We’re back in a national lockdown, which is very bad news for festivals. A UK government select committee met yesterday to discuss the huge challenges the industry faces, as it remains unclear whether any will be able to go ahead this summer, or in what capacity.
With all that up in the air – when the closest you’ll get to a nightlife experience is asking your housemate to refuse to leave the toilet so you can stand outside getting increasingly closer to pissing yourself – your most immediate alternative is this weekend’s online festival, Junction 2: Connections.
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The event will bring music from three cities that have pioneered electronic music culture – Detroit, Berlin and London – into one global livestream. Plus, there’ll be a mix of panels and films exploring the past, present and future of the communities responsible for shaping the scenes in these cities.
This Saturday, the 9th of January, VICE will be hosting the Berlin stage, featuring artists such as Berghain resident Ben Klock, house and techno stalwart Dixon and dub-techno virtuoso Rødhåd. On top of that, we’re looking forward to hosting the second edition of The Speaker’s Corner.
Starting at 2PM and acting as a pre-event countdown for the main livestream, which starts at 6PM, The Speaker’s Corner will include panel discussions about the industry’s future (with guests such as Stuart Glen from The Cause, Andy Blackett from fabric and Paul Hunter, a Professor in Infectious Diseases), a pre-recorded Q&A with Daniel Avery, HAAi and Mount Kimbie, and a film about what goes on behind the scenes of a high-quality livestream.
Tune in on the VICE UK Facebook page, from 2PM this Saturday. Click here for more information.