Question about booking small gigs for a new indie punk band

My band just put together a set of original indie punk songs and we're itching to play live. We've hit up a few local spots but keep getting ghosted or told they're booked solid. How do you guys get your foot in the door with venue bookers? We're based in a mid-sized city with a decent scene. Should we try opening for other bands first or just keep spamming demos? Any advice on making our email stand out would be huge.

2 comments

2 Comments

pipermurray12h ago

Ugh, that's so frustrating! The scene can be super tough to break into, right?

fisher.thomas13h ago

No way! You're getting ghosted by local spots? That's brutal, man. Try showing up to venues on off nights and chatting with the staff, it's harder to brush you off face to face. Sending demos is fine, but lead with a single, really tight track instead of a full album. Also, yeah, opening for another band is a perfect way to get started, just be cool and network after their sets.