Andy Peyton – Club Owner

For many music fans, owning a club must rank highly on the list of dream jobs. Andy Peyton jumped in at the deep end, owning and running XOYO and The Nest in London.

Name?

Andy Peyton

Place of work?

XOYO/The Nest/The Old Queen’s Head

Job?

Owner/Head Booker/Head of Promotions

How long have you had the job?

I’ve been a promoter for 10 years, we bought XOYO 12 months ago.

What does a typical day involve?

I wake up, do some emails, go to the office at 10am and spend the day there working with my team of seven enthusiastic twenty-somethings. I survey ticket sales for upcoming shows and prioritise our promotion where it’s needed. We discuss everything as a group; from artwork to DJ bookings to advertising spend.

Highs of the job?

Changing people’s perceptions of XOYO from a mediocre space to the club most DJs want to play. It’s an incremental thing that is far from complete but you see it happening every day… Seeing a club full of moving bodies enjoying themselves has got to be a high too. A lot of hard work goes into each night so it’s great to see it was worth it.

Lows of the job?

To be honest there are no lows at present. I couldn’t be happier with what I do for a living…

Who are the people who’ve had the biggest influence on your career and why?

Danny Newman and Steve Blonde. I started my first club nights at Turnmills (owned by Danny Newman), and that’s how I got involved with South West Four Festival, which I now help book with Danny; I knew nothing about dance music or the game of booking DJs, and no one is better than Danny. He’s completely relentless, and it’s amazing to learn from him over a long period of time. Steve started and ran Fabric for ten years, and is my business partner on XOYO and The Nest. While I stress about ticket sales for the next Friday night, he sees the big picture in a way I never could.

How did you get the job?

I was putting nights on at The Nest and XOYO, as well as doing music consultancy for lots of brands like Ray Ban and Bacardi. I had a small share of The Nest, and it was clear to me and my partners that we could make XOYO a great club. So we found some investors, made an offer, and went from there.

How can we get your job?

No idea!

XOYO’s first birthday weekender takes place today and tomorrow, with James Murphy and Yuksek headlining tonight and Derrick Carter and Matias Aguayo tomorrow.