David Belcher runs to earth the trio behind the T In The Park festival
THIS year as last, Scotland's major outdoor festival, T In The Park,
is being assembled from a fittingly rustic base -- a converted
stable-block in green and pleasant Stirlingshire home of DF Concerts
(DFC), the event's promoters, as well as being the hub of a business
which buses fans to shows nationwide, and operates Scotland's premier
pub-sized venue, King Tut's.
In this pastoral splendour, DFC's small herd of golden labradors
gambol as fax-machines chatter, and phone-lines transmit talk of riders,
running-orders, and serious moolah to hard-bitten rockbiz managers
around the globe. But who's this cove with no socks on?
And no fat cigar. No greasy homburg. It's DFC supremo Stuart Clumpas,
and he wants to set the record straight.
''Here he goes, the thoughts of Chairman Clump . . . but it bugs me
that folk think promoters make millions when actually we work on small
margins, the final 3-4% of a gig's total cost, which is usually hundreds
of pounds, not thousands. So yeah, T In The Park nearly washed its face
last year, but not quite . . . although the loss was small enough for me
to view it as an investment.
''At the moment, in fact, I can only survive a loss on every sixth
gig, whereas at the start, 15 years ago, I could exist on losses for one
in every three.''
Glaswegian Clumpas made his start at Dundee University. Ostensibly
studying accountancy and economics, he only attained his degree in order
to continue doing what he really loved: booking bands as student
entertainments convener.
''As an obnoxious 16-year-old, I felt I had a flair for knowing which
bands would sell. I'd be at a packed Apollo saying: 'I knew.' That's the
thrill for me . . . hearing a band's records and spotting their
potential while everyone else is going: 'What's this rubbish?'
''Then, when I'm standing in front of 3000 people at the Playhouse,
it's like everyone's saying: 'Stuart, you're sussed in music, mate.'
Thumbs up. Told ya.''
Clumpas was encouraged by an early run of Dundee scoops. ''I booked
the Pretenders for #300. By the time of the gig they were top of the
singles and albums charts. Same with Peter Gabriel and UB40. I got Def
Leppard when they were on the way up, but too early . . . for #300 --
and they attracted 110 people at 90p each.''
Yet in his greatest success, there was a foretaste of the no-win
situation which promoters inevitably seem to face. ''The Pretenders'
tickets sold out in four hours. And for the next month I got dog's abuse
from people who hadn't got tickets. Terrible amounts of grief from pals;
from people who said I shouldn't have sold the tickets at 9am when they
were in lectures. From everybody.''
Clumpas's greatest financial blow -- caused in 1991 by the mid-gig
cancellation of a Pixies' show when the SECC stage partially collapsed
-- was similarly compounded by personal aggro. ''The band got paid; the
venue got paid; I lost #10,000 . . . plus I got grief from thousands of
ticket-holders. It's the only time so far that I've seriously thought:
'Why am I doing this?'''
It's unsurprising that Stuart Clumpas's life-partner is his
business-partner, too. Judith Atkinson foreswore a medical career for a
degree which combined music -- studying double bass under Gavin Bryars
-- with arts administration. Having once doubled her year's grant with
the staging of a successful alternative freshers' ball, Atkinson
graduated to work with one of Britain's biggest promoters, MCP. Today
she's in charge of DFC's marketing; graphics; bus co-ordination;
advertising; ticket printing, distribution and sales. And she runs King
Tut's.
''Before T In The Park opened last year, we walked out feeling like
worried party hosts. But by 1pm the audience had taken over. They were
enjoying the music, having a pint, knowing what they were supposed to do
. . . it was their festival.''
It's also Geoff Ellis's festival. Despite the fact that midfield
dynamo Ellis broke a leg playing for Blanefield FC in a Forth and
Endrick Summer League cup-tie last month, he's been successfully
negotiating, and liaising with band managers, agents, local councillors,
policemen, environmental health officials, health and safety executives.
Ellis's biggest score? ''A toss-up between having secured Black
Grape's first big gig and having convinced Hamilton District Council
that this year we don't need to provide very costly water bowsers in the
car parks.''
T In The Park: its creators deserve a stiffer drink, if not a cigar.
* T In The Park at Strathclyde Park, August 5 and 6. A 70-strong bill
includes Paul Weller; M People; Terrorvision; Black Grape; The Beautiful
South; Kylie Minogue, Elastica, and The Prodigy. Weekend tickets cost
#45.
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