Why do DIY bands prefer touring Europe over the UK?
DIY culture has always permeated underground music scenes in the UK. Pioneered by the punks in the 1970s, the DIY ethic has maintained its importance in nearly every subculture since, from 1990s rave to modern post-punk. Whether it’s at-home tape recording, zine-making, or putting on local gigs, the sense of community and achievement brought by DIY spaces has proven essential to alternative music.
Since its inception 50 years ago, the scope of DIY music has increased too. Developing technology and interconnectivity have broadened the horizons of what bands can achieve from the comfort of their own home. The entire release process is now far more accessible than ever before. Traditional labels are losing their place in the industry as bands can now do almost everything themselves, from recording to uploading music to streaming platforms and promoting it on social media.
But one element of DIY culture seems to be moving in the opposite direction. Between Brexit, the ongoing economic crisis, and the aftermath of the pandemic, the touring landscape in the UK is becoming uninhabitable for DIY bands. Covid has left audiences unwilling to buy tickets in advance, while the rising cost of living is rendering some unable to buy tickets at all. Bands and promoters are cancelling shows last minute due to dwindling numbers, unable to operate at a loss.
Between fees and merch sales, touring was once considered the area of the music industry where artists could make some real money. In the UK, this promise is dwindling by the day. Luckily, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or, more specifically, the Eurotunnel. As their home country fails them, British-based DIY artists are increasingly venturing to Europe to solve their touring woes. But what does the continent offer them that the UK doesn’t?
After speaking with band members and touring crew from within these scenes, it seems that a number of factors are influencing their preference for European tours. It’s a combination of better government subsidisation, superior hospitality, higher pay, more enthusiastic audiences – the list goes on.
Hospitality seems particularly different across the sea. While promoters in the UK often lack the budget or care to provide for touring bands, European venues seem to be much more well-funded and welcoming.
Luc Gibbons, who recently toured France with his band Volk Soup, recalls being “gobsmacked” at the fees offered overseas, noting that they were over four times the amount for a home show. He said: “And after tearing my hair out trying to DIY all the tour management bits and pieces, it was so nice to know the promoters would either pay for a hotel for us, or let us skip theirs”. Gibbons also adds that some of them even provided a home-cooked meal.
Max Lilley, a backline technician who has worked with a number of artists on the road, including The Last Dinner Party and Blossoms, also suggests that EU venues are much more hospitable than the UK.
He shared: “In most European countries, live music and the arts is subsidised, so it means that getting people to shows is actively encouraged. In the UK, that’s not the case, which is why organisations like Revive Live and Music Venue Trust are more present. This doesn’t stop the people running the venues in the UK being any less welcoming, though. Everyone is just as happy to have live music coming through their venue, it’s the pay and hospitality that differs. It’s not deliberate, though, it’s forced. The attitude of the people is the same across the board.”
Ewan Barr, who plays guitar in post-punk outfit Drahla and also runs his own DIY promotions company ‘Tireless Idealist’, backed this point, suggesting that the difference lies with treatment from more well-funded venues, who are often willing to house and feed artists. He noted: “This differs massively from the UK, where you’re expected to seek out accommodation yourself”.
Detailing further, he adds, “I don’t think this is necessarily promoters or venues of the UK’s fault, live music in the UK isn’t as well funded as our European counterparts.”
Alongside hospitality, the reception from crowds seems to differ in Europe. Barr described the difference as “night and day”. He explained: “The audience numbers in Europe way outweigh those in the UK… there seems to be a larger scene for arty, minimalist post-punk.” Though, he suggests that this increase could also be due to more accessible ticket prices.
Lilley supports this notion, suggesting that live music is reducing in priority for UK audiences amidst the cost of living crisis: “In the EU, audiences seem to be much more willing to buy tickets to see an artist they’ve never heard of before whereas,” he said. “In the UK, I feel like people have to be more convinced by the artist before buying a ticket.”
European audiences also seem to outdo their UK counterparts not only in size but in enthusiasm. Hang Linton, an avant-funk artist from Leeds, stated that audiences were “willing to actively show their enjoyment of a new act they’ve had no previous engagement with”. Though, with that, he noted that the language barrier prevented the translation of lyrical topics.
Even if overseas crowds are smaller, it seems that this enthusiasm remains the same. Gibbons recalled that “even in a room with ten or 15 people in the audience, we had the same energy from the shows that were over capacity and got paid the same either way.”
This enthusiasm might even come from the band’s British origin. Sam Curwen, who drove Folly Group on their French tour last year, suggests that people came to shows for British music: “They didn’t know who the band were, but they knew it would be good because it was British.” He suggests that the pressure to improve as a band is higher in the UK, as British artists aren’t awarded the same universal basic income provided to French bands by the government.
Despite increased arts funding leading to better pay for live musicians overseas, the cost of touring seems to balance out. Lilley suggests that the cost of long drives and toll roads cancels out the free accommodation and food. Barr agrees, suggesting that it might have been easier to profit from European tours pre-Brexit, “but the introduction of carnets make this far more difficult and muddled. The costs are probably closer than they’ve ever been.”
Even though the costs might be similar, the experience of touring Europe seems to tip the scales in its favour. Alongside better hospitality and crowd reception, bands have the opportunity to explore a new country between performances. Though the UK can’t provide the glamour of a coffee and a croissant in the French capital, the bands do suggest a number of steps the DIY scene and the government could take to reinvigorate UK touring.
Lilley suggests that it’s down to the government supporting DIY venues. He explained: “It’s a knock-on effect from that, really. As for what promoters can do now, it’s just finding the most cost-efficient ways to help. Seeing if anyone will put them up for the night, making sure they’ve got enough rider to make themselves some lunch or dinner…”
Barr echoes this point, stating: “I think more money needs to be injected into the live music industry in the UK, whether that be from Arts Council or other funds to improve infrastructure at venues to aid artist treatment, or better funding to allow promoters the budget for things like accommodation”. He also acknowledges the pressing economic issues affecting the UK landscape: “More and more I see shows with ‘No one turned away for lack of funds.’ It’s sadly a sign of the times, I’ve found myself going to less shows than I typically would due to the rising ticket pricing.”
With that, Linton indicates that funding should also be given to artists themselves: “Provide artists and musicians with a living wage if you have proof this is your main income. Or perhaps subsidise venues to ensure they can pay the artists they book a fee that translates to living wages.”
Gibbons also points out that the UK should “take a leaf from their book on just giving bands a good reception, regardless of whether or not the genre is their bag.” He suggests that the UK is blessed with so much choice, which has led to higher standards for young, local bands: “I’m a culprit of it too. We’re too judgemental here.”
Unfortunately, the rising price of touring is only a mirror of the economic situation wreaking havoc on every industry in the UK right now. While the French government are able to support their budding creatives with financial backing from European causes, UK artists are forced to beg for an ever-dwindling Arts Council fund, desperately trying to earn a living wage. This problem applies to venues and promoters too, who are finding it increasingly difficult to secure ticket buyers, pay artists, and stay afloat themselves. It’s a vicious cycle of artists, audiences, and organisers all without the funding they need. While funding problems and fussy audiences plague the touring circuit in the UK, bands are finding refuge in Europe’s haven of hospitality.
But DIY touring is at the heart of underground subcultures. Local gigs and grassroots venues are vital; they provide a place for bands to improve their sound and for real communities to be formed. They can introduce young music fans to a whole new world of sound, company, and opportunity. Though finances remain inevitably difficult, the UK needs to look to provide DIY scenes with more support before we lose them.
