Bottle service and banging toilets: the VIP-ification of music festivals

I’m sat on a crisp white sofa overlooking a stream of pristine men, women and everyone in-between filtering in to Harrogate’s Love to be Festival. The one-dayer, being held on a reassuringly warm day in September, was founded in 1994, a time when DJ culture met mainstream celebrity. While Love to be leaned into the […]

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Opinion: when festivals go bust, why do we so often pay the bill?

As reliably as day turns to night, it seems with each passing week comes the expected news that at least one UK music festival has shuttered its doors. This week, that comes in the celebration of LGBTQ+ culture that is Manchester Pride, alongside the Hertfordshire-based Standon Calling. Over the past seven days, both festivals have […]

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‘I am constantly having to prove myself in ways that white artists do not’: five key findings from The South Asian Soundcheck report

South Asian culture has become embedded into every facet of life in the UK. Film, fashion, the way we eat and drink, gritty day parties, our architecture, local cafés and language to lavish wedding halls alike have become brighter through the influence of the South Asian diaspora. South Asian musicians such as Arijit Singh are […]

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‘We can book risks. We know the audience will come with us’: how Pitchfork London turns online influence into live experiences

For decades, Pitchfork has acted as a music tastemaker for generations of fans. Whether it’s breaking rap acts that became megastars to forcing apologies from pop stars over, let’s say, misguided tweets, Pitchfork has influence over the music buying public that’s both unique and unrivalled. But how does this influence translate to a music festival? […]

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‘Sometimes more isn’t better’: Green Island, and the power of community music festivals

Garden centres are known for a pretty limited amount of things. They sell plants, and are a source for respectable advice about premium mulch. They’re places where you take your mum for a soup and sandwich or where you buy fresh produce from the farm shop. Rarely, though, are they a place for a multi-stage […]

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