Tears, tantrums and triumph

When I volunteered at Festival Radio I was only really interested in the music. Hip Hop, Reggae. Soul, Funk, Jazz, RnB. Amazingly you didn’t get to hear that sort of thing much on radio in those days. Particularly in sleepy Brighton. So not having any useful skill to offer - dancing doesn’t really count on radio - but with my naivety knowing no bounds, I presented myself in an interview to Eugene Perera and promptly signed the next six months of my life away.

Eugene: “We need someone to organise the launch party, run the press campaign and work on sponsorship and advertising.”

Me: “Ok. I can do that.”

Eugene: “Have you any particular experience in this sort of work?”

Me: “er…. No.”

Eugene: “Great, when can you start?”

Me “Tomorrow?”

Shortly after this first meeting, I joined a fast growing and often chaotic band of supremely confident and variously skilled radio heads. The predictable chaos ensued but fortunately triumphs outnumbered tears and tantrums and despite a number of setbacks and ‘disasters’ everything came together really quickly.

Somehow, I managed to organise the press campaign and our launch which was reckoned to be the best party of the May Festival. I then powered my way through the month on pure adrenaline (plus a lung searing quantity of combustibles) blagging sponsorships and advertising by day before winging it to the studio, gazing with mute admiration at some of the best DJs Brighton and (Britain) had to offer.

Music aside my enduring memory of Festival radio is the wonderfully powerful and optimistic atmosphere. Completely ‘can do’ before we actually knew what it was we were doing and if it could be done; thankfully it could and it was! We truly broke down barriers in UK radio broadcasting and I am proud to have played a small part.