Thinking of starting an alternative music night

[bigmanols 10]

Hello All!

 

I have been toying with the idea of starting an alternative music night in Sheffield somewhere.

Nowhere seems to play the sort of music I am into and wanted to start a night for people who are into the same sort of thing as me.

I am thinking about psychedelic 60s, bit of post punk / new wave and then also some new music but not the same old indie stuff that seems to be played everywhere!

The sort of bands I was thinking of are Velvet Underground, Stooges, Joy Division, Bowie, Bauhaus, The Doors, The Cure. Just a good mix of really good music.

Do people think this could be something that could be popular in sheffield? Any suggestions / advice would be appreciated i.e. how to get a venue, preferably in the city centre. I have not done anything like this before and not really looking to make loads of money just something sustainable.

[the_wicker 10]

Hi, have put on nights for 9/10 years here, best thing to do is go and ask venues if they're interested, although if you don't have your own decks/mixer/pa etc you'll need to find places that have those things already. If you have decks/cdjs you've got more choice, and if you have/can borrow a pa even more so. Knowing your way around a mixer/decks/whatever you're using is a must.

 

Places that have a lot of business already will be a bit harder to get slots at than small bars that aren't doing so well, but it's worth asking anywhere, you can only get knocked back, and there aren't that many bars in town - there'll be a few places not worth asking but common sense should tell you where those will be.

 

You probably won't get into one of the big bars straight off but if you do well you can build things up, and bars will always be interested in people who can make them money (as long as it fits into their aesthetic). Places off the main drag will also be easier to convince, but usually because they're harder to attract people to.

 

If you want paying, or even if you just want them to pay for your posters/beer for the night you'll have to convince them that it won't be money down the drain - having a crowd of friends who'll come and increase their takings definitely helps, as well as having a good idea of how you'll promote it. Lot of nights put up 4 posters and don't do much work at all (which is ok if you know a lot of mates who'll come, less so if you don't) and wonder why it's empty all night.

 

Small bars that aren't doing well will have a tighter grip on the purse strings, but the pressure will be less on you. I know people who've agreed a percentage of the takings as payment, eg if the bar is usually dead but you pack it out you get some of the profits - up for negotiation. The main thing to keep in mind is that you get out of it what you put into it, if you're lucky - grafting hard isn't a surefire way to make something a success, but not grafting enough is a surefire way to do badly.

 

Your reasons for doing it seem like the right ones anyway, best of luck!

Edited October 15, 2012 by the_wicker

[bigmanols 10]

the_wicker, thanks a lot for that reply very helpful and informative!

I realise I will probably have to start off somewhere away from the usual west street / division street, a place I had in mind is dada on trippets lane.

I have a MacBook with a pretty good djing app which I was considering using do you think this would be suitable?

And what you said about having a group of friends that will come down at first is something that is possible and thought would help.

I 'm not looking to make a ton of cash but obviously it would need to be popular enough to continue

I think I will start putting the feelers out, like you say I can only get knocked back!

I think social media could come in handy and obviously posters / flyers, I think the main issue will be getting the people who would be into the music to know that the night is on and get them though the door

Thanks again

[Bilge 34]

I think someone with a genuine interest in the music playing good records in a pub/bar with the right atmosphere is an under-rated thing. If there is at least one cask ale on that would be nice too. The Washington does this kind of thing pretty well.

 

A lot of places seem to have a fixation with 'live music' as if it is always a good thing. Unfortunately there aren't that many artists on the free/cheap live circuit that are actually any good. Most are OK at best and tribute bands/karaoke/crappy DJs don't count at all. Someone just playing the kind of music you suggest all night in a nice place sounds preferable to me.

[jemson 10]

Sounds good to me too. I`d concur that decent ale is preferrable.

[bigmanols 10]

Thanks for the positivity Bilge!

Ye i definitely agree with you there, lacking somewhere that plays a mix of good music in a chillied out atmosphere where you can meet like minded people and know you can go every week/ month whatever and hear some tunes you like.

Had enough hearing the same old stuff

[Tuffty 10]

I like the sound of what you plan to play, but to get a night going (and keep it sustainable) I think you will have to bring more to the table, just rocking up with a laptop and pressing play won't be enough.

 

The Wicker is pretty much bang on with what he says. You need to be getting people through the door and 'bums on seats' (or feet on the dance floor).

 

The Washington seems to be doing a similar sort of thing to what you are suggesting, nights by the likes of Banksy and Plan B cover that sort of territory and get good crowds in. They do however play off the original vinyl (which is a big draw in itself).

 

I think you might struggle to get venues to pay you, just for playing from a laptop, especially when they could set one up (or an ipod) behind the bar and run a play list of the exact same music for free.

 

Dada might be a good idea as it always seems pretty quiet in there, even on weekends. The room acoustics are a bit weird tho (echoy, lots of hard surfaces and strange reverberations).

 

If you must play from a laptop, don't use crappy low bit-rate mp3's they sound shocking and will put people off. Especially cranked up through a cheap PA. You need to rip (or buy) your songs as high quality .wav files (or equivalent)

[bigmanols 10]

Thanks for the reply Tuffty very helpful!

[the_wicker 10]

If you're using a laptop only you may need an external soundcard (lots of info online on why you might need one if you google it - basically it means you can cue up the next track while the other one is playing, if your laptop doesn't have 2 stereo audio outputs).

 

You'll need to know the basics of how a dj mixer works too if you don't already (they're pretty simple, don't push it into the red being one of the golden rules). You plug the laptop into that. If you ask someone about putting on a dj night and you've never used a mixer it'll set alarm bells ringing.

 

If you don't know how a soundsystem (mixer, amp, speakers etc) fits together you're best finding a bar where it's all set up and ready to go, with someone knowledgeable on hand for if there are problems. If you or someone you know can do that side of things it's a plus.

 

Not all songs are recorded at the same volume, so you will have to make sure the next tune is the same volume as the last in your software, if it doesn't do it automatically.

 

If your laptop is reliable you'll generally be ok, but I'd advise having a back-up plan for if it starts playing up (cds if they have cdjs, or an ipod plugged into one of the other mixer channels - though that's a last resort really), especially if you're the only dj playing.

[bigmanols 10]

Thanks again for some more very useful advice!

I have been looking at soundcards so I knew I would need one but have not purchased yet, I think before I actually find a venue I should do some work on trying to master the djing side of things so I don't look like a tool if things mess up!

If anyone would like to volunteer to show me the ropes of using a mixer that would be greatly appreciated

[bluesbrother 10]

Thanks again for some more very useful advice!

I have been looking at soundcards so I knew I would need one but have not purchased yet, I think before I actually find a venue I should do some work on trying to master the djing side of things so I don't look like a tool if things mess up!

If anyone would like to volunteer to show me the ropes of using a mixer that would be greatly appreciated

 

I know that Tune Inn @ The Royal Standard were offering places to learn/work along-side the soundman during the Tramlines festival (This was for bands rather that decks etc, but if you can learn a deck that size, a dj mixing desk would be childs play).

Don't know if they'll still offer this, but its worth asking. You could also ask about playing a few tunes between bands to help you find your feet.

 

Good Luck anyway,

I DJ'd around town for 20+ years & loved every minute.

 

BB.

[dosxuk 10]

I know that Tune Inn @ The Royal Standard were offering places to learn/work along-side the soundman during the Tramlines festival (This was for bands rather that decks etc, but if you can learn a deck that size, a dj mixing desk would be childs play).

Don't know if they'll still offer this, but its worth asking. You could also ask about playing a few tunes between bands to help you find your feet.

 

When you have bands and DJs playing on the same night, the DJ always uses a DJ mixer which appears as inputs on the band mixer. Trying to set the [band] desk up for the next performance while someone else is trying to mix tracks would be a nightmare.

 

Get friendly with some DJs and ask them about the kit and how it works (but not when they're busy), they're quite simple once you've used them a few times.