Matchstick Festival 2024

Women Making History!

Yesterday I attended Matchstick Festival in Sevenoaks, the first ever festival in the UK to have a 95% female/non-binary line-up! That sentence is pretty mind-blowing considering that there isn't a shortage of female/non-binary talent, so why hasn't this been done before? Regardless of the answer to that question, it was incredible to be a part of a historic event as well as to find so many new artists and creatives. May I just add that everyone was super friendly and the performers were incredible!

Here are some of my personal highlights:

Claudia Kate absolutely blew me away! She's definitely the Kate Nash of the new generation and really has a way with words. The raw emotion she's able to evoke is something else, I was completely drawn in. Her backing band had immaculate vibes and such talent too, elevating each song to new levels. It's so exciting to hear/see emerging artists at this stage in their career and there's no doubt in my mind that Claudia Kate will have her breakthrough moment. With anthems such as 'Angry At Me' and 'FAT', it's with "BIG TALK, little girl" that really solidifies this political pop artist as one to watch.

Claudia Kate and her band rocking the main stage

Here's me proudly wearing Claudia Kate's merch

Special guest DEJA did NOT disappoint! I loved every single moment of her set. She reminded me of a young Solange from start to finish; such incredible stage presence! Her performance was world class in my opinion and if this is what she can do on an intimate stage, imagine Glastonbury or Coachella!

DEJA doing her thing

And last but certainly not least, the super-talented headliner, Ellie Dixon! I met Ellie almost 5 five years ago, (to be one of those people, before she was famous haha) as we were both artists navigating the UK music scene. Since then she has gone on to see a meteoric rise to stardom - from going mega viral, being signed to Decca Records and playing to a crowd of 60k people - and I couldn't be more proud! It was great to hear both classic songs from her as well as a new one called "Renaissance" all about anxiety. I just know there's even BIGGER things in store for Ellie!

Ellie Dixon singing her heart out

So here's to women and here's to Matchstick Festival!