Music and Climate: JB at ‘We Out Here’ Festival

Julie’s Bicycle’s Lucy Latham asked key questions of music industry at We Out Here Festival in Huntington this August, in a panel alongside acclaimed musician Matthew Herbert, DJ and promoter Patrick Forrester of Heels and Souls and Aaron Levitt of Stamp the Wax.

Exploring the impact of Music Declares Emergency
to date, with recent sign ups Bonobo, Coldcut and Hoptchip adding to
the rallying cry, and the interventions of big names in the last 5
years, from Neil Youngs ‘Honor the Treaties’ tour to raise funds for First Nations legal defense against Canadian tar sands expansion, the 1975’s recent release featuring the speeches of Greta Thurnberg and Grime’s soon to be released ‘concept album about the anthropomorphic goddess of climate change’ Miss_Anthropocene, it
is clear that the music industry – and the wider festival and touring
scene that surrounds it – is finally waking up to climate change.

Lucy also celebrated the breathtaking gains towards carbon-neutrality of the Creative Green Award Winners Shambala Festival who
have completely transformed the festival landscape through their ‘bring
a cup’ campaign, innovative waste and travel programmes and of course
their trailblazing decision to be the first UK festival to go 100% vegetarian.

There is still a long, long way to go however; not least because of the long-haul flight culture built into the workings of the global industry. But its good to know that the call for change is slowly turning up the volume.