8 Things to Know When Performing at a Festival

1. Always plan ahead
Festivals are notorious for being incredibly hectic. To save yourself from getting caught up in the madness make you sure you plan accordingly before you arrive. This includes sorting directions ahead of the trip in order to give you plenty of time to get there. Arriving early is key as you'll have to navigate separate entrances for artists, signing in and picking up passes all before you even step foot into the festival! You may even be asked to transport your equipment to the stage so leaving enough time to sort all of this out prior to your gig is incredibly important.

2. Contact the festival with your technical rider
This may sound demanding but a rider is simply a list of equipment that you will need for your performance. However make sure it doesn't come off as pompous, you may be playing there but they can take you off the bill if you're demands are too outlandish. Bearing in mind most smaller festivals will ask you to supply your own, it is worthwhile to see what the festival can already supply you with. This will save you from lugging expensive equipment all the way over to the site only to find out they already have most of what you need.

3. Always consider what you can do to help
When engineers are working around the clock, change overs between bands are short and sound checks are limited festivals can be quite stressful behind-the-scenes. In order to help consider what you can do to make things easier. A simple way to achieve this is by making sure your set is portable and quick to plug in. This will ensure that your soundcheck is effective and efficient. Not only that but it will make your band look polished, professional and hopefully it will make a good impression on the people involved.

4. Meet other bands at the festival
Networking is key for musicians so don't miss out on arguably one of the biggest opportunities out there. Where else will you find bands so diverse in genres and styles then at a festival? Now is the time to engage with as many people as possible. Who knows, that guy who's about to open up that tiny stage in the corner just happens to know the organiser of the event. Don't waste this chance to make connections and share contacts. Even better you may even end up invited onstage for someone else's set. You'll never know unless you try!

5. Look like you want to be there
As much as you feel like your rock band doesn't belong in this predominately country line-up doesn't mean you have to be glum onstage about it. You just have to remember that you were chosen to perform at this festival for a reason. Don't squander it! Sure the crowd may need a little more convincing but if you really put out a positive energetic vibe whilst performing your music will sound so much more inviting to the skeptics.

6. Perfect your stage talk
When you're on such a big platform it can be difficult to hold a diverse crowds attention. But if you have the right stage talk it will make the set flow so much easier. Make a joke, point out something about the festival or just simply introduce the members of your band to the audience. Just steer clear of the age old comments like "How are you doing tonight?" or simply screaming where you are to the crowd. It's pretty predictable and the most you'll get is a half hearted scream or two. Try to make your set entertaining in all aspects not just the actual performance. If you're engaging chances are people will stay around that much longer to hear you out.

7. Play a cover song
Now when it comes to festivals it's a common occurrence that you feel like the underdog of the lineup. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you use this to your advantage. The best way to achieve this is to include one recognisable classic into your set and make it your own. There has been some brilliant results from doing this. Just take Jay Z covering Wonderwall for example at Glastonbury he turned that song into something completely different and it got people talking long after the set had ended. So create a moment for this audience to remember you by. Once you've performed your cover you'll have so much more of the their attention and you might have gained a few fans in the process.

8. Give out free merchandise

You know what always goes down well? Free stuff. It's very rare to hear anyone complain about free things so why not capitalise on that? At the end of your set or when you're out and about at the festival be sure to hand out something that has your band on it. The most popular item seems to be bracelets as it's a handy way of spreading your social media contact details but in a fun and creative form. It's great for brand extension and it will get the people talking about you and your music so grab a few bracelets and spread the word!

By Melissa Tucker