Guerrilla gig

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Guerrilla gigging is a type of concert performed in a non-traditional setting or arranged in an unusual fashion. It became associated with punk rock, indie rock and noise rock bands, first in Britain and later in the United States during the early to mid 2000s.

There are two major elements that characterise a guerrilla gig. The first is similar in concept to a flash mob, and involves a band or artist performing in an unexpected, sometimes unannounced, setting not designed to accommodate live music, such as on a bus or subway train, parking lot, or building lobby. The second characteristic involves their being arranged very quickly and without the typical processes of publicity or advance ticket sales. They are usually announced through various internet message boards as well as by text messages and sometimes last-minute flyers.

It is often viewed as an example of punk rock's idealistic "do it yourself" philosophy (which aimed to achieve underground artistic success without commercialisation by avoiding mainstream corporate record labels) being applied via modern communications technology, in a way which would not have been possible before the advent of the internet. The popularity of online forums and social-networking sites has made it possible for bands to immediately disseminate news of a gig to thousands of people only hours before a performance, at minimal cost, and bypassing the traditional print and radio-based methods of publicising concerts.

[edit] Development in Britain

British indie bands became particularly famous for guerrilla gigging in the early 2000s; the technique first developed there because the concentrated social and geographical nature of the London music scene made it possible to generate a favourable "buzz" and ensure attendance at the events. The Libertines were among the first to use internet technology to accomplish this, often announcing a gig a few hours before the show by providing cryptic instructions for fans to meet at a given place to await an escort to a flat, where the admission price would be collected and the concert would take place in a living room or basement. The Others provide another example, becoming notorious for performing brief shows in tube trains on the London Underground for mixed groups of fans and startled passengers. In another famous instance, singer Badly Drawn Boy earned £4.60 from passersby while busking outside London's Waterloo Station for a day in 2003, going largely unrecognized by the public. Half Man Half Biscuit made reference to the idea in their song 'Asparagus Next Left' by saying they performed a guerrilla gig in the middle of another group's guerrilla gig, thus making it the ultimate guerrilla gig.

[edit] The United States

Among the first North American bands to pick up the technique were Canada's The Unicorns, who played a free show at a car wash, and Rhode Island noise rock bands such as Lightning Bolt. Folk musician Will Brierly is also known for guerrilla gigging, playing to crowds of hundreds in vacant parking lots across the country. Many American bands who have embraced this new extreme DIY culture are referred to as "guerrilla rockers".