Ask 'the festivals': Dean Freeman from Long Division discusses the Wakey festival's evolution
"Wakefield has a really interesting arts scene."

"They should have booked INSERT MASSIVE BAND HERE!", we all cry. "Why don't they just put on more loos?", we ask. Seriously, when it comes down to it, we don't know much about running a festival. But that's okay, because we've tracked down the people behind your favourite events, and asked them all the questions you'll ever need to know. (Okay, maybe not the toilet one.) Next up, we have Dean Freeman from Long Division, which is taking place this weekend (1st-3rd June) with Billy Bragg, Charlotte Hatherley, The Surfing Magazines (pictured), Drahla, King Creosote, Life and loads more.
How's it going? Excited for this year's Long Division?
This is the most excited I've been about a Long Division in a long time. The hiatus for 2017 has paid off massively. It can be scary to think you'll lose momentum or people will lose interest, but we've come back with a much stronger idea and sense of purpose which, during the dark times that can inevitably come, is really important.
What prompted you to start your own festival, then? That first year must've been super challenging.
There was this strong music scene in Wakefield, and I tried my best to shout about it through the fanzine Rhubarb Bomb. It was a good zine, but I guess I felt it wasn't a loud enough shout. So we found that gap in the market of a music festival in the city that supported and promoted those bands. But then we did it with a larger sense of ambition, getting national acts to the city where that previously hadn't happened outside of 150 cap venues. I don't look back on it as challenging as such; the challenge comes in beating your last festival and keeping it fresh and useful to the city and artists.
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