Loopfest music festival runs on a 10-month cycle so this is the fourth event. It began with 80 artists in 17 venues in one day and has been growing every year. This year nearly 300 artists will perform in 40 venues, across three days. It’s broken footfall records in Shrewsbury town centre every year.
Around 150 music venues have shut down or stopped hosting live events in the past two years across the UK and a record 78 music festivals were postponed or cancelled last year alone.
However, Shrewsbury is bucking the trend by hosting Loopfest at 40 venues over one weekend next month. Loopfest is the brainchild of musician and promoter Jamie Smith and David Gregg, who runs the Albert’s Shed group of music venues. It is one of the biggest festivals of its kind in the UK and is running over three days from 2 to 4 May.
It will feature internationally renowned artists such as Miles Hunt from The Wonder Stuff, Britain’s biggest rap band, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, and producer Mandidextrous. Also appearing on stages around the town will be emerging artists such as The Cheap Thrills from Liverpool, Girlband! from Nottingham and Shropshire bands Adult Play and Boom Boom Womb.
Loopfest boosts grassroots music
Smith said: “We wanted to supercharge the engine of grassroots music and give a unique platform for artists. And it’s working. We’ve done that with the Albert’s Shed venues by working alongside artists, but we created Loopfest to bring people to the town to see a whole host of incredible artists in one place at one time. The festival is helping to turn the tide against the difficulties faced by grassroots artists and venues and increase people’s awareness of new music in the area.”
So far, it’s been a triumph! For example, Loopfest brought a huge increase in the number of people visiting Shrewsbury town centre at last year’s event. Visitor numbers were up by an average of 36% compared to the same weekend the year before.
And its success is timely. There is a big issue with British music, which once dominated the globe. Figures released in February show that for the first time in more than two decades, British stars failed to make it into the worldwide annual chart of 2024’s bestselling singles or albums.
That was despite major releases from Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Charli XCX. Winners at this year’s Brit Awards raised concerns about the future for grassroots music venues and called for more support for the industry.
Loopfest celebrates and supports live music
John Rostron, CEO of The Association of Independent Festivals, said: “Loopfest is a brilliant celebration of live music, creativity and community spirit. We champion the innovation, dedication and hard work that goes into these types of multivenue urban festivals, and we’re thrilled to see such a diverse and exciting line-up being brought to music lovers in Shropshire and the surrounding area. Grassroot music venues have never needed public support more, so we hope that people will get out and support this fantastic event.”
Loopfest also wants to reinvest profits back into supporting the festival’s acts and has received £40,000 of funding from Arts Council England to support the project and create a legacy. It is more than an annual event. Since the first festival in September 2022, live music performances in Shrewsbury have surged. Funds are reinvested to support musicians and foster a love of culture from an early age.
For more information about the full line-up, the weekend’s wristband ticketed events, as well those that are free to attend, visit Loopfest.
This is an edited version of a press release from http://www.stellasix.com/
