By Jase Walker
That’s RADAR Festival now done and dusted for another year, the post-festival blues are kicking in pretty hard for now and my voice is raw from singing along to so many bands as well as testing my loudness in the screaming booth. So what’s to be said about the 2024 event? Of course, I’ve done my write-ups about the bands and a couple of other bits but, as I found with Jera on Air this year, this rarely says much about the festival experience itself. So I’m once again finding myself wanting to add another extra article to talk over the finer points as a festival isn’t just the music itself – despite it being such a huge part.
Where do I even start? Hmm…
- Communication
One thing that is often an extreme bone of contention for me when it comes to festivals is how terrible the communication can often be with last minute changes, personability of the people running the show, or just trying to give feedback as a punter. RADAR has been exceptional with this, with constantly open channels whether it’s via email, Discord, Instagram, Facebook posts, even ‘phone (via Whatsapp).
RADAR have been fervently gathering feedback over the time they’ve been going and more keenly since finding Victoria Warehouse as their new home. Through whatever means is easiest for people, any feedback has been welcome, be it about food, drinks, accessibility, layout, etc. This is fairly unique amongst many festivals I’ve found as it opens up channels for abuse as much as it does constructive feedback which is a tough thing to navigate if you don’t have particularly thick skin.
RADAR have also been extremely transparent via regular newsletter and social media updates with regards to plans for future events, sure they may not hit every single thing but they’ve certainly put as much energy as they can into making an accessible and enjoyable festival for as many people as possible.
More information about their manifesto and pledges can be found HERE.
- Community
The best thing that RADAR has done since last year is create and foster a community on Discord. Initially it was quite a small gathering of people but has since ballooned and blossomed into a full blown community that now organize their own meets at shows, found a circle of good friends through it, laughed and cried together.
As a result of building a community around the festival, people from all backgrounds have been able to connect with each other, solo attendees rarely leave RADAR Festival without new bonds that go on to become stronger friendships and in some cases deeper relationships.
It’s a fantastic community that certain people have taken it upon themselves to volunteer to moderate and be specific contact points for particular questions (Sundowner is fantastic for accessibility!) as well as the organisers and staff being present and frequently joining in.
So drop in and have a chat, you might find some good friends in the process.
- Accessibility
As I mentioned briefly with the community, accessibility is a huge priority for RADAR. They even have an entire area of their site devoted to it.
I can’t speak directly for it as it wasn’t something I directly used, however the talks on the Discord server where accessibility issues were very quickly sorted out as well as the changes made to ensure it was as easy as possible to attend for differently abled persons speaks volumes about the care that’s gone into RADAR.
Scarlett (aka Sundowner on Discord) specifically has become a champion in their own right of ensuring accessibility for RADAR. Initially just a regular attendee who came along for Sleep Token in 2023, has since become a key member of the community as a Discord moderator and then the coordinator for accessibility in 2024. There’s been no shortage of positive feedback about their help throughout this years RADAR on the Discord server from attendees, staff and the RADAR crew themselves.
This also extends to the food on offer at the festival as it was designed from the ground up to ensure that no dietary requirements were left behind, even if that means one of the food vendors having to drop out with barely two days notice.
- Scene advocacy
One thing RADAR has been particularly vocal about is championing the ‘state of the scene’ as it were. The UK music scene is suffering and many unique music events and festivals are shuttering as costs are making it untenable to continue. This stands at 55 festivals so far in 2024, with AIF (Association of Independent Festivals) expecting this to reach 100 by the end.
I’ve spoken to Joe about it a few times and he’s made it very clear how much he cares about this as funding for the arts in the UK can often be scant or just not available at all. The direct result of this is many grassroots venues and events closing for good or having to severely reduce their scale and offerings just to survive.
It’s never been more important to support your local music events and artists, this isn’t something that can be easily walked back once they call it a day.
- Affordability
Money is tight for everyone right now. A weekend festival is a true luxury that many can seldom afford, especially if the costs are all upfront. RADAR has done so much to make sure that the cost can be spread out for the festival, whether it’s day or evening tickets or multi-part payments.
RADAR Festival 2025 already has tickets on sale that can be done in ten monthly payments of £15 via GoCardless (it’s ÜK only at the moment though, as it’s a direct debit scheme).
- Overall
I am somewhat disappointed in myself for not making more time to check out the Arcade, Music and Gaming Market, and other parts of the festival as I was so invested in catching as much of the music as possible. It’s not particularly easy for me to tear myself away from the music to check out the other parts and I end up missing out on the more eccentric elements as it’s a festival that knows many of its attendees are gear heads and music nerds.
It’s also clear from how some of the bands – notably VOLA, TesseracT, Dirty Loops and Leprous – that it’s an opportunity to experiment and do something different with their live shows and can make a huge impact and especially with VOLA and Tesseract performing sets that will be looked back on as career defining moments.
The Masterclasses are another fantastic idea that allows people to get a bit closer to the musicians they hold in high regard and dig into their approaches to their instruments and processes for songwriting and production.
RADAR is so much more than just a music festival, it’s an in-depth experience into the world of left-of-centre music that lets its fans and attendees revel in their passions. RADAR 2024 has cemented the fact that wherever I happen to live in the world, it will be an event that I will always make time for.
- RADAR Festival 2025 is set for 4-6 July. See you down the front.
- PHOTO CREDIT: Photos © Charlie Bluck/Claire Alaxandra. Photos courtesy of RADAR. All copyright remains with the respective photographers.
- All written content © Über Rock. Not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written permission of Über Rock.