Why Some Festival Headliners Still Need Part-Time Jobs (Part 1)

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.”

What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at qobuz.com/dis.

Edited by:

Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio (dubbleaudio.com)

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

Continue the Conversation:

Head to the Drowned in Sound community (community.drownedinsound.com) to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter (drownedinsound.org) - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources

101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder)

Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) (patreon.com/communitygardenradio)

Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues (musicvenuetrust.com)

Gilla Band (gillaband.com)

Lambrini Girls (lambrinigirls.com)

Soho Radio (sohoradio.com)

Reading Festival