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It’s not as easy task to “make it” it in the music industry, whatever you take “making it” to mean. York based band Tomorrow We Radio are currently trying to achieve this. Frequently supporting bands throughout York and Darlington, the five-piece rock band have recorded their first EP (available to download for free by clicking here), yet are still struggling to get the publicity they need to play bigger venues in bigger cities. According to Lee and James (guitar and guitars and synth, respectively) the band are willing to “beg, borrow and steal” to get to where they want to be. And the guys are keeping it realistic; they’re not aiming for worldwide stardom, they don’t want a five album deal with EMI or to play Wembley to a crowd of thousands (although they wouldn’t say no to any of the above). Put simply, they want to tour the UK in a van, playing snog, marry, avoid for the remaining four hours of the drive after their smart phones die. And, apparently, affording to eat would be a bonus
Less far along the way with “living the dream” are Halloe Away. The two-piece band only started out in October but has made significant progress in the short space of time. Getting good support positions, including supporting Marina on the 13th of April (please note: Not Marina and the Diamonds, another Marina who is apparently very big in France) and starting recording of a mini-album around the same time, things are looking good for the guys. Yet two weeks studio time is setting them back £2000. And the only way they tend to get paid for their music is with the flyer system, where the band gives out flyers and for every person that comes to the gig with said flyer, the band get paid £1. So, hypothetically, to pay for the band’s studio time, 2000 people would need to bring flyers to Fibbers, which has a maximum capacity of 450. It’s looking like the pair will have to keep doing the jobs they hate to fund the music that they love for now…
But why do so many bands choose to base themselves in York? Surely Leeds or Newcastle, with much bigger music scenes, would make it much easier for a band to gain publicity? Yet it’s the lack of a music scene in York which keeps bands here. Less bands means less competition for the live slots, which enables bands to start small and build up to bigger venues, along with gaining experience along the way. The university here offers a publicity springboard, and students do tend to be the main audience at the small gigs bands such as Tomorrow We Radio and Helloe Away are playing to.
There are shortcuts to fame that very few, very lucky, bands get the opportunity to take. Virgin run a yearly “Road to V” competition where the winners get to play at V Festival. Past winners include the Young Knives and Bombay Bicycle Club so this competition is not one to be sniffed at. Live and Unsigned, described as “the biggest UK music competition for original bands and singers”, is another competition designed to launch winners into the spotlight. The winners get to play huge gigs up and down the country in the biggest venues, including the London O2 Arena and the LG Arena in Birmingham. There are many more competitions like this so it must be worth a look for many of the up and coming bands out there.
So there you have it. Not the easiest career choice, yet possibly the most fulfilling. Living off your passion is a dream come true for most musicians, but it depends largely on motivation, money and the kindness of strangers on whether or not that dream becomes a reality.
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