[ollie]

lets kill the mechanics!!! dont deserve us!

Originally Posted by Quazi Washboard

I don't think they actually take a percentage of what a promoter makes, they just charge a bloody fortune to hire the place so that guys like me, trying to promote local acts can't afford to put gigs on there, which is a shame because it probably has the best stage in the area, with backstage wings, lighting, exellent backstage facillities, plenty of room on stage. Occasionally someone Lionel Snowden (lovely bloke!) puts on something special like M3 where we have an opportunity to put a local supporting act on, but even then, with all the overheads like PA system hire (for an act like M3, you need a 10,000 watt PA system, which doesn't come cheap.) and actualy paying the headlining act, the bill comes to thousands. Then take into consideration the fact that you are limited to selling 500 tickets, you have to price them just right so that if you only sell half of them you can still afford to pay the bill, but cheap enough so that your average joe on the street can afford to buy one. The extortionate price that the Mechanics charge to hire the room in the first place just puts the final nail in the coffin as far as organising something really good at a decent price, unless you can put on a band like M3 that are guaranteed to sell out all the tickets. But acts that you can safely say will sell out are few and far between, so it just ends up being too risky to do.