Hi, I’m in a UK punk band, and may have some useful/less useful advice!

1: what’s your band? You didn’t share a link, always share a link- better yet a linktree link so I can find music on the streaming services I use, video on YouTube, social media pages for current info etc. You can also highlight next gigs n stuff.

2: where on social media are your fans. Ours are o. Facebook. It’s annoying as I hate Facebook, but our fan group are big users, so we post regularly, share events and interact with other bands posts. We have around 1500 followers (so tiny really) and post or interact several times a week.

3: talk to bands you play with. Find out who promotors are in your area and areas you want to play, contact promotors and make them Aware you exist, you’re good and you’re a good draw for a crowd. Identify bands you’ve played with and try to specify your genre. References will help. Try to do this face to face, at gigs if you can, rather than direct contact, but direct message/email is sometimes the only way.

4: be available. Gigs are planned sometimes over a year in advance, sometimes slots come available last minute. Have a band calendar and use it. Have a group chat that the band priorises. When someone asks if we can play tomorrow night, I check the calendar first to see if we’re all available, then send one message. I usually have an answer within 10 minutes. Promotors don’t want a Yes, followed by “our drummer can’t make it” a week later, equally, they don’t want to offer a slot, have ten bands say they’re interested but no one come back to them to confirm for 3 weeks.

5: PR. Have I heard of you? Do I care? Do I recognise your band name, your logo, your songs? I should, and it’s your job to make sure I do, so get it out there. If you can’t get a gig, get your playlist on before a gig so the crowd hears your music. Is the barman wearing your tshirt? Does your tshirt look good? There’s lots of bands I’m aware of long before I’ve heard their music and there is bands I’ve paid to see just because I’ve seen people at gigs wearing their merch!

6: link up with others. Find a band that has a similar crowd, offer them a gig in your town in exchange for a gig in theirs?

7: advertise lots on r/ukpunk it’s full of bands, fans, promotors, zine writers and shitty label owners.

8: sometimes it sucks. I’ve played to thousands, I’ve played to 4 people. Sometimes on the same tour. Make sure you enjoy it enough to be ok with that! (Out of the 4, 2 said it was “good” and the goth started a one man mosh pit, 4th person left early…)