Promoters are not usually associated with the ‘down to earth’ lovely bloke who’d buy you a drink when you were skint syndrome, but once in every 3,000 years comes along a genuinely nice guy who cares as much about the music as much as the profit lines. And, shake me f***ing barnacles, this is a ‘not for profit’ company! (You ‘avin’ a giraffe? – Ed). Arise Sir Andi Foster aka Audio Junk Food, for he is that guy!
We asked him why he a cares (man)? What makes him tick? And, just what’s so different about AJK?
Can you tell is about your experience in the music industry?
I’ve been in and around the Music Industry since I was 16 (albeit with a massive gap in the middle where I had just fallen out of love with music), either playing, or doing stuff behind the scenes or at shows.
What types of gigs do you typically promote?
Great question. Typically, we operate in the Punk / Ska / Emo / Rock / Post Hardcore areas although we also switch up and do some stripped back acoustic stuff as well. We don’t promote much indie or metal and that’s basically because there are promoters we work alongside that do it much better than us. It’s not to say that we don’t – it’s just not very often.
How do you discover new bands or artists to work with?
There’s not really one set way (variety is the spice of life!) However, there are probably four ways? (1) I watch as much live music as I can, so I might see someone that really piques my interest (2) I’m an avid listener of Alyx Holcombe’s and Nels Hylton’s shows on Radio 1 (those shows have made my life miles easier!) so I might hear something on those (3) I’ve got a massive artist submission list that I’m working through as we speak. If someone has taken the time to submit something, I will take the time to listen – I just had not quite clocked how many people would submit stuff. But a few from that submission list have already found their way onto shows. (4) Never underestimate word of mouth. I might find out about someone through another promoter (we talk!), an agent, through other bands or I might be told about a band at a gig. My team are also really good at letting me know what I should be listening to.
What’s your criteria to choose artists to work with?
A lot of the time it is a question of what will XXX bring to an event. Will they fit musically with the show? Personality wise, will they fit alongside the other bands. Are they the right level technically yet? There is also another thing and it’s will they make an effort to bring people along? You can “carry” a band on a bill (someone with real quality for instance that people will not have heard of yet), but a show with four of those bands on will not work (I wish it would!).
How do you handle promotion and marketing for your events?
We have a heavy social media presence so that’s a start, but it’s never the only way. Word of mouth plays a massive part and, wherever possible, I will still adopt a bit of an old-school approach and text people or hand out fliers and talk to people. Promoting is a partnership (now more than ever) though, so if I am doing my job and artists are as well, we should have a great night.
What venues do you typically work with?
The Frog and Fiddle in Cheltenham is our “home” venue, but we also work in Café Rene (Gloucester), the Guildhall (Gloucester), Jax (Gloucester), the 2 Pigs (Cheltenham), Bottle of Sauce (Cheltenham) and the Exchange (Bristol). We have a wider reach than that venue wise, but we will typically work alongside other promoters in difference cities, as it’s a great way to build relationships.
Can you walk us through the process of booking an artist for one of your events?
It varies for every single show. Sometimes I will approach an agent or artist, sometimes it will work the other way around. The key thing to know (just to take away any illusion) is that it does not always work out. Because we aren’t in Bristol or Birmingham, we are often missed, so that is something we are trying to build up reputationally. Back to the actual question though and If I’m approaching, there will normally be someone really specific I’m after, but sometimes I’ll have an email in my inbox from someone that really piques my interest. Presuming that part is sorted, I’ll then build a line-up from that.
Can you tell us about the most successful events you’ve promoted in the past?
I’m quite lucky as most of our shows are successful, there are very few however, that completely blow away my expectations – and last Saturday night was one of them. We’re running a series of shows now called “Shiregrown”. They are solely in place to showcase some of the amazing talent that is coming through Gloucestershire at the moment (there is more than I have ever seen). And part of my role is to champion that talent. So these shows are in place to do exactly that. In essence, they are “local” shows, but Saturday night was a phenomenal reminder of why we do this. All five acts were outstanding and in something I’ve never seen before for a show with bands who have barely played outside Gloucestershire, the Frog was stupidly busy. The bands had done their part, people had connected with what we were doing and came along and the whole night was a massive success.
How do you handle unexpected challenges or setbacks in events?
Stuff happens. If you are in this game, it is something that you need to understand. Stuff can change. Stuff can go wrong and it can all happen very quickly and as much as you have prepared – you can guarantee that the thing you have prepared for (a band on standby for instance) will not be the thing that goes wrong. I have been doing this for a while now though and more often than not, if something goes wrong it is a case of making a decision and having the courage and conviction to stick with it. I am AMAZINGLY lucky though to have a fantastic team alongside me. So if something is going wrong (or is about to) we will have a chat about the options. Having that sounding board with my team is vital – and honestly, I cannot do any of this without them.
What sets your events apart from others in the industry?
I’m not sure if it sets us apart, but one of the major things is that we are non-profit. Anything we make is either split between bands, invested in the community (back to that word in a second) or donated to causes. Part of this whole AJF thing as well is that artists that are with us join our community. Our family. And that has been the lifeblood of this journey so far. To see artists helping each other has been stunning. I am also very conscious that if you come to an AJF show – you know you are going to get quality in terms of music. You might not know what you’re going to get – but you know it will be good.
What’s the local scene like at the moment?
I have probably hinted at this already but in one word – exciting. There is SUCH quality coming through and for the first time in a very long time, we probably have 8-10 acts that are READY to take the next step and another 12-15 probably a step behind that. So there is a legacy building and almost a conveyer belt of talent. We had a show on Saturday night JUST built from local talent and it was REALLY busy. People are excited as well and that’s been evidenced in the last few Shiregrown shows. Artists are encouraging each other and growing together and I don’t think there is any better place to be than that.
What is your approach to building relationships with artists, venues and industry professionals?
I am never ‘just’ going to be a nameless face at the end of an email or social media accounts. From the offset, it’s also important to know that I’m not just going to be a “yes” man. So relationships and building them is a massive part of the job. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing (the music scene to grow) it’s just that we might want it for different reasons. But as we have that common goal, there’s already a brilliant starting point for a relationship, so wherever possible, I’ll start building from the first moment. With artists, it’s slightly different, as I’ll actively encourage them to come to a show and introduce themselves first – and that’s where some of the best relationships have grown from so far. But in terms of an approach, I would like to think I’m always friendly, always relational, normally quite confident (as you have to be) but at times assertive. Because of the relational aspect, probably the most important thing for me is that I genuinely care about our artists. So approaching this without empathy or understanding is not the way to go. There is no point in saying you care if the truth is that you don’t as your integrity and reputation will instantly be shot down – and that is something I never want to happen.
How do you ensure that your events are all inclusive and welcoming to all attendees?
It’s actually something that I worked on at the very start. I wanted everyone to have a warm welcome when they arrived, so we’ve built a really good team that can do exactly that. Most of the time I’ll also welcome people from the stage so there’s a face behind AJF as well.
The truth is though that in terms of welcoming and inclusivity, there’s always more that we can do. Please don’t get me wrong – I think we’re good (and it’s a question that I regularly come back to). If you come to a show and think of something – please let me know!
How can artists best prepare to work with you?
The key thing to know from the start is that I will work harder to promote your show than any other promoter I’ve come across. There’s a flip side to that though. Shows are a partnership between a promoter and an artist so I’ll expect you (as an artist) to put in a similar amount of effort. So as a promoter, I’m demanding of artists – but I’m also the same level of demanding of myself. Be active on socials, be responsive if I ask questions, be on time (or at least let me know if you’re going to be late), respect the venue staff, respect my team, respect the other artists, respect the sound team. Do that and I promise that you’ll have a stunning experience with us as an artist – and people will see that in your show.
What’s the vision for the future?
World domination? Ha!
I’ve actually put the brakes on and slowed down slightly as we were moving too quickly and trying to do too much (MY BAD). The truth is that I don’t think too much about the future of AJF as I find myself thinking much more about the scene and the community and what that could be – and our artists and we could do to help them thrive. Then I will sit back and figure out what we can do to facilitate getting there (and that then becomes the vision). The community needs to grow. The scene needs to grow. We need to get more people out to shows and do everything we can to make sure that they are as financially accessible as possible. We need to keep producing quality artists and we need to give them as many opportunities as possible. We need to protect venues and we need more venues. We need the visibility of the Shire to grow to everyone so it is known that these are amazing places for shows. We also need people that are willing to take a chance and invest time (and money) into all of this (and if you are reading this thinking that could be you – PLEASE get in touch).
Who are your Artists to watch out for?
Given the number of artists we’ve got coming through at the moment, this could be a really long list, but here’s a shortlist. Toast, Truck, Lickshot, Failstate, Birdribs, Saint Senara, Felicity Mitchell and Death Is A Girl are the ones probably closest to that breakthrough. There are a LOAD of artists snapping at their heels right now though, and that is probably the most exciting place to be.
Long live Audio Junk Food!
