A chance for youthful talent to perform for an audience - that’s the goal of the Rising Music Festival being held at The Phoenix Theatre and Arts Centre in Bordon this summer.
Although young people are the driving force behind the constant evolution of popular music, the opportunities for them to be noticed are getting fewer.
It was with this in mind that musician Amy Wheeler teamed up with Aly Duff of the BackBeat Collective to create a festival exclusively for performers aged 24 and under.
Amy, from Petersfield, said: “I’m a musician under the age of 24 and I’ve had issues trying to get into the scene because most music venues are for over-18s and for acts who already have fans.
“I’m in a band called White Noise Machine - we play heavy melodic rock - and our drummer was 17 and couldn’t get into venues. It was incredibly annoying.”
With no such restrictions at the Phoenix, Aly and Amy are throwing the doors open wide.
Amy said: “We’re accepting all genres and abilities and we have got 30 applications so far, from as young as a DJ aged 11 right up to bands with 5,000 followers.
“We’re going to turn the entire theatre into a festival with indoor and outdoor stages, including a truck stage in the car park.
“I wanted somewhere where young people could perform, and get some fans through the festival. This festival is to nurture young people coming into the industry.”
With this in mind, the festival is going to be more than just a weekend of bargain priced gigs on the longest days of the year.
There is a Battle of the Bands competition to decide who will headline the event, plus three free workshops - about band management, which took place at the end of February, about how to progress from local shows to the biggest stages, and about how to prepare and adapt a performance from an intimate acoustic set to a massive outdoor concert.
Aly, who has organised the workshops, said: “You never know when and how you will have to play your songs, so you need to be able to do an acoustic show. Sometimes you need to play the quieter stuff from a smaller set-up. Be versatile!
“There are also going to be networking opportunities which you don’t normally get at college. This is very much the vibe of the industry - there’s a lack of money, venues are closing, musicians are using home studios and people want to help.
“Spotify has changed things. Bands are putting up demos to see what songs their fans like, and are recording those. I can’t imagine many 17-year-olds being on LinkedIn, but we share all those online resources.”
Aly was full of praise for the role the Phoenix is playing in the festival. She said: “I’ve been in education and the industry for 30 years. I run a small music school for adults and children and have been trying to get students from my own school into gigs, but it’s really difficult for 14-17 year olds.
“There is no way the BackBeat Collective would have started without the Phoenix. They have been incredibly supportive.”
As well as playing her part in the organisation of the festival, Amy and her band will also be performing.
She said: “We will slot ourselves in somewhere. I play bass and I’m starting to play acoustic guitar, so we’re going to play unplugged in a nice chilled area. I want an outlet for that music myself and it’s a good place to start.”
Amy vouched for the quality of the assistance provided by Aly.
She said: “Aly helped us, and it was very important to get that help. The management workshop included self-management, which is what my band do. It’s overwhelming because you do everything! But the workshop took in everything, including how you present yourselves. It was very positive and three groups got offered gigs at a multi-venue festival in Basingstoke.”
The Battle of the Bands will take place on March 23 (Heat 1), April 27 (Heat 2) and June 1 (Final), all starting at 5pm. Six acts will compete in each heat, with the top three contesting the final where the first prize will be a chance to headline the festival. Tickets are priced at £6 (concessions/under-24s £5) for each show.
Amy, fresh from a gig at the Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden the night before, said: “There will be judges but also an audience vote. This will be a professional gig for these people.
“Many bands start in the corner of a social club where people often don’t want to listen. But this is an opportunity to perform for a warm audience of 50 people in a professional setting, with plenty of feedback.
“It’s a massive opportunity. My band wouldn’t be here without the support of Aly and the Phoenix. We started out with a decent turnout for three college bands in the interval room, which is not really set up for music, and then we did The Shed Factor!
“We want to pull these artists in with open arms. It’s on your doorstep and it’s opened so many doors for us. We want local people to support local artists. We want people to come along and watch them, so the ticket price is really low.
“And it will be a nice clean festival - clean toilets, no camping, you go to sleep in your own bed at night. A glamorous festival!
“Every person in Bordon can help in some way - I’m sure of it.”
Any artists wishing to take part in the Rising Music Festival should email [email protected]
For tickets to the Battle of the Bands and Rising Music Festival events, call 01420 472664 or visit https://www.phoenixarts.co.uk/