discoverunsigned

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Dave Cruttenden ; I first met Jo when I did the very first #DiscoverUnsigned event in August 2016 at The Gunners Pub in Islington, London & Jo was the singer for the band Sectioned that played for me. I got a lift home with them that night and the friendship was formed. I met Adam [Cook] through Jo when he became her partner when she lived in Bracknell in 2017.

Dave; We started the last Thursday of the month events at the Fiddler’s Elbow in February of this year [2024] & have them planned up until the end of this year at the moment.

#1 @ The Gunners in Islington 

#2 @ The Beehive in Bow

#3 @ The Beehive in Bow

#4 @ The Hope & Anchor in Islington

#5 @ The Hope & Anchor in Islington

#6 - @ The Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden

Now we have done #6 in February, #7 in March, #8 in April, and we’re just about to do #9 on Thursday 30th May.

For us even though we’re losing money currently it’s about paying the acts first & foremost & enjoying the night & doing the best to ensure the best event experience possible for all & helping grassroots music & also the venue with their takings. If we end up earning it’s a bonus.

Oh wow, yes, the attendance wasn’t great but it was a good night. Have previously done #discoverunsigned events after that one; #1 at The Beehive in Bow #2 & #3 & the Hope & Anchor in Islington #4 & #5, last one back in December 2018 then I took a break to concentrate on my music more & work & then obviously the pandemic struck.

Changed venues for the early ones because I wasn’t keen on The Gunners venue, no way of controlling the door with more than one entrance and was just me doing everything back then, & got no support from the venue. The Beehive in Bow was fun but felt out of the way with the rest of the pub not involved at all in any way just stuck in a side room. It was a lot better and felt more at home at the Hope & Anchor in Islington.

But I always wanted to do events in Camden and then the opportunity arose when I saw that the Fiddler’s Elbow was looking for fresh promoters to hold events so I thought why not do something to support grassroots music again?

I wanted to do events originally because of having a passion for grassroots music that started really through a band I discovered through friends called Some Velvet Morning in 2011.

Also they played an Oxjam event in Shepherd’s Bush I went to in 2013 I think & that got me thinking I could do that why isn’t there an event like this where I live in Bracknell?

So I founded Oxjam Bracknell to help the charity Oxjam in 2014 that I did every October for 3 years until 2016. The last one I was assisted by Jo and I couldn’t have done it without her we smashed the day that happened. 

Every event I’ve done has been different, had it’s own problems to sort like acts pulling out etc, but each one has been getting gradually better & better the more we run them & more promotion etc getting the word out about the events & creating more promotional stuff for them.

Dave; My passion for supporting grassroots music has kept the events going & believing in all of the music & artists that play for me. Some of the key lessons I’ve learnt is to never give up no matter what, to expect problems but that makes it better when you still pull off a great night. The more people that see these nights working the more that will return next month. We hope that more will get involved with us along the way & help us in our quest to support grassroots music too & in turn help the events to grow as well as the radio station.

I am funding it currently through my funds, but I am hopeful that once we start getting donations to help the acts that it will be self sufficient & will grow to be successful not just for us running the event but for the grassroots acts & the venue also.

There are a lot more people trying it, some not as successfully & grassroots venues are struggling bead rising costs. We support the Music Venues Trust in the hope that they can help to make a difference. It’s hard to make a profit on events but if you’re prepared to run it at a loss whilst you start up then you have a chance, just doing it for the love.

Hoping that conditions pick up one day though so that our costs can be self sustainable & balanced with what we get back. People aren’t going out as much due to the costs & loss of venues, what you have to do is put on events that are worthwhile attending & must see & make it cost effective like giving all of the door money earned split between the acts, that in itself is worth supporting if you believe in grassroots music & discovering under the radar acts that have huge potential to go further.

Yes we know about that* and are planning on applying before the deadline. It’s a very good thing that would really help our costs as it is hard for promoters to make any sort of profit for their effort & the demands on them. It would certainly help me to continue to support the grassroots music I love and maybe hopefully turn this into a full time thing with more venues & more events.  

I just wish that there was more help & support out there for the grassroots music scene, especially original music - not cover bands though. Encourage new music, don’t hinder its progress. Hopefully we get a grant & can expand more promotion & pay our acts even more each show out of the fund as well as the door money.

* PRS foundation - early-career-promoter-fund

Go for it, but be prepared for lots of problems like acts pulling out last minute etc, pressure to promote & never ever give up it’s worth it for the buzz you get when you pull it off. You will get rejected for trying to support others, you will get naysayers & you will get people saying you can’t possibly achieve it. 

What you’ve got to do is say watch me, be determined, have passion in what you believe in, & be driven enough & determined enough to prove people wrong. Stick to your beliefs & find like-minded people for support & stick with them, none of us succeeds alone but we can try even better especially if we’re together. The more people like that you get on your side the more likely you’ll have successful events.

I don’t believe in running down competition we are all part of the grassroots community and should all help each other out, other promoters should all help and support each other especially if they are based at the same venue, as it all helps each other’s to be successful. A busy venue equals a busy event.

I’ve discovered about myself that I’m determined & passionate about new music I believe in, have grown as person - I’m more confident & outgoing & more resilient but respectful. You have to grow a hard skin to be able to take the many knocks - from people I thought I was close to - over the years & just keep going with what I believe in. I have grown more skills in hosting, used my design skills on the posters etc, worked on making my Nice Guy Dave music even more impressive & am giving myself the deserved opportunity to perform. 

I’m a lot more confident when on stage and around the stage; it’s where I feel like I belong & come alive. I can take knocks better because I’ve had so many in the past so doesn’t affect me as much although it still hurts. But I know I can always work around problems that arise and do my very best to make an event even better because of them. Use the opportunity of mistakes to create something even better; it makes you even more determined & fires you up to make it happen better than anyone expected you to. The more effort you put into it, the more rewarding in spirit it will be, which is why I continue to do this. 

Sometimes Even Nice Guys Win.