Yeh also a bit unfair for the band themselves to make a call on each venue half-way around the world based on whether local gig goers think a pint is too expensive there
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Obviously they can make special requests but ultimately itâs not up to them/not their job to be particularly worried about this. Big Thief do have a bit of a raw organic feel but thatâs who they are as people and in their home lives, when they are going half way across the world from home specifically is not really a concern to them, theyâre just happy to be there at all.
The sad reality is once you hit that level being a fairly successful regularly touring band it kinda just becomes a job 
the fact that any band still find a way to be creative in those conditions is beyond me, but itâs a big reason why the infamous âdifficult second albumâ exists because bands who have a successful debut suddenly start living a completely different life where they are treated like celebs but lose much of their autonomy.
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Yeah, to an extent - literally no say is a stretch though - they can still highlight things which are shit and change them. If they were touring europe, and said they wanted to play the UK as well someone would make it happen for them. If they said they wanted x dates in a country and in different cities - it could happen. Especially when the tour is being booked through O2 and there are 02s everywhere.
To say they canât do anything is wrong - to say they are not too fussed about it/havenât noticed/are too busy/are too detached from their fans/donât really care enough is fine imo.
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if they want people to come and see them it is!
(i fear iâm coming over as more bothered about this than i am 
Just think its a farce for any band of this level to play three dates in one city and not visit the rest of the country)
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Again, itâs not the bandâs decision, itâs the booking agents based on in their professional opinion, what will sell the best.
As Iâve gone on to say, bands can make requests, but it is not their job to book tours, they entrust professionals to do it for them, to suggest this means they donât care is a fallacy, itâs a full time career with lots of things going on which you have a team around you to make that happen. Given bands now more than ever survive of touring revenue, they are pretty hamstrung as it is literally what keeps them and the various other people involved in a job.
Theres also been massive redundancies in that industry in the past year, so who knows, maybe bands will have a more active role againâŚ
Also between Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow they have hit the majority of the major UK markets that is possible during a massive EU tour?
Big Thief are American and, as such, arenât they brought up to believe that âLondonâ and âEnglandâ mean pretty much the same thing? Iâve talked to loads of Americans who assume that the rest of England is just some fields full of sheep on the periphery of London. Not saying that this is a great stereotype to have but I doubt it would stand out to your average American as weird collection of tour dates.
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I think weâre at odds here - i do understand the mechanisms of touring and promoters but thanks for explaining 
I think to suggest they do care and canât do literally anything about it is a fallacy.
the booking wasnât their decision but they can do something about it after the fact. I just think they should care more but clearly donât - thatâs fine.
Neither of us know if they care enough - they position themselves to me as a band who would though.
They could have played a fuck off big venue in london to cover the same capacity as those three nights and then play elsewhere. I think perhaps they donât want to play a massive cavernous arena though? I dunno, as you say - loads of factors go into but on base level it just seems a bit shitty. Would it cross my mind if i lived in London? I am sure not!
Yeah but not my fucking hometown and thats the point (but joking aside - its a decent trek/expense to any of those and Birmingham is the home of metal so should be included at all times - shit crowds or not!)
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oh yeah, and i totally accept that in other countries people travel for far longer just to see a band and i could go to those cities. London - Manchester is no distance compared to the states
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Yeh the other aspect of this an American contact told me was that theyâre also prepared to drive for hours to get to a concert (and work, friends etc.). We just donât have that culture here. If they did have a view, they might see it as culturally normal for someone from Norwich to drive 2/3 hours to London for a night.
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Shepardâs Bush Empire any good?
Itâs been ages but not as big as Hammersmith Apollo, I might repeat what I did last time and go to Glasgow though 
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Seats are alright, standing is a bit shit.
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I imagine so, yes
So they had some say on thatâŚ!
Maybe
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Yes and no actually, depending on where you are. Not if you get stuck by the bar or at the back, where the views arenât great. But have seen some excellent shows stood forward a bit. Manages to be both quite grand and intimate. One of the better O2 venues for sure. Never sat there.
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Iâve always liked the SBE, maybe biased cos it feels easier to get to and home from than some London venues - but yes you definitely want to be well forward of the desk and the bar
Got tickets for the barras, canât wait.
Pretty cool new edition of abysskissâŚ.
Bandbox is excited to offer abysskiss on eco-mix recycled vinyl! Each copy of this exclusive pressing, which may differ in appearance from the mockup, is 100% unique. This sustainably-minded process employs recycled color scraps that get trimmed from the edges of the press for previous projects. Every Adrianne Lenker order comes with a 16-page zine, featuring Adrianneâs track-by-track guide to abysskiss , her personal photo reel and much more!
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