Jamie and George Oyebode are the founders of The Soulstice Collective and Festival. I will leave any definitions or descriptions for what their platform means to their own words. We went for a pint in Battersea on a cold but cosy weekday evening to chat through their festival, motivations and future endeavours.
A: Do you two want to quickly introduce yourselves and maybe describe what Soulstice Collective is?
J: So I’m Jamie Oyebode, one half of The Soulstice Collective.
G: I’m George Oyebode, the other half of The Soulstice Collective.
J: How do we describe The Soulstice Collective? At the moment we are calling it an engagement platform giving people a chance to engage more with music, art, culture and society. It is made up of two projects at the moment, our music festival which is our flagship event and our online creative platform. Hopefully very soon we have a few other creative projects in the pipeline which is very exciting.
A: Let’s start with chatting about the festival, I think that’s where this began. Why did you choose to start a festival? How have you found running and planning a festival? Any important lessons you’ve learnt?
G: With the festival it really just was the power of a conversation over a beer, like what we are having now. Jamie, myself and a friend of his and we just spoke one evening and said it would be really cool if we could run something. Originally we wanted it to be somewhere we had been on holiday for years, but we quickly realised to have a base following who could support it we would have to be more local to where we live. We decided to have a look at some sites near home, fortunately we came across one where the owner was actually a friend of a friend. That was super helpful in the early days, those landowners were behind what we were doing. After that original conversation we decided to set up a facebook event and invited five or six hundred people.
A: When was this?
G: July 2017 was the first conversation, first facebook event was January 2018. That was the founding of the event.
A: Had you guys had any history of putting on events before?
J: I had a bit of experience putting on events at University. I worked at Spotify as a student brand manager, route one to activating any sort of brand at University is events. I had a bit of a taste of what it meant to produce an event. Durham is an interesting university as it has lots of events, not sort of club events but dinner parties, fashion shows, balls etc. That definitely gave me a bit of a bug and gave me the confidence to feel I could put on an event.
A: It seems, from the outside at least, that you guys have smashed it. Both editions seem to have gone really well.
G: I think in the first year it was a very different affair. We look back and we were still very immature in the sense of putting on a festival compared to others putting on amazing events. Looking back we had no clue in that first year, we just had about enough people who bought in and supported us. That support has been so useful every year, because those people who bought in early on who have told their friends and spread the word. Building that network helps massively. The first year and second year sales were very different to what we have experienced in the past few weeks. I remember messaging people shamelessly.
A: Got to be done. How many people have attended?
J: 320 in first year, 360 in second year which was a nice increase.
A: And plans for this one?
J: This year we have sold out 420 people which is as high as we can go… this year.
A: Huge
J: It certainly has made us think about what’s next and how we can scale. There is so much stress in putting an event on. You always forget things, every year we worry about the worst case scenario. I would say on the whole things have been good but there has been a huge amount of graft.
A: Why a festival, why not a charity concert or club night for example?
J: Good question, I would have been quite anti the club night at the time. It is such a saturated market and very expensive in London as well. In all honesty a big part of it was at the time we were still living at home. The market wasn’t there in London, the romanticism of running a festival took hold very quickly. Running a night is one thing but running a festival is a dream.
A: Which festivals have you both been which have provided any inspiration to Soulstice festival?
G: We have both been to Glastonbury.
J: I think we would both say that yeah. Interested to see what George says.
G: Obviously in terms of scale they are incomparable to what we’ve done so far. With Glastonbury being like a city, made up of loads of smaller components, it’s easy to be inspired by a small part of it. The ethos behind Glastonbury has been inspiring, they are always standing for important values. Whether that is their push towards sustainability, that kind of influence on society is so important. The people who go as well have such a variety, a lot of boutique festivals are more one type of music.
From an aesthetic point of view, Gottwood, when you are in the estate, is so pretty. This year we were lucky as we have stumbled on a new site which has a bit more of an aesthetic to it.
A: So at a new venue this year?
J: Yeah, it is funny. The two one’s we have both done are Reading and Glastonbury.
A: Reading get’s such a shit rep but it’s a class festival ahahah.
G: Top top festival!
J: It is like a right of passage. We have diverged a bit in terms of the festivals we have been to. I have been to a few European festivals where the vibe is very different. The arts and creativity of British culture really comes through in either boutique festivals or bigger ones like Glastonbury and we are probably more in line with those than some of the European ones I have been to.
A: Which have you been to?
J: Sonar in Barcelona and Dekmantel. They always have such incredible lineups, which made me appreciate the value of organising artists who you really really respect and value. Maybe one criticism I do have of some of these boutique UK festivals is a little less lineup discernment. I won’t go into too much detail, but it’s very interesting to compare European festival line ups with UK festival line ups and question where there are differences. Perhaps it’s just how different festivals function. The European Festivals will prioritise line ups, and as a result they are absolutely incredible. The UK ones prioritise setting, build and infrastructure – leaving George to say Gottwood is just so stunning. Horses for courses it seems.
A: So unfortunately I have not been to Soulstice Festival yet. What kind of music has been played there and what will be played there this September?
G: It has always been a big range of genres and styles. In the first year we had opening the day with a more acoustic vibe. We had a cool girl called Lana Jagger and another similar vibe, guy called Pete Mercer. We welcomed a band called Dat Brass, they have played Glasto. They are a huge brass band with a front man who raps.
J: They are a slick operation. We do welcome down a lot of DJ’s into the evening. Pangaea Disco have played. This year we are operating two stages which is cool. This gives us more chance to showcase a diverse range of music from steel drum bands to RnB singers.
A: Always been one stage?
G: Previously it has been one yeah. Having two has just opened up the possibilities really. We have a South African guy called Art Bam who was supposed to play for us last year. We confirmed we have a female DJ duo called Loose Leaf. Two more acoustic artists – we’re trying to keep it as varied as possible..
A: Is there gonna be one stage focussing on more DJs and one for bands or some mix and matching?
G: We would like to curate a setting where if there is a DJ or electronic music let’s say being played on the main stage that there is then an acoustic vibe on the other in the woods.
A: In the woods! That sounds exciting.
J: It is a really special little spot
A: A lot of the artists you have booked have been friends or friends of friends?
J: Until now yeah, this year has been the first time we have contacted people cold.
A: How have you found that?
J: Highs and lows. We have been in touch with a label with a load of talented female DJs on their roster who were keen to get involved and delighted to have secured Jay Carder who will bring a great vibe to the main stage.
Months ago we also reached out to a certain band, whose location is very dear to us and sent them a heartfelt email only to receive a polite, but short, two lines back.
G: At some point that cold calling has to start and we are accepting of some messages we send will get some no’s. It’s most important to us however that we support and highlight upcoming and grass roots talent. Regardless of our progression there will always be a stage or platform for those new or lesser known artists.
A: Any musical ability in you two?
J: George is a very talented drummer, he wouldn’t admit that but he’s great. Growing up music was always a big part of my life, Jazz particularly. I play saxophone and at uni did some saxophone playing to a live DJ which was fun, and played a few festivals. I have a DJ controller and play in my room sometimes which is always fun.
G: Jamie tried to teach me in the first lockdown.
A: You two should play the opening tracks of the festival whenever it begins.
J: ahaha we should do that.
G: I think we will be a bit too busy running all over the place.
A: I wanted to ask about the two charities Soulstice supports and ask you both about why you support those specific charities? Young Minds and RNLI.
G: We can never really speak about the festival without mentioning the charities. I don’t think we would have started a festival if it weren’t for charity. An old friend of both of us, Charlie Hutton, really sadly passed away in a boating accident and the RNLI were incredibly supportive throughout that whole process. They have been so behind us since the first moment we contacted them about the festival, brought a gazebo down and came to the festival with their families and kids. The second year a guy called Kevin from the tower lifeboat station came and spoke on the stage. We can’t thank them enough and are really proud to help support them.
Young Minds is another charity really dear to our hearts. From my side, particularly growing up, mental health deserves awareness and doesn’t get enough awareness. To be a small grassroots festival and have the support of those two charities is really great.
A: My mum is a big fan of the RNLI so she was excited when I told her it was a charity you guys supported.
G: Yeah, the thing with the RNLI is they often say their support base must keep reaching young people more. So it’s important we continue to raise their awareness because they are a critical service.
J: Young Minds is a fantastic charity which raises awareness, actively works and generates support around mental health in young people. For both of us, we are incredibly proud to be able to support this charity which can help young people who are struggling with mental health and having been affected with issues in our youth we hope we can contribute to better help for young people now.
We spoke a little off the record on some of the Soulstice Collective’s incredible array of written pieces and one of the most memorable for me was the story told by Luke Baptiste. To summarise a deep and complex story, the man travelled across Israel with some important life lessons to come from that experience.
https://thesoulsticecollective.org/creative/2021/1/25/09-walking-israel
G: So he was a guy in my year at school. I stumbled across an article he had written. This was just when we started the creative side. I dropped him a message and asked if he wanted to tell his story for our platform and he was keen.
A: Before I ask a little more about Soulstice’s progression to a written platform I wanted to just ask you both about the state of media at the moment. From my perspective the written word hasn’t quite got the weight it once had. Individuals, both young and old, have changed the way they consume media and form their views, videos and pictures are so important these days. Is this something you two have thought about much?
G: With our social media channels linking seamlessly to the website where our articles are based, I think Jamie has done a great job in connecting the aesthetic of our instagram for example to the written pieces we put out. The image we post hopefully can capture a handful of people to then go and read the article or story. Our social media posts might interact with two hundred people let’s say, but as long as the ones who do read it enjoy it and really take something from it, that is what matters for us.
We have also spoken to friends and those who do interact with our content and asked what we can do to improve. We are constantly evolving, for the Maro Itoje interview for example, we did a five minute highlight from the interview as well as the written article. Some people might engage with the written side and others might watch the video.
J: In the opening stages of Soulstice Creative we had to play into what we both knew we could do well which is write. We are both confident writers and can critique and analyse things well, we knew that was how we could initially put out quality content rather than a badly edited video ahahaha.
Going forward we want there to be a lot more visual content. We are aware of the need to produce shorter easy to digest content but also balance that with quality written pieces.
A: A lot of the articles I have read appear to have a political focus or undertone.
J: I would like to ask about that, why do you think that?
A: Just the articles I have read to me have felt politically focused, the Lottie Hayton article demystifying black violence as well as yours on appropriation within popular media.
J: We have tried to keep our work apolitical, and by that I mean trying to avoid portraying that we sit somewhere on the political spectrum, what you may call a political issue we might see as a cultural challenge – but we don’t want to tell people how to interpret our content!
G: I think it would be really challenging for us to publish those pieces and for someone to not see a social topic, which might have a political aspect. For us when we are editing or deciding titles for pieces we are focusing on being behind a social cause and asking questions about that. Jamie’s article I think did a great example of explaining that. We might watch a series like Top Boy on the TV, there might perhaps be a disconnect from the show’s producers and the audience’s interpretation.
One of my favourite pieces we were able to publish was the interview I conducted with Matthew Peacock MBE and David Tovey.
What they are trying to do is change people’s perceptions on social issues and I think they would say they are social activists rather than politicians.
A: Was there any anxiety before progressing the collective into a written platform or did you both have confidence in the articles you had planned to release?
G: We agreed between the two of us that the first piece would be by one of the two of us and I’ll put my hands up and say I was so so nervous. I have written a load of essays throughout my life, I studied an essay writing subject at University. This was different, it was nice to write something genuinely your own.
A: So you enjoyed it?
G: Yeah definitely, it got a bit harder when I realised that other people might read it ahaha. We want to use our platform with people who we know have got something fascinating to say with confidence and place to write.
J: I remember when I was at University I would start and write all these pieces and then feel so embarrassed. I went to the library in second year to write a philosophy essay and four hours later came out having written an article on Justin Bieber. I was so nervous at the time I didn’t check up on how it had done for like three days. If I read it back now I wouldn’t like it ahaha. My piece for Soulstice is something I really believe in. I think that helps a massive difference in finding confidence in writing.
Jamie quite brilliantly breaks down some of the challenges surrounding the huge success of Top Boy’s recent resurgence.
https://thesoulsticecollective.org/creative/uk-street-cultures-double-edged-sword
J: If you asked me something I was less familiar with or passionate about I would feel much more nervous. Before Soulstice Creative had a brand or a website, George wrote a brilliant opening article. He gave us a cornerstone to get going.
G: Funny that Jamie mentioned he would look back at an old article and sort of cringe at it. When I look back to our first year of the festival I think, how did we pull that off? It is all about learning from everything you do. We are still so young now but all these mistakes we might have made have helped us in the future. Not overthinking too much and enjoying the process.
A: Do you think the last year and with everything that’s happened with a whole range of political and cultural challenges sped up the concept behind The Soulstice Collective? What are your takes on any of those issues, George Floyd and Sarah Everard in particular?
J: 100%, George and I like many during that first lockdown went home out of fear. We, like most of the world, thought we would go home have a pint and it would all blow over. I think there was a bit of a lightbulb moment where we realised COVID was an issue that might last longer than 6 months. What then happened in America exploded all over the world, George and I quickly realised we needed a way to communicate with the world. We felt we had so much to say and so much to talk about but without the platform.
We needed a way of communicating with the world and it made sense. We saw it as a temporary exercise and now it is a small but essential arm of The Soulstice Collective.
G: We really value the privilege of being able to communicate our views and values. But we also hope that we can give others the chance and opportunity to say something meaningful.
The killing of George Flloyd, was a real moment of fear. I saw the protests in London on TV. Seeing the open divide there which has been closeted for many years in the UK. Society has tried to deny that conflict is there but I saw it there and then. That photo of Patrick Hutchinson carrying away the All Lives Matter protester, I thought was a powerful image. It all just made me feel scared as a young person and an ethnic minority. From the back of that and seeing the impact that protests can have, some of the conversations which have emerged have been really positive. Those conversations are only helping people’s outlooks. You hope that bottom-up impact can be as important as top down. In my opening piece I mentioned that we started this because of that, we both felt personally affected by it.
J: The global protests after the death of George Floyd howed that we are in the midst of a time where we can see that global action can make a difference.
With the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, it was a moment of deep sadness for society, particularly women and a loss in faith in those who are meant to protect you. The instant and thought-provoking reactions on social media must not be forgotten. For this to happen, it is about pursuing deep-rooted attitude changes in society, followed by organisations and companies supporting these with actual actions.
A: Linking this all back to Soulstice, how do you think festivals or written platforms such as yours can help make a difference?
J: I think it is really important to recognise the difference between fueling the conversation and doing. Soulstice Creative is our way of communicating our thoughts, that is a very different exercise to direct action. We hope that the festival is our way of doing, raising money to directly help certain causes rather than just talking. We have ideas, future things we want to do which are even more direct than what we are doing already. One thing we have realised in the past twelve months is it is really easy to say yes to everything and end up not doing anything properly. I do think the talking side of it is incredibly important – everytime someone writes something, it is something which contributes to the wider conversation. Our background I feel is quite niche and that gives us an interesting perspective on a lot of issues.
I think it’s essential we follow through a lot of our talk with actions and we want to do more of that for sure.
G: This cliche will stay with me forever, when I spoke to Matthew Peacock MBE, who founded two charities which do fantastic work in arts & homelessness,he mentioned the idea of a stick of rock. When you buy a stick of rock on the beach in Brighton, wherever you crack the stick, the word ‘Brighton’ will always run through the middle. Whenever you do something, you have to look at it as a stick of rock and wherever the rock splits, the writing should always be the same. Through the Soulstice Collective through the festival, creative platform or other ideas we have coming soon, we want our values to be the same throughout. There might be certain people who buy tickets for the festival in a heartbeat, or read one of our articles, wherever they see or engage with us they recognise our values. The values being diversity, access to opportunity and sustainability.
Soulstice Festival is due to take place on Saturday 4th-Sunday 5th September. Currently a sold out event, keep an eye on our Instagram for resale opportunities. The Soulstice Collective is delighted to have Mantissa down to DJ and is looking forward to the vibe they bring on the decks.
For more news, information and access to articles from The Soulstice Collective check out our website on https://thesoulsticecollective.org
Keep an eye out for big announcements from The Soulstice Collective in Autumn 2021…