Tony Cummings quizzed James Stevens about an event offering 40 live acts and soloists for an amazing £60, KINGSSTOCK



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Tony: The received wisdom is that, if you run a festival, you're likely to lose a bundle of money.

James: "I probably have lost the shirt off my back. We have some advantages, because we started small. We've always had to be incredibly creative with how we do things, and very shrewd, so although in the team we have some people who underwrite what we do, we just try not to overspend in the first place. We believe our slow, organic growth will be one of our biggest assets in the future, because we are used to making every pound stretch to two pounds, and finding creative solutions to things. Every time we grow, we use those methods to try and improve things, so financially we don't quite break even, so the buck stops with the team putting it on. Which is sometimes frustrating, but it also means the festival is deeply personal to us, and we want it to be a success and we work incredibly hard as a team. Nobody gets paid to put on the festival, everybody's a volunteer. We're kind of greater than the sum of our parts."

Tony: But don't you take a salary throughout the year to organise everything?

James: "I don't. I get paid in coffee instead. It's one of those things, I think, it's a unique calling to run a festival, and I love it. I'm very passionate about the cause, so I am prepared to go to some lengths to make it happen. I work for a living on top of organising the festival, I actually hold down a couple of jobs, and I think it kind of reminds me of Paul the tentmaker. I think there's a reality there about having to earn a living and pursue the things of God. I think, for me certainly, that's what I should be doing right now."

Tony: I've always been very impressed at the sound quality you've been able to get at KingsStock, even with a heavy rock band like Verra Cruz.

James: "I was privileged to get a backstage pass for Big Church Day Out a couple of years ago, and I was able to see first-hand how the teams rig for the big bands. We could have easily swapped any of our crew in with theirs, and it's a big event, but the level of professionalism with our PA guys, it's incredibly high. They help us punch well above our weight. The sound system is of a very high quality, so they do justice to whoever's playing and whatever type of music it is."

Tony: So there'll be no skimping on the sound this year?

James: "No. Our DJ stage is becoming quite notorious for its ability to project sound over long distances."

Tony: You don't do seminars; it's entirely music, isn't it?

James: "That's right, although we are opening up a couple of discussion bases. They will be for discussion, not for somebody telling people information. Off the back of the DJ stage, which is run by the DJ Unity crew - DJ Unity is part of Third Day Ministries - we are going to be discussing some important industry things. Our busking stage is called the Firestarter stage, and it's a double-pronged name. The idea is that it kindles the fire inside emerging performers with the busking/open-mic stage. The actual discussion will be around encouragement but also about the other aspects of the music industry and to do with mental health, and the unique and very specific stresses that come with being a performer."

Tony: You've got an impressive line-up this year.

James: "We have, yeah. The line-up this year is designed to reflect our last 10 years, and some of these people we've been working with since before they became rather famous. We also have relationships with the bands and soloists we book. As I said before, we take things personally and we make sure they're looked after while they're with us. I think we host some of the best performances from these acts as they know they're amongst encouraging friends. And they know we also have really great sound guys. So to get the best of these, if you want to see any of these acts, then I'm sure we're the right place to see them."

Tony: I see you're starting on a Thursday - the 8th August. Presumably that's just something for those who come in the afternoon and put up their tents.

James: "Largely, though we've still got some excellent performers playing. Even then, we've got Paul Bell, who's very well known, and also Mark James, the front man from Verra Cruz."