Attending a music festival is quickly becoming a summer tradition for most of us in the UK. We have such a fantastic choice now that it is hard to choose among the plethora of locations. However, how often have you looked at the line-ups and considered the massive disparity in the number of male to female artists performing?
Well, one innovative festival is committed to addressing this and thanks to its stunning and enviable location – let’s face it, the Cornish seaside town of Looe is pretty exceptional – is sure to be the vanguard for gender equality in the festival world.
The Cornish festival is the first in the region to pledge to the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative, committed to achieving a 50:50 gender balance on its line-up by 2022, and this year’s line-up is 44% female. Whoo!!
There is no doubting that the Looe Music Festival is one of a kind. There’s zero mud, hardly a tent in sight and a grown-up, doing-it-our-own-way attitude.. Every year 25,000 people descend on the pretty fishing town over three days in late September (21st – 23rd September 2018) to soak up the atmosphere, join the party and celebrate Cornwall’s origins.
The mainstage is on the beach, with headline acts arriving by boat, but music pops up throughout the streets and spills from venues all over the harbour. The eclectic international line-up covers everything from rock and acoustic to folk and blues, with this year’s performers including punk rock legends The Stranglers, Scottish sensation The Waterboys, and Finnish barn-rock ambassadors Steve ‘n’ Seagulls.
Empowering women to transform the future of music
As the first Cornish festival to pledge to the PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative, Looe Music Festival is committed to achieving a 50:50 gender balance on its line-up by 2022. The national movement to “accelerate change and create a more inclusive music industry for present and future generations” resonates with the festival’s ethos and is a path that it has always been destined to tread. From the 2018 line-up being 44% female to the F Word Forum which provides a platform for female music industry practitioners to showcase their talent and ability, Looe Music Festival is leading the way in making opportunities happen.
Featuring in Looe Music Festival’s 2018 showcase of women in music will be soul songstress PP Arnold, critically acclaimed Gwenno, country star Jill Jackson and Ivor Novello nominee Charlie Dore. Additionally, for one day – Saturday 22nd September – the Quayside stage will be ladies’ day with the line-up only featuring women.
Entertainment with meaning
Behind Looe Music Festival’s good-time spirit lies an impassioned social conscience that evoked its very being. Designed by the LMF Charitable Trust as a not-for-profit event to develop cultural tourism and stimulate the local economy, it is held at a time of the year when tourist numbers are tumbling from summertime highs.
By lengthening to Cornwall’s events calendar, Looe Music Festival showcases the county when it is arguably at its best. Lucky locals and in-the-know visitors have long harboured the secret that late September is Cornwall’s golden hour. It’s when the beaches are quieter, the roads are blissfully jam free and the precious last drops of summer sun are sustaining Cornwall’s enviable outdoor lifestyle.
Since launching in 2011, the Festival has attracted 120,000 visitors to the area and has delivered £18 million in economic benefit.
Cost: Advanced weekend tickets are £99, £44 for youths (16s/17s) and £29 for children. Under 5s go free. For more information see www.looemusic.co.uk, follow @Looemusicfest or visit www.facebook.com/looemusic.
