Lucy Wood joins Roundhouse as head of music
Former Festival Republic booker Lucy Wood has joined iconic London venue the Roundhouse (1,700-seat) as head of music, effective from the end of March.
Wood succeeds Jane Beese in the role, who left the Roundhouse at the end of last year to take up the position as head of music at Manchester International Festival (MIF) after five years at the venue.
Having previously led the music programming for Latitude Festival, which last year saw performances from Lana Del Rey, George Ezra, Snow Patrol, Loyle Carner and Primal Scream, Wood will now head up the music team at the Roundhouse, which hosts over 100 shows a year, as well as in-house festivals In the Round and Roundhouse Rising.
With 15 years’ experience in the music industry, Wood has previously held roles at 19 Entertainment, Warp Records and Eat Your Own Ears, working on festivals such as Field Day and promoting shows by Grimes, the xx and Four Tet.
As part of her Roundhouse role, Wood will help expand the venue’s onsite music programme for 11 to 25 year olds, developing the current site with a new talent development centre.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming Lucy to the team at such an exciting time for the Roundhouse”
“We are really looking forward to welcoming Lucy to the team at such an exciting time for the Roundhouse,” says the Roundhouse programmes director Delia Barker.
“She has a great track record and is well respected across the industry and will bring an incredible energy to support our emerging artists – all whilst programming some of the biggest names in the world on our iconic stage.”
Wood comments: “I’ve had a brilliant three years working with amazing music from across the spectrum of genres at Latitude, as part of Festival Republic – building on my time promoting at London’s cherished Eat Your Own Ears.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at the Roundhouse, a world-class arts institution with incredible history, and to be supporting its exceptional work with young people.”
Upcoming acts playing at the Roundhouse include Sigala and the Growlers, as well as shows by Sports Team, Michael Kiwanuka, Kate Tempest and Roisin Murphy as part of the 6 Music Festival. The Strokes performed a special, intimate show at the venue last night (19 February).
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Jane Beese exits the Roundhouse for MIF
Manchester International Festival (MIF) has announced the appointment of Jane Beese, currently of London venue the Roundhouse, as head of music.
Beese is currently head of music at the 1,700-seat Roundhouse, in Camden, which she joined from the Southbank Centre/Meltdown Festival in 2015.
She joins MIF as it prepares to move to the Factory, a new arts venue being built in Manchester, which in addition to the festival will host around 80 music events annually.
Beese will work with external companies and the Factory’s artistic team to commission, present and co-promote a range of musical events, including both larger commissioned/interdisciplinary work and projects focused on emerging talent.
John McGrath, artistic director and chief executive of MIF and the Factory, says: “We’re delighted that Jane is joining the team as we get ready for the Factory. She has a fantastic track record that includes some of the most memorable live events of the last decade and relationships across the music industry, which will ensure the Factory is able to create a strong and distinctive music programme that will add to Manchester’s reputation as one of the greatest music cities in the world.”
“We’re of course sad to see Jane go, but we are excited for her”
“It’s a huge honour to be accepting the new role of head of music at Manchester International Festival and the Factory,” adds Beese, who moves into her new role next April. “Manchester has been responsible for all my formative music experiences and I’m really happy to be returning to a city that has always inspired me.
“I’ve had an amazing time working at the Roundhouse and I will miss it and the team deeply. But this is an opportunity like no other and I’m really excited to be joining the exceptional team at MIF at this pivotal juncture as we move toward the next Festival in 2021 and the historic opening of the Factory.
“The ethos and ambitions of the MIF are unparallelled, and I am most looking forward to engaging firsthand with the brilliant and visionary music community in Manchester.”
Notable past musical performances at MIF include Kraftwerk performing Tour de France alongside the British cycling team, Massive Attack collaborating with film director Adam Curtis, Kanye West’s first Manchester performance, a seven-day FKA Twigs residency and Gorillaz’s Demon Dayz Live.
Delia Barker, programmes director at the Roundhouse, says the venue will appoint a new head of music in the coming months. “We’re of course sad to see Jane go, but we are excited for her,” she tells IQ. “We’ll be looking to appoint to the role of head of music soon.”
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