Bands that played at a music festival in Darlington over four months ago are yet to be paid, The Northern Echo can reveal.
Music Box Festival was a two-day event on September 3 and 4 2022, and entertainers are angry that their requests for payment have thus far been dismissed.
Musicians were told the event was council-funded, which Darlington Borough Council has confirmed was not the case.
The event was held in the Market Square and in various pubs across the town, showcasing some of the best music from the North East and further afield.
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The festival was organised by local man, a Mr Dave Johnson, who enlisted help from a friend to organise some bands to bring the party atmosphere to Darlington.
Bands that were involved in the event include; Smoove & Turrell, Nick Corbin & Big AC Records and King Bee.
King Bee said they had received payment but only after a considerbale length of time after the event and they had to persistently contact Mr Johnson before he paid.
Photographer Ian Sanderson has confirmed he has not received payment for his work as agreed.
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Jonathan Watson from Smoove & Turrell said: “Dave hasn’t paid us. He doesn’t reply to calls or emails. It’s like he thinks it’s all just going to go away if he ignores it.
“Because we were told it was council-run, we didn’t bother with written contracts.
“There wasn’t anything we could do because it was all verbal contracts but I have been in touch with the Musicians’ Union.”
Nick Corbin said: “Dave Johnson has come up with so many vague excuses and sob stories without giving any specific reason as to why he can’t pay us. It’s been months now and it’s just ridiculous.
“We sent the invoice in before the day of the event and because we were expecting payment, we’ve had to delay the release of an album because we simply can’t afford to do it at the moment.
“When I found out that the photographer also hadn’t been paid I realised there was a bit of a pattern emerging here.
“We took on another couple of gigs on the understanding we would be paid for Music Box, but we are now out of pocket.”
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Les Hiftle from King Bee said: “A couple of weeks after the festival we hadn’t been paid or heard anything. I did manage to speak with Dave eventually and he told me he was sorry and that he didn’t have access to the money yet.
“I told him please make sure you pay us because there are people waiting for it. In the end he did pay us but it took six to eight weeks.”
Ian Sanderson said: “I've been trying to get in touch with Dave but he hasn't replied and is just ignoring me. People need to know about this so they don't get involved with events he organises.”
The bands called Dave Johnson out on social media as a last resort out of desperation.
A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said: “Dave has many times in the past facilitated pop-ups that he has managed very well and never had any negative feedback.
“We did provide a PA system but we were not involved in this event and it wasn’t a DBC event.”
The Northern Echo approached Mr Johnson but he did not address queries raised.
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