BBC Radio 6 Music has revealed further details about its new BBC Sounds extension, Indie Forever.
Created by 6 Music and dedicated to the “biggest and best indie pop, rock and classics”, Indie Forever will be available on BBC Sounds from Wednesday, July 22.
It follows the launch of BBC Radio 3 and Radio 1 brand extensions on BBC Sounds and DAB+.
“Indie Forever is a continuation of the BBC’s commitment to evolve BBC Sounds to represent the tastes and experiences of all licence fee payers and reflect how they consume music today, and to give audiences, especially underserved audiences, even more choice and value from the BBC,” said a statement.
The 24-hour stream will play indie music from the 1980s to the 2010s and beyond, with UK artists making up 70% of the playlist. Acts set to receive airplay include The Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, The Verve, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Florence + The Machine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The xx, Wolf Alice, The 1975, Sam Fender, Blossoms and many more.
The stream will launch with programmes including: The Morning Session with Steve Lamacq & Felix White – a weekday homage to the Evening Session (Radio 1) from the 1990s, classic episodes of Jarvis Cocker aired on 6 Music, and Indie Forever Disco with Beth Ditto (Fridays and Saturdays).
It will also feature bespoke City Soundtracks (Monday to Thursday), produced in collaboration with Music Venue Trust and BBC Introducing, celebrating past and present indie scenes across the UK.
6 Music Indie Forever will tell the stories and play the songs that have soundtracked the UK’s thriving independent music scene through 40 years of song, performance and archive
Samantha Moy
In addition, Indie Forever will bring listeners historic interviews and performances from the BBC’s archive, such as Liam and Noel Gallagher’s infamous 1997 appearance on The Evening Session, their 1996 Knebworth show with Oasis, and sessions from artists including Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and The Smiths. There will also be another chance to hear The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of Oasis and The Rise and Fall of The Smiths.
The stream will simulcast 6 Music’s flagship indie music programme, Indie Forever, presented by Nathan Shepherd on Friday evenings. A variety of mood-based and themed playlists from 6 Music presenters and guests will also feature.
To mark the launch of Indie Forever on Wednesday, July 22, 6 Music will simulcast with the stream, playing out the first ever edition of The Morning Session with Steve Lamacq & Felix White, followed by an Indie Forever playlist.
Samantha Moy, head of BBC Radio 6 Music, said: “6 Music Indie Forever will tell the stories and play the songs that have soundtracked the UK’s thriving independent music scene through 40 years of song, performance and archive, enriched by the diverse and deep range of artists and catalogue that is synonymous with 6 Music. If you want a version of 6 Music that's pure, unadulterated indie – then this 24hr stream is for you.”
Mark Davyd, CEO and founder, Music Venue Trust, said: “6 Music has always understood that today's headliners were playing yesterday's grassroots gig, and that understanding has made it one of the best friends that grassroots music venues have. Indie Forever is a joyful tribute to four decades of that music, and City Soundtracks brings it full circle, taking 6 Music and BBC Introducing back into the rooms where it all started. We could not ask for a better partner in telling that story, or in helping write the next chapter of it.”
Steve Lamacq said: "Over my career, I’ve been lucky enough to have followed the journeys of many, now famous or influential indie artists and bands. I’m really looking forward to reliving those memories each weekday morning with Felix on Indie Forever’s The Morning Session and telling the stories that shaped British independent music.”
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