Sleep and are The Reytons a suitable headliner for 2000trees? Tom gi ..read more

The mailbox is full and the questions keep coming in, so here's an episode dedicated to all your curiosities. Do festival promoters talk to each other about band fees?  Have we ever got into a bidding war over a band we wanted?  What other festival would we like to book?  What are the marketing challenges in 2024? We answer them all, and plenty more, in the usual candid fashion.  We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

Ten years of increased offers, multiple snubs, endless fan demands and with almost all hope lost... Mogwai finally agreed to play the final night of the 10th anniversary of ATG. It had to be part of the masterplan, right?  Or a chance phone call, "going big" with an offer over text and the dilemma of having no headline slots left. Turns out landing the dream band is never straight forward, as Bolt Thrower playing Damnation had its own unique quirks too. Gav and James get in about it all. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

2,000 Trees, Damnation and ArcTanGent have carved themselves out solid reputations on the UK festival scene but not without almost two decades of graft, good fortune and the odd costly mistake, or twenty, along the way. Thankfully we fell into those traps so you don't have to. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

The right headliner can make or break your year, whether the rest of the line-up is excellent or not. But it's not as easy as just throwing heaps of cash at your favourite band to land the booking you need. With more events to choose from, competitive festival exclusive deals, fees going through the roof and bands booking further and further in advance, it can be a nervous time trying to get the right cherry on top. James and Gav get into it... We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more

Who goes one line up on the poster? Whose logo needs to be bigger? Who goes left or right when two bands are virtually identical in stature? And who decides? The art of billing the line-up poster is a messy and confusing one, which often leads to heated rows, fall outs and promoters being left with tough calls to make. But do fans even notice or care? James and Gav share their pain and misery on 2 Promoters, 1 Pod. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there ..read more