Touring Europe...from America (California)

[Force666]

Just trying to do a little research on cost out of pocket for a small band like ours getting out and touring Europe. We wil have an album and merch and such, zero fan base basically. Is it possible? Any advice, leads anyone can share?

Obviously we need our flights and such. What about transpo, gear and all that stuff?

There's all these shitty punk bands around here with no money that somehow end up being able to do it. I'm sure it's much easier if you can find a band out there that has a van or whatnot.

Please share, your knowledge or experiences. Thanks.


JOHN

 

[StefTD]

Don't know very much about stuff like that, but if you really want to tour in europe I could try to get you a few shows in south west Germany.

 

[Emdprodukt]

it's possible but you should find some german bands you can get in touch with (for equipment, maybe a bus and all that stuff that's needed). depending on the bands you would play with don't expect too much interest, though. you still can have a blast in east-europe even if no one knows you. I was on tour in russia and the ukraine and we had at least 150 going up to 400 kids at the shows. expect to pay a lot of money and not get it back unless you're able to sell a lot of merch. If you're not supported by a lable or good booking agency and you have no record out yet you'll get gasmoney, beer, food and a place to sleep most of the time you play in germany. really depends on who you are.

I played in so many clubs in germany (200+ shows) and this is just what I experienced the last few years. the best shows I've had where all the small shows in youthclubs that give you all the drinks you want for free and that are overcrowded by 60 kids

 

[OctoberRust]

Will your album be released and promoted in Europe?

 

[brianhood]

my old band toured Europe for 3 weeks in 2007 without an album out and without being on a label(although we were negotiating with some at the time). We got offered a couple of festivals in the UK that were close together in dates, so i emailed all of the agents at Avocado Booking about possibly setting us up a tour around them. Nanouk is the only one that got back to me, but he said it would be possible. He hooked us up with a UK band for the UK dates(they didn't do the mainland shows or fests), arranged the van/driver, got us our work permits, and booked everything. Very professional agency/agent.

After all expenses(plane tix, van/driver, gas, ferry,work permits, taxes and duties on merch, and agent fees=~$16k), we ended up breaking even(maybe a tinnny bit on the positive side).


hope that info helps even a little

 

[DaWolf]

it's possible but you should find some german bands you can get in touch with (for equipment, maybe a bus and all that stuff that's needed). depending on the bands you would play with don't expect too much interest, though. you still can have a blast in east-europe even if no one knows you. I was on tour in russia and the ukraine and we had at least 150 going up to 400 kids at the shows. expect to pay a lot of money and not get it back unless you're able to sell a lot of merch. If you're not supported by a lable or good booking agency and you have no record out yet you'll get gasmoney, beer, food and a place to sleep most of the time you play in germany. really depends on who you are.

I played in so many clubs in germany (200+ shows) and this is just what I experienced the last few years. the best shows I've had where all the small shows in youthclubs that give you all the drinks you want for free and that are overcrowded by 60 kids

That`s my experience as well. If you`re well known you can have a blast in Germany. But in the east it doesn`t really matter if you`re known. They are thankfull that bands from other countries come to play for them.
We did a few shows in Czech Republic in the 90s with Krabathor in their prime time and they pulled a lot of kids. I mean big town halls stuffed to the roof...it was awesome.

 

[Force666]

No, it's going to be a self-release for now. But, I would definitly be into the research to get it out there somehow. Haven't really got that far yet. Hopefully we could find a small label that would distro it for us out there, even if it's all off our dime.

I don't know really how to go about all that. So I guess any advice in those regards would be valuable as well.

Hopefully we'll eventually find someone (euro) that we could bring on tour out in the States here and get them to return the favor. Like I said though, at this point in time....it's all speculation.

 

[Force666]

Brian, could you elaborate. Do you mean that you made that (16k) off your merch, payout?

I have heard Advocado booking. How does that work. Do they get you some type of gaurantees to cover *their* expenses?

 

[brianhood]

Brian, could you elaborate. Do you mean that you made that (16k) off your merch, payout?

I have heard Advocado booking. How does that work. Do they get you some type of gaurantees to cover *their* expenses?

our total expenses for the whole trip were around $16k.
Our income from guarantees and merch sales combined were right around $16k as well, so we pretty much broke even.

Avocado took 15% of the guarantees they got us(all of them contracted) as their pay. They definitely work hard and earn their 15% though. Being a booking agent is hard work, and not something i would want to do for a living haha

 

[hoehlentroll]

this is going to be VERY expensive

 

[PhilR]

If you're bringing instruments to the UK then you'll need a work permit. A band named Thou recently toured over here and we lent them a pair of guitars with the rest of the gear being supplied by their touring partners so they could get away with coming over on a tourist visa.

 

[if6was9]

If you're bringing instruments to the UK then you'll need a work permit. A band named Thou recently toured over here and we lent them a pair of guitars with the rest of the gear being supplied by their touring partners so they could get away with coming over on a tourist visa.

I saw them here in Ireland- savage band, one of the most intense frontmen I've ever seen! Tiny band as well!!

 

[Force666]

this is going to be VERY expensive

Yeah, that's what I would think. Until.....

"There's all these shitty punk bands around here with no money that somehow end up being able to do it."

 

[Force666]

If you're bringing instruments to the UK then you'll need a work permit. A band named Thou recently toured over here and we lent them a pair of guitars with the rest of the gear being supplied by their touring partners so they could get away with coming over on a tourist visa.

Oh really? How does all that work? Our singer is an English citizen (born), would that help us out at all?

 

[PhilR]

I saw them here in Ireland- savage band, one of the most intense frontmen I've ever seen! Tiny band as well!!

Haha yeah with the exception of their totem pole of a bassist! I know what you mean about their vocalist, reminded me a lot of Paul Catten from the early Medulla Nocte days when he was still a mad-eyed nutter.

 

[PhilR]

Oh really? How does all that work? Our singer is an English citizen (born), would that help us out at all?

It'd help HIM, the rest of you would likely still require work permits though.

Sad state of affairs really, you can't make fuck all money from playing gigs but it still gets classed as "work" so far as the government are concerned.

 

[Force666]

Well then fuck....haha, who wants to take us out on tour next year? Looks like that's the only way it's gonna happen.

 

[kev]

Work permits. Even Steve Vai fucked this up on me!!!

 

[plague_rider]

one of the best ways to do it (as long as you get into the country ok i.e. permitss and shit) is to learn to live cheap, if you can get a few folk added on myspace or whatever so you have a few folk at the shows, then try and get one of them to let you guys bunk at their place...

big piece of advice from the UK... NEVER buy food or anything from a service station...

 

[kladdkaka]

if you manage to get to stockholm you guys crash with me. you could then take the ferry over to helsinki finland which is dead cheap! that way you can play two major cities without a lot of travel time or expenses! you could play copenhagen, malmo and gothenburg on the way up to stockholm. Its a suggestion at least