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Latitude Festival pick 'means the world' to local acts

BBC Melvin Benn with Inigo Ayestaran, Charlie Simpson and Megan Simpson of Three Years YoungerBBC
Inigo Ayestaran, Charlie Simpson and Megan Simpson of Three Years Younger, pictured with Latitude Festival founder Melvin Benn (left)

Emerging artists hand-picked to appear at Latitude Festival have said it "means the world" to them.

BBC Music Introducing in Suffolk has selected three local acts for the festival at Henham Park, near Southwold, from 21 to 24 July.

They are hip hop duo Brotherhood, indie-surf band Tundra and Three Years Younger.

"It's one of the best things that has happened," said Megan Simpson, of Three Years Younger.

Tundra perform for BBC Music Introducing in 2019
Tundra played a session for BBC Music Introducing in Suffolk in 2019

Megan performs close harmonies with her sister, Charlie, and they have recently been joined by bass and keyboard player Inigo Ayestaran.

Each year, the Introducing programme in Suffolk, presented by Angelle Joseph, is asked to pick three acts to perform on the Alcove Stage at the festival.

"We have wanted this for so long and to be picked by Angelle and for her to have belief in us to perform on this stage, it's incredible," Megan said.

"There's something very special about the BBC Music Introducing artists that come up through the generations," added Charlie.

"You see people starting out and then a few later they are doing really well."

East Anglia acts Bessie Turner, Let's Eat Grandma, Cavetown, Gaffa Tape Sandy and Dylan, all of whom are on this year's bill, came through the BBC Music Introducing system.

Festival founder Melvin Benn said he believed BBC Music Introducing was an "unsung hero" for giving a platform to all genres.

'Hard time for artists'

Also appearing on the Alcove Stage are Byron and Jerome Ingham of Brotherhood.

They have amassed hundreds and thousands of streams and a huge following on social media - all from a makeshift studio in a bedroom in Ipswich.

Bessie Turner Bessie TurnerBessie Turner
Bessie Turner is playing on the BBC Sounds Stage this year, but previously represented BBC Introducing in Suffolk at the festival

Tundra, consisting of Elliott Rodger-Brown, Elliot Booth and Caitilin Pegley, from Sudbury, said Latitude had been on their "bucket list" since the band set out.

Angelle Joseph said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be hosting a section of our biggest local acts on a stage that represents everything I am proud to be part of."

"It's been such a hard time for new artists and finally we are able to give them a platform to share their art, connect with their supporters and build new fans."

The local acts join a line-up that includes Foals, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, Maggie Rogers, Little Simz and Manic Street Preachers.

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