How Australian Artists Can Break Into the UK: Tips from Promoter Evie Thomas (Communion ONE) Who Helped Rum Jungle Sell Out London

As Bigsound 2025 approaches, Australia’s biggest music conference and festival, we’re spotlighting key industry voices shaping the global pathways for local talent. One of them is Evie Thomas, promoter at Communion ONE in the UK — the team behind tours for artists like Noah Kahan, Sam Fender, and Olivia Dean. Evie has a special connection to Australian acts, having championed bands including Rum Jungle, who she helped build from their first 150-cap room shows to a sold-out 700-cap Village Underground in London.

In this guest article, Evie shares her essential advice for Australian artists planning their first UK tour — from why it’s smarter to start small, to how far in advance you need to book venues, and the importance of marketing beyond the gig listing. For any Aussie artist considering the jump to the UK market, these are lessons you can’t afford to miss.

READ MORE: How Melbourne’s Underground Sound Sold Out the Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Booking Rum Jungles UK leg (tips and tricks for Australians looking to tour the UK for the first time)

I first connected with Rum Jungle after their music popped up on a Spotify radio for me. I reached out and quickly got talking to their manager Isaac, and within a few months we were already planning their first trip over. They were actually the first band I ever booked a proper UK tour with after starting at Communion – and it was such a good first experience of getting an Aussie band over here. For that tour, none of us really knew what to expect in terms of ticket sales, so RJ’s management, agent, and I agreed to start small: 100–150 cap rooms in the strongest markets. We did London, Manchester, Exeter, and Bristol. London sold out immediately, which meant we could upgrade to a bigger room – always the ideal scenario. It’s a much stronger look to start small and upgrade than to start too big and have tickets move slowly.

When booking a first UK tour, it’s so important to manage expectations around fees. At this level, there’s not much money involved – everyone has to see it as an investment. Getting introduced to the UK market early helps build demand for future, bigger shows. But there’s a balance –  come over too soon, or too often, and you risk burning out the market before it’s ready. One of the hardest calls is figuring out whether it’s the right time to make the jump.

If there’s one thing I’d strongly suggest, it’s that you can’t plan too early. Venues here book up insanely fast. If you want the best dates, start holding them as far in advance as possible. We started planning the RJ tour a year ahead, and that gave us the pick of dates and rooms we wanted. RJ’s manager also came into the market before the tour, which I know was a great help for them. 

Even with a great band and solid plan, UK crowds need more than just a gig listing to show up. We worked on lots of targeted ads and social content ahead of the tour so people had multiple touchpoints with the band. We had also planned the tour around industry showcase The Great Escape, which meant the band were also playing to new fans and industry as well to help grow their demand.

The first London show at Omeara was a real turning point – packed room with great energy and a sense that we’d built something from scratch. That momentum helped with industry connections and media coverage, making the next run easier to book and which lead to a sold-out show at Village Underground (700 cap). 

In short, these are the key things to note:

• Plan at least 9–12 months ahead.
• Have a UK-based ally – promoter or agent etc.
• Start small and upgrade if you can.
• Merch is really important for financials and tour support.

Bringing Rum Jungle over was equal parts hustle, strategy, and timing between me as the promoter, their agent, management and band themselves. If you get the foundations right before you arrive, the UK can be a brilliant market, just be ready to play the long game.