Hey guys, we just had our first show abroad in Belgium, we had a few hiccups along the way, so wanted to share some of our mistakes, in the hope that you guys dont make the same ones.
Im gonna say from the outset that most of this is common sense, but that being said, and embarrassing as it is, we still fucked up.
The show was fucking packed, really big show, luckily even after all the mistakes and issues, we still got invited back for next time. So we can still redeem ourselves. One of our artists Tr3mma, really tore it up. Xilent would have done too, if only he had managed to get his VISA.
So here goes....
1) When travelling abroad, make sure all travel documents (passports, visas, hotel bookings, travel plans) are sorted out well in advance, Id say at least 2 weeks beforehand. This way if any issues do arise, then there is plenty of time to clear them up. Our visas and travel plans were left to the very last minute, so when there was a problem it was too late to sort out!!
So our main artist Xilent, didnt even go or perform. Our dj nearly never made it, but we managed to get his sorted just in time. DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE, ITS SO UNPROFESSIONAL.
2) Practice your sets, make sure you have a very good idea of what you are going to play and in what order(with minor adjustments based on crowd reaction). I spent a long time mixing and mastering 75 dubplates and songs ready for the night, for the dj to only play one of them, because he was upset at 2am that we hadnt gone on yet, so sulked and pretty much fucked up the night, even after all the trouble to get him there.(The night ran on till 7 am). When performing as a guest act, stay humble, when its your turn its your turn, dont start getting all butthurt because you havent played yet, AND DONT START ARGUING WITH THE HOSTS.
3) Video the event, you will need a high quality video camera with a good microphone(Dont record on a mobile phone). Try to concentrate on videoing your own artists and the crowd especially if they are going crazy, and not get a tape full of the other acts. We got some really high quality video footage, it was fucking fantastic looking and sounding, one problem.... it wasnt our artists. Also GET A POWER ADAPTER SUITABLE FOR WHERE YOU TRAVEL. We was lucky the batteries were charged, but this could so easily have been a major problem, also have plenty of tapes to record onto, we recorded over our acts by mistake, because we didnt have enough tapes.
Honestly Im pretty surprised we got invited back, but hopefully the lessons have been learned, and we can really take it forward. We are getting really positive vibes about our music, and I feel things are really starting to happen.
So please dont make some of these simple mistakes, its highly embarrassing, and damaging to reputations.
Anyone else with touring tips and advice feel free to add, as this is just from our first experience abroad, so Im sure there is so much more to add.
MAYBE SHOULD HAVE PUT THIS IN INDUSTRY TALK. My bad.
Im gonna say from the outset that most of this is common sense, but that being said, and embarrassing as it is, we still fucked up.
The show was fucking packed, really big show, luckily even after all the mistakes and issues, we still got invited back for next time. So we can still redeem ourselves. One of our artists Tr3mma, really tore it up. Xilent would have done too, if only he had managed to get his VISA.
So here goes....
1) When travelling abroad, make sure all travel documents (passports, visas, hotel bookings, travel plans) are sorted out well in advance, Id say at least 2 weeks beforehand. This way if any issues do arise, then there is plenty of time to clear them up. Our visas and travel plans were left to the very last minute, so when there was a problem it was too late to sort out!!
So our main artist Xilent, didnt even go or perform. Our dj nearly never made it, but we managed to get his sorted just in time. DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE, ITS SO UNPROFESSIONAL.
2) Practice your sets, make sure you have a very good idea of what you are going to play and in what order(with minor adjustments based on crowd reaction). I spent a long time mixing and mastering 75 dubplates and songs ready for the night, for the dj to only play one of them, because he was upset at 2am that we hadnt gone on yet, so sulked and pretty much fucked up the night, even after all the trouble to get him there.(The night ran on till 7 am). When performing as a guest act, stay humble, when its your turn its your turn, dont start getting all butthurt because you havent played yet, AND DONT START ARGUING WITH THE HOSTS.
3) Video the event, you will need a high quality video camera with a good microphone(Dont record on a mobile phone). Try to concentrate on videoing your own artists and the crowd especially if they are going crazy, and not get a tape full of the other acts. We got some really high quality video footage, it was fucking fantastic looking and sounding, one problem.... it wasnt our artists. Also GET A POWER ADAPTER SUITABLE FOR WHERE YOU TRAVEL. We was lucky the batteries were charged, but this could so easily have been a major problem, also have plenty of tapes to record onto, we recorded over our acts by mistake, because we didnt have enough tapes.
Honestly Im pretty surprised we got invited back, but hopefully the lessons have been learned, and we can really take it forward. We are getting really positive vibes about our music, and I feel things are really starting to happen.
So please dont make some of these simple mistakes, its highly embarrassing, and damaging to reputations.
Anyone else with touring tips and advice feel free to add, as this is just from our first experience abroad, so Im sure there is so much more to add.
MAYBE SHOULD HAVE PUT THIS IN INDUSTRY TALK. My bad.
