Cittern raised this question at a different thread and rightly suggested we might start a new one, to avoid diluting the other discussion.

So - the title says it all. For "act", read "singer/group/turn" etc.

Personally, word of mouth is a very important parameter for me. I might well go to listen to someone recommended by a friend (provided I trust my friend's musical tastes to cover mine at least in part).

I would NOT go to see someone simply because of a single write-up/review in a magazine, for example. There would have to be more to recommend the new act to me that just a single review. Now, if I happen to have come across their name several times in recent months, that's a different proposition.

How about you? What drives you to go see a new act, and what would put you off from doing so?