For Abigail Blake, from Norwich, hanging out with artists like George Ezra, Pulled Apart by Horses, and Ashnikko is just part of the job.
She works as a freelance show rep – a role which sees her taking care of touring musicians performing at venues like the UEA LCR, Norwich Arts Centre, and Epic studios.
When Radio 1’s big weekend came to Norwich in 2015, it was Ms Blake dealing with artist riders, finding parking for tour buses, and generally making sure the talent left with a great impression of our fine city.
And one headliner musician made an impression back.
She said: “I was sitting in the back office, and suddenly George Ezra appears, brushing his teeth, looking for his water bottle.
“It was a surreal moment, especially because he couldn’t really talk due to his mouth being full of toothpaste!”
But despite working with some of the country’s biggest stars, the freelance musician-minder said the day to day is surprisingly ordinary.
She said: “There’s this misconception that rock stars are divas and super demanding with their riders, which isn’t accurate.
“Most of the time I end up doing a regular Tesco shop – I’ve bought a lot of meal deals because people often ask for sandwiches!”
And, she said, the biggest challenges of the job are frequently rather mundane.
She added: “The most challenging situations normally arrive when the artist gets stuck in traffic on the way to the venue, and we have to squeeze the sound check and preparations into a short time period.
“There’s also often things like a broken guitar string to replace, or finding parking – especially at Norwich Arts Centre.”
While no two artists are the same, Ms Blake said a commonality is their reaction to the city, with musicians regularly commenting on the abundance of high-quality venues.
She said: “They are always blown away by the performance area at the Arts Centre, and I always get comments about how good the sound system is at Epic Studios.
“People often say Waterfront has an amazing vibe – every venue gets huge compliments, especially for its sound engineering.”
“Plus they just love the city itself.”
The demand for show reps in Norwich is so high, and the number of people offering the service so low, that earlier this year Ms Blake had to recruit her partner Luke Boast to keep up.
She said the pair is inundated with work, and that she predicts the music scene here will continue to grow.
But looking after the stars isn’t the only string to this businesswoman’s guitar.
During lockdown, the savvy music professional said she noticed a growing trend of mass-produced music merchandise, with hundreds of tonnes of t-shirts being sent to landfill every day.
Keen to give musicians a greener option, she founded her company No Encore Apparel, which upcycles second-hand clothes and sources organic and plant-based fabric with which to create merchandise.
She said: “For a lot of artists, merchandise is a key source of income, but in recent years the sector has started to fall into a lot of the same toxic habits as the fast fashion industry.
“It’s low quality, printed on mass, and stored in warehouses where it sits, unsold, until it’s eventually taken to landfill.
“My dream going forward would be to work with a major fashion retailer, like Marks and Spencer, who could give us a constant supply of unsold stock that would otherwise go to waste, so we can keep up with the growing demand.”
Read the full article here
