The sixth Dumfries Music Conference is set to return to the town, taking place across three days on 18-20 October. The sixth annual conference features a musically-orientated mix of film, discussion, live music, art and workshops. This year, DMC is branching out from its base at The Stove, 100 High Street to also involve The Oven, 135-139 High Street and Robert Burns Film Theatre in the DMC 2018 programme.
Since launching in 2012, the event, which is predominantly aimed at 14-30 year olds, has welcomed a huge range of people from across the music industry. That includes organisations and companies like Born To Be Wide, Chemikal Underground, the BBC, Soma Records, Ministry of Sound, Funktion-One, Cryptic and Mircodot. DMC’s aim is to galvanise the vibrant Dumfries & Galloway music scene and give it a voice on a national level, having established a strong network of friends and partners that span the music industry in Scotland and beyond.
For 2018, the organisers have pulled out all the stops to ensure a jam-packed weekend full of exciting events for Dumfries. Co-Founder of DMC, Michael Nicholson, commented: “It’s been a busy and productive year, but the highlight is sure to be DMC 2018. Over three days, we’ll bring film, radio, live music, workshops and music industry discussion to Dumfries town centre. As ever, we’ll be working with partners from across the Scottish music industry to offer attendees knowledge, inspiration and plenty of fun. Almost all of DMC 2018’s sessions and events are free to attend – everybody is welcome.”
On Thursday 18 October, DMC 2018 will kick off with a screening of ‘Goodnight Brooklyn – The Story of Death by Audio’ at the Robert Burns Centre. This documentary chronicles the origins and demise of one of Brooklyn’s best DIY venues; a big theme for DMC this year. The screening starts at 7.30pm and tickets are available from the Robert Burns Centre for £4.
DMC will then host its launch evening at The Stove from 9.30pm with ‘What Presence!’ – a special exhibition of work by photographer Harry Papadopoulous. Harry is a self-taught photographer from Glasgow who documented Scottish bands such as Aztec Camera, Orange Juice and The Bluebells, as well as working for New Musical Express and Sounds at the height of the new wave explosion. His photographs cover every major band from 1979-1984, including David Bowie, Blondie, Joy Division and The Clash. The exhibition at The Stove will run from 18 – 27 October. Taking in Dumfries, Glasgow and Berlin, this exhibition is presented in partnership with Street Level Photoworks in Glasgow and Das Giftraum in Berlin, where there will be an exhibition of similar works shown as part of Monat der Fotografie-OFF Berlin 2018.
Friday kicks off with Radio DMC, which broadcasts live from The Stove Café between 12pm and 4pm on both Friday 19 October and Saturday 20 October. Expect new music, interviews, mixes and live performances from local radio hosts with discussions about the DMC programme and the vibrant music scene in Dumfries.
Friday night will end with ‘Rough / Cut’ – an immersive audio-visual reinterpretation of the classic gig format utilising spoken word, live music and performance art. The evening event will be hosted by a line-up of local musicians – collaborating on a newly composed piece of work. An experience which treads the line between theatre, live music, film and installation, featuring Martin Joseph O’Neill, Fraser Clark, Kate Kyle and Franky’s Evil Party. Rough / Cut will begin at 7.30pm at The Stove and is free to attend.
Saturday also provides a full day of workshops, including an opportunity for discussion about what support is needed in the region with Help Musicians Scotland, a workshop with The LaFontaines frontman Kerr Okan on how to build your band and be successful, and a workshop with music publishing team 23rd Precinct on how to make money as a songwriter. All workshops are free to attend but spaces are limited – you can reserve a place on the Dumfries Music Conference Facebook page.
Saturday evening will culminate in the DMC 2018 Showcase gig in association with The Plaza – a new roving music venue concept, which encourages people to take over unusual spaces and fill them with music, art and performance. This year DMC is delighted to feature Liv McDougall, Frozen Shores Collective, The Nickajack Men and Future Get Down. The DMC Showcase will take place at The Stove from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £3 and are available to purchase online via the DMC EventBrite booking page.
To keep up to date with all information, including times and ticket info, see the DMC Facebook page for more details: www.facebook.com/DumfriesMusicConference
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