"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 Lee from Neverworld, which takes place this weekend (2nd - 5th August) at John Darlings Farm nr Tunbridge Wells, with Bastille, Tom Grennan, Clean Bandit, We Are Scientists, Declan McKenna, Rae Morris, Ten Tonnes and loads more.
Hey Lee, how's it going? It must be a crazy busy time of year for you.
Yep! It's full 15hr days already, but it's an exciting time as it's starting to really pick up momentum. It feel's like three years of very hard work developing the Neverworld concept is starting to make sense; that's keeping us going!
How's Neverworld shaping up so far? Do you still have lots to sort, bands to book?
We've kept a few slots open for developing artists that we discover in the next few months, but most of the lineup is signed back in Autumn.
How do you go about curating your line-up? Bastille are going to be great this year.
It's much harder work than you'd expect (at least much harder than I thought when I was 16!). There are over 150 performances now, so it takes a whole team; each person is very knowledgable about their specialist area. We start immediately after the festival; going to meet with agents to see what established artists are going to be up to next year; then we all pick up new music from blogs, from industry networks and going to see shows in London and Brighton. Our lineup has always focused on discovering and supporting new music. We actually met Bastille and Clean Bandit when we first put them on back in 2012, and now they're coming back to headline, so I'd encourage everyone to come and see the new music in the mornings and afternoons; you never know who you might discover! (Previous discoveries include Young Fathers, Everything Everything, Jack Garratt, Lianne La Havas, Little Simz, Circa Waves, Years & Years).
