British singer-songwriter Yungblud has defended his new affordable festival Bludfest, after online critics questioned the authenticity of the event.
The genre-bending Doncaster artist announced he would be headlining the one-day festival at Milton Keynes Bowl, and that the event would “cut the corporate bo****ks”.
Yungblud, whose real name is Dom Harrison, said that festivals are “unrepresentative of people”, so is fixing the price point of Bludfest at £49.50.
"I believe that gigs are too expensive, festivals are too expensive, and I just wanted to work to create something that has been completely done by me and my team to show that, you know what? It can be done better. It can be more representative,” the musician told Sky News.
However, some social media users have criticised the authenticity of the event, accusing him of hypocrisy by profiting from the festival.
In a TikTok video, the artist responded to the accusations, and suggested he is “barely breaking even” from the ticket sales.
So what is Bludfest, and why are people criticising it?
What is Bludfest?
Doncaster singer-songwriter YungBlud last week announced he would be headlining Bludfest, a one-day festival aimed at making music more accessible. Joining him on the bill will be rapper and singer Little Yachty, punk duo Soft Play, and singer-songwriters Nessa Barrett, Lola Young, and Jazmin Bean, plus The Damned in an "icons" slot.
He announced the event at a secret gig in Camden, north London, attended by about 500 fans.
Ticket prices will be capped at £49.50.
Bludfest is set to take place on August 11, at the iconic Milton Keynes Bowl, which has hosted the likes of David Bowie and Green Day.
In an Instagram post announcing the new endeavour, Yungblud said: "BLUDFEST will blur the lines of genre and destroy the limitation of imagination. It will be a festival that cuts the corporate bo****ks and is all about the people. My plan is to take it worldwide but this summer is the first one and it’s gonna be something no one has ever seen before in the UK."
"I think like it all needs shaking up a little bit," he told Sky News. "I believe that the festivals, gigs and plans that are in motion aren't representative of the people out there.”
A RESPONSE. im explaining why i started BLUDFEST. if you av a spare second please give it a watch. music belongs to the people. thats the way it should be. what are your thoughts?🖤🧷🖤 see u at #BLUDFEST pic.twitter.com/dErlvx45z9
— YUNGBLUD is a lowlife (@yungblud) March 23, 2024
He added: "A lot of my mates, a lot of my family, my community, my fan base out there, can't afford tickets, and it's a real thing," Harrison says. "Everyone kind of brushes over it. And it's like, oh yeah… that's just the way it is. I'm like, why is that just the way it is? That's what I've always thought.
"I believe I'm so lucky to have [my fans] and I want to reflect how much they mean to me by going, like, we can actually change something and make a difference here because it needs to happen.
"I hope this starts this movement towards that, making music about people again."
The festival will include a Make A Friend tent, for those attending on their own.
"A lot of people don't feel like they can go to shows alone, they don't feel like they can go to events alone," the artist told Sky News. "This is the one festival, if you go on your own, you're not going to be lonely.
"I have a dream where like [someone says in the future], 'I met my partner at Bludfest 2026, and now we've got kids', or whatever."
The star has promised to spend some time behind the bar before hitting the stage.
Why have people criticised Bludfest?
Some users on social media have criticised the musician, accusing him of hypocrisy and questioning the authenticity of the event.
The festival is being promoted by large entertainment company AEG, which some have said contradicts the anti-corporate message.
How has Yungblud responded to the criticism?
In a video posted on TikTok and X, Yungblud responded to the online critique.
“Every now and then this narrative rears its head on the internet that kind of depicts that I’ve had everything given to me, I do nothing at all and I’m this completely massive industry plant who had everything given to him,” he began.
“That is crazy to me because that is not the case. Everything I do, every idea I have, is literally probably run from a kitchen table with these four people,” he continued. “We just figure out if we can make it happen.”
He addressed criticisms over the “overall authenticity” of the idea and how he can be critical of corporations when the festival is being promoted by AEG.
“Point 1 – you’re saying that me saying, ‘Fuck the corporate bullshit’ when my festival’s being promoted by AEG is slightly hypocritical. Fair enough, that is a fair point. But my promoter’s called Lee, he works at AEG, he’s just come over from America, and I believe the way you fuck a corporate system is to change it. It’s to change it from the inside out. We can all sit in a pub and be like, ‘Fuck this, fuck that,’ but we don’t get anything done.
“Me and Lee have been having brilliant conversations over the past couple of weeks, being like, ‘How do we make a difference here?’ How do we, as a big entity, as a ‘successful’ artist, whether people like it or not, make an actual difference to what is going on right now?’
“That led me to say, ‘I want my tickets for seven-plus bands on the festival to be £49.50’. At first, people were like, ‘Holy fucking shit, what?’ It was important to me that you get to see seven bands, that’s like seven quid a band. You get to see bands all day and keep the price low because I know the cost-of-living crisis is crazy right now and the system that is in place with gigs and festivals doesn’t represent what normal people are going through and that’s a fact.
“Music should be accessible to everyone, in my opinion. That’s what I believe, that’s what I fight for, and I don’t know what to say. If you believe me, you believe me, if you don’t, you don’t. I can’t do anything about it.”
The musician went on to deny the idea that he'd be profiting "millions and millions" from the festival, explaining that when brainstorming ticket prices with his promoter, the response was "the economics don't work”, suggesting that he is merely "barely breaking even" from the event.
“What you’ve got to take into account is that I have to pay each artist fairly, and that is already a problem – artists don’t get paid enough money. I have to pay them their fee, then I have to bring their crews over, then I have to bring their lighting over, and then I have to bring their stage design over, et cetera. Then I have to look after the food for them, look after the toilets for them, and then I have to look after the security for them."
