Stewart joins Midnight Mango with 20 years of experience doing different jobs within the music industry – now he adds another string to his bow- booking agent!
Stewart, what brought you to Midnight Mango?
My road to Midnight Mango started about 20 years ago, I worked installing Bang & Olufsen audio equipment into homes. I wanted to make a home sound like a stadium or recording studio. Once I had done that, I wanted to learn concert/festival production, so I studied as an audio engineer, I gained a diploma at Deep recording studios and gained employment at a live production company learning to build and install PA systems at music venues and festival stages. As a freelance audio engineer, I met my wife who was an events manager at a venue and hired me for shows and conferences. Then a lockdown happened, following the lockdown I met Merv Goldsworthy manager and bassist for FM he asked me to go out on the road with FM which is where I started to learn more about tour management and gained more experience working directly with bands, being a people person I managed to network and engage with bands all over the world at all levels. Over the coming years my involvement with bands grew and I became more than just an audio technician, I branched out into tour management, logistics, stage management and merchandise with one goal to make bands money! As my reputation grew, I gained more interest from bands who wanted to work with me and for me to take them out on the road. I completed many tours with many bands in the UK and Europe. There are bands I love dearly such as Beaux Gris Gris and the Apocalypse, Sweet Crisis, Romeos Daughter and of course FM these bands became family. It was working with these bands that made me realize that I am actually good at looking after bands and understanding their needs and requirements and It became easy to start booking shows completely independently with the network of contacts I have made all over the UK and Europe, this became the catalyst to expand on this and maybe try my hand at being an agent. It was suggested to me to contact Matt and tell him my experience and my enthusiasm for wanting to help and elevate bands. Not only that, but I am also very aware I have no creative musical talent and will never be an artist, so to help bands be successful is the next best thing!
What kind of bands do you like to work with?
I love working with bands that are high energy and that cross genres, Rock meets EDM or Metal with Synths and harmonies. Music that sounds powerful and full of emotion. The band I wrote about most whilst studying was Pendulum they are a fusion of rock and live Drum & Bass and I absolutely love it! Then we had Nu Metal in the 00’s which again incorporated a live DJ with hard metal/rock and vice versa more dance music started to incorporate shredding guitars! Bands that can cross genres and create a big noise and make you feel sweaty and ruined after a gig are my kinds of bands.
What advice would you give someone considering joining the Midnight Mango team?
Be passionate! Be passionate about the bands you work with. Believe in the artists you want to sell and see do well. Be knowledgeable about all workings of a gig or show, understand the how and the why of the technical aspects as well as the admin. Understand merchandise and why it is important and dedicate time to learning about the bands you want to represent and why you want to represent them. But most of all stick to bands and genres that you love.
Who would you love to have on your roster?
Pink Floyd, Metallica, Pendulum, Guns & Roses, The Amazons, Limp Bizkit, and The Prodigy.
First festival you went to?
Global Gathering (no longer exists)
Best festival you’ve been to?
Gatecrasher (Lasted 1 year I believe but Faithless, Prodigy, Above & Beyond, Paul Van Dyke all performed, and it was a completely euphoric weekend) pure joy!
First gig you went to?
I think I was about 7 or 8 years old and my mum took me to see The Bootleg Beatles at Feltham Assembly Hall. Ticket plus Fish and Chips for a fiver! Look at them now!!
Best gig you’ve been to (so far)
About 3 years ago I was invited by Pendulum to attend a double headliner with Limp Bizkit at Gunnersbury Park in London. I had AAA full access and hung out with Pendulum and Limp Bizkit! Pendulum opened and turned a crowd into a riot, then Limp Bizkit took to the stage to finish everyone off! It was the most nostalgic, loud and powerful gig I had been to, blending together everything I adore about the music I love bringing back all my teenage memories.
