29/08/2026
THE FINISH LINE
I've made a decision.
2027 will be my final full year promoting live music.
That's quite a strange sentence to write.
This journey really began back in 2017 with Market Square Heroes. The original idea included photography, but my vision for it was always much bigger than that. I wanted to talk to the people making the music, tell their stories, conduct the interviews and create something that genuinely supported live music.
That little idea took us places I could never have imagined.
Market Square Heroes became involved with Rock The Park in Wrexham and Classic Rock Tours' Legends of Rock. It eventually evolved into Paul Robins Promotions, and somehow along the way I went from interviewing bands to putting them on myself.
And what a ride it's been.
We've worked with some incredible artists. We've had packed rooms, sold-out shows, ridiculous nights, stressful nights and those magical moments when you stand at the back of a venue, look at a room full of people having the time of their lives and think:
We did that.
But things change.
The last few months have played a part in this decision too. The lack of support for live music has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Shows that should be doing well have struggled, and that's not something any promoter can simply advertise their way out of forever.
I understand that times are difficult and people have to choose carefully where they spend their money. Nobody owes us, a band or a venue a ticket sale.
But live music only survives when people actually come through the doors.
Five men can't save live music on their own, however hard they try.
And those people matter enormously.
.
There are always five of us on the night. It's just not necessarily the same five every time.
People have stepped in when we've needed them. Lights, sound, loading in, loading out, solving problems and doing whatever else needs doing to get a show over the line.
Different faces on different nights, but always the same objective:
Get the show on.
We've promoted, advertised, shared, carried gear, fixed problems, created opportunities and kept pushing when sometimes the sensible thing would have been to stop.
I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved together, and incredibly grateful to everyone who has been part of it.
But constantly fighting to fill rooms eventually takes its toll.
The last few months haven't made this decision for me, but I'd be lying if I said they hadn't helped bring the finish line into view.
And I want to make one thing absolutely clear.
This is my decision.
Nobody has asked me to stop. Nobody has forced me to stop. There isn't some dramatic story behind it.
I've simply reached the point where I know the time is coming.
But 2027 isn't a farewell tour.
There are already some fantastic shows planned, and I'm looking forward to them.
At the same time, I'm going to give myself something I haven't always been very good at giving myself:
The freedom to change my mind.
I may strip 2027 back.
I may decide some things aren't worth the stress anymore. I may concentrate on the shows I genuinely want to do and leave some of the others behind.
I'll make those decisions as I go.
What I won't do is spend another year feeling that I have to keep going simply because something is already in the diary.
I want to enjoy what's left of this.
I want to walk into The Northcourt LIVE looking forward to the night rather than worrying about how many tickets haven't sold.
And when we get one of those nights where the room is full, the band is flying and are doing what they do, I want to stand at the back and enjoy it again.
Because somewhere amongst the ticket counts, advertising, websites, emails, social media, budgets and everything else that comes with promoting gigs, it's very easy to forget why you started doing it in the first place.
The music.
And after 2027?
Who knows.
There are ideas floating around for 2028. Different ideas. Perhaps the occasional bigger occasion rather than the relentless cycle of promoting gigs week after week.
Festivals have always appealed to me.
But there are no promises and no commitments.
For once, I'm allowing myself not to know exactly what comes next.
What I do know is that I'll always be proud of what started with Market Square Heroes, what became Paul Robins Promotions, and all the people who became part of the story along the way.
The bands.
The crews.
The friends we've made.
The people who've bought tickets, turned up, sung until they couldn't speak and supported what we've been trying to build.
And if there's one thing I'd ask of anyone reading this, it's this:
Please support live music.
If you see a show you want to see, buy the ticket if you can. Don't assume there will always be another chance.
Share the event. Bring your friends. Take a chance on a band you've never seen before.
Because live music cannot survive without people.
You can have a great band on the stage, a crew working their arses off behind the scenes and a promoter doing everything possible to get the word out, but none of it works without an audience.
Five men can't save live music on their own.
Ultimately, it survives because you turn up.
And to everyone who has turned up for us over the years — thank you.
Every ticket.
Every sold-out night.
Every share.
Every person who brought a mate along.
Every person who took a chance on a show and came back for another one.
It mattered.
It still matters.
Please keep turning up.
And finally, to the rotating group of idiots who make up .
There are always five of us.
They may not always be the same five, but every single person who has pulled on a Road Crew shirt and helped us put one of these nights together has played a part in this story.
Different people. Different jobs. Different nights.
One crew.
We've still got noise left to make.
I'm just going to make sure I enjoy making it.
We're not finished tonight.
But for the first time, I can see where the finish line is.
And until we get there...
See you on the door.
Paul
