Go for a walk. You can feel coronavirus almost audibly evaporating from the public consciousness. There’s a growing distance between the cold images on the news, and the warm and bouncing life outside our windows.
But as much as we might think otherwise, live music is deemed both risky and non-essential, and will thus belong to the last wave of restrictions lifted. Nevertheless, the smart booker or planner should act now. Your reward will be a better choice of bands, and the knowledge that you’ve contributed to the reinflation of the live industry.
Garden performing live.
The current situation
Unfortunately, a crammed concert hall full of boozing, sweaty people talking at close range is – quite literally – the perfect environment to spread a disease. And so governments have rightly put a sleeper hold on live music. Germany, for example, has banned major concerts at a federal level until September, with smaller concerts under heavy restrictions. And in the U.K, pubs and bars are likely to remain closed until July, with the future of live music uncertain.
What does this mean?
Basically, this means a nasty case of musical blue balls. Yeah, we know it’s unfair. The weather’s warming and the pandemic seems to be in retreat, yet summer 2020 will still be barren for indoor or crowded concerts. But this will only build anticipation for the volcanic return of live music. One recent report surveyed a huge sample size of 110,000 people from Europe and the U.K – and found that 82% of them ‘feel confident’ to return to live music events after lockdown. Have hope.
Germany is already testing the waters, and last week held a landmark concert in front of a live, unshielded audience. Admittedly, it was an unplugged show, outside, with an audience capped to 100, who had to stay inside painted circles on the ground, but hey – progress.
Homemade techno festivals are being organised, so it's also possible with bands!What can we do now?
Assuming the virus doesn’t come back with a vengeance, we can act on the hope that live music will return from autumn, most likely with an enormous thrust. Now’s the perfect time to book a band, even if you’re used to booking on shorter notice. For two reasons. Firstly, you’re more likely to secure a popular band, especially if your event falls on a busy weekend. And by booking ahead, you’re helping the gig economy – filling a band’s calendar after months of inactivity.
Sure, there are lots of bands out there. But where do you begin looking? Gigstarter is an easy library of professional acts for every occasion. Need a punk band to burn down your house show? Or a classy jazz artist to add sheen to your corporate event? How about a stellar band for your wedding, that knows all the right songs to drive guests to the dancefloor? Gigstarter has you covered the whole way.
Related blogs on Gigstarter:
