I am delighted to report that there will be an OUS stage at Upton Uke and Roots Festival in June this year.
The Upton Uke and Roots Festival is a breath of fresh air in the niche festival world. The last OUS supported festival was in 2017 where there was a 4 hours 20 minute slot for 7 artists. There was great feedback but the time constraints were frustrating for both artists and the public alike. The problem is that with a curfew policy of 20 minutes for any set, the artists can only play a very small amount of material, before there is a change over of just 5 minutes, making the whole experience extremely hyperactive. The other issue with that northern uke festival was that on both occasions when my band played, there were sound problems and on the last main stage appearance I had no instrument sound at all for most of the brief 20 min set!
With the Upton Uke and Roots Festival, I am pleased to report that a more sensible policy is in place and great attention to detail in terms of set lengths of 45 minutes with 15 minute changeovers and professional sound engineers on hand.
Get your tickets HERE
Adding “Roots” to attract a wider public
The addition of “roots” in the festival means that the event can attract the best from the ukulele world but is not restricted only to ukulele specific acts. I love the uke as an instrument but the instrument has an image problem for the wider public. Crucially The Upton Uke and Roots Festival brings together a more diverse and professional range of artists from across the globe as seen below.
An opportunity to play
The application to play at Upton Uke and Roots Festival is simple. Rather than daft “rounds of applications” there’s a simple link here for artists to apply HERE
I’m pleased to have my own band “The Caravan of Dreams” playing the main stage alongside many other superb acts.
Something for everyone
There’s a reason why Upton has been the choice for so many festivals over the last 30 years. Blues, Jazz and Folk festivals are extremely popular at Upton and crucially there are facilities to accommodate far more than just a few hundred attendees. Crucially the public has much greater choice and value for money that what is often offered at uke specific festivals. In forthcoming months more of what is on offer will be revealed.
Get your tickets HERE while they last
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