JC
Is there anything more fun that writing about the things you REALLY love? And is there anything any of us love more than going to a festival?!
- MUSIC FOCUS: Download Festival.
- ACTIVITY FOCUS: Have a read through our letter to Download Festival booker, Andy Copping. Then come up with your own festival bill and write your own persuasive letter!
Dear Mr Copping,
This year’s Download Festival absolutely changed my life. The craziness of the crowds, the madness of the music and the wondrous weather – all of these things combined to create a dream weekend that no one who was there will ever forget!
As you can probably imagine, I am already looking forward to June 2023. The only bad news is that next summer is SO far away. How can I wait that long when I’m already on the verge of exploding with excitement? When I’m already unable to concentrate on anything but the songs playing at full volume through my headphones? When all I want is to be dancing around like a madman in the Donington sunshine?
One thing’s for certain: it would really help to know for sure that all my favourite bands will once again be invited into your awe-inspiring arena. And so it is that I write to you regarding the acts that I’d love to see on the Avalanche Stage. If you could please, please, please book these artists and ensure my sanity, I would be forever in your debt.
It probably makes sense to start with the headliners I’m envisaging: the heavenly Hundred Reasons, the divine Deaf Havana, the miraculous Mayday Parade and the riveting Rolo Tomassi. Each of these groups will offer a different experience to the more traditional metal bands destroying the main stage. They will send shivers down our spines, melt our hearts and give every single person watching the musical equivalent of an enormous cuddle.
Who should the main supporting acts be? Well, it’s funny you should ask! Seeing as wherever Hundred Reasons go, Hell Is For Heroes go too, let’s begin with Will McGonagle and gang. Crosses can fill the Saturday slot – Chino Moreno’s voice sounds like melted stars – while zeitgeist outfits Magnolia Park and VUKOVI will be ready to smash it on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
I have outlined the rest of the Avalanche bill below – along with suggestions as to who should perform on your other three stages. You’ll note that I’ve been careful not to propose any of the ‘big’ acts you booked in 2022, although I’m sure you can see your way to giving everybody a treat and offering successive invitations to the hottest bands of the moment: Holding Absence and YONAKA.
Let me finish by saying once again how much I am looking forward to seeing all the artists I’ve named causing mayhem at next year’s Download Festival. And it’s not just me. One hundred per cent of people contacted agreed that they would absolutely adore it if you could match the bill sketched out below.
Your unparalleled levels of experience mean you’re the one person who could pull this off.
Thank you for your commitment to the rock community.
Yours Sincerely,
JC
ACTIVITY 1
Create your own festival bill. Maybe you want to go BIG – just like we’ve done above – and sketch out a lineup for one of the huge festivals you’re already looking forward to. Or perhaps you’d rather invent a brand new festival of your own!
If picking a lineup as enormous as the one above feels too much, simply put together a list of the 7 or 8 bands you’d like to see on one stage on one of the days. Create a big bill or a small bill – sketch out all of the lineup or just a part of it – whatever you find the most fun!
ACTIVITY 2
Find examples of the writing techniques listed below. You might find it helps to download your own copy of the letter so that you can highlight and label easily.
- simile to create a a sense of beauty
- statistic used to cement argument
- exclamatory sentence to underline the feeling of excitement
- alliteration combined with list of 3 to create a sense of the different feelings involved (the raucous ‘c’ sounds, the satisfied ‘m’ sounds, the disbelieving ‘w’ sounds)
- alliteration used to mimic the feel of the bands being described
- short paragraph to create emphasis/add significance to the idea being presented
- metaphor to create a sense of unique, special experience
- repeated rhetorical questions to underline the sense of challenge
- dash used to build a sense of escalating excitement
- colon used to precede an explanation
- hyperbole to emphasise the feeling of excitement
- ‘action’ words to create a sense of energy
- repetition to underline the importance of issue at hand
- imperative to encourage reader’s attention
ACTIVITY 3
Write your own letter! Research the name of the festival’s real-life booking agent, make up a name – or simply address your festival request to JC at Sound of Pen – it doesn’t matter. Aim to include as many of the techniques (listed in purple above) as possible.
Once you’re done, you can send your ideas (or questions) in. We want to publish the most exciting writing and offer advice. Don’t feel that you have to complete ALL of the activities. We would excited simply to see your ideal festival bill!
Or have a go at writing about your experiences as a teenager with a little help from the inspirational Taylor Swift!