Barbelith Underground > Conversation > Hunting Lodge have booked Melt Banana to play Southampton Joiners 21.11.05

Hey all. I have one ticket left that I can personally sell. First come first served.

Out of twenty four offers I've received nine contributions so far. This is extremely good considering the gig isn't until late November.

From a financial and promotional angle I'm cautiously optimistic about the success of the event. From being pretty nervous I'm starting to think we're likely to break even. One of my contributors thinks that too, another thinks we'll probably take a hit financially but contributed £100.00 anyway. Of course I have no guarantees, and there is still an element of risk.

I'm sorry if there's any lingering confusion about people who are contributing £10.00. I'll try to clarify this:

- If you're contributing £10.00 but aren't intending on coming then your advance contribution is much appreciated, and I'll send you back a proportionate amount according to how much we make/break even/lose.

- If you're contributing £10.00, are intending on coming on the night and aren't interested in whether you'll make money should the gig be a success then I'd appreciate it if you bought a ticket. We have a limit on the number of people who we can put on the guest list.

- If you are intending on coming, want to see a potential return on what you're putting in and don't mind the risk element then send the £10.00 and we'll put you on the guest list. Buying a ticket is preferable as far as the event is concerned, because we have a limit to the number we can get in on the door on the night.

Hope that's cool with everyone. I feel quite self-conscious about this and want to make it as transparent to everyone involved as possible. I want to make sure I do right by everyone, and I know how different people's attitudes to money can be. I've been staggered by everyone's generosity and belief in this event, and so I want to encourage anyone with reservations to mention them. If you want to withdraw what you've offered then feel free to let me know: I'd prefer it if people were honest about what they want or feel able to contribute. I'm going to respect people's privacy on that score.

This has been an amazing learning experience for me already. Seeing the amount that goes into organising an event, from financial matters to booking the venue, to seeing the band's requirements to making sure I communicate clearly... it's all good. If I can do anything better, please let me know.

Another thing... much respect is due to our singer Dan. He's the one who relentlessly seeks out good gigs for us, made contact with Melt Banana and communicated with them and their management. He booked support not out of an eye to increase door sales with well known bands that he didn't personally believe in, but out of a desire to put on the strongest event possible. In the case of Big Joan it was a return on all the many favours they've done for Hunting Lodge since we started. But the thing I most respect him for is booking Sodding Wolf's Head. They're our bass player's other band, in relative terms they're just starting out and finding their feet, and he booked them because he believes in their music and wants them to have the experience of playing with a band like Melt Banana. It'll be a good leg up in the world for them, and a risk for Hunting Lodge because you never know whether the Sod Wolf will take off bigger than we do. I wholeheartedly believe in those kind of principles, and Dan has pretty much exemplifies them in every event I've know him to run. He runs the Noise Annoys and Hunting Lodge sites, and uses them to big up decent music whenever he can. I don't have enough praise for the guy.

My friend Jim is on record as saying that to look at an enterprise with your criteria for success solely being financial is like trying to win a basketball match by shooting at the scoreboard. I'm really proud to be part of this because I think we're doing a good thing and doing it right.