Hi there, I thought I'd see what other people's experiences are on this, and it might be good to share any helpful advice.

One of my bands (www.myspace.com/fresheyesforthedeadguy) is starting to gig now, I've been contacting promoters about getting shows? What do people find works the best? I've been emailing promoters who put on similar-ish bands to us, but tend to not get replies to a lot of messages. Going to their gigs and speaking with them is a good way of introducing myself, but there's a limit to how often I can get out due to money/time, and it's not too practical for places out of town.
I've been let down by the same promoter who's moved a night twice now, it's only a 'local night' but I feel bad inviting people to see us only to tell them the event's cancelled- is it worth persevering with this sort of thing- a gig's a gig right? (Well, we're only just starting out)
I imagine it may get easier after we've played some more gigs, recorded something a bit better/developed more and got some feedback.

What are other people's experiences?

Thanks
(Apologies for incoherence/messy text)