photo by Solen
Gráinne Braithwaite – Synergy Concerts
Interview by Halina Rifai 4th June 2013
When asked to interview a woman that was inspiring to me, it has produced a very long and eclectic list. One of the first people was Gráinne Braithwaite of Synergy Concerts. Having put on a host of my favourite artists as part of her tremendous promotional company, she has received a catalogue of praise from a lot of people I have worked with.
Ironically, I have not met her. It has not stopped her from influencing my work with music within the industry. She is a strong lady that love music, enjoys life and does not let the negative influence of others affect the work that her and her company do.
I caught up with the lady herself to get more of an insight into Synergy Concerts, what they have coming up and what made her become a promoter.
Have you always lived in Scotland? If not when and how did you end up in Glasgow?
I was born in Scotland in a little town called Motherwell but emigrated to Canada when I was 3 to a small town in Ontario bordering Detroit Michigan. I returned to Scotland (Edinburgh more specifically) when I was 18.
How did Synergy Concerts begin?
I started promoting 2 months after I arrived in Scotland at the Liquidroom who had given me the booker job in their venue. From there I went to Regular Music as a Talent Buyer and then moved to work for the All Tomorrows Parties festivals in LA and London. I really loved it there but for personal reasons I needed to be in Scotland more so I moved back and set up Synergy on a whim. I was really lucky that within a week of being back in Scotland I had booked Sonic Youth, Deerhoof, Shellac and the Futureheads so it was a great way to kick everything off.
What was the first show that made you think ‘holy shit, I cannot believe I am promoting these guys!’
After 16 years of promoting I’ve had so many of those moments! I’d say the ones that stick out for me especially would be The Fall, Television, Public Enemy and Sonic Youth. Probably because I listened to their records when I was really young and never thought working in live music would be a possibility for me. There are also plenty of artists I picked up before I really knew a lot about them because they were in the embryonic stages of their music career and as they grew they joined the list of my favourite bands. Four Tet, Cat Power, Battles, Wolf Eyes, Afrirampo, Black Dice, Yann Tiersen, Joanna Newsom… stuff like that just blows my mind. I’m blessed that everything I promote I truly love and get genuinely excited about. A lot of people working in this industry play it much cooler than I do but I came here from a small town with little opportunity and achieving in my sector is huge for me so I don’t ever hide my gratitude. I love every second of what I do – even the tough parts.
Has being a female made things harder as a promoter or have you adopted an attitude of ‘if you can do it so can I’?
Before I set up Synergy I had only ever worked for self made men who never referenced my gender so the idea that being a woman could be a potential set back for me professionally didn’t even cross my mind. I was oblivious to the fact that there was a lack of female talent buyers. In 1998 when I started, there weren’t any women specifically booking artists at any major promoters in the UK which is crazy. I didn’t even know that for about 2 years after I started. I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to achieve if I had noticed that I was one of very few women in my industry so my ignorance was a blessing really. Things have changed now obviously, there are plenty of women working and achieving so much in live music.
What is your favourite show that you have promoted?
That is a really hard question. It’s probably cheesy to say that every show is my favourite but it’s true. One gig that sticks out for me however is completely random and I don’t think given the roster I have now, people would believe it. It was the Electric Six at Nice N Sleazy in 2002. I had been working for Regular Music for a little while but it was the first band where I had been chasing them for over a year, created a new relationship with the agent, secured the artist, and developed them in this region and sold out multiple shows. Sales for that concert trickled initially but I had heard the demo for their debut single on XL which ended up going to number 2 in the charts. That single wasn’t released when we did the Sleazys show but plenty of DJ’s were playing it anyway, it had been playlisted on Radio 1 and so there was a lot of hype surrounding it. The gig sold out and in the days following my Directors couldn’t stop congratulating me. Also the artists were over the moon with how I handled everything as was the agency and label. All in all it was my first big mainstream achievement that I did off my own back without any help and watching that performance was super. Whether you like that band or not, those shows were insane! So for a million different reasons it might be my favourite memory of any concert I have promoted.
Which females inspire you?
Millions of females inspire me everyday. Women who follow their own truth and path and work hard at it no matter what it is. Their path can be their career of course, but it can also be a woman who succeeds at being a mother. Or a woman who succeeds at being single and helping others. Or a woman who chooses to do all of those things. I admire and take inspiration from any woman who is true to herself and is kind and strong and lives each day to be happy. These women inspire me.
What shows have you got coming up that you can tell us about?
We’ve just announced a show with Fuck Buttons at SWG3 and Deerhunter are coming back in October to the Arches. Both artists are promoting new releases and have become two of my favourite bands in the last 7 years or so. RM Hubbert is doing a show at St. Andrews In The Square and that will be pretty special. Working on more announcements for Autumn straight through until May 2014 so watch this space.
Do you feel there is a monopoly in Scotland when it comes to promoting gigs and has it been hard to try and prove that you are one of the good guys?
Honestly, no. I think there was a point about 10 years ago where it was beginning to go in that direction but Scotland is rich not only with creative talent, but people who work behind the scenes and excel in the creative sectors. I get the impression that booking agents now have certain artists they feed to different promoters in order to achieve something specific in the stages of development. I can’t remember the last time I got into a bidding war with another promoter for a show or where something was taken off me and given to another promoter unless the artists’ entire management/tour booking team changed. We all get a fair shout at what we’re good at. Also there is a remarkable amount of love between promoters in Scotland. I co-promote events all the time with guys like Regular, ATP, Optimo and Numbers. And I think companies like DF get a lot of bad press simply for being a big machine and making huge profits. DF are great at what they do and they have the money and man power to achieve a lot efficiently, effectively and quickly on a large scale especially with festivals and commercial artists. I don’t see why that’s so bad? People claim to hate capitalism but we live in a capitalist society – making money is the name of the game. Believe me, if given half a chance we would all be more than happy to inherit their annual turnover.
You are extremely glamorous; do you think or have had any experience of people stereotyping you because of the way you style yourself?
Hahahaha. Um, yes and no. What I will say is that the people who ‘matter’ (Artists, Agents, Managers, Tour Managers, Crew, Creative Funding Bodies) have for the most part been working with me since I started and know I’m capable and competent at my job and they appreciate the vast amount of musical and production knowledge I have. Everybody knows I’m a bit of a glamour-puss but these are all people who have seen me at one time or another backstage, lifting amps or crates of beer with no makeup on, wearing a sweaty t-shirt. If anything they all get a kick out of me throwing on a fancy dress and a pair of high heels. I do get some criticism, and yes I get stereotyped. But mostly by people who for their own reasons, have decided that blonde hair, tanned skin and the use of cosmetics must create one specific type of human. A human who couldn’t possibly run a business and/or have specialist knowledge of that business in order to be successful. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and although I don’t allow it to put me off my path, I sometimes think it would be nice if they spent half a minute actually speaking to me before they formed their stereotype but at the same time, I am respected in my industry and have plenty of great friends so I guess who really cares, right?
If you could put together the ultimate show with 3 artists who would they be and why?
Oh! Can I do the ultimate show with 300 artists?? Haha, this might be the hardest question yet. Ok so Neu! would definitely headline. They are my favourite band of all time and Klaus Dinger (the drummer) passed away before I ever got the chance to work with them. I would probably add Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to that bill playing a strictly Qawwali set. His late Uncle Nusrat was a musical hero of mine and again, passed away before I ever had the chance to see him perform. I have been lucky enough to see his nephew and protégé Rahat and it was incredible. Lastly, and this one probably seems a bit straight for me would be The Dream. My favourite R&B producer and songwriter ever and his performances are unbelievable. He has a star quality in his writing and performing that is truly exceptional. I think if I could programme that trio of artists on the same bill, I would be pretty chuffed to say the least.
For full information on Synergy Concerts including what they have coming up please visit: http://www.synergyconcerts.com
interviewed by Halina Rifai
http://www.tyci.org.uk/wordpress/