That's why they call it show business

In the comments to this article it says the following:

It was a constant puzzle to me how so many bands of that era failed to understand that the milieu in which they worked - live music performance - was primarily a visual one. What I learned playing cabaret (and from my mentor Dave Dee, a consummate professional in every sense) was that how we looked and how we moved were of equal importance to the quality of our shows as the music itself, because once we became 'performers' rather than backing musicians, we were engaged in theatre.

And, that's so true.

Not every band should try to create a Pink Floyd mega stage or a bonkers light show, but if you're making music and performing it, most people expect you to put on a show.

In the Guardian article the focus is on stagecraft and a certain degree of theatricality:

Creating an emotional experience is the aim of every artist who has ever set foot on a stage, but presentation is often the last thing on their mind, especially for smaller bands. A surprising number of young artists take presentation as seriously as they do songwriting, seeing it as critical to their musical identity. They're not just trying to create a point of difference – they regard elements such as visuals and even the space they play in as integral to their performance.

But it doesn't have to be that way necessarily.

At the very least, plan out what you'll do on stage, make it interesting to watch and ....put on a show!

 

How to develop stage presence

Great article - and not something that is often written about.

Stage presence is a complicated thing, if only because it comes in so many varieties. If we were to compile a list of artists considered to have a great stage presence, we would probably find that no two are quite alike.

Let’s start with the fundamentals – stage presence is the conveyance of feeling comfortable on stage and complementing your musical performance with the appropriate visual aspect.

‘Appropriate’ is a key word here. What will be considered appropriate depends on the music being performed. While a swing guitarist playing his ES-175 behind his head might get a few laughs these days, rather than being subject to horrified looks from the audience as would probably have been the case only a couple of decades ago, some forms of showmanship fit better with certain musical styles than others. Thus, a lot of what consitutes a good stage presence will be dependent on the genre in question.

There are some things common to just about any genre and this is what I want to focus on.

Read the whole of this here.

There is also a famed teacher of this art in the US - Tom Jackson. He's not cheap, but he is worth checking out. Generally held to be the number one coach.