2 Promoters, 1 Pod

In the second of our monthly Q&A bonus pods, we try to get through as many burning questions as possible.Our biggest triumphs and screw ups? How has Brexit impacted attracting bands? What happens to our festivals if one of us is hit by a bus? Have we ever been held to ransom by a greedy band?And why didn't Opeth play their full set length at ATG last year?We answer them all.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

The ArcTanGent stage times are out and everyone has been colour coding their digital day plans and having a social media rant about the decisions they've been forced to make.But what does the man responsible for the clashes, which can make or break your weekend, have to say for himself?How did Clown Core and Author & Punisher find themselves pitted against each other? Is Torpor at 11am on the final day really a bright idea? And do fans really want to see both Amenra and Tokky Horror?James finally breaks his silence...We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Green Lung, Creeper, Brutus, Malevolence, Zeal & Ardor, Bob Vylan, Dinosaur Pile Up, Bleed From Within, Boston Manor... all names we hope to see headline our festivals in the future.But what does it take to get there and why does the path to the top of the bill seem so clear at 2000trees, yet so complicated at ATG and Damnation? Gav and James also have a bash at booking a stage for the other's festival, from the sublime (We Lost The Sea and Tomb Mould) to the ridiculous (Moon Tooth?) .And there's Blanket and The Moth Gatherer and Meryl Streek and Pig Destroyer and Anaal Nathrakh and Spirit Adrift and...This is our fanboy episode. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

21 UK festivals have been cancelled or postponed so far this year with up to 100 at risk without Government support, according to the The Association of Independent Festivals.It's grim reading, so how are ArcTanGent, Damnation and 2000trees coping in this brutal landscape and what can be done to help the situation?Gav and James have a plan and it involves you!We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Bob Vylan to Din of Celestial Birds, Idles to Amenra... have our festivals helped "break" bands to a larger audience in their scenes and if so, is that important to us or a byproduct of the job?Gav and James get in about it. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

After a month or so of agent bashing, it was only a matter of time before someone stepped up to put us back in our place.And that someone is the brilliant Mr Tom Taaffe, the man behind the bookings of the likes of Every Time I Die, Pallbearer, Spanish Love Songs, Deafheaven, While She Sleeps, Beartooth and Elder at our festivals.What's his take on the ballache of billing and A-Z line-up posters, the rising fees for bands and promoters asking US arena-level bands to play club shows in England? What's happening with Sleep and are The Reytons a suitable headliner for 2000trees?Tom gives his honest take on it all.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

The mailbox is full and the questions keep coming in, so here's an episode dedicated to all your curiosities.Do festival promoters talk to each other about band fees? Have we ever got into a bidding war over a band we wanted? What other festival would we like to book? What are the marketing challenges in 2024?We answer them all, and plenty more, in the usual candid fashion. We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Ten years of increased offers, multiple snubs, endless fan demands and with almost all hope lost... Mogwai finally agreed to play the final night of the 10th anniversary of ATG.It had to be part of the masterplan, right?  Or a chance phone call, "going big" with an offer over text and the dilemma of having no headline slots left.Turns out landing the dream band is never straight forward, as Bolt Thrower playing Damnation had its own unique quirks too.Gav and James get in about it all.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Booking bands is the Wild West of music promotion, where cash, gamesmanship, ego and relationships clash in the process of sealing a deal.But it isn't as simple a just working out a fee. There's hotels, flights, catering, drum kits, video walls, billing and exclusivity to haggle over... and don't forget that nudity clause!Then, even if that's all agreed, it might not stay that way because half the contract doesn't make sense, or the agent might just "forget".Understand, no? Neither do we... We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

2,000 Trees, Damnation and ArcTanGent have carved themselves out solid reputations on the UK festival scene but not without almost two decades of graft, good fortune and the odd costly mistake, or twenty, along the way.Thankfully we fell into those traps so you don't have to.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

The right headliner can make or break your year, whether the rest of the line-up is excellent or not.But it's not as easy as just throwing heaps of cash at your favourite band to land the booking you need.With more events to choose from, competitive festival exclusive deals, fees going through the roof and bands booking further and further in advance, it can be a nervous time trying to get the right cherry on top.James and Gav get into it...We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

In a short space of time, Slayer transformed themselves from dependable festival fodder, who filled academies on tour to an arena outfit who have returned to share top billing alongside the likes of Slipknot and Motley Crue with one simple trick: the fake farewell.Should fans be delighted with the return, or question why they were duped in the first place? Will other bands and their management follow the same strategy? And where are promoters left in the mix of booking the panto?We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Who goes one line up on the poster? Whose logo needs to be bigger? Who goes left or right when two bands are virtually identical in stature? And who decides?The art of billing the line-up poster is a messy and confusing one, which often leads to heated rows, fall outs and promoters being left with tough calls to make.But do fans even notice or care?James and Gav share their pain and misery on 2 Promoters, 1 Pod.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

Dillinger are back and everyone is buzzing, so why aren't they playing any of the UK festivals?Is Calculating Infinity worth the gamble? Is there anything to learn from the At The Drive In, Refused or Botch reunions? Will we see Dimitri and co. play London in 2024 instead?Damnation and ArcTanGent organisers, Gav and James, share their thoughts on the first episode of 2 Promoters, 1 Pod.We go again, next Thursday morning. Be there.

How much money did Damnation 2023 make? The problem with A Night of Salvation being so cheap. the chaos of losing Tuskar and Ahab at the final hurdle. Bossk and Din of Celestial Birds knocking it out the park. THAT Nordic Giants opening set. Fixation on a Co Worker. Highlights and low points of the weekend... Plans for 2024.We get in about about it all.Thanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

After three decades on the road, grindcore Godfather Shane Embury has committed his tour tales to paper with the release of Life...? And Napalm Death.Shane joins Damnation Vs to discuss the decision to publish the novel and where to draw the line with what's for the masses and what stays on tour.Playing arenas to Volbeat fans,  why he needs to see the faces of the crowd when he's playing and rediscovering Cult of Luna.#napalmdeath  #damnation #damnationvsThanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

It looked like it could all be over for Anaal Nathrakh but Dr Dave Hunt has some "unfinished business" to attend to, which will include a one-off headline performance at this year's Damnation Festival.How did it feel to release Endarkenment in the middle of a pandemic and have no stages to take it to?What was the process of rebuilding a live band with no Mick Kenney?Will we ever see Nathrakh live again after 2023?And is there any hope of more records in the future?Dr Hunt tackles it all, in his brilliantly blunt fashion on Damnation Vs. #damnationvsThanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

Our first in a series of short and snappy Q&A's Damnation Vs takes on the fans' questions, both about the festival itself and Gav's takes on the wider metal scene.#damnationvsThanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

Packing out their debut year only to crash into a global pandemic, moving to Manchester then being chucked out their new arena shortly afterwards and landing Sleep Token before they became the band who'd sell out Wembley Arena in 10 minutes...The first few years of Radar have been a rollercoaster and as they head into this year's festival, co-organiser/director Ash Cook joins Damnation Vs to share the highs and lows. Thanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)

Damnation's "other guy" Paul Farrington surprisingly takes control of proceedings to grill Gav on the big move to Manchester's BEC Arena. What we got right, what we got wrong, highlights and stresses... was it all worth it?Also, big plans for the Night of Salvation event going forward, the goals for 2023 and will we return to Leeds?And don't forget the damn parking! #damnationfestival Thanks for listening, please give the show a follow and tell your mates! ;)