Sadness is the trump card in Belgian concert halls. Ticket sales are stallingso hard that many artists have already canceled their tours because they knowthey will turn a loss. Mental worries and the coronavirus also keep many bandsaway from the stage. “This is a worrying signal for the new generation.”
Jasper Van LoyOctober 24, 202203:00
Last week Little Simz won the Mercury Prize, the trophy for best British albumof the year. That news made the papers, as did the star-rated reviews of_Sometimes I Might Be Introverted_ the praising comments about her show onPukkelpop and her role in Venom. What you might have missed: Little Simzcanceled her US tour in April, because it would be so lost that she couldn’tmentally bring herself to start the series.
She wasn’t the last act to throw her fall tour in the trash due to financialor logistical problems. Metal bands Anthrax and Shinedown canceled in the AB,indie band Let’s Eat Grandma sent his cat to the Botanique and Sohn canceledhis British concerts because ticket sales were disappointing. AnimalCollective was supposed to play Trix’s Filter festival at the end of nextmonth, but couldn’t get the budget together. Same story with Santigold, whoannounced her cancellation with a cynical tweet: “Covid may be over buttouring is still dead.”
Santigold announced her cancellation with a cynical tweet: “Covid may be overbut touring is still dead.”image rv
That bands sometimes make losses with tours is a pity, but not news. Forstarting groups it is even part of it, it is called investing. Sleeping in thevan, greasy chips from the gas station and cheap beer: you hope to telljournalists about that later with your third gold record under your arm. ButSohn, Animal Collective and Santigold are artists with experience, releasingwell-received albums and until recently had no problem touring.
“Bands that have been around for a while sell less easily than new, up-and-coming acts that are in the spotlight”, says Steven Thomassen of bookingagency Toutpartout. “I deliberately put my big tours of Kurt Vile and BeachHouse before and during the summer because I didn’t know what was coming.Today I am happy about that.” It is an evolution that worries Jarri Van derHaegen. As manager he has two big, promising acts on the foreign track withSylvie Kreusch and Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul. “This is a worrying signalfor new musicians, who see that years of good work no longer guaranteeanything. I understand bands like Animal Collective. After all this time, whyinvest in a tour that you can predict will lose?”
Room rate times seven
Many Belgian bands abroad are still in the investment phase: they invest moneyin their tours, which they only see in the form of press attention and newbookings. None of the groups we call for this piece has had to cancel aconcert, but it’s not easy. “A full tank of petrol has become twice asexpensive and the time when you could fly to Berlin for 18 euros is now over,”says drummer Joris Casier of STAKE, who is in the United Kingdom at the timeof reading this. for his new album LOVE, DEATH AND DECAY to promote. Van derHaegen sees corresponding price increases: “Before corona, Charlotte Adigéry &Bolis Pupul played a tour in the US and we were able to stay at a hotel for aweek with four people for 1,000 euros,” says Van der Haegen. “Now it is 3,500euros, for a room of two instead of four. So that’s times seven.”
STAKE manager Simon Lamont drew up his budget months ago, when inflation wasmuch lower. So that was recalculated, and there wasn’t much slack. “Lastsummer there were four of the band on the track: no sound guy, no tourmanager, no roadie. In that line-up we played at Sziget and another festivalfor 100,000 Poles. There is no other way: the difference between taking staffand not taking staff is 1,000 euros per day.” Brutus’ colleagues also tour inlimited numbers. “Recently I said it to a group of young musicians in a paneldiscussion: do everything yourself as long as possible,” says bassist PeterMulders.
Sylvie KreuschImage © Stefaan Temmerman
For him and many other musicians there is another problem: the United Kingdom.Once the promised land for European bands, an administrative den of Plutosince Brexit. If you want to piss off a guitarist or drummer, start talkingabout the carnet , the deposit you have to pay to get your stuff across theBritish border. For that you have to submit a detailed list of everything youhave with you, says Casier: “That goes from guitar pedals to what size we havehow many T-shirts to sell afterwards. The whole procedure not only costsmoney, but also travel time.”
Every day that an artist is on the road is precious, especially if you don’tplay on that day, but only drive or rest. Van der Haegen now tries to limitthose jumping days and to schedule them as well as possible, but he points outthat you cannot save indefinitely. “If I book a cheap hotel miles from thevenue, my band will sleep less. I can send Charlotte on the road without a LEDwall, but at an international level you really can’t do without a light show.Every single thing you skimp on has repercussions somewhere else and in theend everyone is broke anyway. Touring and comfort don’t mix unless your nameis Dua Lipa or Harry Styles.” That also applies to Brutus, says Mulders:”Sleeping on the floor in basements is no longer possible, touring has becomemuch too heavy for that.”
The government is an important buffer for Belgian bands, says Lamont. “We havereceived 7,000 euros in subsidies and without that amount we will make a hugeloss. But at the time you confirm the tour, you don’t know if that money willbe awarded to you.” Brutus’ colleagues are still anxiously awaiting: they tooare going into the red without government money. In our country, LIVE2020, theemergency fund set up during the corona crisis to support live music inBelgium, announced that it would provide grants for groups who want to tour intheir own country. According to the organization, about sixty bands havealready submitted an application.
38 euros for a ticket
Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Arlo Parks, Wet Leg, Sam Fender, Demi Lovato andYard Act have also canceled concerts in recent months. Not because they didn’tget paid for them, but to work on their mental health. Not all artists havefelt like playing again with the reopening of the halls: after two years offorced closure, that is a painful conclusion. Speaking of corona, the viruscannot be pushed completely into the wings. Regina Spektor, Car Seat Headrestand Ringo Starr, among others, had to _ ‘cancelled’ _put after their nameafter an infection.
And the many artists who can still play, often have to make do with fewervisitors. “You know that you will spend more and you can anticipate that, butthe big uncertain factor is how many tickets will eventually be sold,” saysArno De Ruyte, who will soon leave on a European tour with Sons. KendrickLamar left a long waiting list in the Sportpaleis four years ago, now thereare still many tickets available one week before his new show. Ticket sales atthe AB fell by 30 percent, while the Brussels hall saw its energy bill go upby four times. Acts that have a young audience and have a hype around them,such as Central Cee in the Trix and Goldband in the AB, still lose theirtickets quickly.
brutusStatue Thomas Sweertvaegher
Be.at, which manages large venues such as the Sportpaleis and the Lotto Arena,has already announced price increases. Those who have not yet done so will atleast consider it in the coming months, even if it drives even more peopleaway from the concert halls. “When we played the support act for metal bandCave In, it turned out that a ticket cost 38 euros. We hadn’t determined thatprice ourselves, but then you start thinking about it,” says Lamont. “Fansalso have to get into the room by car or bus, if they want a drink… If theymight buy another T-shirt, they’ll lose 100 euros. People will be stricterabout what to watch and the bands will be fighting.”
This is certainly a big problem for artists who do not score well on streamingplatforms with their music and who have fully focused their revenue model onperforming. Many of them will therefore try to sell more merchandising, StevenThomassen thinks: “But in the meantime, pressing vinyl records and printingT-shirts has also become more expensive.”
So there are still hard times ahead for many musicians, on and off stage. “Ifyour group isn’t playing,” concludes Van der Haegen, “hundreds of bands areeager to take your place and go into debt in your place. That’s how you getthe short straw as an artist, unless you’re so big that people only want tosee you. Until then you are always dependent on the whims of someone else.”
**LOVE, DEATH AND DECAY from STAKE and Unison Life from Brutus are out onHassle Records. **