Steve Lamacq unveils 6 Music Family Tree for 6 Music 10th Anniversary


BBC Radio 6 Music celebrates its 10th Anniversary this month and to mark the occasion will bring listeners a jam-packed weekend of treats on 10 and 11 March.

Ahead of Lauren Live at Maida Vale (12-16 March) and the Radio 6 Music at Southbank Centre event (16 March), the station will present an eclectic mixture of live music, special shows and interactive content to celebrate the anniversary weekend.

Paul Rodgers, Editor, BBC Radio 6 Music, says: “BBC Radio 6 Music has put together a great showcase for the station to mark its 10th Anniversary. It’s a wonderful feast for people who already tune into 6 Music, and a taster for those music lovers who haven’t yet experienced this unique digital radio station.”

Especially for the anniversary, Steve Lamacq has delved into the station’s history, with an array of the network’s eclectic music loving DJs, from Craig Charles to Lauren Laverne, Don Letts to Jarvis Cocker, sharing their magical highlights of the last 10 years.

On Sunday 11 March, the network’s actual birthday, he will present Lamacq’s 6 Music Family Tree (12noon-1pm), a programme which is accompanied by an animation which celebrates the connections that bring the extended 6 Music family together, which will go live on the Radio 6 Music website during Steve Lamacq’s Show. There will also be contributions from musicians key to the station's history, including Billy Bragg, and Ash’s Tim Wheeler (Burn Baby Burn was the very first track played on 11 March 2002).

Steve says: "I was asked to put together a show for the 10th birthday of the station, and its history, and didn't want to do it in a simple chronological, year by year way. That's when I thought about the old Pete Frame Rock Family Trees which have appeared in the music papers over the years. I tried to see if you could link the presenters together through their past jobs and musical influences and surprisingly you can. I think it shows the way the station has grown up and how all the DJs are related through their enthusiasm for music."

Also on Sunday, Cerys Matthews (10am-12noon) brings her show live from the famous Maida Vale studios with a gala event of music and poetry. There will be performances from new psychedelic folk rocker Mary Epworth, performance poet Murray Lachlan Young and singer-songwriter Emmy the Great. Tim Wheeler will also be marking the occasion with a specially recorded birthday duet with Emmy the Great.

On Saturday evening, the station presents a feast of great music, kicking off with the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show (7-9pm). Specially recorded for the anniversary, Craig has curated a unique session based on the show's Fantasy Funk Band, and invited six top guest singers to perform alongside the band’s principal vocalist John Turrell. Lisa Stansfield, The Magic Numbers, Omar, Jasmine Kara, Hue and Cry and Beverley Knight all stepped up to the mic and listeners will hear the results of this historic session in this special show.

Straight after the Funk and Soul Show, the station brings listeners yet another musical treat, with Florence and the Machine’s full set from London’s Alexandra Palace live to air (9pm-12midnight). Jon Hillcock will anchor the concert from the Radio 6 Music studios, with Steve Lamacq live at Alexandra Palace introducing Florence and the Machine on stage.

Earlier on Saturday, Liz Kershaw (1-4pm) will reveal the Radio 6 Music listeners top six tracks as part of her ‘6 of the Best’ feature. Over the past few weeks, Liz has been talking to listeners, collating all their choices and the day before the station’s anniversary, she will dedicate the whole show to listeners’ choices.

Moving back to Sunday afternoon, Huey Morgan (1-4pm) has plenty of birthday celebrations in store including a live studio performance from The Portico Quartet and later in the evening, Groove Armarda’s Tom Findlay takes to the 6 Mix (8-10pm) decks with two hours of party tunes, dance floor classics and a couple of rarities thrown in for good measure.

From Monday 12 to Friday 16 March, Lauren Live at Maida Vale continues the celebratory programming with a series of special sessions live from the legendary Maida Vale Studios. There will be sessions from SBTRKT, Paul Weller, De La Soul's Plug 1 and Plug 2 Presents First Serve, Spiritualized and Orbital (Monday-Friday respectively). Each session will be available to watch live at bbc.co.uk/6music, where online viewers will also be treated to additional tracks after Lauren comes off-air and each session will be available to watch on the BBC’s Red Button daily.

On Friday 16 March, the station presents BBC Radio 6 Music at Southbank Centre, which will bring presenters, listeners and artists together in a unique celebratory event. Coming from three of Southbank Centre’s performance spaces, the night will include sets from Laura Marling and Lianne La Havas in the Purcell Room, the Queen Elizabeth Hall will present an exciting line-up in the form of PiL, Gruff Rhys, Graham Coxon, Anna Calvi, Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny and there will be a few special moments throughout the evening. Tickets for the event are now sold out but performances from the event will be broadcast on Radio 6 Music and on the BBC’s Red Button.

BBC Radio 6 Music first hit the airwaves on Sunday 11 March, 2002. Awarded National Station of the Year 2011 at the Music Week awards, and proud owner of multiple Sony Radio Academy Awards, the digital station has gone from strength to strength over the past decade. It is the UK's biggest digital-only music station, attracting 1.44 million listeners each week.bb

March 5, 2012 1:59pm ET by BBC Radio 6 Music   Comments (0)

, , , , , , ,

SHARE THIS

Latest Press Releases