Words: Benns Borgese | Photography: Lucy Browne

With a mission to platform women, LGBTQ+ folk, and POC, LDN heads down to explore brand new multi-venue festival Lume in Camden, London, capturing blinding sets from Lizzy Farrall, Lake Malice and Bambie Thug.

Camden looks as busy as ever on an unusually sunny afternoon in mid-April, a gift to those attending the inaugural edition of Lume Fest. Stretched across three different venues, Camden Eye, The Black Heart, and The Underworld, for a day filled with both established and emerging talents from the alternative music scene, Lume Fest’s focus is to represent more women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and POC. It’s a well-executed goal given more than 50% of the festival’s line-up falls into those categories.

Lume Fest’s attendees were spoilt for choice with a total line-up of 18 acts across the billing. Throughout the day, audience members could be seen rushing from venue to venue to catch as much live music as possible. A crowd as diverse as the festival’s lineup, fans gathered from all over the UK to experience the first-ever Lume Fest, some showing up all the way from Cologne many-a-coach-and-plane journeys later!

The first stop on LDN’s agenda was The Black Heart, a dark dingy pub in the backstreets of Camden that you would never find unless you were looking for it – and even then, trust us, you might accidentally miss it. As we got in MOSKITO – the first on the lineup for the second stage of the festival – were playing for some of the earliest birds, those who could not dare to miss any of the acts Lume Fest had to offer. An entertaining and engaging set, the five-piece was the catalyser of the first of many mosh pits that would take place throughout the day.

“Whatever that thing was, it was beautiful,” said Lake Malice’s vocalist Alice at the end of their set at The Underworld, laughing at the inventive ways the crowd came up with to make the most of the show – from running in circles around a pillar to a group rowing session, the crowd got so heated even the fire alarm went off mid-performance.

As engaging as all acts were, it was the female-fronted bands and the nonbinary performers that charmed us away: Lizzy Farrall, Lake Malice, Bambie Thug, are some of the names we think should be on your to-watch list. That said, every set offered nothing but great vibes, contributing to an energetic day that left audiences wanting more by the end of the night.

With a new edition already in talks for 2024, Lume Fest is a welcoming environment that has a lot to offer to all kinds of music enthusiasts. If a pop-core-girlie like me can feel she was part of the cool kid crowd finally fitting into the alternative scene, trust me when I say anyone is welcome.

A shoutout must be given to the founders of Lume Fest, Passion For Talent Management owner and BIMM London third-year student Lauren Bell and Lume Booking Agency owner Adam Green. In an industry that, to this day, is highly male-dominated, it’s refreshing to see there are people who want to make space for representation – and truly mean it. In the words of Lake Malice’s Alice: “Give it up for the organizers. This industry has been a dickfest, so it’s nice to see some variety!”.

Follow Lume Fest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more information on 2024 plans.