Next month, BBC Radio 6 Music will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a host of commemorative programming. The celebration, which kicks-off on Sunday 11 March, ranges from dedicated content and special guests, to exclusive Maida Vale sessions and a special BBC Radio 6 Music at Southbank Centre* event. A host of exclusive content will also be available to watch at bbc.co.uk/6music and on the Red Button.
Bob Shennan, Controller, BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music, said: “This has been an incredible first decade for Radio 6 Music. In addition to its recent record listening figures, it has proved itself as a unique and much loved service and a real showcase for the music that encapsulates the alternative spirit. I am proud that it has played such a key role in encouraging the take-up of digital radio across the nation.”
The station will celebrate its anniversary on Sunday 11 March and features stand-out moments throughout the day, which will be announced shortly.
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. Showcasing great Radio 6 Music artists, including Spiritualized and Orbital, each session will be available to watch live at bbc.co.uk/6music. 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 the 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 Gruff Rhys, Anna Calvi, Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny and there will be a few special guests throughout the evening.
Update: 16.40, 6/2/12 - Tickets for these events are now sold out but performances will be broadcast on Radio 6 Music and on the BBC’s Red Button. The Front Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall will also host live entertainment.
Lauren Laverne said: “I love being part of the Radio 6 Music family and its success, it’s special radio! We’ll be featuring some of the station’s best music and artists during the anniversary and I’m especially looking forward to Maida Vale, where I’ll be bringing listeners some amazing live sessions.”
The station will be highlighting its 10th anniversary throughout the year with a choice selection of programming. During February and March, Sunday afternoons play host to the new feature 6 Music Playlist, where well-known faces give listeners an insight into their favourite tracks. From Monday 5 to Friday 16 March, the station’s night schedule will celebrate its decade on air with 6 Music Celebrates..., travelling from 2002 to 2011. The station will also be marking key birthdays and anniversaries of bands, artists and moments in music history.
Notes to Editors
* BBC Radio 6 Music at Southbank Centre is a partnership between BBC Radio 6 Music and Southbank Centre
** Each Lauren Live at Maida Vale Session will be available for 24 hours on the BBC’s Red Button daily.
BBC Radio 6 Music at Southbank Centre
Purcell Room – Laura Marling & Lianne La Havas
The Queen Elizabeth Hall - Gruff Rhys, Anna Calvi, Beth Jeans Houghton and Hooves of Destiny, plus special guests to be announced.
BBC Radio 6 Music, which champions the very best in rock and popular music, was launched on 11 March 2002 by Lesley Douglas, former Controller of Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music. It was the BBC’s first new national music radio station in 32 years.
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 station, attracting 1.44 million listeners each week (Q4 2011 RAJAR).
In March 2010, the BBC Executive proposed that Radio 6 Music should be closed as part of its strategy review. The following consultation triggered an outpouring of public support for the station and in July 2010, the BBC Trust announced that Radio 6 Music would be saved from closure.
For the past 10 years, the station has been home to many talented presenters and musicians, including Cerys Matthews, Lauren Laverne, Guy Garvey, and Sony-award winning Jarvis Cocker, who have all joined the network in recent years. The original starting line-up included Liz Kershaw, Andrew Collins, Craig Charles and Gideon Coe. Phill Jupitus was the first voice heard on the station when he opened the mic for the network’s breakfast show.
The current daytime line-up, Shaun Keaveny, Lauren Laverne, Radcliffe and Maconie and Steve Lamacq, has taken the network to record figures.
Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and the Hayward Gallery as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection.
SG
In addition to its recent record listening figures, it has proved itself as a unique and much loved service and a real showcase for the music that encapsulates the alternative spirit."
