Lendy Cowes Week this year will feature a new stage specifically featuring crowd-funded rock bands as part of the festivities. On Wednesday 8th August, sitting at the centre of the shore-side activities, Lendy will launch a new initiative – the Lendy New Generation Music Stage which will host some of the best emerging bands from across the UK – all of whom have called on crowd-funding to run their bands.
The bands, announced today, include the multi-award winning Rainbreakers (British Blues Awards 2017), whose roots hail from the Isle of Wight; Little Brother Eli – recently a featured artist on BBC 6 Music; and Theia – winner of the single of the year 2017 (Great Music Stories). Kent band Tarot Rats will open the day, followed by Lethbridge Owen and Northampton rock band Empyre.
Lendy’s decision to launch a stage featuring crowd-funded bands is rooted in its position as one of the UK’s leading peer-to-peer secured lending platforms. Peer to peer lending has become the fastest growing form of alternative finance in recent years, particularly in the music industry. Plans are already under consideration to grow the stage next year into a combined performance and live crowd-funding opportunity for participating bands.
Paul Riddell, Head of Marketing and Communications at Lendy, comments:
50 years since the Isle of Wight pioneered a new festival that has since become one of the most treasured in rock’n’roll history, the Isle of Wight once again pioneers a new type of music platform for our time. Lendy is delighted to be able to provide this platform, showcasing some of the best grassroots talent in contemporary rock music.
Our new initiative reflects the changing state of rock music and the rock music industry today. For us, this is about showcasing the best talent that we know people will love when they hear them, bands that have made effective use of crowdfunding and built social media communities themselves. This is something that links directly to our enterprise ethos and the future of the digital economy, which spans music to property and everything in between.
As well as wanting to see a meaningful development in the next generation of musicians, we are keen to demonstrate this talent to the thousands of visitors that will see that stage that day. The acts we’ve chosen present a new and fresh face for guitar and rock music in Britain today – and one that will appeal to the mainstream of diverse, family-orientated visitors that come to the shoreside activities and Lendy Cowes Week each year.
Johnny Hammond from Tarot Rats adds:
This is such an amazing opportunity for us to show a new audience, in a new setting, what Tarot Rats is all about. The emerging guitar music scene has become very dependent on P2P-style investment like crowdfunding. Many bands today manage themselves as businesses and they use community funding and social media networks to grow their brands. We were delighted to have been shortlisted for this event because of this, and look forward to showing our music to those there. See you there!
The Lendy New Generation Stage Performance times Wednesday 8th August 2018
- 2.00- 2.40pm Tarot Rats
- 3.00 – 3.40pm Lethbridge Owen
- 4.10 – 5.00pm Theia
- 5.20 – 6.00pm Empyre
- 6.30 – 7.10pm Rainbreakers
- 7.30 – 8.10pm Little Brother Eli
Cowes Week (Lendy Cowes Week) is one of the UK’s longest-running sporting events, having first taken place in 1826. The aspirational and inclusive sailing regatta is the largest of its kind in the world, attracting between 800 and 1,000 yachts in up to 40 classes. Around 8,000 competitors race during the week ranging from weekend sailors to World Champions and Olympic medallists.
The lively après-sail atmosphere at Lendy Cowes Week means there are plenty of social and exciting onshore activities for sailors and the thousands of spectators who visit Cowes each year. The next edition of the regatta takes place from 4-11 August 2018.
The event’s Title Sponsor is Lendy, ed by the following sponsors who also help to make the event a success: aql, Westerhall Rums, Nyetimber, Chatham Marine, MUSTO, Isle of Wight Council, Sunsail, Fever-Tree, TNG Swiss Watches, Land Rover, and Media Partner: Yachts & Yachting. Official Charity: 1851 Trust.
