2 Promoters, 1 Pod

From playing on broken stools in The Red Lion pub in Stevenage before the pandemic to being offered Bloodstock, ArcTanGent and Damnation post-lockdown, Pupil Slicer have caused a stir in isolation with the release of their debut album, Mirrors. Singer, guitarist and "band Führer" Katie Davies joins Damnation Vs to talk about the insane reaction to the record, future tour plans and that o...

Few bands had a 2021 like Conjurer; levelling the main stages of both Download and Bloodstock before returning to their natural habitat of a packed indoor show at Damnation and leaving no one in any doubt that they are one of the finest metal acts the UK has to offer. Guitarist Brady Deeprose joins Damnation Vs for a mammoth two-hour stint to pick through the bones of those sets, his feelings on o...

Routing a tour can be a dog-eat-dog world, riddled with "avails", "holds", "first pencils" and "challenges"... and that's just in "market one". Venue boss, promoter and booking agent Ian Shaw is a man with his fingers in all the pies and he cuts through the jargon to explain how best to his bands from Brighton to Aberdeen without a ten-hour ja...

Will Pig Destroyer make it to the UK this winter to headline a sold-out Damnation and if so, where else are they planning to play on a rare overseas venture? Blake Harrison, the band's electronics maestro, tour manager, manager and social media voice joins Damnation Vs to lay out the 2021 plans for the US grindcore kings. He also takes a trip down memory lane to revisit the band's first...

ArcTanGent 2021 is cancelled. Organiser James Scarlett explains why the decision was made, the fears about hosting events without government-backed insurance, the response from bands across the world and where the festival goes next. Plans for an indoor event to mark the loss of 2,000 Trees and ATG this year, refreshing the line-ups for 2022 and the depth of talent emerging from the UK.  We get in...

Andy Farrow, manager of Opeth, Devin Townsend, Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Bloodbath, Anathema and The Wildhearts, unpacks three decades of experience in an episode that digs deeeeeep into the business. The importance of bands getting their master tapes back, licensing deals, filling in those PRS sheets, 'syncs' with gaming companies and, finally, an explanation of what 'publishing&ap...

Tom Taaffe - the hero responsible for Nails at Damnation - is this week's guest to discuss being a booking agent for the likes of Sleep, Exodus, Pallbearer, Higher Power, Every Time I Die, Loathe, Vein and... Vance Joy. He discusses the imminent decisions facing the major summer festivals which could cost them  "millions of pounds" if they don't call it right, the shock of bein...

Stepping into Myrkur's slot on the black metal stage at Hellfest, being commissioned to perform new music at Roadburn and storming Damnation with her electric cello, before introducing Venom Prison... Jo Quail is a unique talent causing a stir in the extreme scene. She discusses all the above, touring with Winterfylleth, Mono, Caspian, the reception death metal fans have given her take on cla...

Music streaming deals barely covering two pints a month, living in an "open prison" during the pandemic, no live shows for two more years, cancel culture, freedom of speech... and Mgła playing Damnation. Primordial's Alan Averill is not a man you turn to for light-hearted banter. Strap yourself in. For further info on Damnation Vs, or Damnation Festival visit: damnationversus.buzzsp...

Maybeshewill’s John Helps discusses playing in (one of) the world’s best post-rock band, inadvertently calling it a day at their biggest ever show, returning in the middle of a pandemic and why he’s the reluctant “thank you” guy. He also talks about the promoters’ life with his role in Handmade Festival, pinching a blueprint from Damnation and using his tour managing experience to keep visiting ba...

ArcTanGent and 2,000 Trees talent buyer, James Scarlett, opens up about the pressures of booking almost 300 bands each year for his festivals.  Why won't Mogwai just say 'yes'? How realistic is it that we'll see The Mars Volta finally take the stage in Bristol? The challenges of booking a line-up for fans two decades younger than him... Puscifer's wrestling ring production...

Beating Covid-19, tour managing Machine Head, playing with Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax in Czech Republic, Wes Scantlin's bus antics, silver service at Graspop vs dodgy meal tokens at Download, handling huge production for Red Hot Chilli Peppers, losing £20,000 on Drowning Pool and cops interrupting his "rock star moment" threesome. Testament, A Pale Horse Named Death, Di...

Serena discusses the band's sudden departure from Holy Roar Records following allegations of serious sexual assault made against the label's owner. What's next for the album that is due to drop in just a couple of weeks, the uncertain immediate future for the band and how they digested the news along with the public in a stressful 24 hours. She also talks about the challenges of lif...

From sharing an Ozzfest stage with Tool, Slipknot and Black Sabbath, through being arrested with Amen in Spain to getting kicked off Rammstein’s arena tour “every day”, Corby’s finest Raging Speedhorn crammed a lifetime of rock ‘n’ roll into a few eventful years. Founding member - and the only ever present face over two decades of chaos - Gordon Morison recounts the explosion and then implosion of...

Converge, Whitechapel, Deafheaven, The Dandy Warhols and Busted have one man in common... Bossk's Tom Begley. The bassist-turned-tour manager chats about life on the road pre-pandemic, learning from £7,000 mistakes and weighs up the pros and cons of arena vs club tours. He also talks Bossk, taking advantage of ArcTanGent's fancy ass screen and confirms their first date of 2021! *Please l...