There’s only one man that can list the NME, XFM, and Radio One as his previous employers, whilst still holding prime-time slots on both Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music. That man is broadcasting legend, Summer Sundae main stage compère and all round nice guy, Steve Lamacq. We caught up with him at his first Summer Sundae festival since 2007 to see how he was enjoying himself, and to have a bit of a chat about the success of the Save 6 Music campaign.

‘I’m impressed by how much bigger it’s gotten, it’s just that little bit more ambitious than it was three years ago.’ Up until 2007, BBC 6 Music provided live coverage of Leicester’s Summer Sundae festival.

After a few years away, what differences has Steve noticed between how the festival was, and how it is today?
‘Now you’ve got two really nice sized tents, and there’s a really good atmosphere. It gives the whole thing just a little bit more space, and obviously, upping the capacity to 7,000 gives it a bit more weight when promoters are trying to bring in talent to play the event. All in all I think it’s been really good.’

And the weather?!
‘It’s so important on a day like today when you’ve got quite a lot of introspective music, which I don’t think would’ve worked in the pouring rain, whereas in the sun it’s been absolutely great!’

Throughout his 20 year career, ‘Lammo’ must have been to his fair share of festivals, so are they still something that he enjoys, or just another day at the office?
‘It depends how much you work it, you need to find a balance. I’ve been to festivals working for the BBC where you’re there for three days and you see 2 bands. But it gives you a context that you don’t get sitting in London, going to occasional gigs. I’ve always thought it’s very important to get out and talk to people who have a different perspective on music, outside of the media. There’s nothing worse than just listening to a load of media people telling you what’s good and what’s bad, so going to talk to some real people, seeing a band in another context.’

BBC 6 Music was recently threatened with closure as a result of a review by the BBC Trust, but following a hugely successful rescue campaign and an unprecedented amount of support, the station has been saved. How does Steve feel about this news?
‘Amazing. It was the people that did it. Not just the industry bodies, although that was really important, the BPI I think were really integral, and UK Music and all the people in the industry who spoke up for it – that was really, really cool. But on top of that, the reaction from the audience was absolutely astonishing, like nothing I’ve known. It was the type of protest you’d only usually get back in the early 80s. It was really well organised, really eloquent and well researched, and the BBC Trust, I presume, didn’t have a counter argument. To be fair, the BBC did it the right way, they said this is going to go to consultation, it went to consultation, and people said ‘we don’t want this, we think you’re barking up the wrong tree’ so it worked quite well, it shows the BBC can self-manage itself…obviously we were all very disappointed when the news came through, because everyone that works at 6 Music is very committed to the cause. It’s not a glamorous gig like it is at Radio One, and it’s not a well paid job in comparison to some gigs that you can get around the BBC, but it does allow you a certain creative freedom to be able to become, at work, as passionate as you are about music out of work. So we’re all thrilled.’

BBC 6 Music is one of the most influential promoters of new music in the UK, so how would its closure have affected up and coming artists?
‘I was distraught that some of these new bands like The Low Anthem, who don’t particularly fit into what Radio 1 does, maybe too early for Radio 2, they might disappear. The Crookes, who, apparently are too twee for Radio One, they might disappear – all these bands would vanish off the air, and that would have been an absolute disaster for British music.’ This opinion spans to the role played by music festivals in helping to promote new music, with Steve stating that ‘little festivals like this can make a big difference’.

Continuing to champion new bands and new music, Steve Lamacq can be heard on BBC 6 Music Monday to Friday between 4-7pm and on Radio 2 every Saturday night at 11pm.

Words by Francine Gorman
Francine runs the Music Listener blog as well as writing for the Monograph. She takes interest in the issues currently affecting the music industry.
Read all articles by Francine Gorman