Flyers have always been a part of clubbing, and as un-environmentally friendly as it is, I’m sad to hear of their predicted demise. A good flyer alone is enough to convince me to go to a night, even if I don’t have much of an idea about the line-up and the kind of music to expect. In the past I’ve come across flyers with some striking, interesting or just plain weird design which has intrigued me enough to head to the night. Admittedly this hasn’t always ended in a quality clubbing experience hearing new and exciting DJs, but on a few occasions it definitely has.
The history of flyers design can be traced back to the poster’s of the Moulin Rouge, at the time these were designed to be admired as fine works of art. But it wasn’t until the punk scene of the 60’s and 70’s that we saw a massive explosion of flyers related to music and gigs. These were primitive anarchic designs for bands like The Sex Pistols and The Buzcocks – the flyers truly conveyed exactly what the movement was all about; monotone designs using ripped pages and aggressive styling totally encapsulated the fast antagonistic music of the scene.
With the birth of electronic dance music came a new wave of flyer design which in turn would have an almighty impact on music scenes across the board and lead to the flyer designs we see today. Inspired by the mdma fuelled nights and early mornings of huge raves springing up across Britain, the flyer designs usually took the form of hedonistic and surreal imagery with large use of colour and a strong spiritual element. Everything from 3D vectors to fractal shapes mixed with staring eyes and dancing figures were all used to successfully promote the country’s first illegal raves and spawn a generation of clubbers.
Now however there is a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option, the purely digital e-flyer. Clubs like Fabric have recently announced that they are discontinuing physical flyers and only making use of digital ones, this all seems a great shame and although we should embrace new technology – in this case I’m for once a traditionalist. Physical posters and flyers are a part of our city’s streets, can you imagine walking around London town and not seeing a single club night poster? To be fair of course there are some royally rubbish ones out there, but when done well they add to the cityscape.
This digital trend has, however, been bucked by one corner of the UK dance scene – bass music has seen the continued use of physical flyers for the promotion of events. It seems like the perfect kind of music to be featured on flyers and posters strewn throughout the city. It’s raw, gritty, unapologetic and urban – all of which can similarly be said about the distribution of physical flyers and posters. If you go to any dubstep, grime or ukfunky party (and as you’re reading this I’m sure you do), you’ll always be greeted at the exit with a package of flyers, posters and even mix CDs for upcoming events – these are all courtesy of London’s very own Dub Pack service.
Dub Pack is a Bass orientated distribution service, so any event featuring Dubstep, Reggae, Jungle, Bass, Electronica, Dub, Hip Hop, Drum & Bass, Garage or UKfunky they market it to the audience that want to hear it. Every week they hand out 1500 packs at 10 – 15 of the most relevant spots in London. They make use of record shops, boutiques, cafes, pubs and bars across to distribute all promotional materials. By hand picking what shops and bars to leave material at they consistently ensure that the right audience is targeted. It’s a shining example of how to do the flyer thing professionally and effectively.
It’s an impressive service and a great way for all you budding promoters out there to get you’re your night noticed and drive some serious traffic to your dance. The latest Dub Pack featured a free mix CD from dubstep pioneer Plastician; it’s this forward thinking and creative marketing that needs to happen more and more. Despite what you might hear I honestly believe that we are not about to see ‘the death of the flyer’, all that’s going to happen is that promoters, clubs and events will get more creative with their marketing. Sure digital flyers are useful tool, but simply adding a flyer design to your facebook page is not going to have the same impact as sorting out your potential punters with a free mix CD, poster and flyer…these tools have a definite degree of longevity.
I’m sure that not everyone is a fan of getting a big package of flyer spam shoved in their hand at the end of the night, but if anything when you get home from the rave with a massive ringing in your ears and are too buzzing to get to sleep – whack on some Burial, sift through your flyers and plan the next the party.
