Welcome to Festival Spotlight! Today, we highlight Cross The Tracks, celebrating jazz, funk, and soul with Erykah Badu headlining. The festival champions diversity, featuring 50% female acts and 25% emerging artists. Enjoy music, handmade crafts, diverse food, and local talent like Nayana AB. Join us for an unforgettable experience!

1. What inspired the diverse lineup for this year's Cross The Tracks festival?

Since its inception, the festival has attracted the very best artists and collectives across jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, electronica and world music. We’re genuine lovers of music and when you look at jazz, funk, and soul – all are deeply rooted in Black culture so we're committed to platforming Black artists, labels and collectives.

We believe in contributing to the thriving UK music scene and investing in a new generation of sound with the platform we’ve built. 

2. Could you elaborate on the criteria used for selecting artists to perform at Cross The Tracks?

Music is at the centre of everything we do at Cross The Tracks. We celebrate the past, present and future of talent in jazz, funk and soul, from heritage legends to current icons to emerging artists we know you’ll love. We create space on our line-up to consistently represent at least 50% female acts and 25% of emerging artists. 

3. How does Cross The Tracks support emerging and homegrown talent within its lineup?

We believe in actively contributing to the growth of the UK music scene, supporting home grown artists, and giving back to the music we love. By ensuring the Cross The Tracks line-up is 25% emerging acts; we invest in the new generation of sound. To support local musicians, we run a yearly competition with Lambeth Music, giving local and upcoming artists an opportunity to perform at Cross The Tracks. Our 2024 winner is the incredible Nayana AB who will perform on The Caboose stage at this year's festival. Previous winners include Stef Montanaro, oreglo, Cassius Cobbson and Tanhai Collective. 

4. Can you discuss the significance of having a minimum of 50% female artists on the festival bill?

Ensuring at least 50% female representation on our festival bill has been our commitment since the festival's inception in 2019. Shockingly, in 2023, only 18% of headline slots at large festivals were held by women. We believe that a 50/50 split is the bare minimum for achieving gender equality in the music industry, and we are committed to setting this industry standard. There’s a long way to go, as reports like ‘Misogyny in Music’ highlight the ongoing struggles for women in the industry, particularly in genres such as jazz, where a lack of representation creates an unwelcoming and discouraging environment for female instrumentalists. By championing women at all levels, from established artists to rising stars, we hope to dismantle these barriers and create an inclusive environment for both performers and attendees. 

5. What unique experiences can attendees expect beyond the musical performances at Cross The Tracks?

Attendees can browse a selection of handmade jewellery, artwork, garms and more lovingly made by independent traders such as Akinsanya who create African print hats, scrunchies and fans and Vibrations of a Goddess who create handmade holistic and wellbeing products. 

This year we are also partnering with BookLove, a Travelling Multicultural Book Carnival, who are committed to bringing together the best multicultural content the world of arts has to offer in order to build a more cohesive and understanding society.

It’s not all about the music! Our attendees can also expect to feast on 70+ of London's hottest street food vendors (inc a fabulous GF / Vegan range), and a craft beer fair featuring 10+ breweries from all over London. 

6. How do you ensure a balance between established names and emerging artists in the lineup?

Same as above

7. What role do talks, panels, and workshops play in the overall Cross The Tracks experience?’

N/A (this year we're focusing on the music!)

8. Could you provide insights into the process of curating the creatives' market at the festival?

We work with local market collectives such as Black Eats and Bohemia Place Market to find the very best of creativity and artisan product that London has to offer. We like to work closely with the businesses in the area as well as across London. 

9. What efforts are made to incorporate local businesses and artisans into the festival experience?

We are committed to ensuring our festival helps to uplift the local community. Guest list donations are added to the Brockwell Live Community Fund, which supports a variety of local community projects – we raised over £40,000 last year! These 2023 guest list donations were directly spent on 15 local projects, including free youth initiatives, improving community gardens and supporting homeless charities. Each year, we actively engage local businesses through social media callouts, showcasing their incredible work to our attendees.

10. Can you share any highlights or new additions to this year's Cross The Tracks festival compared to previous editions?

We’ve got the Queen of Soul for the first time – Erykah Badu as well as more artists than you can shake a stick at. This year we’ve gone in heavy with the music, the artists we’re all listening to, the cool and the new and some slightly off the beaten track sounds. We’ve listened to our wonderful customer base and made some better builds for this year too… you’ll have to come and find out! 

11. How do you ensure that the food offerings at Cross The Tracks reflect the diverse and vibrant atmosphere of the festival while also catering to various dietary preferences and tastes?

We celebrate the vibrant culture of London through a carefully curated and diverse food selection that caters to a wide range of tastes and dietary needs. You’ll find a variety of the hottest street food vendors serving up everything including, pizza and paella, sushi, jollof rice, jerk chicken, calamari, Malaysian chicken satay and more! We collaborate with Black Eats LDN, the UK’s first and only Black-Owned restaurant directory. This partnership ensures we celebrate Black-owned businesses in the local area and highlights the rich culinary heritage of Brixton and beyond. We understand the importance of inclusivity, and our diverse food selection caters to everyone's dietary needs, from meat lovers to veggies and vegans, gluten-free options and everything in between.

– Saskia Hadley, Head of Marketing