Headrow House 10.03.26 The Wranglers ‘Ghost’ Single Release Show
Overall, our event at Headrow House was a success, both financially and experientially. The event not only broke even but generated a profit, allowing us to pay all performing artists and reimburse each team member’s venue deposit. In addition to its financial viability, the event achieved a strong audience response, with high engagement contributing to a positive and energetic atmosphere throughout the night.
During the planning process, I served as the project coordinator, where I was responsible for overseeing workflow, maintaining deadlines and facilitating communication between team members. This involved actively engaging in group discussions, monitoring progress, and ensuring that tasks were completed efficiently. On the night of the event, I played a key operational role by documenting the event and maintaining oversight across multiple areas, including the box office, health and safety, artist welfare, and social media activity.
Despite our success, there were notable challenges in team coordination and role clarity. A lack of consistent engagement from some group members – evidenced by poor attendance at meetings and limited communication via our WhatsApp group – led to confusion regarding responsibilities during the event. This resulted in periods where certain team members were underutilised, which impacted the efficiency of event operations.
Event Evidence Video
Event Atmosphere
The energy of the night built steadily, reaching its peak as the venue filled. By the time The Wranglers performed, the room was at near capacity, with audience members actively participating by singing along, dancing, and waving phone torches (see image 1h).
The first support act, Dasy Castellaro, accompanied by Greyson, created an intimate, attentive atmosphere (see image 1e). Their performance was well-received, with audience feedback highlighting the quality of their musicianship and songwriting. This created a strong foundation for the evening.
Murmuration, the second support act, played an important role in transitioning the atmosphere from an acoustic setting to a more energetic full-band performance (see image 1f). While their set was musically strong, certain elements limited the audience’s connection. Notably, reliance on iPads for lyrics and chords by two members reduced eye contact and stage presence, creating a slight disconnect between performers and the audience (see image 1i). This also made it difficult to capture engaging promotional content. Reflecting on this, it would be beneficial in future events to set clearer expectations regarding professional performance standards when booking artists.
In contrast, The Wranglers delivered a highly engaging headline performance, elevating the atmosphere (see image 1g). Their strong audience interaction, including call-and-response moments and encouraging crowd participation, resulted in a dynamic and memorable live experience.
In the lead-up to the event, we deviated slightly from our original plan of a fully immersive country-themed aesthetic. Initial ideas included themed decorations, selling cowboy hats, and a “best dressed” competition. While some aspects were implemented – such as fairy lights and a rug on stage – the theme was not fully realised. This was largely due to the lineup, as only the headline act clearly fit the country genre. If we risked a stronger country theme, this may have confused the audience’s expectations of the music, particularly around whether investing in themed merchandise would be financially worthwhile.
In future, a more cohesive approach between artist selection and event theme would be necessary. Curating a lineup that aligns with our chosen genre would allow for a more effective and fully realised themed experience.
Box Office
The box office ran smoothly. Two group members were positioned at the entrance, cross-checking attendees against ticket lists, including early bird, standard admission, and guest list entries (see images 2d and 2a).
The venue provided wristbands to distinguish attendees, blue for under-18s and pink for 18s and over (see images 2b and 2c). Though we did not have any under-18s in the room, we appreciated having the option available. This system was effective, removing the need for additional marking methods. Capacity was monitored using an online clicker to ensure we adhered to the venue’s limits (see image 2e).
All payments were processed via card using a group member’s card reader, which proved efficient and avoided complications associated with handling cash (see image 2f).
However, there was a lack of staffing at the door during the headliner. The box office was temporarily left unattended, with a phone and card reader left at the desk while team members moved away to watch the performance. Although this was partly due to the majority of attendees already being inside, it presented a potential risk in terms of lost revenue and security.
In future, it would be essential to ensure the box office remains staffed throughout the entire event, to maintain control over entry.
Security
Headrow House provided a security guard at the main entrance, who was responsible for checking identification and monitoring entry to the venue (see image 3b). This added a professional level of security and contributed to a safe environment for both attendees and performers. Also, having team members stationed at the box office created an extra layer of oversight at the point of entry.
Artists were provided with a secure green room to store personal belongings and equipment (see image 3a). I was responsible for managing access to this space, ensuring it could be locked if required (see image 3c). Although this was not requested during the event, having a designated secure area was an important precaution and helped keep valuable items out of public areas.
The decision to operate as a cashless event also reduced security risks, removing the possibility of cash theft and simplifying transactions. Although no one wished to pay with cash, if they did, we couldn’t have accepted this, which could have resulted in turning people away.
Health and Safety
There were no major health and safety incidents during the event. Appropriate measures ensured a safe environment for both attendees and performers.
In line with venue policy and our risk assessment, plastic cups were used to prevent breakages in the event space (see image 4f). Additional cups were also kept at the box office to ensure that no glassware was brought into the performance area, reducing the risk of injury. Cable management was carefully maintained, with excess cables coiled neatly to minimise trip hazards (see image 4e). Electrical safety was also considered, with plug sockets used appropriately and not overloaded, reducing the risk of fire (see image 4c).
The venue’s lift was utilised to transport heavy equipment, helping to reduce the risk of injury associated with manual handling (see image 4h) .
However, during soundchecks, a leak was found coming through the ceiling of the green room, which resulted in some personal belongings getting wet (see image 4g). This was reported to the venue staff, who acted quickly; therefore, the leak did not persist throughout the event. This demonstrates the importance of thoroughly checking all backstage areas prior to the event and ensuring any hazards are addressed where possible.
Production
The sound production throughout the event was of a high standard, with the event running smoothly and no major technical issues throughout the night (see image 5b). Audio levels were well balanced, ensuring clarity without being excessively loud. This contributed to audience comfort while still maintaining an effective live music experience. The availability of ear protection at the bar was also a positive aspect, supporting audience safety for those who chose to use it.
The lighting rig was effective and professionally managed, with colour choices complementing each artist’s performance (see image 5c). This enhanced the visual aspect of the event and contributed positively to the atmosphere, particularly during the headline set.
However, there was a minor issue at the start of the event, as the sound engineer was delayed returning from a break. This meant that the pre-prepared playlist could not be played when the doors opened, resulting in a short period where the atmosphere felt slightly awkward. Once background music was introduced, the environment quickly improved.
To prevent this issue in future events, it would be beneficial to ensure clearer scheduling and communication with the sound engineer and potentially ask for access to the sound system to maintain control over background music.
Artist Liaison
Two members of our group were performing as part of separate acts on the lineup, which initially made communication with artists more accessible. Despite this, a dedicated team member was assigned the role of artist liaison on the night to act as the primary point of contact, ensuring that artists’ needs were met (see image 6b).
The venue provided a green room for artists to store personal belongings and relax. Although it was not a large space, the artists seemed really pleased with it. The space included a private toilet, hot drink facilities, and a fridge, which we stocked with beers and cider for the artists (see image 6c)
This contributed to a positive experience and helped maintain good artist relations.
However, there was a slight miscommunication between the designated liaison and the artists. Some performers approached me to clarify whether they were allowed to consume the drinks provided in the green room, indicating that this had not been clearly communicated. This appeared unprofessional and highlighted unclear role responsibilities. Going forward, in future events, the expectations of roles need to be clearer so that this can be avoided.
Our team also supported artists during load-in and soundcheck, assisting with equipment and being present in the room in case we could help them with anything further (see image 1a).
Stage Management
Throughout the soundchecks and the performance itself, the stage was managed effectively. Changeovers were smooth and efficient, with no issues arising. All soundchecks ran ahead of schedule, meaning the planned contingency time was not required (see image 7e).
Although everyone had access to the digital advance schedule, providing a printed version in the green room could have made timings even clearer at a glance. While this did not cause any problems, it may have helped reduce any potential stress for artists regarding scheduling.
The Wranglers provided the backline, which was shared with Murmuration (see image 7a). This significantly simplified the setup, as it reduced the need to move large amounts of equipment between acts. The storage boxes for this equipment were kept in the green room, helping to minimise clutter on and around the stage and reducing potential trip hazards (see image 7d).
Online Marketing
Social media was updated consistently on the day of the event, including countdowns of ticket sales closing and video content of the artists (see image 8a). However, sharing a clear schedule displaying what time each act was playing via Instagram stories could have improved audience awareness, though this was avoided to discourage attendees from only arriving for specific acts.
Unfortunately, overall, the Instagram account was poorly managed, with limited growth in terms of followers, from the moment we set it up to the night of the event. Engagement was low due to inconsistent posting and failure to follow the planned marketing schedule. I found it necessary to repeatedly prompt the responsible team member to post content. When this wasn’t proving successful either, access to the account was shared among multiple group members; however, this reduced clarity of responsibility further and impacted consistency. Additionally, relying solely on Instagram limited reach. Expanding to platforms such as TikTok and collaborating with media publishers like ‘The Hoot’ could have improved engagement.
Promotion
In terms of physical promotion, posters were the primary method used (see image 9a). These were distributed across the Conservatoire, as the target audience was largely drawn from the student population (see image 9b). Each poster included all essential event information, ensuring clarity and accessibility.
Furthermore, I organised an in-person promotional stand, which was held a couple of weeks before the event in the cafe-bar at Leeds Conservatoire (see image 9c). This provided an opportunity to engage directly with potential attendees and encourage ticket purchases via a QR code displayed on the table. As an incentive, homemade brownies and artist stickers were offered to those who purchased tickets in person.
It could have been beneficial to include physical paper ticket sales when promoting our event. These could have been distributed at local outlets such as Jumbo Records, which may have increased visibility beyond the Conservatoire audience.
Financial outcomes
Fortunately, the event was a strong financial success. After covering all costs and paying the artists their agreed share of the profits, our team still made £86.21.
In total, we sold 80 tickets, including 26 purchased on the door at £9 each, which generated an additional £234 on top of advance ticket sales.
We were particularly pleased to be able to compensate our artists fairly, with 75% of the total profit allocated to them. Of this, 50% went to the headliner, while the remaining 25% was split between the support acts.
