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© 2026 2 Promoters, 1 Pod
Description
ArcTanGent and Damnation organisers, James Scarlett and Gavin McInally, discuss the good, the bad and the downright ridiculous of promoting festivals.
126 Episodes
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45 ATG bands are here, and four hours before the rest of the world finds out - Arcane Roots aside! Gav and James discuss ripping up the promo plan when Radio 1 come calling, ATG bands taking off and Jamie Lenman being the first artist ever to ask to go DOWN the bill. Then they get stuck into to as much geeky goodness as possible; playing tent Tetris with camping allocations, the chaos of organisational timelines, relationships with suppliers and what impact a Glasto fallow year has on...
After a long break from the mailbag, Gav and James dive back in for the first Q&A since October. And what do the masses want to know about? If spotting and booking up and coming talent is luck or talent, how to weed out shit live bands before they hit your stage and what would James rob from Gav if his name were to be plucked from the Jug of Joy? Buy your We Lost The Sea tickets: https://www.seetickets.com/tour/we-lost-the-sea And your pod merch: www.nomad-stores.com/collections/2-pro...
The first wave of Damnation bands have been announced and they are bangers. But it wasn’t without mishaps, leaks and panic… as Gav explains. And James lays out his excitement for the year ahead from album release hopes to festival plans. “For the fucking millionth time…” We go again, every Thursday morning.
It’s 2026 and Gav and James are ready to go again but there’s one small festive task to wrap up… the best albums of 2025. Surely they agree on most of the top ten, right? Right? We go again, every Thursday morning.
Maybe it’s the post-tour blues, maybe it’s reaching 100 episodes or maybe it’s just the spirit of Christmas… Whatever the reason, Gav and James bare their souls in an unusually personal pod, to tackle the highs and lows of their festive tour and the achievement of reaching the pod milestone. We go again, every Thursday morning.
Gav and James have put together the best tour of 2026… and they want you to know about it first. We go again, every Thursday morning.
While James basked in the glory (and ticket sales) following the outrageous ATG headliners announcement, Gav went on his travels for live music thrills. And it’s tougher to be more thrilling than a trip to London to see the mighty Radiohead, back to Glasgow for a triple whammy of LLNN, Pupil Slicer and Worn Out before an historic Kneecap performance at a sold out, 14,000 cap Hydro. Before all that though, what’s the early Xmas treat 2 Promoters have in store for listeners? Buy y...
The ATG headliners have been announced and they are belters. Right from the top of the page one wish list: Primus, Chelsea Wolfe and Cult of Luna & Julie Christmas performing Mariner. Gav and a very smug feeling James get into the details behind the treble coup. Tour Tickets: www.seetickets.com/tour/2-promoters-1-pod We go again, every Thursday morning.
Gav might be in Egypt but it takes more than a £1,000, six-hour EasyJet flight seated beside a sweet racist Scottish granny to stop the man from fulfilling his pod duties. So from the luxury of a personal business suite inside a “palace” the boys get back to work, talking Scotland’s making the World Cup, Kneecap’s unbelievable hospitality and the “page one” ATG headliners. Get your tour tickets here - https://www.seetickets.com/tour/2-promoters-1-pod We go again, every Thursday morning.
Damnation’s 20th birthday bash was a metal party for the history books. Jaw-dropping performances, production so good it was head scratching and a guy who shat the bed. James, Gav and Damnation’s trusted lieutenant, Dr Paul Farrington, climb out of their hangovers to discuss the weekend that was. Get your tour tickets - https://www.seetickets.com/tour/2-promoters-1-pod We go again, every Thursday morning.
James is back from his holiday looking sun-kissed and relaxed, Gav on the other hand is deep in the festival tumble dryer. Is it enjoyable to see the world’s least stressed man actually stressed, or is it weirdly disconcerting? Tune in to find out. As well as going deep on the final Damnation plans, the boys cover topics including the Trees & ATG band announcements, the Encyclopedia Metallica and the next manager of Celtic. Blurb written by James (for the first time ever. That’s how st...
Gav and James sit down for their third pod in six days (before the big man left on holiday) and leave no stone unturned in their search for fresh chat. AI bands, end-of-days conspiracy theories, cartoon reviews, football analogues, restaurant bloopers, when people leak the wrong band playing ATG and the importance of music press. What would happen if our festivals collapsed? Who were we before we took our first steps into the promoting circus and did you ever hear the story of J...
Gav and James dive back into the mailbag to address the pressing matters of the day: best and worst festivals, that elusive Mars Volta booking and whether negative reaction to the pod from within the music business could see it killed off. But before all that, there must be an easier and cheaper way to send money overseas in 2025! Also, grab your tour tickets: www.seetickets.com/tour/2-promoters-1-pod We go again, every Thursday morning.
We've heard the stories of chaotic first years of 2000trees as James and his band of merry men tried to find their feet as festival organisers. But what we haven't heard about - until now - was their secret weapon for success: a woman who already had a clue what she was doing in the live music business. That hero is Sarah Gilbert, who now runs the artist liaison teams at both Trees and ATG as well and much, much, much more. Not bad for someone whose favourite metal band is Shania Twain.&nb...
The dreaded clashfinder, followed by the tsunami of complaints. A bleak annual onslaught every festival promoter dreads. But what actually goes into putting that particular puzzle together? Well there's the contractual obligations, and then the obvious genre concerns, followed by logistics you do know about and then those you don't know about. And where in that tangled web of restrictions do you place bands on the same record label? Gav and James attempt to explain why it's not as simple a...
It's been a hectic auld week but Gav and James carve out just enough time to plunder the mailbox to explore the curious minds of the listeners. Ticket sales strategies. Bristol Trip Advisor. Merch pre-sales. Running pod jokes and Xmas jumpers. And why did Gav choose to name the pod after some internet filth and then double down with branded cups? Fore! We go again, every Thursday morning.
With the growing popularity (it's appreciated!) of the pod, some people in the music business are less than delighted with the frank discussions that take place for the listening pleasure of ticket buyers. James was reminded of the fact that not everyone is a fan when he spoke to an irate agent this week. So Gav and James take some time to reflect on the impact of 2 Promoters, 1 Pod and how it's viewed by some people on our side of the fence. Is it possible that they might have a poin...
Damnation is on the horizon and the reality of the outstanding to do list is starting to weigh on the team. But what exactly needs to be done before the gates open at BEC Arena in two months' time? Well there's the marquees to order, the cabins to hire, the laminates to get designed and printed, the backline, the crew, the parking, the traders, the radios, the scanners, the merch, wifi, fencing, security, first aid... and will someone think about the bloody towels!? Oh, and the small issue...
Gav and James plunder the bulging mailbag once more to tackle the topics of the day. Using Oceansize’s Spotify as a publicity stunt. Trying to judge a band’s pull. And the new Deftones record are all on the table. And Gav tries one last time to explain why festivals can’t sell t-shirts for the same price as the local grindcore all-dayer. Tour Tickets We go again, every Thursday morning.
"Hi there, you've reached Rob Scarlett at the 2000trees customer service desk, how may I assist you? "VIP camping was a hike to get to? The beers ran out? And what was with all the bloody wasps? "Well, if you have two hours and 11 minutes spare and the patience of a monk, I'd love to talk these issues over with you..." We go again, every Thursday morning.
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