Dumb Luck! @ Santiago Bar, Leeds

Table of Contents

Overview

Dumb Luck! @ Santiago is a night of alt-rock and all its styles – alt-rock, post-punk, noise, dream-pop, shoegaze, grunge, metalcore… whatever.

It takes place monthly on random Saturdays.

We have 3 band slots, and DJ new music in the same genres before, between and after the bands. 

The night generally runs from 7.30pm-11pm

About Not a thing.

Not a thing. is a non-profit promotion run by Dan Akers, based in Huddersfield, working mostly in at venues the Leeds area.

Our model is that generally we pay for the spaces, and most promotion activities, so that bands can split door takings equally. We take (and make) no money from what we do, £0.

Our goal is to provide spaces for (mostly) new and upcoming bands across a number of ‘alt’ genres – alt-jazz and soul, alt-rock and all its many variants, plus electronic, afrobeat, latin etc.

Check out our Instagram or YouTube to see what we do.

Not a thing. is a t/a of Startling LTD.

Venue Details

Santiago Bar - 1-3 Grand Arcade, Leeds LS1 6PG

https://www.instagram.com/santiagobarleeds/

Santiago is a rock/venue located in the ‘Northern Quarter’ of Leeds, at the bottom of the Grand Arcade. It has been a venue for years on the rock and punk scene. 

The venue is upstairs from the main bar – a smallish room with a stage which opens out into an old bar area (no longer used.) The sound is ok, and it feels very ‘safe’ and separate from the rest of town (in a rock venue, in a rock bar…)

Capacity is about 100-120, but the small stage room makes it feel really full with 20-30 people.

We have no green room so all kit is stored behind the bar.

Unfortunately, Santiago is not an accessible venue – access is via a narrow staircase.

The closest parking for Santiago is Templar Street Car Park which is directly opposite the venue, about 3 minutes walk.

Fees

Not a thing. pays for the space directly with the venue, which covers space costs and the sound engineer until 11pm – as well as general promotion costs. The venue provides the sound engineer, plus PA. Not a thing. brings the DJ equipment, as well as audio and video recording equipment.

All performer fees come from the door takings, which are currently £6 advance, or £8 on the door – via this website. We take cash or cards on the night (preferably cards)

All door takings are split equally between all bands, regardless of size, distance travelled or experience – we find that new local bands often bring as many people as larger out of town touring bands – so this keeps it all fair and easy.

Because Not a thing. are paying out of pocket for the venue and promotion – and we keep the door price accessibly cheap – there are no riders or ‘guest list’. We don’t currently have any deals in place with the venue either for cheap drinks or food – sorry!

Equipment & Tech

Apart from providing the PA and mics etc, Santiago has no kit or amps.

This means we are reliant on bands to bring as much of the backline as possible – as a non-profit, if we have to hire kit we have less money to pay bands.

If the bands aren’t able to bring kit, we will attempt to borrow from other venues/promoters/bands – we always create a shared group to discuss who is bringing what.

We mic up or DI everything on the stage, even if that mic is never being added into the room mix, because we multi-channel record and video record all nights. These nights are made available on the Not a thing. YouTube channel within 7 days, and the audio & video recordings are available for performers to do what they want with.

We don’t have any ‘in ears’ kit of our own, or specific instrument mics – only what the venue has – though we’re happy to work with these if you let us know what you’ll be bringing.

Load In, Soundcheck & Stage Times

Santiago is open at 17:00 on Saturdays. We arrive around 17:00 – as does the sound engineer – to begin setting up the space.

All performers need to arrive – and all equipment be on site – before 17:30. You’ll be able to go for a wander, get food etc between soundchecks but it’s just easier if everyone is there at the same time. We check in reverse order to the performances.

Access to the venue space is either through the bar, or ideally for larger things – via the fire escape which leads directly to the venue. It is accessed through the gate to the left of the venue (see below), past the bins – it is the first staircase on the right.

Sound check is from 17:30 until 19:30, with a hard stop at 19:30 when we open doors and begin playing music. Soundchecks need to be as quick, focused (and tidy) as we can all make it, as it’s never  quite enough time.

After soundcheck, we’ll need to clear the bar area of instruments and bags. There is space behind the bar to leave equipment.

First performer set starts at 20:00 (ish – we have some flexibility here, if the room is still filling up for example) – and can play up to 45 minutes. So we have about a 15-30 minute changeover.

Second performer set starts at 21:00 (ish)

Third performer set starts at 22:00 (ish)

We have a hard stop for bands at 23:00.

Sign Up Form

Before you complete the form below, PLEASE READ what is above.

Not a thing. is a non-profit promotion, run by 1 person and a number of helpful volunteers. We pay for spaces out of our own pocket, and make no money from the nights we run.

This means we can only work with bands/performers who put in the same effort as we do, and who are willing to 'do the work' required to make a good night.

Here's what Not a thing. agree to do for any night you play:

  • Always do our best to be nice, respectful and not rude - to treat everyone like humans.
  • Promote the gig on our own website, via our socials, posters at the venue (whenever possible!) and via paid adverts on at least Facebook/Instagram.
  • Create and share promotion assets for the gig with you, for you to share.
  • Be clear about timings, kit and what you need to bring (see above) with as much advance warning as we can give you.
  • Be transparent about money taken, and pay you as soon as all moneys have been paid out from the ticket platform/card provider.
  • Do everything we can to create a welcoming, safe space, take any concerns you raise seriously, and be clear about what we are doing to address them.
  • Do what we can to produce a video/audio recording of the night, and share it both on our socials, YouTube and with you directly.

The following is a list of things we expect YOU to do, as part of our shared agreement. This is the minimum 'work' we think you need to do to contribute to making a good night.

If you don't think you can commit to doing one of the items on the list, please let us know separately and we can discuss it.

  • Always do your best to be nice, respectful and not rude - to Not a thing. and to all other people working on the night.
  • Understand that Not a thing. is a non-profit voluntary promotion, and not a paid day job - we can't always respond immediately.
  • Take part in the shared job of 'promotion' by sharing the provided assets in as many places as possible.
  • Turn up on or before the agreed time - or communicate as far in advance as you can if this isn't possible.
  • Provide a clear tech spec, agree what you are/aren't bringing, and then bring it on the night.
  • Watch as much of the other bands on the line up as you can, and ask others to do the same.
  • Do your best on the night to make it a good night.

Not a thing. CIC.
Company No: 15685867

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