In the interview: Wendy Grogan (Merchandise/mesh)
Hi Wendy, for those who don't know you yet, tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi all, well most of you will probably have seen me at mesh gigs, very often at the back or out in some lobby somewhere. I have been selling merchandise for mesh for over 25 years. I guess most of you also know that Rich is my brother, so I do an awful lot of this for love, and that is exactly what I do, absolutely love it, best job in the world, talking to all that come and see them and making great friends along the way. All the other bands and crew that give so much of their time to getting all these gigs together is fantastic to see and be a part of, you really do become a family all pulling together to make these amazing nights/tours come together.
When you are on tour with Mesh, you are a small family business, how has it all developed over the years?
I have always been a fan of this genre of music and followed Depeche Mode for years at the beginning, going to the first tour with Vince, this is giving my age away now. I do love a bit of Muse, it must be something about 4 letter bands beginning with M 😊
To what extent are you involved in the band's studio work, do you get to hear demos now and then?
I don’t have any involvement in the studio at all, possibly taking in a cup of coffee on occasions maybe, does that count? No, I don’t ask to hear any of the new albums until they are finished, I, like everyone else, love to hear the finished album, I like to wait like everyone else.
Behind us lies a long, exhausting period of Corona Pandemic. For many of us, a lot has changed during this time. How have you experienced the past 3 years?
Covid for the music industry was a big shame, so many people involved lost work and income. For a touring band, Brexit has made more of a lasting impact, the sending of merch overseas has now become almost an impossibility. The cost of shipping has made it so difficult and costly to get merchandise to Europe, this is a large part of the income for bands and this has unfortunately been made so difficult.
Concerts have been taking place again for some time, how do you feel about this time after the pandemic?
For me personally I feel it has been such a sad time, that so much was missed by us all. But that said the loyalty of fans has been amazing and as soon as they were out there again, it was like they had never been away. Seeing all the friends, which is how I like to refer to everyone, was brilliant, so many hugs and smiling faces, you can’t buy that kind of support, it’s amazing.
Now we are all able to travel and gigs are now going ahead, it is fantastic, it almost feels like the above never happened and hopefully it is all behind us. Being at a gig with friends and crew is such a family atmosphere, all doing what we love best.
Prices are going up, everything has become more expensive, people have less money - are the numbers of buyers at the merchandising stand going down or are people just as enthusiastic about buying band shirts as they used to be?
Like everything else costs have gone up considerably and this has to be reflected in the selling rate, but we have tried very hard to keep the costs as low as possible. Quality has always been important to the lads, and all the shirts were printed with the Official Merchandise logo to show our commitment to good quality.
Which cost points in the production of merchandising have changed compared to the pre-pandemic period?
In all honesty when they played recently, everyone bought like before, if not more and it was great to see, I think everyone missed not spending and were happy to just be there and back to normal.
But I also find the quality of many of today's shirts problematic. I have 20-year-old shirts that are at best a little washed out, but are still in top shape. The shirts used today, on the other hand, are often warped after one wash, the print is wavy ... is a soft-style shirt even suitable for printing and would it really be so much more expensive if instead of printing on the thinnest fabrics, one would at least print on decent blanks ... not to mention Fairtrade or organic cotton?
Like I mentioned before the quality of the merchandise we sell is always very important, we use only one supplier of our shirts and have a great working relationship with them, she knows exactly what we are looking for and has been printing their shirts right from the beginning and has been a great support from day one. A lot of time and effort goes into all aspect of the process, from the initial design, colour, quantities and style.
We have always tried to do something a little different each time. I love selling their merch, it is great fun, fans getting their kit off and trying on in front of you, asking your opinion, shall I go for the Black one or the grey, shall I get one for my girlfriend, oh and can I have a mug for work… you become very much a part of their purchase and I love that.
In your opinion, is there a "magic threshold" that a band should not exceed in terms of prices, because then more money is lost through deterred non-buyers than comes in through the price increase?
As to a threshold, I feel if you are fair and make a small profit yet bare in mind this is peoples hard earned cash you can’t go far wrong. We try to cater for all and have a couple of keyrings or a mug if a shirt maybe out of someone’s budget.
What impact will Brexit have on the business?
Brexit… It was never something I ever wanted and really didn’t expect to happen but it is what it is and unfortunately we have to live with the decision.
You also have a lot of contact with the fans on concert nights. What is it like for you to have this direct contact, some of whom you probably already know quite well?
You ask about the fans, like I said earlier, I like to think of them as friends. I have made so many over the years and have the greatest memories with so many, dancing on tables, vodka shots, hugs, so many hugs. Some call me on a weekend, just to say Hi. We email each other and keep in touch, they are all very special to me.
Do you have any special tour experiences that you like to think back on?
Every day is a special day on a tour Bus. It is the best experience you could ever have. Every day is full of laughs. I remember one day, the isle through the centre of the bus gets absolutely covered in shoes, which you trip over on your way to bed. On this one occasion we were all stood outside chatting and Mark looked down at his feet and noticed, just before going on stage, he was wearing odd shoes, they were both his shoes, just not a matching pair.
The drive from one venue to the next is always eventful, there is a tradition for the newbies to eat the hottest Death sauce on their sandwich accompanied by Marks cocktails, the favourite being Banodka, comblination of Banana Juice,(which to us in UK is unheard off) and Vodka, followed by Born to Lychee.
The antics that happen on the bus are hilarious and as they say ‘What happens in Vegas’ but all good fun, and laughs.
Usually I am outnumbered by the boys but they are the best bunch of boys I could ever wish to spend time stuck on a bus with.
Are you yourself a collector of any band memorabilia?
No, I don’t have any one band I buy merch from. I have a fair few De Vision shirts and hoodies though, but not any one band in particular. I do visit every merch stand and see what other bands are selling and get any new ideas though.
What other music do you listen to?
Bands I listen to are Muse, Black Keys, IAMX, Nero, Nothing but Thieves, Kanga and randomly Tom Grennan which doesn’t fit into the usual listen but I really like his material.
Wendy, we thank you very much for the interview and wish you and the guys all the best and more great concerts. The last words are yours!
I would like to personally thank every single person who has ever bought a shirt or merch item from me, a huge thank you to you all, it really is appreciated and it was my pleasure and honor to sell it to you.
Wendy