Q+A: Rudimental and Becca Dudley
We recently chatted to Rudimental and Becca Dudley after the launch party of the new Junkyard Gold Club venue in Camden, London, with Rudimental appearing as special guests and Becca Dudley gracing the stage with a unique performance. Junkyard Golf Club officially opened its doors to their newest venture in Camden Market, debuting its biggest, baddest and craziest venue to date. The launch event, which took place on Friday 1st September was a night full of epic cocktails, a whole load of weird junk, and unforgettable entertainment, celebrated with an array of famous faces and in collaboration with charity Love Support Unite. Check it out below!
It’s a pleasure to talk to you both! First off: what was the new Junkyard Golf Club venue like?
Rudimental: It was a lot of fun, very impressive design!
Becca: It is EPIC! It’s huge, vibrant and so much fun, my favourite one yet!
And the launch party specifically, how was it?
Rudimental: So much going on good vibes and crazy golf can’t go wrong.
Becca: I had such a great time at the launch party and treated myself to a mocktail or two and it was dope to DJ in such a shiny new venue. There was also a magician who blew my mind, one of his tricks I cannot stop thinking about! He was burning things into his fingers and it totally freaked me out! Love that stuff.
Becca, you performed at the event. How did it go?
Becca: I had so much fun. The music was booming through the huge venue and I loved providing the soundtrack to people creating fun memories together. Beautiful scenes! Can’t wait to come back again.
And Becca, we’ve seen you strutting your stuff around Europe, DJ’ing and presenting at various events. Any highlights from the past few months?
Becca: It’s been an epic summer. DJing at Notting Hill Carnival was up there, and I also played at Fete De La Musique in Paris for a dancehall party – the energy of the crowd has to be one of my favourite sets, people were lying on the floor screaming they were loving the tunes so much! It was also great to headline the Isle Of MTV event in Malta, such a beautiful outdoor venue and there had to be a few thousand ravers there.
One for Piers: As a band, you’ve been passionate supporters of ‘Love Support Unite’. You’ve even established a school unit in Malawi and sold the Love Specs at your gigs to raise funds. Can you tell us more about what the initiative means to you?
Rudimental: Helping the community in Malawi, meeting them, learning all about their life and making a connection has been such an experience and we are happy to be a part of the Lovespecs gang doing good things.
How important is it for musicians and artists to leverage their art in service of philanthropy?
Rudimental: I had to google philanthropy, lol. Providing help for others in need if you are able is just as important in art as it is in any other profession. A wise man once said to me charity starts at home.
We hear the band [Rudimental] are long-time friends of The Junkyard Golf Club. How did that come about?
Rudimental: We met through the charity Love Specs as both JYGC and Rudimental have been fundraising and working with the charity so we are both aligned with our mission to help and support the communities over in Malawi, Africa.
We’ve been listening to your [Rudimental’s] recent release with exciting up-and-coming artist Venbee on repeat. What was it like working with her?
Rudimental: She’s a talented songwriter and likes to push the boundaries, not everyone is going to like what she writes about but you have to give her credit for not caring about that. I’ve been involved in making her new mixtape and it’s sounding great!
Both Becca and Piers are UK Natives. How’s the music scene in London and Camden these days?
Rudimental: London is always thriving, that’s what makes it special, as we speak there will be a new sub-genre being created, probably in Camden or Shoreditch.
Becca: The music scene in London just gets stronger and stronger. The rest of the world is really looking to us now and there’s an abundance of up-and-coming artists that I just know are going to take over the world!
Both of you are very busy performers. How do you prepare for your shows?
Rudimental: Get as much sleep as possible, and squeeze a pre-show nap in somewhere.
Becca: I like to get myself into the head of someone who would attend that party/ event and think about how they want to feel. Sometimes I meticulously plan sets, other times I just turn up and vibe off of the crowd, totally depends on my mood! But I always make sure I’m armed with THE tune that everyone is currently obsessed with.
And time off, do either of you take it? How do you unwind from such a busy lifestyle?
Rudimental: Christmas is normally when things calm down for me that’s about it lol.
Becca: I’m currently loving long walks in nature on a Saturday morning! There are loads of beautiful spots in and around London, so that’s become my new way to unwind – the complete opposite of a DJing gig. You also can’t beat some late-night Netflix and a takeaway!
What’s next for both of you? Is anything exciting coming up?
Rudimental: New singles and a new album next year, in the process of making it now it’s feeling good!
Becca: I run a music platform called DEADLY which I work hard on! We have an event coming up in November so stay tuned, plus we are branching out into clothing very soon! Go check it out, especially if you like reggae and dancehall music.
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