UKTI takes the north to the stage at SXSW
BANDS and festival organisers from across the Northern Powerhouse are set to travel to US festival SXSW as part of a UKTI trade mission.
It comes as part of a continued drive by UKTI to increase the UK’s cultural profile internationally, following the launch of the Music Export Scheme in 2013.
Mark Robson, UKTI regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber, said music, film and interactive sectors are increasingly important contributors to the “economic wellbeing of the Northern Powerhouse region”.
More than 30 delegates, including the organisers of Sheffield Tramlines and Sheffield Doc/Fest, will travel to the internationally-renowned music, film and tech events in Texas, Austin next month.
SXSW, which takes place 11-20 March 2016, combines a music festival showcasing 2,200 acts, a film festival and conference for filmmakers, distributors, screenwriters, actors and others in the industry, and a tech-focused conference for web and game developers, programmers, investors and inventors.
Sheffield-based guitar band The Crookes, five-piece outfits Fizzy Blood and Autobahn from Leeds, Manchester group PINS, and Hooton Tennis Club and Clean Cut Kid from the Wirral and Liverpool respectively, will perform at the SXSW music festival, which showcases more than 2,200 bands, from unsigned acts to headline names.
Two of the regions most prominent cultural festivals will be represented in the mission. Award-winning multi-venue music festival Tramlines marks its eighth event this year, while Sheffield Doc/Fest attracts 30,000 documentary makers, fans and industry figures annually.
The globally-renowned SXSW festival is also serving as inspiration for this year’s Leeds Digital Festival, which has teamed up with Live at Leeds. Held in the city on 25-30 April, the two events will bring together music with digital theme, with support from the city’s digital community, Leeds City Council, and TechNorth.
