Loopfest organisers launch 'ambitious' project to document evolving Shropshire music scene

An ambitious new project is being launched to document the entire Shropshire music scene as it happens.

Created by Shrewsbury’s Loopfest music festival organisers and based at independent town centre live music venue Loop, the project will build a growing filmed archive of the artists, bands and musicians creating original music across the county and the surrounding region.

Sign up today to get all the latest news headlines from Shropshire and Mid Wales delivered straight to your inbox with the Shropshire Star’s free newsletter

Through regular recording sessions, artists will perform on stage at Loop, with their music captured using professional multi-camera video production and high-quality live audio recording.

Every participating artist will receive professionally produced live performance videos, high-quality audio recordings that they can use across their own websites, social media channels, electronic press kits and promotional material.

These assets will help musicians promote new releases, secure bookings, approach festivals and venues, attract management and industry attention, and provide a professional record of their live performances.

While the project is creating a long-term cultural archive, it is also designed to deliver immediate, practical value to the artists taking part by giving them high- quality content that many emerging musicians would otherwise struggle to access.

Alongside each performance, artists will give in-depth interviews exploring their influences, creative process and experiences.

The interviews will be led by the project team, including one of the Loopfest directors Juliet Hounam, whose background in journalism brings professional interview experience and an editorial approach focused on preserving the stories behind the music as well as the performances themselves.

The result will be an evolving digital archive documenting a regional music scene in real time - capturing musicians at every stage of their journey and preserving a snapshot of the music being created in the region today.

Jamie Smith, founder and director of Loopfest, said: “Every town and region has moments in its musical history that people look back on - the bands, the venues and the people who helped shape a scene.

“The problem is that very few of those scenes are properly documented while they’re actually happening.

“We want to change that.

“There is an incredible amount of original music being created across Shropshire and the surrounding area. Our ambition is to capture it now - professionally and consistently - and build a lasting record of this music scene as it develops.”

“We’re preserving a chapter of Shropshire’s cultural history”

Over time, the Loopfest team hopes the growing collection will become one of the UK’s most significant archives of regional grassroots music, documenting not only individual artists but the wider story of a local music scene as it evolves.

Jamie added: “Imagine if someone had systematically filmed every emerging band playing pubs, clubs and small venues in a town 20 or 30 years ago.

“That archive would be priceless today.

“In five, 10 or 20 years, we want people to be able to look back through these sessions and discover who was making music here, what they sounded like and what they had to say.

“We’re not just recording songs - we’re preserving a chapter of Shropshire’s cultural history.”

Organisers say the project represents the next stage in Loopfest in the Community CIC’s mission to support grassroots artists, strengthen the region’s music infrastructure and create opportunities for musicians beyond the annual festival.

They say the long-term ambition is to establish Shrewsbury as the home of a nationally recognised archive of regional grassroots music and demonstrate a model that could ultimately be replicated in communities across the UK.

The project officially launches in September with a special event at Loop featuring screenings of the first recorded sessions, live performances and presentations outlining the vision behind the project.

Representatives from the music industry, media, cultural organisations and the local business community will be invited alongside artists, supporters and potential project partners.

Loopfest in the Community CIC is also seeking partners and sponsors to support the long-term growth of the project and enable even more artists to participate.