Two musicians fed up with the town being a backwater for touring bands tell MARION SAUVEBOIS how they are planning to shake up the music scene with their new venture

DESPITE a few inroads from the likes of Kasabian, Paul Weller and Will Young, who strayed from the well-trodden 02 Academy circuit in recent months, Swindon has by and large fallen the wayside of huge tours, overshadowed by prominent arenas elsewhere.

The town’s pub and club scene has thrived, churning out fresh acts and giving a platform to smaller bands and up-and-coming DJs.

But chart-toppers and hot ticket headliners are routinely snubbing Swindon for Bristol, Reading and London.

But the status quo has lasted long enough. Last November, musicians Duncan Robinson and Matt Chipperfield joined forces to launch PigHill Promotions, in a bid to reel in big industry fish, prove the town’s credentials as a talent hotspot and finally place it on the national and global touring map.

Five months on, they are slowly but surely pushing ahead, flagging down booking agents and making the case for Swindon – and PigHill’s partner venue MECA – as a worthy rival for its hip neighbours and keen punters.

“We’re trying to bridge the gap between the local smaller venues and the Oasis, and offer the town a genuine alternative to the O2 Academies in Reading, Bristol and Oxford,” says Matt, 42, from Park South.

“Unfortunately, Swindon has a pretty poor reputation outside of the town for not being a musical hotbed.

‘Nothing going on’ is the most heard phrase among the local detractors.

“We have also experienced this attitude firsthand talking to certain major artists’ agents. The town doesn’t have a big scene in the same way as our neighbouring cities, and this is often blamed on not having a university.

“It definitely does have an effect in terms of an obvious market but it’s a jumpable hurdle.”

Frustrated with famous artists routinely by-passing Swindon, and forcing spectators to travel miles for entertainment, Duncan and Matt, who met playing in band RSVP last summer, opted to take matters in their own hands.

Armed with oodles of enthusiasm – and braced for rejection, which came in spades from risk-avert agents – they hatched a sensible and considered plan to raise Swindon’s profile, demonstrate demand, and gradually catch the attention of tour managers.

“It’s a good job we’re so happy and cheerful,” said Duncan, from Purton.

“We’ve spent months contacting hundreds of people and getting no response.”

Matt said: “I spent 20 years in call centres so I’ve developed a very thick skin. Duncan, 50, said: “We wanted to create something that didn’t already exist – a new market,”

“It’s a long process. We knew we needed to start establishing Swindon as a cultural destination, then MECA as the place to establish that destination, and PigHill as the promoters to do it.

“We are not there to compete with the smaller venues in Swindon. They are very important and we don’t want to step on their toes.

“We decided to try to source acts that had mass appeal to begin with and get the ball rolling.

“So tributes of some of the greatest bands of all time. You can get a commitment from them relatively easily and achieve what we wanted which is to get a sequence of gigs over the rest of year – to establish the venue and ourselves. And then get originals and established bands.”

While the Wyvern features its fair share of tribute acts, Duncan insists they steer clear of the theatre’s dipping pool, choosing concert experiences over stage shows with biographical and storytelling elements.

After a bumpy start, they secured their first act, Roddy Radiation from The Specials – by complete chance.

“I needed a wardrobe picked up and a friend offered to do it,” said Matt, who had first tried his hand at promoting on his own a few years ago.

“We were chatting and he mentioned one of his bandmates had a number for Roddy and the rest is history.”

The concert was held in January at MECA and was a baptism by the fire for the duo.

“That was a huge learning experience,” said Duncan, who juggles the promotions business with part-time work at the Job Centre.

“We didn’t realise how long it would take to set up the business and get insurance.

“We had committed funds and the week before we only had seven people committed to turning up.

“Thankfully, about four days before we sold 130 advance tickets and we had 300 people through the door.

“We were delighted and extremely relieved.”

Matt, who works in the passenger transport team at Swindon Council, said: “The size of the venue, and the quality of our acts and product in general means we cost a little more than some of the other venues in town, but you get what you pay for, and we put on a spectacle, not just a gig.”

Oasis UK’s performance in May fared better with a 400-strong crowd. Guns 2 Roses followed on August 12.

Forthcoming shows include a DJ set from Bez of Happy Mondays fame on September 3.

“We managed to get him from a fortuitous email from a booking agent,” said Matt.

Sham 69 with Jimmy Pursey are booked in November. This was quite a coup considering they initially booked the wrong Sham 69 which, rather confusingly, went by the same name. Thankfully, Jimmy Pursey caught wind of the mix-up and came to the rescue, offering to fill the slot instead.

“With the other band it would have been like booking Take That and having Jason Orange turn up with four other guys,” said Matt.

With their new roster of contacts, and provided the people of Swindon get behind their mammoth endeavour and pack in MECA, they are hoping to start booking in popular acts and propel Swindon into the big leagues in 2017.

Going forward, they are keen to give local up-and-comers an opportunity to open for their high-profile acts and a much-needed platform to reach a larger audience.

“We really need Swindon to support us in that,” said Duncan.

Matt said: “Provided everything goes well with the rest of 2016, we’ll have some great names coming hopefully once a month to the MECA, maybe more if demand dictates.

“Bands talk to each other, and the more well-attended gigs we get under our belt, the better our reputation within the industry becomes.

“We want more for the people of Swindon.

“They deserve the same quality of entertainment as those anywhere else in the country.”

To find out more about PigHill Promotions’ upcoming shows go to www.mecaswindon.co.uk.