Event Evidence Video
Event Atmosphere
A Crescendo of a Night had a cosy atmosphere, fuelled by well-positioned sofas and low lighting. We set the art stalls up around the edge on the way to the bar to avoid blocking views of the music and to encourage foot traffic past the tables. The comfort and size of the sofas helped groups to feel at home whilst being able to talk to each other in close proximity, but made it hard for lone audience members to sit (1b). There was an awkward stage where some people were hovering at the bar, unsure of where to go, and the smaller audience meant that people were more aware of each other’s movements. To solve this, I spoke to the venue manager and sourced more chairs (1c). Our plan was to clear these away prior to the DJ set to allow for dancing, but with people comfortably sitting on them, it didn’t seem fair to ask them to move. This made for a spectator-performer atmosphere rather than the collective movement we had intended. I found it similarly difficult when onstage as the audience was rather subdued and some were distracted or waiting for their friends to perform, which heightened my anxiety. Kaeya was struggling with chronic pain during their set, which led him to repeatedly apologise and rush off afterwards before the playlist kicked in. All in all, it was a strange atmosphere. I would hope to pick acts with more of a following or emphasise the uniqueness of the music to get more of a crowd in the future, and better arrange the furniture to allow for more movement.
Box Office
In the box office, we focused on the use of a Zettle card reader (2d), due to a reduction in cash carried post-COVID. We decided to pay the PayPal fees and taxes ourselves rather than pass this cost on to the consumer. There were some issues with proving identity online (2c). This will become increasingly common as Digital ID is put into practice, and it definitely could have been better accounted for by administrating the app in advance. Ava checked presale tickets by their email confirmations. As we had a fairly low turnout, this was adequate, but we could have run into fraud and counterfeit problems by not strictly scanning QR codes. To combat the smaller audience, we invited some press people and allowed a £3 cheap list for artists’ friends. Tickets were already £5 for access, but the reduced cost may have helped get people in the door.
Security
In terms of security, we were ill-prepared to deal with any major issues due to our lack of training or formal bouncer. However, the small, friendly crowd worked in our favour here as the box office staff could keep track of everybody in the room and coming through the door (3a) Similarly, though the Attic’s green room is not lockable and is accessible by audience members, the stage manager was able to watch entrances (3b). We adhered to the venue’s safer spaces policy. I believe that, as a community-focused event, we could have done more here to enforce our own safer spaces policy. At gigs such as PleasureMaxx or T40, where marginalised people are encouraged to attend, security extends from the responsibility of the venue’s staff to the audience itself. Advertising makes clear what behaviour is expected of people and how to keep each other feeling secure. In the future, I would seek to emphasise the need for intersectionality and community responsibility in security, as well as ensuring promoters and venue staff are better aware of the risks when people gather. I would also seek to familiarise myself with the hiring cost and process for formal bouncers as my events progress in size.
Health and Safety
The staff at the venue were key in advocating for safety measures. When we arrived, the speakers and large equipment were well chained and recently checked (4a), and the bartenders had used Ask for Angela before. We followed the floor plan for craft stalls and chairs, ensuring a clear route to the back fire exit, while adapting for audience needs (4b). Onstage, wires were taped and directed towards edges, with redundant music or mic stands moved aside for the smaller acts. This was particularly important for Kaeya, who uses a wheelchair (4c), requiring wider pathways and more stability. We considered the risk of dehydration or low blood sugar for performers, which can be a danger in a busy environment or for diabetics. Our solution was to provide bottled water and sugary drinks in the rider, which also reduced the risk of onstage water spillage. Mental health considerations are often overlooked in risk assessments, and with our inclusive lineup, it was important to make sure everybody was comfortable. The Attic boasts a Changing Places toilet and large, mixed cubicles which allow everybody to urinate peacefully. As promoters and artist liaisons, we spoke to all performers and stallholders about their needs and how we could support their health on the night. When Kaeya was in pain, I struggled to know how to support him onstage and couldn’t help but wonder how we could have implemented more preventative measures such as factoring breaks into the set or having a less tiring soundcheck process. I would like to learn to balance the “show must go on” mentality with keeping performers’ best interests at heart.
Production
We performed soundchecks in reverse order of acts, as per the industry standard. We borrowed DJ decks from a friend, and though they were PAT tested, the headphone output functioned incorrectly (5a). After some work, we had to move on to Benji’s Folk to fit the checks in between the daytime noise curfew before 5, and before doors at 7. DJ Kham had to live mix without hearing the tunes in advance through headphones, which lowered the quality of the set and could have run better with advance testing and better communication. We also encountered problems with Alex’s setup, which took some troubleshooting and rebooting. The other two acts were similar to each other and largely acoustic, and with the help of the sound engineer and pre-set stage plans, the technology ran relatively smoothly. The art stallholders also sent their requirements in beforehand, which allowed us to position them near plug sockets for lamps and card readers. In future it would help to hire predictable equipment and ask artists to test their equipment on the day where possible.
Artist Liaison
As artist liason, I communicated with all of the acts and stallholders on the day to check for any changes in plan. We switched the order of soundcheck to accommodate Kaeya needing to inflate his wheelchair tyres and Lilian being kept at work. This could have been more difficult had we not planned for long soundchecks and emailed the venue in advance for early access. I offered lifts to those who had large instruments or setups, which also helped to check in with them on the journey as to their updated access needs (6c). After also consulting the contact document, we managed to set up the stalls around the edge, near sockets, and away from the speakers as per their needs (6b). While I was able to introduce the venue manager and staff to the promoters and artists, I regret that I was unable to keep up the liason through the night. I failed to account for my own mental health needs and ended up in a state of autistic burnout, which makes it difficult to communicate. I hope to better plan for this as I continue my musical career by delegating some social tasks and finding regular alone time.
Stage Management
For the crew and artists’ sake, the set times were printed and displayed in the green room (7c). Khambrel spoke to the sound engineer between sets to ensure the playlist and fadeout were timely. Our first act, Alex Milling (7a), finished early, and this meant that the changeover time was long, with some members of the audience asking what the wait was for. The stage manager made the decision to bring Kaeya forward, which contributed to a better atmosphere and allowed us more time to pack up before curfew.
Some of the stage was taken up by a grand piano, which would have cost an extra £30 to hire, so space was somewhat limited. Due to disabilities, we also needed several chairs on the stage. This functioned well in the end, as even the largest act didn’t require drums or larger gear, and left me wondering if the lineup may have been better suited to a smaller space – Sela, Crash, or Jumbo, for example.
Online Marketing
Our online promotion centred around an Instagram account with a ticket link. We scheduled posts to introduce all of the participants using graphics from the EPK. A group chat of the artists was created to forewarn them of the posts, and we tagged to get onto people’s stories. We knew that new accounts come up on people’s feeds more frequently, especially if you follow them. Unfortunately, Instagram’s algorithm has changed in recent months to promote comedic short-form video content that is popular, and pictures of faces or bodies, with users seeing less of their followed accounts or local events. Despite our plan to piggyback on this trend with the “be there or be square” theme, an increase in external workload and difficulty with the pancake stand meant this didn’t happen. +SOOLUTION We also had problems with getting the event listed with Notathing, as this was a personal favour from promoter Dan Akers, who had some family issues to attend to. I put the event up on Ticketpass due to its ethical credibility before managing to communicate with Dan. Once on his site, we had some buyers directed from the Instagram link, and were able to keep 100% of the money from these as no fees are charged. However, unlike Eventbrite or Ticketmaster, few people look on Notathing with no particular gig in mind, which meant there was less traffic across our page. I am also aware of various local calendars and listing sites, especially the newly created Leeds Queer Calendar which seeks to list all events with queer collaborators. Due to the aformentioned workload and illness, I was unable to get the details across in time for this to be of use, however I did manage to send messages to local groups such as the trans non-binary football team and the spoken word sharing chat. Overall, our online promotion should have spanned more sites to reach a wider audience (for example Facebook events) and heeded to the current algorithmic and corporate nature of the internet.
Promotion
Our physical promotion centred around a handcrafted lino print poster (8b). In order to save costs, I used some second-hand floor linoleum, which yielded fuzzier results and took a significant chunk of the promotion time to create. While lino print is an art form traditional to the Northern industrial cities and provides an eye-catching alternative to AI-driven or computer-based art, it would be wise to consider a timeplan, change of materials, or commissioning another artist for my next promotion. The printing did prove useful for the creation of physical tickets to encourage presales (8c/d). These had all of the event details on and were distributed by each promoter, as well as some being hidden around the Conservatoire for strangers. For our last push, we decorated the venue’s chalkboard and left it outside for passers-by(8a). Unfortunately, The Attic has little footfall due to the Aire Park development works, and in this regard, our original option of HEART would have been better. A wider range of promotions, such as hiring space on public boards, sending the EPK to local promoters or radio stations, and creating mixes or merchandise to build hype, could have been used to help the audience commit to a longer, further away night.
Financial Outcomes
The venue hire with sound technician took up the majority of our costs, which was largely unavoidable. With the turnout we had, however, a record shop, pub, or a home concert could have reduced or eradicated this cost, providing we were able to operate sound and create atmosphere. Our plan depended on getting lots of people in through cheap tickets and encouraging them to spend money on merch while there. This competed with the bar sales, which went to the venue, and the independent stallholders we had invited. We saved on promotional materials by handcrafting, but perhaps overspent on rider as there was plenty leftover. All of the music played was original, but as self-employed artists, it is unlikely the PRS for this will be claimed back. Overall the costs hit the promoters hardest, but was also dissappointing for the musicians who had a no gaurantee deal and therefore played for free. I was shocked but not surprised at the difficulties promoters face in breaking even, and would keep costs lower in future.
