Fresh Beats and Rising Stars Rock Ramsgate Music Hall This Saturday!

Three emerging artists from Thanet are set to perform at a special BBC Introducing in Kent event this Saturday, as part of a grassroots festival that celebrates live music and supports new talent. The event will take place at Ramsgate Music Hall, starting at 7:30 pm, and will feature rapper Jake St Ange from Dover, along with Red Eye Rascal and Mariella. This festival is happening at venues all over the UK, especially since the well-known Somerset festival is taking a break this year, which is called a 'fallow year' to let the land recover.

Casey Dale, the presenter for BBC Kent Introducing, explained that the organizers wanted to use this opportunity to highlight and support independent local venues. He said, 'The organizers thought, let's celebrate our independent local venues and really get into the heart of the local scene. ' He also mentioned that the event will showcase a mix of brand new artists and those who are already more established. According to Casey, Ramsgate Music Hall is an amazing venue, and the goal is to show off the wide variety of music genres that local artists have to offer.

The festival is not just limited to Kent. Across the country, other well-known artists like Rizzle Kicks, Becky Hill, and Tom Grennan are also performing at different venues. For example, Rizzle Kicks will be playing at Patterns in Brighton. Sam Head, the manager of Ramsgate Music Hall, talked about the importance of community for small music venues. She said that grassroots venues are struggling right now, so building a sense of community is really important. She believes that these events are great for up-and-coming bands because they get to experience what performing live is really like. Sam also pointed out that people who don't come out to see live music are missing out on a lot of great experiences.

The festival is supported by The National Lottery and is organized by groups such as the Music Venue Trust, Save Our Scene, and the Association of Independent Promoters. Mark Davyd, the chief executive of the Music Venue Trust, said that this festival is a significant moment for the grassroots music sector. He explained that seeing hundreds of venues come together over one weekend shows the true strength and scale of the network that supports live music in the UK. Mark emphasized that live music doesn't just happen in big cities or at major festivals, but also in local towns and community spaces. He believes that this kind of teamwork sets a strong example for what can be achieved when venues work together. The festival aims to remind everyone that live music is an important part of local culture and that supporting small venues helps keep the music scene alive and thriving.