DANNI LANDS A NEW GIG WITH TOP PROMOTERS
Sugarmill booker joins national company
A MUSIC promoter who played a key role in bringing scores of top acts to North Staffordshire has left the Sugarmill in Hanley after 16 years.
Danni Brownsill, aged 35, has joined Manchester-based SJM – one of the largest concert promoters in the UK.
Danni, from Hanley, has gone from managing the Sugarmill’s line-up to booking arena concerts, outdoor gigs, and entire tours for massive bands.
In her time at the Sugarmill, Danni says her highlights were working with visiting acts such as Catfish and the Bottlemen, Wolf Alice, The 1975, Blossoms, Bring Me the Horizon, Biffy Clyro, Ed Sheeran, Johnny Marr and Foals.
She said: “I started out behind the bar when I was 19 and one of the owners who sadly passed away in 2019 noticed I was really into music, more than some of the other bar staff.”
Danni originally trained as a journalist before falling in love with her job as a promoter.
She said: “He asked if I wanted to help with gigs. I did stage management and production.
“When he was poorly I started doing local bands. In 2012 the previous promoter left and I took over booking the venue.”
The Sugarmill, which opened in 1994, has provided a launchpad to success for numerous bands over the years, and regularly hosts sell-out shows.
Danni said: “It was difficult given that I’d had two weeks’ notice that I was going to be doing it all and would be completely in charge. It was intimidating, but I found my way through.
“It all worked out in the end. SJM are one of the biggest promoters in the country and I will be booking both gigs and tours.
“I speak to the agents to plan tours, and we set up all the costs, selling the tickets and doing the marketing. It’s very different to where I am now because at the Sugarmill I was in charge of doing it all.
“SJM have big departments and you can see the size and scale on gigsandtours.com.”
Danni has a lifelong love of music. She said: “I started really listening to music in 1994 with Britpop. I started buying singles and albums and really properly learning about the bands. I would buy the Top of the Pops magazine and NME.”
Danni is now in the process of moving to Manchester.
She said: “It was pretty emotional leaving but I had kind of done everything I could do there. I’ve left it in decent hands. I got it through the pandemic.
“It says a lot about Stoke-on-trent that a national promoter spotted a promoter from the city and decided we want you to work for us.
“It says good things about not just me but the music scene in general.”