5 Minutes with Forest Live
A unique opportunity to see incredible artists perform live in one of England’s magical, and picturesque, forests, we spoke to one of the event organisers of Forest Live to find out more about these must-visit events.
The concept of live shows taking place in forests is so unique. What first inspired the idea?
Someone who worked at Forestry England (then still called the Forestry Commission) long before I arrived was Mike Taylor. He was someone with a strong passion for music and the outdoors. He came up with the idea for Forest Live back in 2001, with the first edition featuring the Levellers and Jools Holland. Since then, the series has expanded to more and more sites and grown to what you see today.
Can you describe the atmosphere and experience of attending a concert in the forest compared to a traditional indoor venue?
Forest Live gives you the experience of seeing world-class acts, who would normally be playing arenas, in some of the most beautiful natural settings we have in the country. The experience is one of complete disconnect from the pace and noise of daily life replaced with a connection with incredible music, awe-inspiring nature, and a sea of like-minded concertgoers.
How do you select the specific forests for the events?
It’s a question of practicalities. The sites need to have the clear space, and natural contours to make these large pop-up arenas, as well as less exciting elements such as space for vehicles and infrastructure to be installed. Forestry England are custodians of 1,500 of the nation’s forests so, in theory, we should have lots of options, but once you start to get into the detail of what is needed to make the concerts a success, the list shortens very quickly!
What challenges do you face when organising outdoor concerts in natural settings, and how do you overcome them?
You name it! The strengths and uniqueness of our sites are also what brings the greatest challenges. The sites are often in very rural areas of the country so getting people to the sites quickly and safely is the first challenge, then getting the considerable infrastructure installed for world class events without upsetting the natural environment or the day-to-day operations of our forests is the next. It requires an enormous amount of planning by incredibly skilled people to pull it all off.
Forest Live has been running for a number of years now, what’s the most memorable or stand-out performance you’ve seen so far?
Some of the most amazing artists have played the series over the years, from Motorhead to Massive Attack, to Blondie, Ed Sheeran, Katherine Jenkins, and the Beach Boys. I sadly wasn’t in my role to catch these shows, much to my regret, but some of the biggest shows are coming this year so I’m looking forward to rectifying that.
How do you ensure that the concerts are environmentally sustainable and minimize their impact on the forest ecosystem?
This is a constant thought process for us. It would be counter-intuitive to present these concerts to protect and preserve the forest environments but do damage to them with the presentations themselves. As a result, we look at everything from how we power the production through to how we manage the waste from the events to make sure we’re doing all we can to reduce environmental impact. We are partnering with Cuffe and Taylor for the first time this year and one of the main reasons we chose them as a partner was to learn from a major player in the industry in how we can improve the sustainability and minimise the environmental cost of presenting these shows.
How do you curate the lineup of artists attending, is there a particular criteria or method used to select performers?
One of the main aims in the curation of the line-up is to try to get as diverse a selection of artists as possible. It’s very much our intention for everyone to feel welcome at Forest Live, so we really try to present a line-up that has something for everyone.
What can you tell us about your upcoming concert series – are we in for any surprises?
For anyone who has attended previously, the biggest change is going to be in terms of production values. Our partnership with Cuffe and Taylor has brought a renewed ambition to have state-of-the art production and sound for the shows. In terms of the lineup, we have an incredible range of performers who are renowned for their live performances, from Sting to Anne Marie, from Becky Hill to Nile Rodgers and CHIC – there will definitely be some surprises and stand-out sets across the series.
For those who haven’t attended a Forest Live event before, why should they visit this summer?
This is a transformational year for us, we are relaunching two of our much-loved sites in Dalby and Yorkshire, we’ll have a greatly enhanced production and sound, and it’s the best and most diverse line-up we’ve ever had. Definitely a good year to get involved!
And, finally, how can we do our bit to help protect England’s forests?
You know I’m going to say this, buying a ticket for Forest Live is a great first step! The purpose of the concerts is to raise money for the protection and preservation of the nations forests for generations to come, and to give people an opportunity to start a lifelong relationship with these incredible spaces. Forests are the lungs of the nation and will become more and more important as we tackle the climate crisis. We want to bring people together to take a shared interest and responsibility for these spaces and to ensure they continue to thrive.
With summer getting closer, don’t miss your chance to experience Forest Live in 2024. Tickets on sale now!
