Festival organisers AEG Presents will once again be providing a variety of exciting opportunities for young people at this year’s event
This May, All Points East will be returning to Victoria Park to prove once again why it's one of the capital's top-tier music festivals.
From May 22-31, the 10-day event will be entertaining audiences with world-class music from headliners Tame Impala, Kraftwerk, Massive Attack and The Kooks topping the bill across two weekends.
Also returning this year is the popular community festival, In the Neighbourhood. The weekday programme will include a variety of family activities and entertainment in collaboration with east London businesses, organisations and suppliers.
As part of their commitment to meaningful community engagement, festival organisers AEG Presents will be showcasing local talent and providing valuable opportunities for young people. For the last two years, they have teamed up with East London Arts & Music (ELAM) college to provide 16-19-year-old students the chance to get involved behind-the-scenes and perform at the event - and this year is no different.
Festival organiser, Jenny Hamada, says: "As part of All Points East's commitment to the local community we have developed a close relationship with ELAM. Not only does it give us a chance to highlight some of the great upcoming local talent, it also offers practical opportunities for students who are looking to get into the music business.
"Our aim is to provide these young people with the experience and assets to progress in their career. We are proud that our ELAM interns and work experience students have gone on to further full-time employment in the industry."
Kick-starting this year's collaboration was a live music event put on by ELAM students at The Camden Assembly on February 6. Musicians from the college were invited to perform covers and arrangements of this year's headliners, including Tame Impala, Caribou, Kraftwerk and Iggy Pop. Footage from the event is being used as part of the festival's marketing, and many of the artists and bands will go on to perform opening slots on the bandstand at In the Neighbourhood.
David Crozier, director of music at ELAM, says: "We pride ourselves at ELAM on the quality of industry opportunity we provide our young creatives. So much of the work we do here is in response to industry briefs, adding professional-quality evidence to our trainees' portfolios. Our public show at Camden Assembly is just one example of this principle - real sound engineers, real venue managers, real paying audiences - the pressure's on and this is where real growth happens."
AEG Presents are also offering ELAM students practical industry experience through training and employment opportunities. They have already hosted a work experience student throughout February and will be holding part-time paid internships from mid-March to May in event management and marketing teams. Work shadowing opportunities on-site will be offered to give students insight into artist liaison, event management, production and marketing.
Last year ELAM students QBRCK and Izco were invited to provide support for the weekend show days, and this year's musicians and engineers will also have the chance to perform and work on the main stage.
David adds: "The specific partnership with All Points East is, without doubt, one of our most important. It has great roots in the East London community, we love its eco-ethic and it shares our values regarding representation in the creative industries. Over the last couple of years, ELAM's 16-19-year-olds have performed on the main stage, DJ'ed, completed paid internships in event production and even shadowed stage managers, artist liaisons and marketing content generators - what a privilege!
"Some of the artists and engineers who made our Camden Assembly such a success will be desperate to earn the same opportunities this summer. Of course, my job is to make sure our young people are ready for these opportunities, so the relationship is mutually beneficial, and we're pleased to be invited back next year."
In the Neighbourhood takes place from May 25-28 and is free to enter. To buy tickets for the weekend show days, visit allpointseastfestival.com.
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