Issue 18: Fuzzy AF
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for independent artists. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
It’s a joy to announce Fuzzy AF as the 18th issue’s interviewee. Known for putting on what are easily some of London’s most exciting gigs, the team assembles lineups of vibrant emerging artists and enables them to perform at some of the most desirable venues in the city: Moth Club, The Old Blue Last, Sebright Arms, and The Shacklewell Arms — merely to name a few.
In addition to putting on damn good shows (I’ve been to enough of them to know), Fuzzy AF cements itself as an integral force in the UK’s music industry through the unwavering commitment to providing fresher faces with performance opportunities, allowing countless bands to gain entry to and subsequently raise their profile in the realm of London’s live circuit. In an industry enshrined in a perplexing hesitation to take a chance on up-and-comers, Fuzzy AF is a deeply needed breath of fresh air and a driving force for change alike. Read on to learn more about the company’s origins, what it’s like to be a promoter, advice for artists, and more.
What's the origin story of Fuzzy AF?
Our origin story...really isn't very original!
I used to work at a rehearsal studio & music venue called The Engine Rooms in Bow, East London. At that time, we'd only just started to host live music events so it was all very DIY - warm cans of Red Stripe and very slack security procedures...you know - your standard DIY punk venue!
At the time my colleague and I had started going to the infamous Fluffer Pit Parties by Fluffer Records. We'd met the organiser and managed to convince them to hold some events with us, which would eventually become a series of events called Custard Thruster...you read correctly, Custard...Thruster!
A strange name but it really caught everyone's attention - so I guess it was a marketing win!
Anyway, these events saw a ton of punk, post-punk and alternative bands play our stage and hundreds of people cram into our tiny venue. This is where my love of that scene started - we saw some great bands come through, we had a very early-days IDLES play, NOVA TWINS, Madonnatron, LICE, JOHN, Yassassin, Thee MVPs, to name a few!
It was awesome and I loved being involved in that. After a while, the gigs moved away from our place and after seeing how it was done and the impact it made on our venue, I thought this would be a good opportunity to recreate those kind of gigs, but through a brand of my own.
So, we have to give big props to Fluffer Records and of course, Custard Thruster!
Are there any aspects of promotion that you feel aren't discussed as much as they perhaps ought to be?
Not sure I have a decent answer for this one...sorry!
Do you have a favorite memory from one of the gigs you've put on?
I can't really pinpoint one moment to be honest! It's always nice when people say that they've heard of us or that they like what we're doing etc - that always makes me smile!
And I still get that pulsation of excitement whenever I confirm a band I really fancy or complete a line-up that I've had my heart set on - I just love the whole process, the drafting, the chase, the build-up and then the successful execution of the event. That's what we play for!!!
What do you look for when booking bands?
We look for a number of things when looking for bands. We'll look for a few obvious things like; where they're based, what's their social following like, how many streams their music has and in what locations, what's their social engagement like, what gigs they've got coming up/just played etc.
But that's not all we look for and sometime those things don't actually matter too much! What's really important to us is; where the band would fit best - we don't just put anyone on anywhere! We see so many line-ups that are just thrown together...we'll never be like that!
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
A piece of advise to give...I think it would be something like; Be careful when signing up to management or booking agents - make sure they're the right fit for you and maybe even do some research/ask around about how they operate.
There's a lot of representatives that I assume come across as very professional to the bands but they aren't like that to other entities and they don't always have your best interest at heart.
A huge thank you to Fuzzy AF for taking the time to write such thoughtful answers. To keep up with them, click here to follow them on Instagram, here to follow them on Twitter, and here to follow them on Facebook.