Sometimes, the best things are created from circumstance. In the case of Blaise Bellville’s burgeoning career, two events led him to the One To Watch spot he currently finds himself in. “I’d just left school and desperately needed to earn a living, and somehow I ended up promoting,” says the 22 year-old of his clubbing profession. “I started by putting on really awful commercial nights, literally just to make some money. I did that for about a year and quickly got bored.” After moving from west London to east, Bellville began a monthly night called Troubled Minds with the Young Turks’ Caius Pawson and The Horrors’ Faris Badwan. Playing an abundance of music that reflected their own varied tastes, the night was a huge success. However, the high was short-lived when the venue got locked off in 2006. Thankfully, Fate: Part 2 stepped in when a music manager mentioned to the wannabe club-capacity crammer that he was having real trouble getting his own teen-band bookings for gigs. “They'd play in a pub in Lewisham and 300 kids would turn up and not get in. This just immediately appealed to me as a totally untapped market,” says Blaise. “I knew I'd be able to get both major and smaller bands to play an under-18 gig and that there was some kind of money to be made, without selling out.”
Teaming up with a friend that ran another over-14 club called Way Out West, All Ages Concerts was born. Since then, kids have lined the block to watch an eclectic line-up that can include everyone from Wiley to Jack Penate and Scroobius Pip all on the same bill. “Ultimately we're not catering to your standard 15 year-old who's heard nothing beyond Rihanna's latest hit,” he points out. “For the past three years, AAC only exists because there are 1000's of young teenagers who are proactive in hearing new music, meeting new people and taking an interest in the arts and culture in general.” These kids, reflective of RWD readers, aren’t just into grime or nu-rave. They listen to hip hop, dubstep, a bit of indie and a lot of electro. Thanks to MySpace and the like, under-18’s are perhaps some of the most experimental age groups we’ve seen for a fair few generations – both in terms of music, fashion and attitude. “Most bands love playing these shows because the audience actually dance and sing along and applause with no restraint,” notes the canny entrepreneur, before adding AAC’s approach is also instrumental in the night’s continued success. “We're putting on amazing bands, at proper venues with credibility. It’s really important that everything is done in the right way; hand-drawn artwork on the flyers, diverse line-ups, professional security, reasonable ticket prices etc,” he says of their fresh-to-death flavour. “It’s possible for All Age Concerts to expand around the country without losing touch.”
Indeed, it’s not just London kids that are one step ahead of the rest. As the night continues to grow at rapid rates, Blaise and his cohorts are looking to step the scene up around the country. “We're expanding regionally in partnership with XFM, with nine shows a month starting in September,” he reveals of the tour that takes in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Lancaster, Hertfordshire, Bedford and Tunbridge Wells. “We've also got an under-18 fashion-led club night starting in September called Dandy at The End and we’re launching two new monthly underage nights in New Cross and Wimbledon.” Sound like a lot? There’s more, he grins. “We're doing a 3000 capacity event at SeOne on 16 December and we're also building an online editorial aimed at young Britain...” reflects Blaise before taking a breath. “This year is going to be amazing.”
Teaming up with a friend that ran another over-14 club called Way Out West, All Ages Concerts was born. Since then, kids have lined the block to watch an eclectic line-up that can include everyone from Wiley to Jack Penate and Scroobius Pip all on the same bill. “Ultimately we're not catering to your standard 15 year-old who's heard nothing beyond Rihanna's latest hit,” he points out. “For the past three years, AAC only exists because there are 1000's of young teenagers who are proactive in hearing new music, meeting new people and taking an interest in the arts and culture in general.” These kids, reflective of RWD readers, aren’t just into grime or nu-rave. They listen to hip hop, dubstep, a bit of indie and a lot of electro. Thanks to MySpace and the like, under-18’s are perhaps some of the most experimental age groups we’ve seen for a fair few generations – both in terms of music, fashion and attitude. “Most bands love playing these shows because the audience actually dance and sing along and applause with no restraint,” notes the canny entrepreneur, before adding AAC’s approach is also instrumental in the night’s continued success. “We're putting on amazing bands, at proper venues with credibility. It’s really important that everything is done in the right way; hand-drawn artwork on the flyers, diverse line-ups, professional security, reasonable ticket prices etc,” he says of their fresh-to-death flavour. “It’s possible for All Age Concerts to expand around the country without losing touch.”
Indeed, it’s not just London kids that are one step ahead of the rest. As the night continues to grow at rapid rates, Blaise and his cohorts are looking to step the scene up around the country. “We're expanding regionally in partnership with XFM, with nine shows a month starting in September,” he reveals of the tour that takes in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Lancaster, Hertfordshire, Bedford and Tunbridge Wells. “We've also got an under-18 fashion-led club night starting in September called Dandy at The End and we’re launching two new monthly underage nights in New Cross and Wimbledon.” Sound like a lot? There’s more, he grins. “We're doing a 3000 capacity event at SeOne on 16 December and we're also building an online editorial aimed at young Britain...” reflects Blaise before taking a breath. “This year is going to be amazing.”
Dance