Phoenix are launching a new, regular night for unsigned and new bands at The Music Box, Manchester. There already other promoters in Manchester that run similar nights, but we believe that our wealth of experience, in not just promotions but also band management, means that we can approach it from a slightly different perspective. 

We are focussed on  music, not on profit, and believe strongly in supporting new talent. We  know how difficult it can be for  bands to raise their profile or get gigs outside of their home area, not to mention raise enough money to pay for practise or petrol.

Although we are vehemently opposed to pay-to-play, we have reluctantly decided that we will have to impose a minimum ticket sale for each band. This is purely to ensure we have a good turnout for all of the bands and can also cover our overheads. However, we have decided to set the minimum at a realistic 20, unlike the 50 demanded by some other promoters.

So, how will it work? Well, here's the deal;
4 bands pers gig,
shared kit & backline provided by the bands,
minimum audience of 80 ,
complimentry bottled water,
small shared backstage room,
first class sound engineer,
all gigs listed on ticketline.com,
14+ venue, so even your kid sister can come,
hands on promoter, on site from load-in until the end of the night, and no hassle payment - no having to play "hunt the promoter"!

Tickets
We need you to sell a minimum of 20 tickets, earning you £20.
20 tickets = £1 per ticket
21-30 = £1.50 per ticket
31-40 = £2 per ticket
41-50 = £2.50 per ticket
51+ = £3

Also, for every 10 tickets you sell, you earn a guest list place, with no limit on how many you can earn.
So, if you sell 36 tickets, you'll earn £47 and 3 guest list places. If you pull out all the stops and sell 66, you earn £128 and 6 guest list places. So, it really is down to you how much you earn!

In return we expect bands to;
promote the gig to the best of your ability,
be punctual and reliable,
be prepared to supply/share backline,
behave professionally,
and support the other bands.

If you're interested, do not message us. Instead, leave your details in a comment on this blog. And don't forget to tell what genre you belong to.

Phoenix don't operate pay to play, and we don't do flyer deals. However, frequently this means we end up out of pocket as we still have overheads to pay. Bands that have worked with us, know the way we work. Whenever we can, we've paid petrol, sorted out free beer, or at the very least, guest listed your mates.

In order to make gigs financially viable, we need a minimum number of people either buying tickets or buying beer, if it's a non ticketted venue. So, the question is....whose responsibility is it to make sure people come to the gigs?

Clearly, if the promoter does their job properly, then there will be plenty of publicity so people know about the gig. But surely, the bands have to take some of the responsibility too? It isn't enough to just post myspace bulletins. Bands need to actively push their gigs out there in the real world. Hand out flyers, put up posters, text everyone you know, do everything you can to get people to your show.

At Phoenix, we love what we do, and seriously want to put on more Manchester shows, and we know there are a hell of a lot of good bands that are looking for gigs. In order to do that, we need the shows to be financially viable. We need to eat too!!!!

Help us to help you, otherwise, we're going to have to rethink the way we work.

The above is a general rant, and in no way aimed at anyone in particular

Pariah
With such a blinding performance last time Pariah were in town (Jabez Clegg, stage 1) it's hard to imagine how they could top it. But as soon as the band take to the stage it's clear that this band want it. Once again a dedicated loyal fanbase have come along for the ride, only provoking the band even further and with lead singer and bass player provocatively dressed in PVC this performance is definately one you can't take your eyes off.

Surface Unsigned 9th June 2008

Femme Metal and Phoenix Promotions are working together on planning a one day festival, in London, next Spring. There will be up to 12 female fronted metal bands, raising funds for Breast Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK. If you want to be in with a chance of winning a VIP ticket to this event, all you have to do is come up with a name for the event. If your suggestion is selected, you will be rewarded with a VIP ticket, plus an assortment of  festival goodies.

Closing date Saturday 31st May 2008

Please do not message us with suggestions; post them in this blog.

is in the planning stages!

Provisionally, we are looking at around Easter next year. It might seem like a long way off, but these things take a lot of organising.

We're aiming to make this an album tour

Gig Review, Jabez Clegg, 22nd April 2008

"Manchester's Pariah show that there's no holding back and tonight they are here to scream the place down and play some straight up metal. Lead singer Rosie possesses a dark energized noise that's hard to ignore as the adoring crowd hang on every word that she growls at them. Dressed in a see-through black lace dress she adds sex appeal to a band that commands the attention of the room. As the set grows so do the mosh pits and the amount of hair at the front row, proving that Pariah have a dedicated following that gets larger in size with every live performance."

Tickets for the Pariah Academy gig are now available online through our new online store.

Pariah @ Manchester Academy 3, Tuesday 22nd January 20087

Last Words
www.myspace.com/lastwordsmusic

Asleep in Panama
www.purevolume.com/asleepinpanamamusic

Pariah
www.myspace.com/phoenixpromotionsandmanagement

October Crisis
www.myspace.com/octobercrisisband

With every ticket sold, you get a free copy of our brand new 3 track demo disc.


Either message,phone or text us (07515772439) to order your tickets and arrange collection , or you can buy direct from our online store www.phoenixpromotions.bigcartel.com

Also, other exciting news! Pariah will be playing as part of the national Unsigned Festival 2008. Watch out for further details.

Things are starting to move along nicely. After only one gig with the "new" Pariah, we now have four confirmed bookings for next year (with others still under negotiation), the first of these being at Manchester Academy 3 on 22nd Jan.

This has complicated our anticipated timeframe somewhat, as we hadn't been planning on doing any gigs until the launch of the demo/ep on 16th Feb. But part of the fun of this business is being flexible and dealing with unexpected pressures. As the  the demo is progressing well, we will now launch it as a 3 track at the Manchester gig, with a 5 track EP version to follow in early spring.

Our graphic designer now has a shiny new Mac, so Pariah should have a new logo very soon. This also means that we should have merch available in the new year. Initially, this will be a limited range of badges, t-shirts and full colour dog tags, with a more extended range rolling out over the course of the next 6 months.

Merchandise and gig tickets are available from us here at Phoenix. Tickets for the Manchester Academy will be £5, which includes a free 3 track demo disc. If you would like to reserve a ticket, please message us as soon as possible as we will only have a limited number of tickets and there has already been a high level of interest.

Well, so much for keeping the new Pariah stuff under wraps!

I caved in under pressure and have put up teaser version of Oblivion. It is only a roughcut, not even demo quality, but it does give a flavour of how the band sound now. But that's yer lot until the full demo is completed,unless you are a promotor/venue in which case I can send you a full roughcut of the demo, but the rest of you will just have to wait!

The teaser is downloadable and can also be added to your profile, so feel free to do so. Also if you want to leave a comment letting us know what you think, please do. It's always nice to know what people think, even constructive critisism!

This is a really exciting time!

The gig was a phenomenal success, in spite of a few technical issues early on and Rose (Pariah's vocalist) being full of a cold. First of all, the thank-yous: a big thanks to Paul Chanin for his technical support and expertise, also to Sonic for her invaluable help (and getting the beers in), to Matt Lindsay for MCing, to all the bands  and most of all.....thank you to everyone who turned up and made it such a good night. We had the best turn out that anyone can remember there being at that venue, the pit was awesome (with only a couple of casualties) and Ste had a brilliant birthday  My favourite comment of the night, that I heard from several people........"When did Pariah get good?"

The gig was filmed and we'll be sticking the video online as soon as it's edited, so those of you that couldn't be there will be able to see what you missed!

So, what next?

Well, Pariah are currently working on an EP/demo which should be completed by the begining of February and then the real fun starts!

There will be a local launch for the CD in Glossop mid-February followed by a formal relaunch of the band in Manchester shortly after. We're keeping the new, hugely improved, stuff under wraps until then. (I do however have rough cuts of the demo available for promoters/venues that need an idea of what Pariah sound like now) Plans are also underway for a range of promotional items and merchandise to coincide with the relaunch.

This is just the first stage in the Phoenix master plan! 2008 is going to be a big year for Phoenix Promotions and Pariah, and a busy one too!

These are the first steps on what we all hope to be an incredible journey. Fancy coming along for the ride?

P.S. I've just got a rather nice Jack Daniel's 2008 diary and am looking forward to filling it with gig dates. If you are interested in booking Pariah, please get in touch.