Mammothfest director Steve Dicksons stance on “etiquette” and bands applying to play a festival

Often the festival promoters have a fairly good idea what bands they want in advance and gun for them. Headliners booked; there becomes a load of spaces for other bands that have to suit the headliners/promoters unravelling agenda.

The challenge bands face is to have the right contacts, approach festivals at the right time and hope they will fit the agenda. If not move forward, don’t hurl abuse, you just end up on a black list when actually the promoter may have up until that point put you on the “next year possible” list.

When it comes to emerging artists we apply less pressure on the bands abilities to draw crowds to our events but instead select bands whose music is incredible. Most who attend Mammothfest are coming to understand you will not see a bad band all weekend; we pride ourselves on this so bands need to already be smashing it everywhere they go.

Get a decent press pack together, get a booking agent if you can and employ them to do the hunting but if you are going to do it yourselves (and most bands have) then do consider the role of the others you are applying too and build a rapport, don’t damage your chances next year around.

To some this post may seem obvious; to others patronising and some may think well quite frankly I’m talking rubbish. I am not here to be concerned about making everyone happy but say it how it is and hope it helps some.

I would like to assure all bands that apply for Mammothfest slots that we listen to you all, we cannot reply to all and you may not fit our agenda but we keep an eye out for those making the right waves and as you can see from MF2017, we secure as many of the best emerging bands as we can to celebrate their hard work in the hope that press in attendance hopefully will pick up on them.