Bel-AOR festival disaster, bands going unpaid

[Metal Slug]

The recent Bel-AOR festival in Belfast looked to be a pretty cool lineup, some notable bands throughout the weekend and a tribute band night on the Thursday.



However, the ticket price was astoundingly high, with weekend passes for almost £160 and day tickets running over £70, the turnout was predictably abysmal. Early bands played to less than a dozen people, and latter bands didn't fare much better.

In the run up to the event, bands like Sister's Doll were added, flying themselves in from Australia, and Bobby Dazzle, buying their own flights from England, with the promise that all expenses and fees would be repaid when "ticket partners" released the money.

This was ostensibly an SD Entertainment event, with Ciaran Campbell being the sole organiser, however he created a company specifically for the festival.

The festival was an unmitigated disaster, the ticket price putting almost everyone off from attending, with crowd numbers barely reaching triple figures, which in the Mandela Hall, was a stark thing to see.

After the event, Campbell immediately folded the Bel-AOR company, and bands have been left in the lurch, out huge amounts of money for unpaid flights and reneged fees. SD Entertainment dodged the bullet there.

Scopyons and Bobby Dazzle were the first ones to announce that they were unpaid, with a lot more bands also in the same predicament.






It's not the first time Ciaran Campbell has been accused of dirty tricks, but this one is particularly insidious considering how bands were added so late in the day, knowing all the while that the event had hugely undersold and fees would be unlikely to be paid, let alone flights and other costs. Scopyons being told that they had to buy a festival ticket each themselves was unreal. Reading Sian's thread from Bobby Dazzle is an eye opener too, and worth reading.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Did someone from "Scopyons" come up with name Bel-AOR rocks?

[nukeabuse]

This is the first time I've even heard of this fest. And that's as a belfast local who's usually up to date on shows. Doesn't look like there was much advertising done

[Sworntothecans]

And so it continues:Dodgy and dumb Irish promoter botches another fest.

🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

[Barrytron]

I actually would love to see FM - good thing I never heard about this ha ha.

[Giggles]

That's shite for the bands involved, but I'm delighted to see that people weren't willing to pay the stupid ticket prices.

[Mithrandir]

Oh dear, It feels like Ireland has a disproportionate amount of these doomed festivals   

[Paul keohane]

Shit for the bands, but the fall out from these failed promoters is great for us on here!

[Yung Led Zeppelin]

Sister's Doll hopping on the plane from Australia before receiving any kind of payment

[Sworntothecans]

Sister's Doll hopping on the plane from Australia before receiving any kind of payment

😂😂😂😂😂

[Ducky]

    

[Barrytron]

Yeah in fairness, not a brilliant move

[Rocky]

I bought a day ticket for the Saturday of this. It was a poor turnout but it was a great day, the bands gave it their all. I knew it was far too expensive but I paid the £70 anyway, thinking that Belfast never gets gigs like this and I wanted to support the event. The thought of none of that money going to the bands is infuriating.

[Giggles]

Not the first time a Nordie named Ciaran who's been in charge of something metal and done a disappearing act lads amirite 😏

[Pagan Saviour]