Last week I was up in Sheffield for a new podcast festival called Crossed Wires. And already in its inaugural year, there was such an energy and spark about it. It is set to be a fixture in the arts calendar for years to come.
Big names from the world of podcasting were there, from Jon Ronson to Romesh Rangathan and Tom Davis (behind Wolf and Owl), to Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani (behind Brown Girls Do It Too.) Self-Esteem did a DJ set on the Friday night, whilst Greg James and Alice Levine (one of the festival’s co-founders) were there for talks.
Yet for me what stood out to me were how shows were packed to the rafters with dedicated fans for local programmes. Football Heaven, a show that build-ups matches each week on BBC Radio Sheffield, sold out the entire auditorium at City Hall. It makes you wonder what other shows attracting local audiences could be able to achieve if such festivals take place around the country, especially at a time when a lot of other local media, such as print, are under such strain.“A lot of people asked us why start Crossed Wires in Sheffield?,” said Sofos. “This city is a creative powerhouse that punches above its weight. It’s full of storytellers and sound supremos who have created musical genres. So the answer is - it SHOULD be in Sheffield!”
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