Would you like to take a flyer? I’m a rather damp singer songwriter.

Thats was my opening line last night as I met some of the lovely but also damp crowd of people who were queuing to see Seth Lakeman at The Brook in Southampton last night.

This was my second bout of “flyering” this week. I started for the first time on a very cold, but at least dry, Wednesday night at the same venue but for Squeeze front-man Glen Tilbrook. To be honest I was more nervous giving out flyers than I would have been playing! I knew it had to be done so I packed my bag with some flyer, badges and a few cd’s (you never know!) and drove off to Portswood.

I got to the venue about 20 minutes before the doors opened. I had been thinking of my opening line and decided on “Take a flyer?” and used this as I walked from the front to the back of the queue. On reflection I could have tried to have a chat with more people, explain that the flyer was about me, but I was a bet nervous and didn’t want to come across as pushy. At 6 foot 2 I didn’t want to scare people!

Never the less I handed out over 100 flyers. As a bonus, when the queue had made their way inside I got chatting to the doorman who offered to pop a few flyers inside which was brilliant. I also managed to slip the soundman a cd  and a badge, I knew they’d come in handy! He was very supportive and said that he wondered why more artists didn’t do the same. “Delays used to do it” he went on “Used to come down in all their makeup and leggings” and suggested that I come down the next day (last night) “Seth Lakeman is on and it’s sold out” he said.

So last night in the cold and rain I tried my luck again and, thanks to the rain,  an new line “Would you like to take a flyer, I’m a rather damp singer songwriter”  I went on to suggest that they might want to fashion the flyer into a hat to help them keep dry, which helped break the ice. I managed to give about 200 flyers away and managed to chat with some really nice people.

I do think that “Flyering” is a worthwhile thing to do but it’s a long haul. Picking the right crowd for my kind of music is key, I won’t be flyering the Rolling Stones tribute act that is playing at The Brook next, it’s not my crowd, but I certainly will be looking for other major acts that match the kind of music that I play.

I would like to say a big thanks to Matt Stevens , a good friend and a great mentor, for encouraging me. He’s been flyering the Marillion queue in central London for the last two nights and he’ll be out there again tonight. I hope he meets as many nice people as I did!