“Tat’s the great thing about Norwich,” says Craig, “you’ve got places like Te Waterfront and the Arts Centre that are 14+ venues, as well as places like OPEN that are 18+ in the evening.” And although it seems obvious, the ability to attract a wide spectrum of people really is the key to a successful festival.
Like the metaphorical phoenix out of the flames, Te Tilting Sky Festival makes its triumphant return in July 2012. We spoke to festival curator and general top dog Craig Hill about his involvement with the Norwich music scene and his hopes for the forthcoming festival...
or their Twitter name.Tankfully my predicament was short-lived, and once I found Craig, who was sitting outside with a coffee, we sat down and had a lovely chat about his festival.
Te original Tilting Sky Festivals had passed me by, taking place before I came to Norwich. Craig explained that he used to live in rural Suffolk, and six years ago had held the first festival out in the sticks at a venue called the Banham Barrel. He found 14 bands to fill the day and they all played in the Barrel’s cavernous back room, which was once used to make cider. Around a half a dozen of these one-dayers took place, but Craig moved to central Norwich a few years ago and had to let it all go. In 2012 though, the year where it seems everyone is doing everything, Craig looked around the city and decided to put on the Tilting Sky Festival 2012. An eight-day extravaganza: nine shows at four different venues with a whole host of local talent, TTSF has certainly been rejuvenated.
their face. I knew I was going to speak to Craig Hill (the brains behind Tilting Sky Promotions) and I’d attended a few of the gigs he’d promoted, I like the bands he manages and I’d even met his son, yet I still approached a few strangers in the café before I correctly identified him.Te immediacy of the business we are part of, and the fact that online networking has somewhat overshadowed face-to-face meetings means that nowadays you can have a profound relationship with a person, but only recognise their email address
It’s 36 /July 2012/
outlineonline.co.uk
funny that you can know so much about a person despite never having seen
I imagine it must have been very difficult not to bite off more than he could chew, but Craig, although energised, remains realistic. He’s working with familiar local venues (Norwich Arts Centre, Te Waterfront, OPEN andTe Bicycle Shop) and is “trying to do something a little different”, but is also aware that TTSF’s attractable audience isn’t large enough to warrant anything too expansive.Te plan for the festival, which resembles something more like the Camden Crawl than a traditional weekender, is to have a different themed gig each night, rather than having clashes on the same day. Tere are larger shows bookending the week - Te Kabeedies kick everything off and Tese Ghosts wrap it up – but through the middle there’s a real variety that can appeal to a larger range of ages.
We talked about the process of approaching bands to play the festival, and having certain expectations, but also certain obligations. Craig explained that some of the bands on the TTSF bill came from 19 acts that he helped book for Playfest 2012 and many of them are people that he has worked with before, but that it’s not always as easy as writing up a dream line-up. “Obviously you want to put on bands you like, but you also have one eye on your pocket as well. It’s not just the money side of things, it’s that you want to create an atmosphere which is good for the bands and the fans.” Craig is concerned about the success of the shows, but also recognises that strict moneymaking schemes won’t work with something as creative as a week of music. “Having TTSF spread across the venues that I’ve been working with for the past seven or eight years is great for me.” TTSF not only operates in popular venues, but has a string of sponsors that tie the festival into the web of Norwich’s arts culture; having benefactors in the form of independents like Franks Bar, Te Book Hive andTe Little Red Roaster not only gives Craig some revenue, but also a great deal of credibility.
It’s being part of that scene which will allow Craig to create the ‘atmosphere’ that he strives for. Te gig on Friday 27th July in Te Bicycle Shop will be an “intimate show to highlight some of our finest songwriters.” Craig admits that “I love Te Bicycle Shop; its such a cool little place, and it’ll give solo singer/songwriters the opportunity to actually play in front of a reasonable audience, instead of just being given the opening slot at the Arts Centre when the crowds might be a bit thin.” Indeed, for artists like headliner King Laconic, it’ll be great to have an appropriate platform from which to play his music, and to be appreciated to the extent that he deserves.
A good gig means happy people, happy people means a good reputation, and all of the above means financial security; financial security that will
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