Waltham Forest festival and music industry event Uplands is happening this weekend (19 August) in north-east London, and they’ve unveiled a programme of workshops and panels as part of their wider mission to make the music business more accessible and transparent for young people from marginalised backgrounds in the area.

As well as a music lineup that includes the likes of Denzel Himself, Tony Njoku and more, the free all-dayer will feature Music Industry Speed Dating, with experts working in venue programming, promoting, PR, artist management and record labels offer personalised advice for young people wanting to know where to start when forging a career in the industry; a panel on Breaking Down Class Barriers In The Music Industry, discussing the underrepresentation of working class people in the sector, and what can be done about it; and a panel of artists in conversation, discussing their independent careers and the insights they can offer aspiring DIY musicians.

Experts and artists participating in the programme include: Matt Harris (artist manager with clients inc Ezra Furman), Isobel Fisher (PR), Joy Warmann (Secretly Canadian project manager and Soho Radio host), Alfred Afari (The Pit promoter), Sammy Clarke (Whereelse Margate venue programmer), Nige (Nine8 Collective), Retrxpussy, Remi Fairweather Stride (Youth Music), Cam Blackwood (Voltaire Road Studios/UK Music), Ben Spence (Fuzzbrain studio) and Luke Doyle (Waltham Forest Youth Independent Advisory Group).

It’s all happening this Saturday, 19 August = across the studios, breweries and spaces of Uplands Business Park in Black Horse Road, north-east London. It’s the first of a series of music-led events in partnership with Waltham Forest Council, as part of the Young Creators Programme, designed to support cultural activity and provide employment and training for 16-30s in the borough.

In order to attend, for free, simply RSVP here.