eFestivals talks exclusively to Dan Rushton

HogSozzle 2014

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May 2014
Frogmore Hill, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG14 3RR, England MAP
early bird £49 adult w/e tickets + booking fee

Daily capacity: 700

It’s not just the big commercial festivals with well known names we cover on the site, eFestivals spoke to Dan Rushton who started HogSozzle a small independent event five years ago. It all began on his birthday when with a small gathering of friends he wanted to do something a bit different and a bit memorable with a hog roast for 50 people in a friends large back garden. It went well, and his guests wanted to do it again, so with he decided to involve more people, they found a field, and before they knew it they had friends who built a scaffolding stage, and the whole thing just snowballed into a festival.

Where did the name come from?

Late one night, once we realised we were going to have a stage, and that we might need some help towards the costs, so we thought we would then need to sell tickets, and if we sold tickets we were going to need a name. Then it was the very wee, early hours of the morning that somebody coined HogSozzle. I don’t know where it came from, but it seemed to make sense, with the hog roast being given to everybody free on the Saturday, and lots of ale and delicious alcoholic beverages to wash it down with Hogsozzle seemed to be a good name that was quite unique, and had a good ring to it.

Where did you first hold the event?

We started first in an old scout camp, which had a nice amphitheatre and we put up the stage in there. That was in Sherwood Forest which was a lovely location. We then went to Buxton, but that was far too exposed weather wise, so we went on to Stevenage, and we’re in Stevenage still. Hopefully we have found a home for the foreseeable future, and we’re there again this year.

How have you found organising a festival?

It’s fun, really satisfying, but it’s really hard work. There are lots of thing you have to take into account, but there’s nothing nicer than seeing somebody jump around with unadulterated joy on their face and those little moments make it all worthwhile. We’ve also got a great team as well, there are 20 of us, 19 of my closest friends which i have managed to rope into responsibilities which is quite funny at times, and that does lighten the load quite considerably. So, we all get to enjoy it, as well as run it.

You’ve announced the first acts, presumably there are still more to come?

Yes, we have a list of several hundred that we are just working through, we’ll sift through them and decide on those we think will be a good fit for the festival, and then we’ll get in touch with those we would like to come and play. We’ll release them as an when we have secured them really. But I imagine in the next month or so things will really ramp up. It’s quite a slow process really, we have several people working on it, just trying to get the best selection of music.

We entirely showcase undiscovered talent. I think that’s what’s nice about it, it’s about giving people the opportunity and giving them some promotion, and giving everybody something new.

Your capacity is around 700, is there a plan to increase the size in future years?

Yes, of course, we are always looking to increase it and expand it., as and when it comes. It’s a balancing act. With events, unless you’re Tomorrowland which sells out in a few minutes, most of your ticket sales come in the last few moments. You have to agree our capacity, security, and other such costs in advance. If we sell out happy days, and if we could have sold more then it’s just a shame we couldn’t have sold them in advance.

Talking of ticket sales, how are they going this year?

Our early birds flew out the door, they’ve gone really well, and our hog herd discount tickets, where you buy five and get one free, have been going very well since. I guess people tend to buy those sooner rather than later, before we hike the prices up to the final band.

How would you describe Hogsozzle to someone who hasn’t been before?

In terms of music then there’s a bit of everything for everyone, various genres, from rock, ska and reggae to electro swing through to deep and dirty tech house and hip hop, there’s a bit of all sorts for everybody. We focus on finding unsigned artists primarily. We try to find that talent that’s up and coming. Sometimes they get too big and then they’ve got much larger events to go to. That’s really nice to see, that we have really cool bands come to HogSozzle. But, it’s also about the whole event, the people, and that’s what makes it really special.

What sort of audience do you attract?

The demographic is 25-35, primarily, around 60-70% from London, then all tend to be young professionals post Uni kind of types who are looking for an escape from the city. Looking for a big weekend where there’s no rules and things can get a bit ridiculous.

Did you go to any festivals yourself before you started Hogsozzle?

Yes, I’d been to a couple but hadn’t really got well into the festival scene. But since then I’ve been really enjoying things. I went to Wilderness festival last year which I really enjoyed. I’m looking to experience some of the eastern European ones this year, I might go and see what Exit is like, or something similar. HogSozzle tends to suck up a lot of my time though.

Thanks for your time, I hope it goes well.

Now in it's fifth year, HogSozzle Music Festival is back for another fun-filled weekend of music, mayhem and merriment this May Bank Holiday, taking place at Frogmore Hill, nr Stevenage, Hertfordshire from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May 2014.

The first acts confirmed are JoCee, Babilondon, Muff Said, Stained Glass Alice, Gypsy Dynamite, Concrete Disco, Cousin Avi, 4oz of Groove, Kitchens Inc, Mirrored Theory (with live drummer), The Black Hands, Glass Sines, Steve Violaris, Denture Disco, DJ Earthpipe, Rich King, Tommy K, Tim Rial, Shep DJ, Two Hogs One Stick, and Schwein DJs, with many many more to be announced.

buy tickets now >

Early bird tickets are priced at £49; 2nd Release tickets are priced at £59; and Final Release tickets are £69. Prices do not include booking fees

Team Ridiculous will beoffering Sozzlers three days of live music, a team of cracking comedy acts, the big piggy paint fight and one heck of a tasty hog roast.

interview by: Scott Williams