Why are so many world-famous music stars performing in Essex?

BBC News

10 hours ago

Over the next couple of months, internationally famous stars will be descending on Essex, a county that - in the past - has been more famed for its stereotypes than its reputation for world-class music acts.So, what has changed? Why have Justin Timberlake, Smashing Pumpkins, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard all chosen to play in the county?
"Essex is the events county - we're punching well above where we were 10 years ago," said James Young, operations manager at Colchester Events.He's getting ready for a packed schedule, including the Colchester Castle Summer Series, which will see the likes of Busted, Tom Jones, Texas, Craig David, UB40 and Madness perform in the grounds of the Norman keep.In September, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will headline the ALB Festival, originally known as the Anti-Loo Roll Festival after a group set up in the pandemic."I think there's a number of reasons why these artists are playing here. We're building the reputation that Essex has an appetite for well-managed, well-run events with high-profile artists," Mr Young said."This isn't by chance, it's by hard work through building our reputation for hosting large-scale events. That's been over a five- or six-year period."
The first of the big-name acts to come to Essex is 10-time Grammy winner Justin Timberlake, who performed at Chelmsford City Live last night.Duran Duran, Chic and Nile Rogers, Olly Murs and Blue will also play at the racecourse venue this weekend. Described as "a major new-music festival in Essex headlined by global superstars and award-winning musicians", it is the first time the site has hosted such a large-scale event.Natalie Reynolds, 29, from Writtle, said she was "honestly shocked, and a bit confused" when she first learned Timberlake would be playing in her home city."It's Chelmsford - usually big artists like that would be in London," she told the BBC."Why shouldn't they come here? We've got events facilities like the racecourse, they hold all sorts of events - so why not continue inviting big artists if there's demand?"Everyone's really excited because it feels almost nostalgic, we listened to JT when we were at school together."
Chelmsford City Council leader Stephen Robinson theorised that city status - which Chelmsford gained in 2012, followed by Colchester and Southend in 2022 - had helped to put the area on the live entertainment map."It hasn't made any difference to the budget or structure of Chelmsford City Council but it's been a labelling exercise which had perhaps raised the profile of those places," he said."And Chelmsford's easy to get to by train, helped by the Elizabeth Line."Transport's part of it, city status is part of it, and generally the reputation takes time to build up."
In the north of the county, at the picturesque Audley End House, stars such as The Jacksons, Roger Daltrey, Manic Street Preachers and Underworld will be gracing the stage as part of Heritage Live.Organisers said they would offer "world-class performances at jaw dropping locations" - and local businesses will also be hoping for a boost as visitors head into nearby Saffron Walden.Pri Bamford heads up the local Business Improvement District (BID), and said there was already a "buzz" in the town after it was named best place to live in the UK by the Sunday Times in March."Anybody who comes to Audley End, you'd like to think they'd come to the town centre as well because it's not very far," she said."Historically we have seen the more footfall we have on the outskirts of town, the more footfall that brings into the town centre and boosts the hospitality sector, as well as fashion and lifestyle."When Saffron Walden was voted the best place to live, we saw a spike of people coming to visit. There are people from as far as Scotland looking at coming to Saffron Walden, and I'm very interested to see the stats that come out in July and August."
With Radio 2's recent announcement that its annual weekend of live music would be held in Chelmsford in September, Hylands Park will once again play host to thousands of fans watching big-name, international acts such as Bryan Adams, Def Leppard and Anastacia.Home to V Festival from 1996 to 2017, the site has also been used as a filming backdrop for The Crown and Killing Eve, and hosts weddings and numerous other events.Robinson, a Liberal Democrat, said he was "very proud" the council had introduced V Festival and the Chelmsford Spectacular in the 1990s when it was running the authority."We've always wanted to make Hylands a destination for people from Chelmsford and further afield - it's so great to have things like this on our doorstep."A lot of people moved out of London post-Covid, and more people work from home, so things have changed - and if people do work from home, they're more likely to want entertainment closer to home rather than having to go to London."
Colchester Events operations manager Mr Young agrees about the draw of having events on people's doorsteps."They can walk into town, as they say, and experience high-profile artists who've played all over the world. "We see the economic benefits to the city, businesses are doing better, we want to retain skills here. "That buzz of Colchester and Essex can only be good for the economy, for mental health, for people's wellbeing - that's our aims and objectives."
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