Ben Street Interview Ready for Upcoming Wild Paths Festival 2025.
Words by BeckyKat Kaptures and Ben Street
Second in our series of Wild Paths interviews, this time the director of Wild Paths himself, and manager of Voodoo Daddy's, Ben Street.
Photo - Billie Marten at Wild Paths by William Jupp
So Ben, you're quite a local legend with Voodoo Daddy's Showroom and Wild Paths Festival. What inspired you to start these amazing ventures?
Thanks for the kind words! I moved back to Norwich about 6 years ago and was struck by how many amazing bands and artists there were but felt there was a few parts missing from making Norwich a really vibrant and creative scene. Then a friend introduced me to a couple of guys who were keen to start a live venue and were looking for someone to work with - the timing was impeccable so I jumped in and Voodoos was born. Alongside this I’d been playing and attending a number of multi-venue festivals in other cities and loved the format and the impact it had on the scene there. I set up some preliminary meetings with a handful of venue directors and some other key players in the city and the festival began to take shape. It’s always been a very collaborative effort and that’s part of what makes it so unique.
You always have such good line ups for Wild Paths and last year when I attended Wild Fields the variety and quality was amazing. How do you choose who to book?
Thanks again! I’m a music fiend and I love discovering new bands and performers. I’ve performed in a number of different groups and been influenced by a load of different sounds, so it seemed natural to book a broad selection of styles. I work with a few co-bookers too and we’ll often send tracks and new bands to each other that we’ve seen or discovered. It keeps it fun and eclectic.
Looking back how do you think the music scene has changed locally, and also more generally over the last 10 or so years?
The local scene has always been strong but over the last 10 years we’ve seen a boom in artists covering a broader range of genres - this is only going to grow as the city becomes more diverse and new creatives make their home here. In a more national sense we’re seeing a lot of cross-genre, fluid set-ups with collectives making music that spans different styles and a different and rotating line-up. It’s an exciting time to be part of the UK and local scene.
What do you recommend for a band/artist starting out? Both practically and any random wisdom.
Make music that you enjoy making and don’t try to conform to any new trend or scene because the cycles are getting shorter and it’s better to be just in front of the wave than behind it. Travelodge family rooms are a great option for cheap, clean band accommodation and air beds make them even more cost effective!
What do you think makes a festival?
The line-up obviously plays a big role but the community and the narrative you build around the festival are key. Good food, good beer and (in the case of a city festival) venues that are easy to hop between. At Wild Paths this year pretty much every venue is on the one stretch of street, so it’s easy to get about and see plenty of music!
Photo - NiNE8 at Wild Paths by Andrew Gooding
What's your favourite thing to do at a festival when you finally get to relax?
I like to head to one of our more unusual pop-up stages and catch a performance in a unique space that you wouldn’t normally get the chance to see live music at. We have an audio-visual event at a retro cinema this year and I’ll definitely make sure I’m at that.
Going forward with Wild Paths and Voodoo Daddy's Showroom, what's on the cards for next year for you?
We have some big things planned for 2026. We’re currently discussing the return of our outdoor park festival Wild Fields (which was an award winner in 2024) and so many stand-out live shows planned for Voodoos. It’s always great to catch a notable act in a small intimate space, so make sure you’re following the festival and the venue on insta for all the latest news.
To book Wild Paths tickets go online here:
Insta: Wild Paths Instagram
Facebook: Wild Paths Facebook
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