Once again thousands of people came to Ipswich to enjoy the rich and varied music at the Brighten The Corners (BTC) two-day music festival. There were over 70 acts across 5 venues which meant there were abundant opportunities to see new acts and hear new sounds to add to your playlist.
Cornhill was the first stage to kick off each day and with the amazing weather it brought the crowds into town. The Cornhill stage is a showcase of three amazing initiatives that the BTC have bought to Ipswich. Firstly, this part of the music festival was free therefore anyone who wanted to listen to over 12 hours of live music over the weekend for free, could do so. Secondly, this stage was organised by the TuneUp Team, a team of youngsters who are mentored by the BTC Team to give a variety of skills for young people who want to get into the music industry. Thirdly, the acts were regional grass roots musicians who were given the opportunity to reach new audiences, a couple of acts it was their first gig although you wouldn’t have known. Acts on the Cornhill stage included: Jaded Teeth, Bonuru, Kade, Watkin A Sharkey, kirakira, Bayou and Helix.
The Smokehouse, known for its intimate and eclectic venue, festival goers knew you had to get into the venue way before the act start time due to the limited space and many times there were having to operate a one out one in policy. For the festival a street food stall was in the car park as well as a dedicated seating area. Acts included The Pill, Hitmen, Gasoline Green, Miss Tiny and Black Fondu.
St Stephen’s Church is a fantastic music venue and for the first time, specifically for the festival there was outdoor space available in order to chill, drink or grab some food. This added to the vibe of what the Church was offering over the weekend. Acts included: Monster Florence, Lucy Gooch, oreglo, Eve’s Delight, Yuuf, James Alexander Bright and Mermaid Chunky.
The Baths, a mid-sized venue kicked off the festival with the high energy Disgusting Sisters which pulled in a crowd early doors, followed by an incredible set from Caleb Kunle which meant only two acts into the festival and The Baths was totally buzzing with a fantastic atmosphere. The crowds were there for all the acts and it did reach the one out one in policy as the vibe was building. The Baths ended each night of the festival with a late night DJ keeping the beats going until 2 in the morning. Acts at The Baths included: deary, SHOLTO, corto.alto, Van Houten, Y, THE NONE, Adwaith and Another Taste.
The Corn Exchange was also part of the festival and as the biggest venue on the list brought in the bigger names such as Lime Garden, DEADLETTER, Dry Cleaning, Gruff Rhys and Bob Vylan.
The BTC 2025 Music Festival has been a great success offering incredible music to thousands of people and showing everyone how fantastic Ipswich really is. A huge pat on the back for the BTC Team.
For more information on Brighten The Corners and the list of gigs, go here.