Backstage Pass: The Joys of Finding Festival Artists

The magic of a festival goes beyond the music and the performances. Behind the scenes, there’s this constant quest to craft a diverse lineup that consists of a blend of established favourites, fresh discoveries, and unexpected gems. It’s a constant quest to unearth these artists and create an unforgettable experience for our festival goers. Social media can be a great source (and justifies me spending too much time on it!).

A few years ago, lots of friends were posting The Rainbow Girls’ cover version of Down Home Girl, it racked up over 3 million views. Given they’re from California, I was sure we’d have no chance of booking them. A peruse of flights proved costs were prohibitive. I suggested if they were ever near Lesvos, to contact me (assuming I’d never hear from them again.) Incredibly, 3 weeks later, they were booked to play a festival on the Island of Corfu, just a few days before our festival started and so, in 2019, they delivered an outstanding performance! It taught me to always give it a go which is why I subsequently attempted to contact The Indigo Girls, LP & Melissa Etheridge, I’m still waiting for a reply! Ioanna asks me every year to book Madonna!

Sometimes I reach out to people who I know are interested in music or, it’s their job, their passion. The exceptional, award-winning DJ Ritu is a great example of that. She’s a festival favourite; she introduced me to the phenomenally talented and charismatic soprano, Nadine Benjamin. At that time, we’d never had opera before, for those of us there, it proved to be a magical night.

I’m happy when people give me their recommendations, for lots of reasons, it doesn’t always work out, but I love people’s enthusiasm when they champion an artist. There are many things I love about this festival, but what I enjoy most about the planning process is getting to know the acts, listening to the various samples, hearing the life stories, seeing them on stage from initial contact to singing etc.

There’s a lot that goes on in-between finding a performer to finally watching them step on that stage. The thrill of seeing the audience, knowing they’re loving the concert is immense. It’s also a great pleasure to witness artists fall in love with Skala Eressos and the festival. I honestly don’t think we’ve had a performer who hasn’t asked if they could return……ever. It reinforces to me what a special place Skala Eressos is and how much it means to people. It’s why so many women return year after year. Our festival goers’ tastes are as diverse as they are. We have (thankfully) such a broad demographic and so we try to reflect that in our scheduling.

What I’m most excited about this year? The closing night! Speeding towards 60 faster than a bullet train means endless early mornings and attendant late nights, they almost finish me off! But seriously, I’m excited about all of it. However, there’s always a special thrill around the opening night. Women may have been planning their trip from far and wide for a long time. They’re on holiday and looking forward to the festival starting – 10 days of absolute joy in a very special part of the world. It’s also when all our hard work comes to fruition, months of preparation gloriously unfolding. The atmosphere is full of excitement, anticipation; it’s palpable, thrilling. We only get the keys to the open-air cinema (our main venue) 2 days before we start. It’s crazy to watch it being transformed in such a short time. Our volunteers play a crucial role throughout the festival, but they really pull it out of the bag in prepping the cinema. Wendy always worries it’s going to rain (I can’t recall the last time it did) but we’ve got a Plan B,right?!