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Festival Preview: Boiler Room 2021

Three cities. No headliners. Streamed around the world to millions of fans. Is this the future of festivals? We don’t know but we’re very curious to find out. Boiler Room has become its own musical movement over the course of the last few years. Merging technology and good old-fashioned dancing, Boiler room is taking the world (literally the world - the party has happening in New York, Barcelona, and London) by storm.

Boiler Room started with a webcam taped to a wall back in 2010, opening a keyhole into London’s clandestine scene of artists and performers. Boiler Room really existed for those looking to connect with fans in a world dominated by top 100’s, Capital FM, and televised singing competitions (*ahem* X-Factor *ahem*). Since then, Boiler Room have built an unprecedented archive spanning over eight thousand performances by more than five thousand artists across two hundred cities. Their influence has developed over time, but it has always remained true to its defining principle – support emerging artists.

Credit: Boiler Room

Weirdly, the pandemic has served Boiler Room well. The last two years have shown how much we need to collectively support the entire music industry – and not just the established acts we all know and love. The pandemic has taught us to value the performers that sometimes go under the radar. These are the artists that need our help the most. These are the artists that the government are threatening to pull the rug from under. These are the artists that Boiler Room want to promote.

Boiler Room has already hosted a successful showcase-festival in NYC last month, and now they are returning home to London to put on a triumphant display of the best new talent in the UK. This time, it’s taking place at The Cause in Tottenham. With a ‘no headlines’ policy, Wednesday opens the show with a showcase of live music and jazz vibes. On Thursday, The Cause will be bringing together varying styles of rap, afrobeats and mic culture, all under one roof. If you’re looking for something more D’n’B heavy, soundsystem clashes and forward-facing club music will dominate Friday and Saturday night. If you’ve missed out on tickets or you don’t live in London, Boiler Room’s video platform 4:3 will commission artists to present installations on each night of the festival.