An Interview with Angry Panda's manager Dominic, from Blood & Guts Management by Kevin from Bristol Rocks.

What difference has Blood and guts management made to Angry Panda so far?

Angry Panda formed in 2002. I began managing them in April 2005. During those 3 years without management they only played a handful of low key shows. When I took over I made it clear that I will handle everything including promotion, bookings and management. As a manager should do. This then gave them the time and space to be artistically creative and concentrate on what was important; rehearsing and writing. I took care of setting up the website www.angrypanda.co.uk with Web designers Zach Graves and Ajay Haste who operate a company named "Binge Mafia" and pushing the band to record the EP "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die" in May 2005.

I began booking shows all over Bristol and building a buzz. Once I had established them as regulars at Bristol's most notorious music venues such as The Fleece and The Louisiana I began looking further afield to build a national profile which has seen the band make the trips to Liverpool, Derby, Sheffield, Reading and Plymouth with plenty more booked for the future.

The added bonus of my combined promotional/management role is that whilst they are soundchecking and setting up I'll be scooting around the venue putting the posters up, handing out the flyers and right after the show gets done I'll make the push for getting the EP's out to everyone. All the things that a band doesnt have time to do. This is reflected in the near constant new songs they have been writing and their incediary live shows.

How do you plan to promote Angry Panda in the future?

In every way possible. These days if you want to be successful then you will try anything and everything. Telling everyone you know about the band, blanket emails and newsletters from the website, forum posting, flyering, arranging for reviews of the band with different magazines and webzines, Myspace, Pure Volume, MP3 Lizard and most important of all a good press pack that you can send out to venues, local and national radio and festivals around the country.

The next step will be merchandise and pushing for radio play. The Unsigned Radio I'm looking at is Pulse Radio and the VOLTS Rock show. Including that I will push for Eagle Radio, Totalrock, Radio 1 (The Lock Up), XFM and just about anyone who will listen.
 

How many bands do you manage now & how many do you plan to manage in the future?

Angry Panda is the only the second band I have ever managed, and currently the only one. I currently work a day job as well as operating BloodandGuts outside of that so to manage another band right now would be unrealistic. I plan to sit down with the band this April for an annual review to see how far we have come with my first year of management. Should the band be agreeable then I will continue to manage them.

To answer a question about the future, all I can say is that it is unwritten. The path is not yet carved, I will continue to work as hard as I can with Angry Panda. We share the same vision so that's all I want to concentrate and focus on right now.

To close; the message to new bands and up and coming bands. Basically, bust your ass and sell yourself at every opportunity. You wont get anywhere otherwise. This is all work, you have to work, it's fun to work.

Bristol Rocks wishes both Blood & Guts management & Angry Panda all the best for the future