Damnation Versus

The drinks are flowing as the mailbag is plundered for a good ol' fashioned Q&A. Gav and James tackle secret sets, the latest Metallica tour, favourite festival memories, worst Machine Head records and of course, meal deals. Cheers. We go again, every Thursday morning.

Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Corrosion of Conformity and Napalm Death are FINALLY announce to top the festival bills... but it wasn't plain sailing.In fact, it was a series of sleepless nights aboard SS Nightmare which left Gav and James wondering whether "headliners" for events likes Damnation and ArcTanGent are really worth the effort at all?There's also James being accosted at the school gates about his views on Kneecap, a Dragged Into Sunlight boxset and two headline offers from Eyesore Merch and Lou's Brews.We go again, every Thursday morning.

Irish punk Meryl Streek has bagged a unique hattrick of bookings at Trees, ATG and Damnation this year.But for one-man live revolt, who refuses to play the music industry game, how has he found himself being embraced by the those on its fringes, from the promoters and press to politically driven young students and crusty old grindcore fans?He discusses picking up the mic after 15 years behind the drumkit, winning over "Mr John Lydon" while touring with PiL and pissing people off in as candid fashion as you'd hope for.And explains how much he loves hearing he'd better with a live band...We go again, every Thursday morning.

The settlements have been paid, the bank statements have been printed off and the spreadsheets collated. Exactly how much were Gav and James paid on their debut tour and how much of it did they spend, and on what exactly?The importance of merch sales, thinking outside the box to drum up extra income and keeping James as far away from hipster coffee shops as possible.£226 on taxis for three drunks and £20 so Gav can have a nap in Birmingham is just the tip of the spending spree.We go again, every Thursday morning.

It was supposed to a fun afternoon arguing over the 2,000trees clashfinder but Sharon Osbourne, Scotland's First Minister and the pesky bloody Tories had other ideas…. so the spotlight is back on the Kneecap lads.But what about the promoters, like James, who have red hot Irish trio on their poster?Well, there's death threats for a start. We go again, every Thursday morning.

Gav and James dive back into the virtual mailbag to tackle the most pressing issues of the day.Is Ghost's mobile phone ban a step too far? Have Kneecap become too hot to handle following their controversial Coachella sets? And how much money did we lose on the first years of our festivals?Throw in a some Watain and smelly animal carcasses, checking if bands are racist on ChatGPT and Elton John and you have yourself a belter of a Q&A.Let's go... We go again, every Thursday morning.

There's few things in the live music business quite like the circus of a band's contractual agreement with a festival.From sloppy copy and paste jobs to being told to sign off technical specs you haven't received and a shopping list of reasons why a band can cancel to a litany of clauses to say why a promoter can't, it's all a bit of a clown show which would be laughed at in any court of law.But as the promoter do you play the game like everyone else to appease the big agencies or is simply hitting the delete button the best course of action?Especially when no signature means you accept all terms and conditions, obviously...We go again, every Thursday morning.

After a couple of weekends on tour, social media threw a wobbler to welcome Gav and James back with a bump as well as Brand New, Dragged Into Sunlight and poor old Clutch under the bus. We wade through the murky waters of cancel culture, questionable decision making and an unwillingness to be straight with ticket buyers before lightening the mood with some Burzum banter.Laughs galore.We go again, every Thursday morning.

Gav and James hit the road for their first ever tour.From mad for it Manchester to Village Wembley, gifts to guests and hot sauces to hecklers… here's how it panned out.We go again, every Thursday morning.

The first leg of the debut tour is over but there's no time to unwind as Malevolence drop a bomb on Damnation and there's ArcTanGent bands to announce. Oh, and it's Glasgow tomorrow…We go again, every Thursday morning.

We're in Bristol for the opening night of the first 2 Promoters, 1 Tour but don't fret, we're here for you, every Thursday, come rain, shine or super stardom.James' favourite music documentaries, top albums of 2025 so far and Gav's difficulties with post rock fans. Synthwave, Slamdunk clashes and stupid band fees…We go again, every Thursday morning.

One last rummage through the big bag of questions before Gav and James hit the road for their first tour.Do support bands get a taste of the 80/20 Vs deal cash? Our thoughts on the return of Ghostfest. Will Damnation remain a two-day event following this year's ticket sales? And what bands have we missed out on down the years we kick ourselves about?Also on our minds; the return of Slayer, Tool taking the piss and the aftermath of Stinky Pete. We go again, every Thursday morning.

*TRIGGER WARNING*Do NOT consume with food.The infamous "Stinky Pete", who provides toilets for 2000trees and and ArcTanGent, joins the pod - by demand - and does not hold back on the details of what it takes to be the top loo man in town. You may never look at a plastic festival bog the same way again.And shout out to the heroes at Outbreak. We go again, every Thursday morning.

Happy birthday to us. Cheers to every last one of you for the support. Now let's get stuck into what you want to know about, from Bloodstock's winter bash to the worst thing about rock and metal fans.We go again, every Thursday morning.

It's exactly one month until Gav and James hit the road for their maiden live tour which puts them in the unfamiliar shoes of the artist for the first time.But what exactly goes into planning a tour? Why is a tour manager important? Who is doing the driving and in what? How do you know how much merch to order? And please explain that 80/20 Vs deal again...In usual 2 Promoters, 1 Pod fashion, it's all laid bare, including how much promoters are paying for the pleasure  of our company. We go again, every Thursday morning.

The greatest metal line-up of all time is heading to Birmingham as the world says its final, final, final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne as a live performer.Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastodon and the drummer from Sleep Token are all on the poster but what exactly is going on? Is it a day of Sabbath classics? Are the bands playing 25 minute sets? And why did no one invite the Iron Maiden boys to the all-star gathering of guitar heroes?And is £412 for a "golden circle" pass taking the piss or fair as it's in the name of charity?Gav and James share their thoughts on it all, as well as the big letlive. announcement and the reaction to High on Fire joining the Damnation 2025 cast.We go again, every Thursday morning.

There are few things as important as your breakfast, lunch and dinner to soak up the beer and cider during your stay on a festival site for the weekend.But how do those delightful vendors get through a boggy farm in their ill-equipped cars, vans and trucks? How much do they pay? Who decides what they can and can't sell and why are the meals so bloody expensive?Luckily James is a man with more answers than listeners might expect from a simple "band booker" to address the issues at hand.But before that, we need to address the act of evil, that is offering non-vegan options at all.Will Gav and James join the Outbreak team on the wrong side of history?We go again, every Thursday morning.

You're not confused, it is Tuesday.But the ArcTanGent line up reveal waits for no man, woman or child so we go again, for a rare bonus pod, before the news breaks for the rest of the world.The exclusive ATG special announcement has two headliners, including a Wednesday "debut" so big, the festival's rulebook had to be scrapped to accommodate the booking.James shares the poster, Gav reacts.We go again, every Thursday morning.

Today was the day we were all promised the big ATG reveal but James' "wild week of booking" quickly descended into a fortnight of madness and as the big man says himself "we work to the bands' schedule, they don't work to ours".So instead Gav and James tear through a bumper Q&A tackling venue upgrades, the challenges of booking band "packages, submissions from new acts, keeping announcements under wraps and if we feel bigger bands should reduce their fees to help festivals survive.We go again, every Thursday morning.

The role of a booking agent can be tricky and demanding at the best of times but when your latest 'client' is a podcast featuring two promoters who routinely bash you and your colleagues, it's a whole different ball game.So why did Mr Haydn Britland, the man who secure deals and routes tours for the likes of Cult of Luna, Enslaved, Leprous, The Ocean and Envy, fancy a crack at 2 Promoters, 1 Pod?What were the challenges of booking the first tour in venues you wouldn't find a metal band? Was it tough to get promoters to cough up fees for an unknown quantity? And what's happening with the towels?All that and so much more as we once again give someone from the dark side of the industry a chance to have their say.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 festivals. There's also a cheesy fest line-up which James is a tad too comfortable putting together and why wasn't Gav more upset that Bleeding Through didn't play all of This Is Love, This Is Murderous?Oh, and how about a power metal festival for the UK?Let's tackle it all in blunt 2 Promoters, 1 Pod fashion.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 the hell did Karnivool end up on Brutal Assault if they were booked as a Euro exclusive for ATG?After those pleasantries are exchanged there's the small matter of tackling 2025; the live tour, Trees, ATG and Damnation's 20th birthday bash.James also gets excited about new albums this year promises while Gav sets a new high standard for On The Record. Enjoy, engage and let's go again! We go again, every Thursday morning.

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.We go again, every Thursday morning.

Exactly what it says on the tin. We go again, every Thursday morning.

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?And what's the difference between headlining, co-headlining and are the costs the same or is it all just in the name? Gav and James get stuck in. We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 discuss the bleak landscape and what can be done to stop more events following suit.But before the misery hammer drops, Gav and James celebrate the latest Damnation band announcement, discuss the collapse of Sick New World and kick around the idea of an Only Fans account to generate some tour funds.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 conditions can all be a very different landscape depending on if you're promoting a gig or festival. And what on earth is a “versus 80/20 deal”? James and a Covid-stricken Gav attempt to explain it all.We go again, every Thursday morning.Lou's Brews, use the code POD15 for 15% off your order - https://www.lousbrews.co.ukMeliora Software, Elevate your fans event experiences with festival and event apps by Meliora Software. - https://meliora.eventsSynertec, smarter, more efficient, more reliable, and less costly ways to create, distribute and manage important communications - https://synertec.co.ukWe go again, every Thursday morning.

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 again, every Thursday morning.Lou's Brews, use the code POD15 for 15% off your order - https://www.lousbrews.co.ukMeliora Software, Elevate your fans event experiences with festival and event apps by Meliora Software. - https://meliora.eventsSynertec, smarter, more efficient, more reliable, and less costly ways to create, distribute and manage important communications - https://synertec.co.ukWe go again, every Thursday morning.

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 that hardcore din in the background determined to gatecrash the UK's biggest rock and metal party?Oh, just Outbreak not giving a single f#@k over the same weekend. Let's go! We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 pod to tackle the PTSD of two days' aural abuse in a Manchester industrial estate. From LLNN to Dragged Into Sunlight via Nails, we open up about it all… and why did Gav's usually placid wife chase an “influencer” around the Russian Circles crowd?There's also the small matter of the debut 2 Promoters, 1 Tour to announce with tickets going on sale tomorrow. We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 questions and talks about whether he is mid feud with Bloodstock or not.We go again, every Thursday morning.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 for an instant reaction pod to the news the Kneecap, Pvris, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed & Cambria, Alexisonfire AND Million Dead will invade Upcote Farm in 2025.But nothing is ever completely without a little ballache with the billing!Enjoy some rare Friday fun.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 at his door earlier this year?More importantly, is Gav really going to slag off the mighty Black Sabbath?First though, can we all just take a moment to discuss THAT Sick New World line-up poster!?We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 explained there's some Trees headliner news, a change of ArcTanGent's Wednesday plans and another late cancellation for Gav to contend with.And is it a face cloth or a flannel?We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 boss talks promoting to publishing, The Wildhearts to Oceansize and the chances of ever seeing Strapping Young Lad again.Get your pen and paper ready, this is a crash course in music management.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 two We Lost The Sea sets, including "the greatest post rock album ever"... Departure Songs.Plenty to get swept away by but first, what's the issue with international bank transfers, music award bashes and agents selling you a dummy! Curly fucking Wurly, indeed.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 so wildly?Gav and James do their level best to describe the role before sharing their experiences of dealing with the good, the bad and the downright ridiculous sides of the hard-grafting TM.And what the fuck are ginger shots? We go again, every Thursday morning.

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; press and promo, backline, production, hotels and ground transport and did you remember there's no onion or garlic allowed in the hot meal?Gav and James pick through the pitfalls of "advancing" any band and explain that even when everyone appears to be on the same page, maybe the drummer hasn't read the memo.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 one asked for and an unprompted Deftones discography chat take centre stage instead.Oh, and there's some questions from listeners to finish the pod off. We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 questions.We also pick our very first 'Super Sub' to play their part in next week's pod.Thanks for your patience, and enjoy.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 the benefits of Bossk's bus. And Gav has a wee rant about "wet wipe Karens" who find any reason to complain about everything from tall people to kids blowing bubbles.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 stop this pod.And if the show keeps growing at this rate, it might just become a "real job".We go again, every Thursday morning.

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? What's the story with noise curfews and would James rather cancel Trees or ATG if he had to?We answer them all in our fifth Q&A session.We go again, every Thursday morning.

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 some last-minute shuffles with band cancellations and replacements.And we're joined by the man, the myth, the bassist of Bossk, Mr Tom Begley, fresh from TMing Converge, to reveal the band's grand plans for their two sets next week, and the highlights to catch in between.If you didn't think you could be more excited about ATG, you're wrong!We go again, every Thursday morning.

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? And it costs how much to have bins emptied!? We get in about pounds and pence. We go again, every Thursday morning.

Fresh from a successful 2000trees festival, Gav and James hit us up with a breakdown of all things that went off over the weekend. They talk Live Podcasts, Merch, Hot Sauce, Toilets and even a bit about bands!And in true form, they decide to do it on opposite sides of the world via an iPhone and Mexican Wi-Fi, We Go Again...or, Nosotros vamos de nuevo!We go again, every Thursday morning.

Gav and James break free from Zoom for the first live 2 Promoters, 1 Pod show at the brilliant 2000trees.And yes, there were towels.We go again, every Thursday morning.

Stand in boss, Bri, reports:They've tackled wi-fi dramas, festival set-up demands and even drink issues but they've still managed to record their thoughts for this week's pod. You asked about gender equality, Biffy Clyro playing b-sides and their favourite bands of 2024.And they answered.Today the first 2 Promoters, 1 Pod live show happens at 2,000 Trees.If you can be there. Be there.Links for all things 2 Promoters:https://linktr.ee/2promoters1podWe go again, every Thursday morning.

Recorded over a five-day stretch with limited wi-fi at Upcote Farm, Gav and James persevere with a Plan B podcast tackling some follow-up topics raised by listeners and tales of trying to book Ed Sheeran for £75.And discuss Outbreak festival's successful return to BEC Arena, backed by an army of hardcore fans.It's our Frankenstein pod. We went again, and again, and again... We go again, every Thursday morning.

Why didn't AFI come back to Trees post-pandemic?  How big do you want your festivals to grow?  Why do you announce bands in waves? Is booking two sets overindulgence?We tell you, in the fourth of our monthly 2P1P Vs The People Q&As.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Fresh from selling out Ally Pally in hours and a successful tour Stateside, Frank Turner joins 2 Promoters, 1 Pod to declare his love for all things 2,000 Trees.But before he takes the stage for a SEVENTH time at Upcote Farm, he discusses what it takes to tackle America, his "woeful" attempt at being a promoter for Botch's first UK tour and gets James flustered with some exciting Million Dead developments.Enjoy. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.