ANGELA CURIELLO | INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT
Hey Angela, thank you so much for taking the time to join us for a chat. With us being a sponsor at Damnation, and you coming onboard, it feels like a great fit to have you for a feature. Can you give our readers a quick intro and when your career in the music industry kicked off?
Of course! I have always wanted to work in music, since I was very young. I tried in Italy, but it proven to be very hard for a young woman without any connection. I put that dream aside for a while and, honestly, I wasn’t sure it would ever work out.
After graduating (at the age of 30, it’s never too late!) in Film and TV production, I was lucky to be chosen as PA for Lene Bausager, a film and TV producer, but also known for being Rick Astley’s wife and manager. It so happened that my job started 4 weeks before the release of 50, his comeback album, and I got thrown into the deep end from day one. I have never looked back since – It’s now been 11 years of me working in the industry!
Big question here, when you're routing an international tour across borders, what is your blueprint for managing the nightmare of post-Brexit carnet documentation and customs taxes without killing the band's merch profit margins?
Oh, it’s a tough one. I would like to say that there are ways around it, but I personally always suggest bands to declare everything on a carnet. It has happened that I’ve been stopped on one of my recent tours, and customs were very thorough. The same goes for declaring merch at customs.
On one occasion, the customs agent googled the band I was touring with, they saw the numbers on Insta and Spotify, as well as merch prices on their online store, and made sure that they were matched. These days, the other killer is also the fuel cost. It’s really putting a huge toll on every tour I have worked over 2026, to the point of one of the band receiving an email mid tour, back in April, informing them that the bus rental was going up of 2000 euro because of the fuel price spiking up.
Ultimately, it goes down to managing any small, avoidable expenses: Less hotels, less unnecessary expenses, and avoiding merch fees where possible. Merch is undoubtedly the main source of income on a tour, and it could really make the difference between a loss and a breakeven/profit on smaller tours
You’ve worked on loads of tours in your career, any specific standout moments that you would like to highlight here?
Working with Arcane Roots on their comeback shows. I have had the honour of becoming their tour manager, and I will never forget their first show after 8 years, in Milton Keynes. A 350 cap venue, full to the brim, aircon barely working, and the audience was almost louder than the band. I was side of stage, and I started crying of joy within seconds of “Off the Floor” starting. Being part of such a wonderful moment is the biggest payoff for the hard work the band and crew put into their trades!
Can you tell us a bit about how your relationship with Damnation Festival came about and how that’s been? What are your daily duties and what does your days look when the festival is on the horizon?
My relationship with Damnation started very randomly in 2022. Gav and Paul invited me to the festival as a guest, but I told them I would only go if they let me help on site – I knew that year finances were tight, and I really just wanted to give them a hand. They obviously accepted – Who’d say no to a free pair of hands at a festival? Gav always tells the tale of me hoovering and cleaning the dressing rooms at 9am, and solving several challenging situations through the day (Including him calling a hotel because of a rooming issue, and the receptionist not understanding his accent… They understood mine, though. I still laugh when I think of his reaction!)
In 2023 I became the first official 3rd member of Damnation organisation team, taking over bands advancing, hospitality, and food vendors, as well as being artist liaison manager on site. My role has since grown to also looking after contracts, invoices, overseeing the merch managers team, overseeing the hospitality volunteers team, and overall making sure Gav & Paul can actually enjoy the weekend. Yes, busy!
We’re honoured to be a long-time partner of Damnation Festival. From your perspective inside the production and artist liaison bubble, what makes a brand partnership truly click and add value, rather than just feeling like a logo slapped on a banner?
I feel that, where appropriate, when brand partners get actually involved with artists, it really makes the difference. In case of Pins & Knuckles, being able to provide an extra service to the bands, by providing them a local merch production company at a competitive rate, which often lowers the cost of merch for them, is undoubtedly one of the most valuable partnership a festival could have
Can you share your thoughts on the current state of the music industry and any upcoming trends you see coming in the near future?
The rise of costs, as well as the political situations across the world, are making small and medium tours a lot more difficult. Meaning that it’ll probably be a lot more difficult to see your favourite upcoming band touring near you, despite everyone wanting it to happen.
It’s hard to predict how things will turn in the longer term, but if history is anything to go by, entertainment has always come back from its ashes. It might be hard for many to feel positive with the current state of affairs, but I hold hope.
If you could hand a rookie tour or merch manager a single 'survival tool' or piece of advice that isn't taught in any music business textbook, what would it be?
Prioritise yourself and your health, both physical and mental. This industry has, for many years, glorified over working and lack of rest. But the reality is that there is no glory in running yourself to the ground. You are your own most valued property – treat it as such!
