Whether you’re a duet a trio, a quartet, or a pentet(?) there’s always going to be someone who leads your band, someone who the other members look up to. So are you this person? Or is it someone else? Either way, it’s worth knowing.

What Is The Leader Of The Band?

The leader of the band is typically the person who gets everything done, they’re the person who organises the gigs (at least in the early days), who are on top of all the updates to myspace, they’re the person who take control during band practice sessions. The leader of the band is the person who the rest of the band look up to, and the person who takes charge of situations which the band are placed into.

Why You Should Be The Leader of The Band

It’s a bit of a double-edged sword, the leader of the band gets a lot of attention, a lot of air time, and is at the forefront of it all. The leader of the band is often the lead singer because that type of personality (the one with the balls sing his or her heart out front and centre on stage) works well in a leadership role. At the same time however this person is also likely to have the most responsibilities, for example taking on the majority of work that needs to be done and really going the extra mile when no one else wants to.

If you aspire to be the person who’s name everyone knows, and the person who gets spoken to the most then this is definitely something that you need to be.

How To Tell If You Already Are The Leader

It isn’t always instantly apparent who the leader of the band is, particularly in newly formed bands you may find yourself wondering “actually, who is leading us here?”. Here are some things that you can ask yourself to find out if it’s you:

• Are you the person who decides when to start and stop playing during practice?
• Are you the person who’s typically on MySpace more than anyone else adding new friends and updates?
• Are you the person who usually calls up the rest of the band prior to a gig to arrange transport for instruments and times for soundcheck?
• Are you the person who is listened to by the other members?
• Do you find that you get the most attention after gigs or during interviews? (and not just because of your good looks!)

If so then you may already be leading your band (well done!) if not, then maybe you have some idea of the things that you need to do to take a more significant role in progressing your group.

What Makes Being A Leader Tricky

Being the leader has its advantages (as mentioned) but there are also some tricky situations that you can be placed into. Generally if you’re the leader of the band then to an extent you are holding the band together, and without your continuous input and dedication there is the potential for it all to break down. To be the leader you need to work hard and you need to work hard continuously. If other members argue it will most likely be down to you to keep a cool head and help resolve it because no one looks up to someone who’s always in the middle of the fights.

Effective Leaders of Current Popular Bands

Here are some band leaders who you may have already heard of noticed in the industry:

• Billy Joe Armstrong - GreenDay, he commands the stage and the 60,000+ people in front of it with just one hand, I’ve seen it and it’s quite a sight to behold.
• Nicole Scherzinger - Pussycat Dolls, all the other girls surround her and she is always the centre of it all, and she does a pretty good job of it too.
• Adam Lazzara - Taking Back Sunday, he prances all over the stage like a pony and commands every ounce of attention that the audience have. He’s also the centre of almost all interviews and at the front of most band photographs.

Conclusion

Is it worth being the leader of the band? Absolutely, be prepared for a long road and a lot of hard work but don’t let that get you down. Every band needs a good and efficient leader, and that person can generally make or break a band.

So, are you the leader of your band? Or do you have any other great examples of people you’ve seen leading a group of modern musicians? Drop me a line in the comments and let me know!

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