Geoff Meall is the Managing Director of The Agency Group (UK). He is also a member of TAG's Senior Global Management Team. His live roster includes huge range of acts, from established stadium fillers, to up and coming stars of the future. In this second guest blog (click here to read the first), Geoff takes a closer look at how he began working with one of the UK’s most revered live acts, Muse. He also explains why he got involved with BBC Introducing supported act, Gallery Circus.
I’ve been representing Muse since late 1998. I first came across their name in early ’97, whilst I was representing the Britpop act Gene. On their biggest tour of the UK in 97 they headlined the Royal Albert Hall, we decide to run a competition for local bands to win the opening slot on each of their gigs across the country. Naturally they received hundreds of demo tapes from all over the place which the band didn’t quite expect, or have the time to listen to all of them... so we cheated a little and asked lots of local promoters who would be a good band out of those who’s sent theirs in would be. My local contact in Exeter suggested Muse (as an aside the Cardiff gig went to a very young Stereophonics).
Matt “the Hat” James the drummer of Gene made a point of watching all the local bands on that tour and in a conversation with him he told me to look out for the band who played in Exeter. I think his words were “they’re really young (I think still at school then) but brilliant musicians”.
About a year later I noticed the band were playing up at the In the City Music conference in Manchester but I couldn’t get to see them. A contact of mine Rick Lennox who was then an A&R man at One Little Indian saw them and told me they were great and I’d like them. They then played the 100 club in London the following week at what was then a yearly event where a promoter Gil Golberg used to put on an evening of the 4 best acts discovered at the In the City Conference. I went down to watch them. They were first on but the queue was so big I missed the set… again Rick had seen them and told me I really needed to see them. A ouple of weeks later they came to London again and as luck would have it I couldn’t make that gig due to babysitting duties… Matt from Gene went and again told me I really should see them…
Finally they played London again a few weeks after that at the now defunct Falcon in Camden and I made it! I stood and watched them with about 12 other people, mostly label A&R – none of who particularly got it. I remember thinking this is ok, but then towards the end of the set they played songs I later learnt to be Showbiz/Unintended and Muscle Museum and I got what the Ricks and Matts were talking about.
I loved it so much I went to see their manager the next day and agreed to be the agent that afternoon.
Earlier this year I decided to work with the Newcastle act Gallery Circus who BBC in the North East have been supporting through BBC Introducing. I started working with them in January 2014 before they’d even released their first single which is pretty unusual.
The reasons I decided to get involved are: I liked the music and I think they have great potential to be successful.
They’re a group I know how to work – which artists to try put them on support with… which festivals to pitch them for. They are managed by a gentleman from their hometown of Newcastle who is also one of the leading promoters in the area and somebody I’ve worked with for quite a few years now selling shows of my acts to him, and him always doing a really good job with the acts I’ve sold him. As he’s a promoter who puts on 100 shows+ a year, I’d pretty much trust his opinion of what a good local band would be.
He called me up and told me he’d like me to have a look at an act he was working with as he thoughts I’d like them. As I know him, I had a listen to the Soundcloud he sent of their first single ‘Supercell’ and watched the Video on YouTube. I really liked the look and sound. The manager was looking to bring them to London to showcase them to labels etc, so I helped him secure a show at Birthdays in Dalston during late January so I could see them too. I loved them live and agreed with the manager I’d start to represent them from there onwards.
With the band having released one single so far (next track to come in early 2015) whilst still looking for a full time label deal, I’ve managed to book them (so far) shows with Circa Waves/King Charles/Nothing but Thieves/X Ambassadors/Little Comets and Kill it Kid, all in the process of sending them to play to as many people as possible - as I’m that confident on them building a following from their live show alone.
We also placed them on a lot of key festival shows this summer to further build an audience including Liverpool Sound City/The Great Escape/Live at Leeds/Dot to Dot/Festival #6/Boardmasters/Kendal Calling and several others. Their own highlight being the excellent set they played at the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury – watch some highlights from the gig below.
Gallery Circus perform Don't Have To Think This Through at Glastonbury 2014
- Click here to read Geoff Meall's first blog which looks at his take on how an agent can develop an act.
- Visit The Agency Group online to find out more about them.
