Christopher BarrettFrom Oasis to the Pope; DF Concerts CEO Geoff Ellis is the latest festival boss to take the hot seat for the AAA Backstage podcast series.
From making soup for Radiohead to staging an open-air mass for Pope Benedict, and launching Scotland’s biggest festival, Ellis’ 40-year career in the live music industry has seen him come a very long way since he started out as ents manager at Middlesex Poly, booking the likes of The Stone Roses.
Last year, DF Concerts’s generated £165 million for the Scottish economy on the back of promoting 17 major outdoor concerts and festival summer show days including TRNSMT and the Edinburgh Summer Sessions.
Among the many areas covered in the interview are Ellis’ decision to let Oasis join the bill at Glasgow’s tiny King Tut’s venue in 1993, which led to the then unknown Manchester band being signed to Creation Records by Alan McGee. Last year, Ellis promoted Oasis’ three sold-out nights at Edinburgh’s 67,000-capacity Murrayfield Stadium. It was a full-circle moment for the experienced promoter, whose career has not been short of memorable moments.
Recorded live at the Access All Areas Leaders’ Summit, this episode of the AAA Backstage podcast finds Ellis discussing everything from the early days of T In The Park to his brush with journalism, the evolution of the live events industry, the challenges facing the festival sector, and his advice for the next generation of promoters.
“It’s not an easy industry, but it is a great one,” says Ellis.
As with all episodes in the series, this one is available to watch on YouTube or to listen to via all the main podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple and Amazon.