This episode, Chris sits down with Ben Mark Smith, the force behind the D.H. Lawrence Music Festival in Eastwood, Broxtowe. What started small has grown into one of Broxtowe's most anticipated annual events, bringing together well over a hundred independent artists across more than a dozen venues, free of charge. It's a free-entry, town-wide model that runs on the same conviction as Sonic Boom: music belongs in the town centre, not behind a paywall.

Ben talks through what it takes to hold a festival like this together year after year, working alongside local heritage partners, the council, and a network of pubs and venues that open their doors for one weekend a year. Chris and Ben compare notes on grassroots festival production, free-entry economics, and what it means to build lasting music infrastructure in a town that isn't a big city.

If you care about what small towns can do for live music, this one's for you.

Believe in the Power of Music.

You can find us here:

• Festival Site: https://festival.sonicboom.org.uk
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