Do you go to other small unsigned band gigs? It is surprising how many musicians who are in fact in unsigned bands don’t actually go out and see other unsigned bands on a regular basis. And then they wonder why there is no one at their own shows!
I love watching bands, and am totally addicted to seeing live music. And indeed I am really grateful that I have met so many musicians through this blog and the meet-ups through this group. On average I go to one unsigned gig every week now, so one night of my 7 nights is spent at a brand new gig where I am in the audience. These can be gigs of other musicians I have met or even promoter friends who are running a night.
You pick up so much by watching other bands, you see the small things that make a performance and performers so memorable or intriguing. There are extrovert performers out there, then there are shy ones, there are technical performers and emotional ones. In the audience you can work out how passionate a certain band is, how they communicate with the audience and between themselves. I have learnt a lot just by watching so many bands. Most importantly you can tell which bands are brave and willing to sell. By sell I mean they give out their web address, flyers, have a backdrop, a CD for sale and some of the very committed ones have their own merch stall.
So yeah, go ahead and check out other bands and do it on a regular basis. If you really don’t have any friends bands then you haven’t yet networked properly. That’s easy to do though, I am sure you have really liked the sound of another band at a gig you played with your own band. Just get in touch with them and ask them when their next gig is. Follow them a bit, be a fan. Failing that London is such a massive scene that you can turn up to see live bands at any day of the week, so pick a venue and a day and just walk in!
Go forth, explore the London scene a bit and learn from every gig 🙂
Rock Bands in London 