Music can and should be a form of community and resistance. It's connection, it's catharsis, and particularly in a time where creativity has been demonised (or replaced with AI slop), it's rebellion. Nowhere can you feel that more pertinently than the intimate, independent venues dotted up and down the country, where friendships and fanbases are built and memories made away from the stress and mundanity of life in a permacrisis.
Crucially, music also ought to be a source of hope. In reality, it's not always the case in a time when the US army pouring money into SXSW. Barclays partnered with major festivals in the hopes the consumer looks away from its investments in and financial services provided to companies arming Israel . Festival conglomerate Superstruct faced boycotts over its ties to KKR, a firm that has invested in Israeli tech and data firms and was reportedly connected to weapons manufacturers and defence contractors. See also, Spotify's Daniel Ek funding AI war drones or their recent spate of running ICE adverts to recruit more bootlickers for the Trump regime and spread terror across America.
It creates a climate in which artists become disadvantaged simply for doing the right thing, whether facing censorship or a financial black hole from boycotting festivals whose values they don't align with. But what if there was another way? What if music was to reject blood pressure-raising ticket prices and over-corporate environments and choose independence, affordability and political action instead?
This is where the brand new Bulletproof Festival comes in, created by the Peace & Justice Project's Music For The Many project. It's been created as a direct response to these existing issues, offering a supportive, politically driven platform for artists to unite people and use their platforms to call for change. On top of this, it's also championing grassroots venues, connecting artists and fans with the rooms that serve as the lifeblood of the UK's touring circuit.
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FREE ALL-ACCESS PASS“The very creation of Bulletproof Festival is in itself a challenge to the status quo. We are showing that communities hold the key to keeping British music alive," said festival organiser Samuel Sweek.
Our movement has moved the debate on the ticket levy to save grassroots music venues, which is something we consider critical to keeping the heart of British live music beating. These were phenomenal and unprecedented victories, but there is more to do, and there must always be more to do.
Bulletproof Festival is just the beginning and will serve as the prototype for a new era for the live music scene, as well as touring, nurturing the creativity of up-and-coming talent, and ensuring live music is affordable and accessible for all.
"This is a revolution and we are proud to be the insurgents.”
The Venn diagram between Bulletproof's values and those of Drowned In Sound is essentially one circle. It's how I came to interview Jeremy Corbyn at the launch event in September - and how we have come to jump on board as the festival's media partners. I, for one, could not be more excited.
Bulletproof takes place from Thursday 4th to Saturday 6th June across EartH, The Shacklewell Arms, The Victoria and the Jago in east London.
The event will be headlined by Maruja (Thursday), Sprints (Friday) and Pussy Riot: Riot Days - a powerful fusion of theatre, live music and literature inspired by the memoir of Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina (Saturday).
You'll also be able to catch the following:
Thursday
- CQ Wrestling
- Soapbox
- Yard
- Yakkie
- Dead Air
- Gabby Rivers
- Speit
- Deva St. John
Friday
- CLT DRP
- Alien Chicks
- Gender Crisis
- Ellis D
- Paradise Fell.
- Currls
- Comforts
- Moskito
- Chuck SJ
- Isabella Strange
Saturday
- Snayx
- Jools
- The Oozes
- Hongza
- Room Service
- Frances Mistry
- Generation Feral
- Softtop
The Peace & Justice Project's Jeremy Corbyn added: “We are proud to finally launch the Bulletproof line-up – this is the result of over a year of planning, discussions, research and hard work.
"We are delighted that Maruja, SPRINTS and Pussy Riot: Riot Days have agreed to join the inaugural Bulletproof line-up. Each act has a proven track record in speaking out against oppression, toured the world and grown their support in every continent. It is beyond commendable that, at great cost, these artists have never strayed from the path of fighting tyranny and standing up for what is right.
"Bulletproof Festival is about celebrating the spirit of resistance that ended apartheid in South Africa, soundtracked the fightback against fascism in the UK, and continues to highlight the genocides in Gaza, Sudan and other places.”
Tickets are on sale from Wednesday (11th February) at 11am - you can buy yours here.
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Emma Wilkes