Sutton Coldfield Festival of Arts

When I turned my TV on this morning the BBC was still picking over the rather old debate: should Jay- Z be at Glastonbury?

If you’ve missed this, then here’s a quick summary: Jay-Z is headlining Glastonbury, and this is one of the reasons given for poor ticket sales this year.  The theory is that a big slot at Glastonbury should only be filled by a guitar band.  The only real justification being: “because it has always been thus”.

There are two really simple counters to this argument:

1. Look how much choice there is at Glastonbury!  Part of the experience is moving around, dipping into other things: you might find a hidden gem
2. Have you ever seen a live hip-hop show?  If not, how do you know you won’t like it?  Even if it’s not your scene, you have the chance to see arguably the world’s finest proponent of this art form.  That’s a privilege, and a test of your assumptions: if you still don’t like hip-hop after his show, then it’s probably not for you.  But you might enjoy it, and that will open up more new experiences for you.

On a much smaller scale,  Sutton Festival of Arts offers these sorts of opportunities.

We have an ambitious programme, covering a wide range of art forms and genres.  Dip into something new, you never know what you might discover about your creative talents!