When it comes to curating a festival line-up, one of the immediate things that organisers tend to do is focus on the headliners. The bigger the better, right?
While this appears to be an integral part of the festival, Bestival have a track record of doing things their way and over the years they’ve served up an array of talent, which reflects founder Rob da Bank’s eye for spotting excellence in areas that many are unsighted to.
The Invaders of the Future stage is no stranger to acts who’re about to hit the big time and serves as the perfect platform for acts to showcase their stardust. A small band called Catfish and the Bottlemen played the stage in 2014, you may have heard of them? Chuck in Wolf Alice, Stormzy and Ratboy and you start to get the picture. It’s not by chance that these acts have magically made their way onto the festival roster, shortly before their meteoric breakthroughs.
At a time when there’s a demand for new headliners, it takes a brave figure who’s prepared to provide acts with the opportunity to rise to the occasion, as there’s always going to be some lingering doubt over the credentials of whoever is tasked with such a role. A perfect example of this can be found with Foals, who were gifted their big break by Bestival in 2014 when they were enlisted with the headlining title. This came at a time when many were uncertain over their capabilities to surmount to such expectations, however the rest is history and 2015 brought a critically acclaimed album and 2016 brings further headline performances. Would this have been possible without the trust placed in them by da Bank? That remains to be seen.
Talking exclusively to The Indiependent, da Bank said that a lot of time goes into choosing which acts will play at the festival, with there being a massive emphasis placed on the selection of new artists that are breaking through or are yet to be properly uncovered.
“Bestival’s known for being a lot of fun and a massive party but it’s also known for its love of new music and being the place to spot breaking new bands,” he said.
“The Invaders stage has always been there in some form, as a ‘new bands’ stage and there’s a lot of showcasing stages across the festival, but this really is the place to go where you can find unearthed gems playing constantly across the weekend.
“New music is a huge thing for us and it’s always great to be brave when you’re choosing who plays.”
With da Bank having over 20 years worth of radio experience, who’s to question his ability to spot the rough prospects that so many would undoubtedly miss. 2016 has seen him paired with Ricky Bates, promoter at The Joiners, Southampton, a man who da Bank describes as “really having his finger on the pulse of all these up and coming indie bands”. Given the calibre of acts that both men continuously book, year after year, it’s safe to say that the dynamic duo certainly know how to put on a show.
Considering the success that both men have previously had when it comes to cherry picking the best acts from a constant plethora of new musical creations, the future of Bestival looks increasingly spritely. Undoubtedly they will remain the architects behind a festival that continues to outdo itself, with it increasing in popularity and prestige with every year that passes.
It’s hard to pinpoint a major festival that puts more time and effort into showcasing the freshest new talent and if there is, well; I’d like to see it.
Bestival returns to Robin Hill Country Part on Friday 9th September, for full lineup, tickets and more info visit the Bestival site.
