The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 10 plus 6 letter word MUSICIANS’ STRIKE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
M
U
S
I
C
I
A
N
S
â
€
™
S
T
R
I
K
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "when bands are out" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case when bands are out = musicians’ strike.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.