Spreading Their Wings: Eagle Live

Sunday, 25 March 2012 19:49

By Nic Wright

"I don’t believe there's another promotion company out there who cares enough to go that one step further. Most of them care for money; Eagle Live is the opposite. We do go further."

You can’t swing a cat around here these days without taking out a promoter or two. (Why would you be swinging cats around, anyway? That’s terrible. You might strain something.) There’re more of the little gig-elves than ever, so it seems, scurrying around booking the best and brightest, printing and posting and stamping eager little hands. The music-devouring punters are of the North East are spoilt for choice. Despite the Tyne:Wear gig ratio still tipping in Newcastle’s favour, there are a handful of promoters beavering away to ensure Sunderland keeps up with its Northerly neighbour.

One such promoter is Eagle Live. Having only formed in January this year, the, ahem, fledgling outfit has been doing big things since its inception, according to founder Robert Blenkinsopp; “The achievement that we are [most] proud of, is the fact that we’ve been keeping the music scene in Sunderland going.”

“The music scene in the North East, partially Sunderland, could do with some spicing up, from all genres of music and not just selected types. We need to launch something exciting and big within the City of Sunderland. I wouldn’t say the music scene has gotten worse; it’s just gone into sleep mode. We need something huge to wake it up. Most promoters I have worked with have all jumped other cities like Newcastle and Washington, or they’ve shut down, which is a shame.”

Whether or not the scene is quite on those dire straits depends largely on where you're looking, and what you're looking for. While the folk and indie-pop scenes are bustling, Eagle Live are doing their bit to promote the oft-neglected, heavier underbelly of what Sunderland has to offer gig-goers.

The lightning bolt of inspiration that gave birth to Eagle Live came while  Robert was watching a friend’s band play live; “The moment those guys started playing I thought, ‘right we can do something here’,” he says.

Keen to stoke the embers of what he sees as a slumbering music scene, Robert and his Eagle Live team, including co-founder Alex Parkenev, took their first band under their wing, and promptly dove into researching the modern music business. With the roster filling up, Eagle Live began expanding their network, taking on bands from outside Sunderland; “We’ve worked with some top bands, including Liars Lie! Cohesion, Pray For Blood, and Urban Masquerade.”

The outfit are already branching out beyond promoting and managing, with the launch of a flagship magazine on the horizon. But it's not just the practicalities of promoting that Eagle Live are concerning themselves with; they're also helping the bands develop musically, offering a discerning ear and a word or two of advice; “We’ve been interviewing for our magazine, and assisting them with as much as possible, from photo shoots, bookings, and giving them support and constructive criticism on how they perform in the practice room. Our team produce band reviews which grade the bands' performance, not just in rehearsal sessions but also at the shows, and offer bands feedback.”

 While they're currently working alongside the likes of Anyplace, The Catharsis and Spitfire Bullets, at the forefront of Eagle Live's affections at the moment is metal five-piece Pray For Blood; “I have high hopes for those guys, they're just amazing performers, and true gentlemen,” says Robert. “They're one of Sunderland’s top heavy bands to watch out for, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to work with them.”

 If all goes to plan for Robert and his feathery crew, Pray For Blood won't be the only ones juggernauting upwards in the coming months; Eagle Live themselves have a pretty lengthy list of ambitions to fill. “We are launching a lot this year,” Robert enthuses. “We have our own magazine, and an online radio station which will be launched very soon. I want to take Eagle Live to the next step by launching a record label, and offering help to unsigned bands out there who are struggling.”

“I don’t believe there's another promotion company out there who cares enough to go that one step further. Most of them care for money; Eagle Live is the opposite. We do go further.”

Pop along to one of Eagle Live's showcases in April to be in with the chance of winning a copy of their new magazine, a signed poster and a photo with the headline band.

facebook.com/eaglelive