BMW launched Play Next to showcase innovative and groundbreaking music from the next generation of talent. Last year we created the acclaimed Play Next podcast, which saw some of the key players in the music world take a deeper look into the topics facing the industry, including the future of festivals in a post COVID-19 world. A year later, BMW Play Next made a truimphment return with its debut at the music and entertainment festival All Points East where the BMW Play Next stage shone a spotlight on the next generation of talent all weekend.

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend at London’s Victoria Park, there were incredible headline performances from the likes of Jamie XX, Kano, London Grammar, Bicep and Foals. Whilst at the Play Next stage, fans were mesmorised by pioneering performances from Sad Night Dynamite, Alewya, Elkka, Rosie Lowe, SCORS, and more.

The stage was hosted by music legend Edith Bowman who said: “Hosting the BMW Play Next Stage at All Points East over the weekend was incredible. On a personal note, to be back at a festival and have the communal experience of watching live music was thrilling. I am so proud of the commitment that’s been made to artists with Play Next and to see so many of them up on that stage, getting such a positive and audible response from an audience was wonderful.”  

BMW supported the festival’s sustainability policies by supplying a fleet of BMW X5 plug-in hybrid vehicles that provided artist transport throughout the weekend. For those who attended the festival, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made it to the Play Next stage.

You can delve deeper into some of the future headliners that performed with an exclusive live episode of the BMW Play Next podcast that features some of the headline acts from the stage, including an interview and track session with headliner Elkka, a breakthrough house music DJ and producer from Cardiff who’s forged a formidable reputation and received backing from Four Tet and Annie Mac. 

DON'T MISS OUT.

Be sure to check out the exclusive live episode of the BMW Play Next podcast here.