So it’s all kicking off, not in a bad way, in London today as delegates arrive for the AMA-UK conference which takes place in Hackney House and is packed full of panels, conversation, presentations and the chance to meet up with that industry person who you embarrassed yourself in front of at least year’s conference but hey, it’s all water under the bridge now.
The conference theme is “Americana: Come On In. Diversity – Equality – Inclusivity” and features keynote speaker Rhiannon Giddens, along with some really interesting sounding panel discussion topics including “Diversity in the US: Breaking down the barriers”, “Oh Sister Where Art Thou: women in Americana music” and, close to my heart “Americana music in film, TV and games.” There are also spotlight conversations with Ralph McLean and Fiona Bevan, Bob Harris chatting to John Oates and networking drinks galore.
You can see the full schedule here. The conference also has 2 nights of showcases from tonight, before the awards on Thursday. We’ll be there on our social media feed trying to spell things quickly without making mistakes.