This year we are partnered with BBC Introducing to provide a unique platform for emerging artists at the festival. The partnership will see our third stage rebranded as the ‘BBC Introducing…in Gloucestershire’ stage and will invite the six counties that border Gloucestershire to submit bands featured on the Introducing shows. BBC Radios Oxford, Bristol, Wales, Coventry & Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Hereford & Worcester and, of course, Gloucestershire will each submit ten bands to a judging panel consisting of BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 1’s Bethan Elfin, The Independent newspaper’s music critic Elisa Bray and Wychwood’s Festival Director Graeme Merifield who will pick the final line-up of 28 bands from the 70 submitted.
The partnership is the first time that a number of regional BBC Introducing outlets have joined forces to provide a unique platform for emerging artists by giving them a direct route to BBC Introducing at a national level – via the judging panel – and an opportunity to be included in the line-up of the UK’s leading boutique festival.
BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s Introducing presenter Rob Champion said: “We’re so happy to be working with the Wychwood Festival as well as our colleagues from the six bordering BBC regions on such an innovative partnership. I can’t think of a better opportunity, not only for our up and coming artists in Gloucestershire, but for those in the wider area. Wychwood is a big deal for local bands here, it represents a major achievement to play at such a prestigious, vibrant and eclectic festival and I can’t wait to be there!” The 70 bands broken down by BBC region are as follows:
BBC Hereford & Worcester Introducing
Zang Tang, Barbarix, Da Vinci, Dastards, Frantik, Rhondda, Roundstone, The Transcendence Experience, We Killed Rasputin, Wes Dance
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Introducing
Castillo, Century Man, Czech Cheque Checkers, Echo Empire, Garfield Mayor, Les Cadets, Lloyds McGrath, Shakletons, Thom Kirkpatrick, Voodoo Kings
BBC Bristol Introducing
The Fairies, Adelaide’s Cape, Cat Green Bike, Daisy Chapman, Deadlegs, Kill It Kid, Out Like A Lion, Phantom Limb, Severn Sleepers, The Bronze Medal
BBC Gloucestershire Introducing
Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun, Lounge Fly, Roving Crows, The Echoes, Young Vinyls, Zen Elephant, Aspen Sails, Charlie Baxter, Divine Secret, Elliot Withers
BBC Wiltshire Introducing
Zoe Mead, Matthew Kilford, Napolean In Rags, One Two Three and In, Sailors, DJ Para, The Colorado, The Costellos, The Dacoits, The Jon Trowbridge Band
BBC Wales Introducing
The School, Cate Le Bon, Cuba Cuba, Islet, Ivan Moult, Lucky Delucci, Man Without Country, Mechanical Owl, Oui Messy, Race Horses
BBC Oxford Introducing
We Aeronauts, Charley Coombs & The New Breed, Dead Jerichos, Family Machine, Fixers, Mr. Fogg, Spring Offensive, The Evenings, The Scholars, Ute
The final line-up of 28 bands over the three days as decided by the judging panel will be announced in due course along with further details of BBC Introducing activity onsite over the course of the weekend.
