Creative Ind Work Placement - Blog 10

BLOG 10
Performance in UB City - Bangalore

We received an email from an Agent in India who had seen our website. They had a booking for us 3 weeks later. We negotiated a fee and confirmed the booking (via email and telephone).
This was yet another type of booking for us. We have dealt with abroad booking before but this was far more complicated as we had things including Visas and Vaccinations to think about.

Pre-Gig:
• CORRESPONDANCE WITH CLIENT
• VISA (Correspond with Visa Office / Paperwork / Photos / Passports)
• VACCINES
• FLIGHTS
• ACCOMMODATION SPEC & RIDER
• SUBMIT TECH SPEC / STAGE PLAN TO CLIENT
• PARKING @ AIRPORT (UK)
• NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS

The Agent had a colleague here in the UK who would deal with our Visas so I corresponded with him and then organised it for the band to have their visa photos taken. I learned that visa photos are slightly bigger than passport photos and they are very strict about this. The Visa office gave me forms for each member to fill in. I then had to get all passports off all the band and along with the visa photos and forms, had to send them to the visa office (which was in Birmingham). We were short on time, and it was all a rush, especially when we found out that one of our band members didn’t have a passport! So we all had to wait before sending anything off until her had his – he had to request an express passport. We were extremely lucky that all our visas arrived 2 days prior to our travel date.
The next thing on my list was to inform the band that they HAD to make an appointment for their DR to check their vaccinations. To travel to India and other countries, there is a list of vaccines you must have and in some parts you need to carry a certificate to prove you’ve had them. It turned out we ALL had to have vaccines. I also decided to compile a list of things for the band – including a list of medication to take with them just in case including upset stomach relief and mosquito repellent and sting relief.
Our Agent then had a lot of requests from India Media – so prior to us leaving we were also taking part in interviews for India Newspapers. The S.Wales Echo also then wanted to interview us regarding our show in India. We had a page in the largest Newspaper in the World – ‘The Times of India’. Our correspondence with the Indian media also meant we had to email them our stage shot etc as some didn’t just want a Press Release, they wanted proper interviews.
Our flights were being sponsored so the agent emailed us a list of flights so we could chose which times suited us best. I also made sure in our agreement, we had transport provided to collect from the airport to take us to our hotel and all food was provided. The flights that suited us best incurred us changing flights in Delhi. When going to the bank to obtain some currency we were informed that you cannot obtain Indian currency (rupee) and could only obtain it in India itself. Nor can you change Indian currency when you return to the UK. This meant when we got to Delhi, we had no cash to buy any snacks or drinks – but luckily, one of us could withdraw cash from a cash-point in the airport (you aren’t allowed out of the airport either!).
The day after our arrival, the agent’s assistant took us to a local music shop for us to pick our instruments. We took all guitars and keyboards but all percussion was being provided – so I went to the music shop where I was given two djembe drums to use for my performance. We then went to the venue for our sound-check where we were also greeted by many members of the public wanting our autographs.
Then....The performance! They had sold 2000 tickets and each and every person knew every single word to each song – even what we would class as the most obscure songs. The agent had told us that Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler had a HUGE fan base in India but it wasn’t until the show that we realised just how much. We had an amazing time – we had a great show and all the people were fantastic. They treated us with such gratitude and respect.
After the show, our client took us out for dinner before we had to leave for the UK. Every single one of us fell in love with India – its culture, food and the people and wouldn’t hesitate in going back.
For me personally, it took a lot of organising behind the scenes but it was worth it.

Link:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-05/news-and-interviews/30112990_1_dire-straits-tribute-band-derek

http://www.thisweekbangalore.com/?p=3813

Total number of hours on the road: 106 hrs (Approx 4 Days)
Plus
3 hrs - Liaising with Client
4hrs - Organising Visas (for all Band members)
2hrs - Researching required Vaccines (for all band members) and organising them in what they had to do.
1hr - Checking suitable Flights with Client
1hr - Booking and organising Airport Parking (UK)
1hrs - Putting together Accommodation Spec/Rider
2hrs - Putting together stage-plan and technical rider and all musical requirements
3hrs - Dealing with all media and giving interviews
5hrs - Rehearsal
plus
2hrs - Dealing with new enquiries and future bookings

Soundcheck!