FIFTY3 FRIDAYS: GLASTONBURY ETC 2025 LONGLIST IS OUT

Fifty3Fridays on a Wednesday? From the many thousands who entered its prized Emerging Talent Competition 2025 in January, Glastonbury Festival has just announced the 90 acts through to the longlist. For the ninety, the possibility of a main stage appearance at this summer’s festival is now one step closer, as is the chance of securing a cash prize courtesy of sponsors PRS for Music and PRS Foundation.

The free-to-enter competition for independent acts based in the UK or Ireland saw another high entry this year. So, it was no easier for the 30 UK music writers, including your author, to select just three acts each from the individual lists allocated to us. The 30 x 3 will next become a shortlist of just eight to compete at April’s live final for a spot on one of the main stages at the Festival in June. The winner of the competition will also be awarded a £5,000 PRS for Music Foundation Talent Development prize to nurture their songwriting and performing, while two runners-up will each receive a £2,500 award.

Once again, the quality of the entries shows the depth of songwriting and performing talent out there. It was a tough call to whittle down my batch of entries to just three but here they are and a diverse bunch of tunes to boot. I hope you will enjoy hearing them and you can give them some social love and follow them on Spotify etc.

Jazzi Sirius WRLDS A MESS

In her wicked, politically charged rap Jazzi Sirius skilfully blends righteous anger with raw personal insights, ending the song on a high using a smart lyric twist. Alongside the rapid wordsmithery, there is a fine voice in there too.

Izzy Steele Woman in The Shop Window

Izzy Steele delivers a beautifully structured song laced with individual truths yet spun with such clear imagery that very many will relate to. Lyrically touching and musically uplifting, the whole piece is uplit by her warm, intimate vocal tone. [Please note Izzy's song is an audio file only].

Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black Wrong Foot Forward / Drams in the Field

Melding harp & percussion, Eleanor & Gregor weave spacious, immersive, and evocative music. Here, you can lose yourselves in two contemporary pieces which are skilfully paired in a lovely and unusual fusion of jazz rhythms and folk melody.

Congratulations to Jazzi, Izzy, Eleanor & Gregor along with all the other acts who made it through Round 1. You can check out a YouTube playlist of all 90 below. The vast majority are new names to me – something that again highlights quite how much great new music is being made. I was really pleased to see two Fifty3Fridays alumni among them – Slaney Bay, the choice of At The Barrier, and Jessie Reid, chosen by Laura Snoad, and look forward to checking them all out. To the many other worthy entrants, keep the faith and play live whenever and wherever you can. You never know who might see you and where that might lead. There is scarcely a better way of honing your art than through the medium of a live stage, large or small.