So UnPop came and went. 11 shows in 13 days (almost three times as long as Pop, go figure!), all free. We counted roughly 1100 people at shows, for an average of about 100 per, which is amazing considering some shows were just about empty.

The two most attended shows have to be the Quai Des Brumes (Sept 13th, eleveneighty, Dead Messenger, Devil Eyes, Meltdown Club) and Zoobizarre (Sept 15th, Raw Madonna, .Cut & Friends, Black Mammoth, Anti-School-Year, Les Tristes Tropiques, Argon Floozy); both were second shows at the venue, both were in the final days of UnPop, both rocked beyond belief.

We did learn a few thinsg this year; these lessons will help us become more focused for the next edition. One thing we learned is that, except for special events like our closing show, having more than 3 bands per night can cause trouble.

We've also learned that 'Headliner' status is better off being set prior to any other order to avoid a crisis by someone who thought they were a superstar and aren't and who'll mess the evening up for everyone else. That way, set lengths are easier to manage and the band playing first won't have an excuse when we tell them they've been on for too long.

What we're likely to ask, for bands applying for 'Headliner' status, is an actual physical recording (even if it is only a CD-R) - unless we already have one on hand. Those bands will have priority on the posters and will have a table assigned to them at the venue to sell merchandise at (this is where having an actual physical recording helps - also to give a broader picture than a MySpace or mp3s by email when it comes to music styles and who they should be paired with). They will also be allotted up to an hour to play. And they'll be able to decide when they want to play.

Some 'Support Act' applicants may get boosted to 'Headliner' status if need be. But 'Support Acts' will be given half an hour to play, and will have to abide by the Headliner's decision in regards to playing order.

We'd like to have as many of the past participants back as we can. We hope it works well.

If we have enough budget, we'd like to hand out prizes at the end of the Fest: best act, best revelation, best attendance...

This year, the most energetic performances would be a tie between Croc Mort and Raw Madonna, probably.