Crew Profile – Bandstand Manager – Loz Fancourt
Who are you and what do you do at Noz?
Hello – I’m Loz, I programme and manage the Bandstand.
Tell us what your role is like…what are the highs and the lows? What’s a typical day for a stage manager?
I usually begin booking in Nov/Dec for the following year or at least have a wish list of artists I’d like to book ready to go. It’s definitely a role that lasts all year round but always such a rewarding feeling seeing everything in motion over the festival weekend. A day as stage manager usually involves standing/running for way too many hours, arranging last minute rider requests for some of the more awkward artists out there and telling people what to do. Sounds good, eh??
Tell us why your stage is the best?
Because Phil Jupitus said so!
Any great memories from the last 20 years of Noz? Any backstage stories?
For me, the best memories are the artists that have graced the bandstand over the years. Some particular highlights include having our first international band, Naked Giants, over from Seattle in 2019 (also the loudest band I’ve seen since Mudhoney…must be a Seattle thing!). It was highly entertaining and equally terrifying to see the frontman of The Computers clamber up the PA stack and dangle from the top during their blinding set…Have never seen such fear through the eyes of a tour manager before! Booking Idles in 2016 was also a massive moment for the stage and the festival as a whole. For me, this really touched down on what the stage is about – discovering the best new music there is to offer!
What makes Nozstock unique? (Or if you prefer what makes a great festival?) What other festivals would you recommend?
I’d say Nozstock gets it uniqueness from the sheer diversity the festival offers in such a compact and cosy space! Every genre of music in every corner of the site…AND SOME.
Green Man is a very special festival to me, have seen some of the best performances I’ve ever seen and consequently discovered many of my now fave bands! There’s something about a festival surrounded by the rolling Welsh hills.
Who would be your dream headliner?
For Nozstock? Would have to be Queens of the Stoneage, Patti Smith and Chemical Bros. 2022 anyone??
What would be on your rider?
Purdeys (the drink of kings), halloumi (cooked), Butty Bach (obvs), a framed pic of Bob Mortimer from 1996 (legend).
What do you do when you aren’t Nozzing?
I study film at uni, work at a jazz pub in Bristol called The Old Duke and play in a band called The Pleasure Dome. Film, music and beer basically.
Any advice for people wanting to work in events or the music industry?
If you see any opportunity open, always take it! Never be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone too, it’s a cutthroat business out there and it won’t wait for hesitance. Be determined, be reliable and constantly educate yourself in what you love.
Finally, what’s in your festival survival kit?
Never underestimate the essentials – loo roll, Lucozade, wellies, rubbers etc and for heaven’s sake, do yourself a solid and spend an extra twenty quid on a good tent, yeah??
