A Model for a New Youth Music Community
Badger is a not-for-profit music community based at The Source Park in Hastings. It mentors and funds content creators, helping to curate affordable nightlife for music lovers and develop long-term careers for young creatives and promoters.
Badger gives young creatives freedom to explore their passions and ideas whilst supported by an experienced music industry network. It champions emerging talent, represents authentic scenes, and empowers the next generation of music, media and creative leaders.
With free venue hire and PA support, they also offer tailored workshops in tech, marketing, event management, songwriting and artist development – lowering barriers of entry and empowering young people to develop and deliver their skills and ideas.
Founder Kate Jaggers shares her vision for the community: “The concept of Badger was to provide a home for underrepresented scenes and young creatives in Hastings. The underground vibes and existing youth social-change attributes of The Source Park made this a natural fit. Whilst Hastings provides many cultural opportunities for creatives, a dedicated 16–24-year-old outlet for the ideas of young music creatives didn’t exist.”
She explains, “We’re home to regular nights curated by young people but open for all ages to attend – including UK rap, world and electronic music. We aim to be the talent incubator for the wider local music industry; young creatives flourish when heard and supported – feeding music venues on the south coast and beyond. Increasingly young creatives can’t afford to live in cities so we need to connect the talent that exists outside major cities to a new regional music industry network that offers stability and long-term careers in music.”
As Badger marks its first anniversary at The Source Park, it can look back at an exceptional year. Regular nights include Artist Showcase, a bi-monthly ‘mini- Great Escape’ style evening that showcases emerging talent and EMOM, an open-mic format for electronic music producers and DJs. There are also regular rock, indie and dub nights from local promoter duo Bring Your Nan and delights from further afield via a partnership with the Eastbourne Music Collective.
Badger is becoming a trusted voice for young people – a place where talent grows and industry partners come to discover what’s next. It also runs a youth music conference, ACTIVE 8, a two-day event that returns this autumn with free workshops from major youth music organisations. Last year’s contributors included the BBC, Reprezent Radio and Live Nation and speakers such as the head of artist welfare from Dua Lipa’s world tour and Radio 1 presenters.
Building on their success, Badger recently launched their Advanced Promoter Programme: a three-month, Arts Council England-funded scheme designed to accelerate the ideas and careers of established local promoters. The culmination of this programme is four free outdoor terrace events (5–10pm) at the De La Warr Pavilion, spanning electronic, indie, rock, UK rap, and world music – celebrating underrepresented subcultures across the South Coast.
Badger can have a lifelong impact on its participants; assistant venue manager Jazz explains that she discovered the Badger music community during an extremely challenging final year at college: “Badger provided a home and a space to grow, not only for me but for so many others within my creative field. It provided a safe space to share and get a response to my ideas without the barriers and limitations I faced within traditional education – ideas were met with enthusiasm, encouragement and insight.”
Her band has subsequently gone from strength to strength, and their debut track Anywhere was recently featured on BBC Introducing. Badger’s mentor support has also helped develop her passion for music programming, and she now has a bi-monthly slot at The Source Park, while documenting the artists Badger showcases through her photography – work she credits with helping kick-start her career in music.
For live updates and information go to instagram @badgeruk or email [email protected].
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