“Guitar music is having a massive resurgence and This Feeling is central to the scene that is emerging” – Alan Mcgee
The path to major festival stages for new bands is flawed and is in desperate need of an overhaul. Playing main stages at the likes of Glastonbury, Reading + Leeds and Isle of Wight is the holy grail for new UK bands, yet the path to the main stages at these festivals is a dimly lit, well guarded passage littered with major labels, agents and sponsors.
How festival organisers curate their main stages has long been a subject of debate. A debate that’s rumbled on and on as festival lineups become safer and safer. The lack of emerging artists making the main stages year on year is worryingly low and for me festivals can do far more.
For years now This Feeling have been taking over festival stages across the UK, backing new bands and giving them the experience of playing at the likes of Truck, Y NOT and Isle Of Wight festivals. Hundreds of emerging bands and artists – at varying stages of their respective careers – have played these stages, many to full big top tents of passionate and respectful fans. It’s brilliant and absolutely crucial to this industry.
These stages have also proved to act as an unofficial stepping stone to the main stages for bands – something that previously wasn’t in place. The brilliant Bang Bang Romeo played the This Feeling stage at numerous festivals before being picked to open last year’s Isle Of Wight festival main stage.
That’s exactly what This Feeling aims to do. Blood new bands, giving them oppurtunities and experiences until they fly the nest, on to bigger things. In my opinion it’s the heartbeat of the underground of this industry and together with Pirate Studios, Red Stripe and Radio X, they’re doing far more for new bands than anyone else can claim to. It’s a thriving community, headed up by people with the future of music and emerging bands at the forefront of everything they’re doing.
The ‘This Feeling blueprint’ is an example that it CAN be done. There’s no excuse. Every major UK festival should be backing this or rolling out an equivalent. Why shouldn’t a host of new bands (many without major labels, management or agents) get the oppurtunity to play at the likes of Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds festival every year? What better way to blood new bands, than to offer them a viable path to play at and experience these festivals purely on hardwork and merit.
This is essential for the future of the industry from grassroots up. It’s time the festival big-wigs put their money where their mouth is and truly back new music.
Find the best new bands first at thisfeeling.co.uk
