The Complete Guide to Booking Your First Gig
Everyone remembers their first gig. Mine was terrible — wrong venue, wrong audience, and I didn’t know what a soundcheck was. But it led to the second gig, which led to the third, and eventually to a decade on the UK circuit.
The hardest part isn’t the performance. It’s getting the booking. Here’s how to approach it systematically.
Step 1: Get Your Materials Together
Before you contact a single venue, you need three things:
- A recording — doesn’t need to be studio quality. A decent phone recording of a rehearsal or a simple home recording is fine. Venues want to hear what you sound like, not whether you can afford a studio.
- A photo — one good press photo. Not a selfie, not a group shot at the pub. A photo that could go on a poster.
- A one-liner — "Indie-folk duo from Bristol" or "Jazz trio, standards and originals." Venues need to categorise you in their head instantly.
If you’re on GigXchange, all of this lives on your profile. Venues can listen, look, and decide without you having to send a single email.
Step 2: Pick the Right Venues
Don’t start with the biggest room in town. Start with venues that:
- Already host live music — check their website, socials, or the gig listings on GigXchange.
- Match your genre — a jazz trio shouldn’t approach a metal bar, and vice versa.
- Are the right size — 20 people in a 50-cap room feels like a great night. 20 people in a 300-cap room feels like a funeral.
- Are local — your first few gigs should be in your area. You’ll have friends, family, and local contacts who’ll come out.
Step 3: Make Contact
Find out who books the live music. It’s not always the owner — it might be a promoter, a bar manager, or a dedicated booker. Check the venue’s website or ask at the bar.
Your message should be short and specific:
"Hi, I’m [name], a [genre] [solo/duo/band] from [area]. I’d love to play at [venue] — I’m available on [specific dates]. Here’s a link to my music: [link]. Happy to send more info if useful. Cheers, [name]"
That’s it. No life story, no five-paragraph pitch. Venue bookers are busy. Respect their time.
Step 4: Follow Up (Once)
If you don’t hear back in a week, send one follow-up. Keep it brief: "Just following up on my message from last week — still available on [dates] if you have anything coming up."
If you still don’t hear back, move on. Don’t send a third message. There are hundreds of venues — don’t get stuck on one.
Step 5: The Gig Itself
- Arrive early — at least 30 minutes before soundcheck.
- Be friendly to the sound engineer — they can make or break your set.
- Play your set time — not longer, not shorter. If you’re given 45 minutes, play 45 minutes.
- Thank the venue — from the stage and in person afterwards.
- Stick around — talk to people. Thank anyone who came. Buy a drink at the bar.
Step 6: Follow Up After
Send a message the next day: "Thanks for having us, we had a great time. Would love to come back — let me know if you have any dates coming up."
Leave a review if you played through a platform. Take any constructive feedback on board. And start looking for gig number two.
Your first gig won’t be your best. It doesn’t need to be. It just needs to happen. Every artist on the UK circuit started exactly where you are now — with zero gigs and a lot of uncertainty. The ones who made it are the ones who sent the message.
