There could not have been a lovelier way to start the morning of LOUD WOMEN Fest London 2026 than chatting live on BBC Radio London with Carrie and David Grant, quite genuinely my absolute favourite BBC couple.
I joined Carrie and David bright and early to talk about the enormous day ahead at Rich Mix: 19 artists from seven countries, two stages, an all-ages festival and ten hours of live radio on Resonance FM, with bands and members of the LOUD WOMEN family arriving in Bethnal Green from all over the place.
We talked about how LOUD WOMEN has grown from a London gig night into a big international community, why it matters so much to us that the Fest stays all ages, and some of the extraordinary artists who were about to take over Rich Mix for the day.
There was also an especially lovely moment when Carrie and David read out a message from SheBeat, already on the train down from Edinburgh and very excited about the day ahead. Jodie and Ian had only just helped us put on our LOUD WOMEN Edinburgh show a few days earlier, which rather perfectly sums up how this whole thing works: the people playing the shows are very often the same people helping make the shows happen.
Carrie and David have been so wonderfully supportive of LOUD WOMEN, and getting to come back and chat to them ahead of the Fest has become one of my very favourite parts of the whole weekend. Huge thanks to them both, and to the BBC Radio London team, for giving us such a brilliant start to the day.
Listen to the full interview below.
And then, a few hours later, LOUD WOMEN Fest London 2026 was underway.
You can read my full report from the Fest, and see lots more photos from the day, here on the site.
Love LOUD WOMEN. Yes, we do.