News

Roll Deep, Rob Da Bank and Professor Green Set To Play Turning Point

• 8th Sep 2010

New acts, performances and stages have been unveiled for this year’s Turning Point Festival at Camden’s Roundhouse taking place17-19 September. Rob Da Bank and Roll Deep will join Ms. Dynamite, Toddla T and Professor Green and many others at the only London music festival to be completely created and controlled by young people aged 25 and under.

FRIDAY night kicks off the best rave in London with rap star Professor Green headlining the Main Space. After dominating the underground scene for over six years, 2010 has been the year of the Professor. His breakthrough track I Need You Tonight went straight into the Top 10, a success replicated with Just Be Good To Green featuring Lily Allen. Alive Till I’m Dead, his first mainstream album release, rocketed straight to number 2 in the charts.

DJ Toddla T will be dropping explosive beats throughout the night, and underground maestros Breakage, Redlight and Jakwob will also be on hand to keep the party jumping, with interventions from Circus Space performers. Legendary Glasgow club promoters turned record label Numbers will be showcasing some of their hottest signings, with Club Snap, Crackle & Pop hosting Room 2. Those looking for a surreal start to their weekend can catch the weird and wonderful stars of the Cabaret Tent hosted by the quirky Marisa Carnesky – expect everything from twisted theatrics to trapeze, and burlesque to the bizarre, courtesy of London’s finest cabaret stars.

SATURDAY offers the biggest and best names in urban music. BBC Radio 1 DJ, Bestival founder and Turning Point champion Rob da Bank will deliver the coolest, quirkiest tracks of the leftfield music scene. Fellow BBC Radio 1 star and club DJ, MistaJam will host a day of live performances, groundbreaking music and comedy turns. His music credentials speak for themselves, having opened for the likes of Wu Tang Clan and Dizzee Rascal. Grime collective Roll Deep, whose most famous members have included Dizzee Rascal and Wiley, will also perform backed by a full live band.

Singer and MC Ms. Dynamite will return to North London for her homecoming gig. The star will showcase the songs that made her one of the most exciting stars of the new millennium and helped her bag the Mercury Music Prize. Redux are hosting Room 2 with live music, DJs and a graffiti battle, and Show + Tell will host an evening of comedy with performances from Milton Jones, Ivo Graham, Will Andrews, James Acaster, Colin Hoult and Joey Page, all compered by Simon Munnery. There’ll also be a unique opportunity to catch the Wildcard entries to this year’s 2010 Funny Women Awards hosted by comedy heavyweight Deborah Frances-White. Six budding comediennes will be brought back for a “Last Chance Saloon” and only two will be given the chance to re-enter the competition and win the coveted Funny Women Awards.

SUNDAY winds down with an eclectic mix of music, poetry, comedy and artistic interventions throughout the Roundhouse's more intimate spaces. Pioneering independent promoters Eat Your Own Ears head up Room 2 with the best up-and-coming new music talent from London and beyond including Actress, Bo Ningen, Radiant Dragon and Gallops. London Word Festival play host in the Marquee with Laura Dockrill, Ross Sutherland and Terry Saunders performing alongside the Roundhouse Poetry Collective and Roundhouse Experimental Choir.

Love Music Hate Racism will be hosting a programme of special guests in The Hub, and Edinburgh Festival's most progressive young theatre venue Forest Fringe present their Travelling Sounds Library. There will also be an outdoor market with DJs, a dress-up box hosted by Escapade and more.

This year the Roundhouse has teamed up with MySpace.com, the world's largest online music community, to find four more acts to join the Turning Point line up. The entries from unsigned bands and artists have been flooding in, and with only four coveted set times up for grabs, the Turning Point team have the tough task of whittling down the shortlist. The entire festival – filmed by the Roundhouse broadcast team, the majority of whom have progressed through the creative programme at the Roundhouse – will be broadcast live at link and via MySpace.

Last year’s inaugural Roundhouse Turning Point Festival sold out and has led to another jam packed line-up for 2010. Masterminded by talented young people aged 25 and under, it offers a unique chance for the group to run a music event at a major London venue. Receiving training in everything from booking acts to promoting them, the team have equipped themselves with the skills to run their festival, their way.

Turning Point epitomises the Roundhouse’s aim to nurture and champion fledgling talent and provide young people with the skills required for their chosen careers. Ms Dynamite feels very passionate about the Festival: “What’s unique and super exciting about this festival is that it’s all arranged and totally done by young people. I’m really excited to just be getting on stage!”