2 Promoters, 1 Pod

James, his fellow Trees organisers, trusted crew and a small army of 40 volunteers have descended on Upcote Farm in preparation for scores of bands and 15,000 music lovers who will follow suit in two weeks' time. But what exactly goes into prepping a massive outdoor festival?  From who puts in the Sainsbury's order to feed and water the entire team on day one, to who clears the sticks fr...

There's more poor musicians out there than rich ones and depressingly, even being a founding member of the incredible Rolo Tomassi isn't going to pay the bills. James Spence explains how he clawed his way out of the hospitality trade to make a career in the music business work, between booking bands, repping shows and touring. He also spills the beans on plans for Rolo's special 20t...

The gloves are off as OAPs Gav and James take on International Men of Talent, Sugar Horse, over their problematic clash at ATG. Shots have been fired, jokes have been missed and insults hurled... now it's time for our Super Subs to settle it. First though, is the new Turnstile album the worst thing ever uploaded to Spotify?  Should we ditch Ghost for Creeper? And are Dimscûa the greatest thin...

Burzum, beans and budgeting... we're all over the gaff this week as Gav returns from Fortress Festival in Scarborough a shell of a man and James comes to terms with some difficult decisions with the ATG site plan as well as explaining some clashes.  And is it the pit security's job to save fans from a hospital trip or do you crowdsurf at your own risk? P.S. There's also Kneecap. We...

The drinks are flowing as the mailbag is plundered for a good ol’ fashioned Q&A.  Gav and James tackle secret sets, the latest Metallica tour, favourite festival memories, worst Machine Head records and of course, meal deals.  Cheers.  We go again, every Thursday morning.

Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Corrosion of Conformity and Napalm Death are FINALLY announce to top the festival bills... but it wasn't plain sailing. In fact, it was a series of sleepless nights aboard SS Nightmare which left Gav and James wondering whether "headliners" for events likes Damnation and ArcTanGent are really worth the effort at all? There's also James being accoste...

Irish punk Meryl Streek has bagged a unique hattrick of bookings at Trees, ATG and Damnation this year. But for one-man live revolt, who refuses to play the music industry game, how has he found himself being embraced by the those on its fringes, from the promoters and press to politically driven young students and crusty old grindcore fans? He discusses picking up the mic after 15 years behind th...

The settlements have been paid, the bank statements have been printed off and the spreadsheets collated.  Exactly how much were Gav and James paid on their debut tour and how much of it did they spend, and on what exactly? The importance of merch sales, thinking outside the box to drum up extra income and keeping James as far away from hipster coffee shops as possible. £226 on taxis for three drun...

It was supposed to a fun afternoon arguing over the 2,000trees clashfinder but Sharon Osbourne, Scotland’s First Minister and the pesky bloody Tories had other ideas…. so the spotlight is back on the Kneecap lads. But what about the promoters, like James, who have red hot Irish trio on their poster? Well, there’s death threats for a start.  We go again, every Thursday morning.

Gav and James dive back into the virtual mailbag to tackle the most pressing issues of the day. Is Ghost's mobile phone ban a step too far? Have Kneecap become too hot to handle following their controversial Coachella sets? And how much money did we lose on the first years of our festivals? Throw in a some Watain and smelly animal carcasses, checking if bands are racist on ChatGPT and Elton J...

There's few things in the live music business quite like the circus of a band's contractual agreement with a festival. From sloppy copy and paste jobs to being told to sign off technical specs you haven't received and a shopping list of reasons why a band can cancel to a litany of clauses to say why a promoter can't, it's all a bit of a clown show which would be laughed at...

After a couple of weekends on tour, social media threw a wobbler to welcome Gav and James back with a bump as well as Brand New, Dragged Into Sunlight and poor old Clutch under the bus.  We wade through the murky waters of cancel culture, questionable decision making and an unwillingness to be straight with ticket buyers before lightening the mood with some Burzum banter. Laughs galore. We go agai...

Gav and James hit the road for their first ever tour. From mad for it Manchester to Village Wembley, gifts to guests and hot sauces to hecklers… here’s how it panned out. We go again, every Thursday morning.

The first leg of the debut tour is over but there’s no time to unwind as Malevolence drop a bomb on Damnation and there’s ArcTanGent bands to announce.  Oh, and it’s Glasgow tomorrow… We go again, every Thursday morning.

We’re in Bristol for the opening night of the first 2 Promoters, 1 Tour but don’t fret, we’re here for you, every Thursday, come rain, shine or super stardom. James’ favourite music documentaries, top albums of 2025 so far and Gav’s difficulties with post rock fans.  Synthwave, Slamdunk clashes and stupid band fees… We go again, every Thursday morning.

One last rummage through the big bag of questions before Gav and James hit the road for their first tour. Do support bands get a taste of the 80/20 Vs deal cash? Our thoughts on the return of Ghostfest. Will Damnation remain a two-day event following this year's ticket sales? And what bands have we missed out on down the years we kick ourselves about? Also on our minds; the return of Slayer,...

*TRIGGER WARNING* Do NOT consume with food. The infamous "Stinky Pete", who provides toilets for 2000trees and and ArcTanGent, joins the pod - by demand - and does not hold back on the details of what it takes to be the top loo man in town.  You may never look at a plastic festival bog the same way again. And shout out to the heroes at Outbreak.  We go again, every Thursday morning.

Happy birthday to us.  Cheers to every last one of you for the support. Now let's get stuck into what you want to know about, from Bloodstock's winter bash to the worst thing about rock and metal fans. We go again, every Thursday morning.

It's exactly one month until Gav and James hit the road for their maiden live tour which puts them in the unfamiliar shoes of the artist for the first time. But what exactly goes into planning a tour? Why is a tour manager important? Who is doing the driving and in what? How do you know how much merch to order? And please explain that 80/20 Vs deal again... In usual 2 Promoters, 1 Pod fashion...

The greatest metal line-up of all time is heading to Birmingham as the world says its final, final, final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne as a live performer. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastodon and the drummer from Sleep Token are all on the poster but what exactly is going on? Is it a day of Sabbath classics? Are the bands playing 25 minute sets? And why did no one invite the...

There are few things as important as your breakfast, lunch and dinner to soak up the beer and cider during your stay on a festival site for the weekend. But how do those delightful vendors get through a boggy farm in their ill-equipped cars, vans and trucks? How much do they pay? Who decides what they can and can't sell and why are the meals so bloody expensive? Luckily James is a man with mo...

You're not confused, it is Tuesday. But the ArcTanGent line up reveal waits for no man, woman or child so we go again, for a rare bonus pod, before the news breaks for the rest of the world. The exclusive ATG special announcement has two headliners, including a Wednesday "debut" so big, the festival's rulebook had to be scrapped to accommodate the booking. James shares the post...

Today was the day we were all promised the big ATG reveal but James' "wild week of booking" quickly descended into a fortnight of madness and as the big man says himself "we work to the bands' schedule, they don't work to ours". So instead Gav and James tear through a bumper Q&A tackling venue upgrades, the challenges of booking band "packages, submissio...

The role of a booking agent can be tricky and demanding at the best of times but when your latest 'client' is a podcast featuring two promoters who routinely bash you and your colleagues, it's a whole different ball game. So why did Mr Haydn Britland, the man who secure deals and routes tours for the likes of Cult of Luna, Enslaved, Leprous, The Ocean and Envy, fancy a crack at 2 Pr...

Booking headliners has become a real issue for festivals of all sizes but is tying up bands TWO years in advance the answer or a very dangerous gamble? Gav and James respond to the latest drama to hit promoters and how it impacts their festivals.  There’s also a cheesy fest line-up which James is a tad too comfortable putting together and why wasn’t Gav more upset that Bleeding Through didn’t play...