Meet the man behind festivals including BST Hyde Park, All Points East, Lido, Forwards, Roundhay Festival and Rock en Seine. While enjoying some much-needed shade under the ancient oaks backstage at BST, Access All Areas’ Chris Barrett caught up with Jim King to discuss his eventful career path. Jim got his first taste of promoting events at school. Now CEO UK & European Festivals at AEG Presents, he is one of the international industry’s leading players. After meeting James Barton ...
24 Apr 2026
Altitude Comedy Festival’s Marcus Brigstocke and Brett Vincent
A stunning mix of beautiful mountain scenery, fresh snow, some crazy skiing and brilliant comedy from the likes of Jason Byrne, Paul Smith, Deirdre O'Kane, Emmanuel Sonubi and Al Murray – Altitude Festival really is in a league of its own. In between the knockout standup comedy and knockdown slope descents, we recorded an episode of the AAA Backstage Podcast with promoter Brett Vincent and the event's co-founder, comedian, Marcus Brigstocke. Among the many topics covered were the logist...
27 Jan 2026
DF Concerts & CEO MD Geoff Ellis
Geoff Ellis’ decision to let Oasis join the bill at Glasgow’s tiny King Tut’s venue in 1993 led to the then unknown Manchester band being signed to Creation Records by Alan McGee. Last year, Ellis promoted Oasis’ three sold-out nights at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium. It was a full-circle moment for the experienced promoter, whose remarkable career is not short of highlights. DF Concerts CEO, Geoff is the latest festival supremo to take the hot seat for another episode of the AAA Back...
10 Jun 2025
Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn
Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn recounts his decades of experience in the festival industry, discussing the evolution and challenges of managing major UK festivals in an interview with Access All Areas Backstage.
22 Jan 2025
Isle of Wight Festival promoter and Solo Agency MD John Giddings
Isle of Wight Festival promoter and Solo Agency MD John Giddings is the latest festival supremo to be interviewed for the AAA Backstage podcast.The podcast series explores what lies behind festivals and their instigators, and this episode finds Giddings on great form discussing pertinent industry-wide issues and reflecting on an eventful career path.Recorded at the Access All Areas Conference & Awards at The O2, the interview finds Giddings opening up about everything from losing £500,000...
12 Dec 2024
ID&T’s co-founder Duncan Stutterheim
ID&T co-founder Duncan Stutterheim shares the secrets behind building a $130 million dance empire, from humble beginnings to global phenomenon.
13 Aug 2024
Notting Hill Carnival boss Matthew Phillip
Notting Hill Carnival CEO Matthew Phillip takes us behind the scenes to discuss his life and times at the helm of one of the world’s most spectacular and popular carnivals. The AAA Backstage podcast series meets festival bosses to explore what lies behind the events and the people that run them. From driving floats at Notting Hill Carnival as a child to taking over as the vast event’s CEO, Matthew has been closely involved throughout his life in what has been the UK’s biggest and brighte...
5 Mar 2024
Live Aid and Earth Aid Live promoter Harvey Goldsmith CBE
Harvey Goldsmith CBE, the promoter of two of the world’s biggest music events, Live Aid in 1985 and Live 8 in 2005, takes the hot seat for an AAA Backstage podcast.
A celebrated producer and promoter of concerts, festivals, charity events and television broadcasts, Goldsmith has worked with a huge number of major acts including The Who, Queen and Luciano Pavarotti. Among his latest projects is Earth Aid Live – a series of stadium concerts planned over one weekend in six countries with the aim of raising money to fight climate change and empower young people to make a positive difference.
With The Live Aid musical Just For One Day currently running at London’s The Old Vic, Goldsmith is interviewed by AAA content director Christopher Barrett on stage at the Access All Areas Conference. Topics covered not only include the ongoing legacy of that landmark global event on 134 July 1985, but a broad range of topics from 1960s psychedelic misadventures with Peter Fonder to a passionate call to support the grassroots sector and advice for young promoters.
20 Dec 2023
Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project founder Sacha Lord
Recorded at The Warehouse Project venue Depot Mayfield in Manchester, this interview finds the nightclub’s co-founder and Parklife festival boss Sacha Lord opening up about everything from being shot at and petrol bombed, back in the days of ‘Madchester’, to projecting a huge protest film above the Tory Party Conference.
The series explores what lies behind festivals and their instigators, and this episode finds Sacha in fine form discussing pertinent industry-wide issues and reflecting on an eventful career path that has led the promoter to become the night time economy advisor for Greater Manchester. Among the many topics covered are his early career, which started with an event at the Haçienda in July 1994 and later saw him excite the inmates at Strangeways Prison by staging the first Warehouse Project, with Public Enemy, just metres away from the prison walls. Sacha also provides passionate views about the issues impacting the industry and his events today. Among the many areas covered in the conversation are drug testing at events, the importance of sustaining grassroots talent, the need for artist exclusivity clauses, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and him very publicly sticking two fingers up at Rishi Sunak.
3 Nov 2023
Black Deer co-founder Gill Tee
The stunning home of the Black Deer Festival of Americana was the location for this edition of the AAA Backstage podcast, where we meet the event’s co-founder Gill Tee.
The series explores what lies behind festivals and their instigators. This conversation was recorded while sitting on the lawn outside Eridge Park, the home of the Marquess of Abergavenny, with magnificent views across the 3,500-acre deer park. We laughed, we cried... we discussed Gill's fascinating career path that led her to co-founding Black Deer with Deborah Shilling in 2018, the impact of losing her brother at such a young age, showering Neil Young, and how she has successfully carved out a career in an industry shockingly short of female festival bosses.
2 Aug 2023
Boomtown Fair co-founder Luke Mitchell
Boomtown Fair co-founder Luke Mitchell takes us behind the scenes to discuss his life and times at the helm of one of the UK’s most spectacular and successful festivals.
The AAA Backstage podcast series meets festival founders to explore what lies behind the events and their instigators. This conversation was recorded while sitting on a car bonnet with a panoramic view of the festival build at Matterley Estate in the South Downs National Park, where Boomtown has been staged since 2011. Luke charts his event organising experience, including the transition from staging massive raves to the inaugural Boomtown, and the challenges of overseeing what’s become one of the UK’s biggest festivals involving a hugely complex three-month build.
28 Jun 2023
Secret Garden Party founder Freddie Fellowes
Secret Garden Party festival founder Freddie Fellowes takes us behind the scenes to discuss his life and times at the helm of the hugely influential event.
AAA’s new podcast series goes backstage with festival founders to explore what lies behind the events and their instigators. This conversation was recorded face to face on location at Grange Farm in Cambridgeshire, where the festival has been staged since its inception in 2003. This episode covers everything from mass nudity and mud wrestling to accommodating royals, the challenges of remaining independent, re-launching after a five-year hiatus, and transforming the event into a social enterprise.
Freddie is interviewed by AAA’s content director Christopher Barrett.
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
14
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
60
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