Steve Lamacq, Stuart Maconie and Jamz Supernova on return of 6 Music Festival

As the 6 Music Festival gears up for its first outing since 2020, Headliner hears from BBC 6 Music presenters Stuart Maconie and Steve Lamacq, as well as 1Xtra DJ and presenter Jamz Supernova, about the event’s highly anticipated return and what makes it a festival like no other.

The annual city-based festival last took place in London just days before live events across the board were stopped in their tracks by the Covid-19 outbreak. Having landed in the capital just a matter of days before lockdown, the 2020 6 Music Festival was one of the most successful editions of the event yet, featuring a whole host of triumphant performances from the likes of Nadine Shah, Black Midi, Michael Kiwanuka, Roisin Murphy, Bombay Bicycle Club, Mike Skinner and many others.

Taking place in Cardiff from April 1-3, this year’s festival will feature performances from Little Simz (pictured), Khruangbin, Father John Misty & members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, IDLES, Bloc Party, Johnny Marr, Pixies, audiobooks, beabadoobee, Big Joanie, Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18, Cat Power, Curtis Harding, David Holmes, Deyah, Elkka, Emma-Jean Thackray, Ezra Collective, Georgia Ruth, Green Gartside, Gruff Rhys, Gwenno, H. Hawkline, Ibeyi, Ibibio Sound Machine, Lucy Dacus, Mykki Blanco, Obonjayar, Orlando Weeks, OVERMONO, Porij, Self Esteem, Sherelle, Sports Team, The Bug Club, The Mysterines, Wet Leg and more

The typically eclectic array of artists and musical styles that have become the hallmark of the festival is a direct manifestation of what the 6 Music station has evolved into over the past two decades. Having just celebrated its 20^th anniversary and being officially crowned the UK’s most popular digital radio station, the 6 Music brand feels as though it has been on an upward trajectory for the past 10 years. After a high profile campaign from all manner of artists and broadcasters to save it from closure back in 2011, it has been consistently fine tuning, refining and diversifying its output.

Perhaps most crucial to its success has been the refusal to tether itself to any particular genre or demographic – something that is reflected in both its listenership and the audience that turns out for the 6 Music Festival.

“One of the things the anniversary has almost forced us into is actually analysing what it is that 6 Music does well and why we are still here,” Lamacq explains. “It may sound like we’re blowing our own trumpet, but I think one of the main reasons for its success is the way it has adapted and grown with the audience. 6 Music was possibly a bit cliquey when we first started. It was quite a serious station, but now we are far more accessible. The word community is probably overused, but we are a kind of gang – it’s us and the listeners and there really is nothing between us. We all like the same things, it’s just a few of us are on the other side of the desk.

“It’s also not a station you grow out of. You can grow up with 6 Music and you can introduce the next generation in your house to 6 Music and there is no difference. We’re not a genre or age specific station – that is the rarity. Most stations are aimed at a certain age group or certain type of music, so you can feel at home at 6 Music for a lot longer than you would at most other stations.”

Equally important to the diversity of performers on the bill each year is the festival’s commitment to fully embracing and understanding the local talent of the hosting city.

“I have such fond memories of all the 6 Music Festivals, particularly when we went to Glasgow,” Maconie tells Headliner. I remember we had a tiny reservation on the way up in that we wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to someone else’s town and saying ‘here we come to share with you the benefit of our brilliance’. Nothing could have been further from the truth. People showed us the good pubs, the good venues, the good restaurants. I pretty much lived in Barrowlands for four days and started going out for breakfast with the bar staff!

“This year there is so much going on in Cardiff, and of course, it’s the first one since Covid. It will be so great to see people after two years off.”

Supernova also hailed the platform the 6 Music Festival offers not just local artists, but the location itself.

“It’s beneficial for a variety of reasons,” she explains. “Not just for the music but for businesses and the infrastructure of the city. It brings money and new people into the city. And sometimes we’re in a bit of a bubble, so getting out of London is a great way to get out and hear about new talent.

“Plus, a city-based festival [compared to being out in a field] has its pros,” she continues. “It’s a lot more inclusive with the kind of people that can come to it. You can get tickets for individual venues if you can’t attend the whole thing, which is nice. And I think there is something about being in a city, perhaps not knowing it so well, and going on an adventure to find these venues. You just have to throw yourself into it.”

In addition to taking in as many performances as she can over the course of the weekend, Supernova is also looking forward to performing herself and broadcasting live from the festival.

“I’ll pretty busy,” she says. “I’m introducing some acts on the Friday at St. David’s Hall and on the Saturday, I’m doing my show at 1pm live from the festival. I have Elkka joining me, and in the evening, I’m playing the Tramshed, where I’m playing with Craig and Nemone, which I can’t wait for. And there are so many artists I want to see, I wish I could split myself in half. I’d love to see Idles live, also Little Simz - after the couple of years she’s had, being able to see her show would be a real celebratory moment - then there’s Elkka, Ezra Collective, Khruangbin, Sherelle. I’d love to see all of them.”

Lamacq and Maconie also expressed their fondness for the city festival format.

“I’m all for it,” says Lamacq. “It’s a shorter walk home, there’s a corner shop if you run out of cigarettes or crisps. I’m not saying I don’t like outdoor festivals but give me the choice of walking from pub to pub or venue to venue, I’ll take that. And I always hope to come back with some music I haven’t heard before.

“Idles played the fringe in Bristol, which is when I first saw them. I saw a few fringe gigs that year and hopefully what it gives you is more of an understanding of the city itself, how it works, the best places to play, what the audience is like. Because I’ve spent a lot of time following tours around the country, I understand this, but it’s good for people to get out and see that geographically some music goes down better in certain places than others. Whether you have the Bristol melting pot or the psychedelia in Liverpool, or the pure indie pop of Sheffield, every area is slightly different, so every time you go somewhere it tells you something about that audience.”

“The 6 Music Festival is just my kind of festival, in that it’s set in cities and clubs,” Maconie adds. “I know some people love getting their wellies on and getting muddy, but I do like a roof, and I really like being able to find out about new places, and I don’t know Cardiff well so I’m really looking forward to finding out more about the city.”

After a scant couple of years for live music, there are plenty of artists the 6 Music veterans are keen to see perform in the flesh.

“The bill is just littered with people I want to see,” Lamacq beams. “I’ve still not seen Lucy Dacus, it’d be lovely to see Sports Team again, then you have bands like The Mysterines who I’ve not seen for a year, and bands I haven’t seen at all like The Bug Club. There’s plenty of bands and there’ll be fringe gigs around that might throw up something. I’m also looking forward to seeing the current Self Esteem show.”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Khruangbin,” says Maconie. “Johnny Marr will be a great way to end the festival. Gwenno will be great. I’m looking forward to seeing Big Joanie. The totality of the vibe is the brilliant thing.”

The return of the 6 Music Festival after two years away also coincides with the station’s 20^th anniversary, which has seen artists and fans from across the musical spectrum paying tribute not only to its musical diversity, but also its ability to transcend any particular genre or age group.

“Ultimately, it’s a station for people who continue to be excited and interested in music, new or old,” Maconie elaborates. “I always say on my Freak Zone show that new music is just music you haven’t heard before. So, while I appreciate the fact there is a very strong drive on finding new British music, which is great, I also think I’m doing my job if I turn people onto older music they might never have heard before, whether it’s Turkish psych or English folk or Japanese jazz.

“And then you have the very individual tastes of the presenters, whether it’s Iggy Pop, Guy Garvey, me or Giles Peterson or Cerys Matthews. But it’s more than that. These days there are a lot of people asking ‘what can a radio station give you that a Spotify algorithm can’t?’ Well, you can’t become a friend to an algorithm. There’s a great diversity of styles of presenting and everyone brings a different personality. You’re not just joining for the music; it’s almost like there is a guide or a trusted friend – whom I hope is never waving their finger – who is enthusiastically asking if you’ve heard this record or that record. And it’s meant to be fun and enjoyable, we’re never po-faced or lecturing about it.

“The Freak Zone could easily become a very challenging listen because some of the music is very out there, so I try to make my bits warm and engaging and I think that goes across the board. That’s something algorithms can’t give you.”

The 6 Music Festival takes place on Friday 1^st - Sunday 3^rd April in Cardiff, with highlights broadcast on 6 Music, BBC Sounds, BBC iPlayer and BBC Four.

You can read and listen to an extended interview with Maconie here; read an extended interview Lamacq here; and Supernova here.