As Lost Village prepares to open its doors this weekend, the event’s founders have told Music Week about the risk-first ethos that drives their festival.
The boutique Lincolnshire event is organised by former DJs Jay Jameson and Andy George. This year, Friendly Fires, Everything Everything, Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, The Go! Team, Dixon, DJ Harvey, Gilles Peterson and Peggy Gou are among the artists on an eclectic line-up.
“To create a brand that really means something, you have to take risks. You have to go against the grain,” Jameson said, speaking in the new issue of Music Week, out now.
“Most of our ideas start with us asking ourselves, ‘What is our dream scenario and how do we get there?’ It’s very difficult to compare Lost Village to anything else. We try and go left when everyone else is going right – most of our decisions are based on doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing.”
You have to go against the grain
Jay Jameson
George stressed the importance of attention to detail and ensuring the pair do not limit their focus to music.
“We felt like attention to detail was being lost on large-scale events,” he said. “We believed in making [Lost Village] a full 360° experience, not just focusing on music and the main stage mentality. Early on, we made a strong decision that we wouldn’t technically have a ‘main stage’; it would just be an area. We wanted something more intimate.
Founded in 2015, Lost Village is now renowned for its collection of different areas and stages, which include the Abandoned Chapel, Lost Theatre and Lake Of Tranquillity.
“Each area has a different character, whether it’s in the set design, the decor, the lighting or the sound, each has lots of character and that was really important,” said George. “Music is integral to the LV experience, but luckily for us it isn’t the sole driver of ticket sales.”
Jameson added: “We want to create an atmosphere where it feels like anything can happen”.
To read the full interview pick up the latest issue - or subscribers can click here. To subscribe and never miss a music biz story, click here.
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