Member Article

West Midlands promoter helps Coventry band return to the stage

A West Midlands promoter who has put on sold-out shows across the globe has helped to bring one of Coventry’s most famous bands back to the stage.

Ben Hathaway, of BHP Global, from Sutton Coldfield, has helped to bring back indie rock icons The Enemy on a UK Tour – which has already sold 40,000 tickets across 20 dates, including three sold-out shows at hmv Empire.

He has agreed a multi-million-pound touring deal for the band for the next five years and is formulating a plan to help sustain the band playing live for decades to come. It comes off the back of a 16-year career in the music industry, which began with Ben booking a sold-out show for The Holloways in Tamworth when he was 17.

Ben dropped out of his media studies course at college and was soon booking acts such as Ed Sheeran, Adele and Calvin Harris as they started out on their careers.

He has since gone on to book major acts around the world, including Sean Paul and Chris Brown for Mawazine Festival in Morocco, Jennifer Lopez in Peru, Burna Boy in Barbados and putting on the biggest ever concert in Cambodia with 60,000 people coming out to see Charlie Puth perform.

In the Midlands, he spent 10 years promoting in Coventry and was the main promoter for Coventry’s Godiva Festival until 2018. BHP Global has had a six-figure turnover every year since 2016.

The Enemy’s tour runs until the first week of November. Ben has been working alongside frontman Tom Clarke to put on the tour, after supporting Tom with his acoustic tour in 2016.

Ben said: “It was very organic putting the band back together, I could tell Tom wanted to reconnect with the fans but without having any outside involvement. “There was a decision made there and then to do it all ourselves. We put a plan together via social media and it has sold incredibly across the country, with sold out shows in Coventry, Manchester and London.

“Our goal now is to build a plan for the next 20 or 30 years, which will mean The Enemy can keep playing for their fans independently.

“I’ve had some great times in Coventry, particularly with the Godiva Festival and the calibre of acts we were able to attract. Growing it from 80,000 people to around 180,000 over the weekend is something I’m really proud of.

“I’m a bit of a veteran in this business now, even though I’m only 33! I’m hoping to build on this success, get some office space and build my own team.

“From booking acts such as Calvin Harris and Ed Sheeran through My Space, to curating a concert series in Barbados with Rihanna’s brother, it’s been a great journey so far.

“I hope that fans around the country really enjoy The Enemy back on stage. The guys will be putting on an incredible show and it’s been an absolute pleasure to work with them to put it on.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .