I read an alarming piece in The Sun today that suggests Radio 1 bosses may be starting to shop around for the next wave of DJs for the station. All this is based on the claim that DJ’s like Chris Moyles and Jo Whiley are too old for the station’s target demographic.

This won’t be welcome news for Moylesy, who’s somewhere on the slopes of Kilimanjaro right now.

Radio 1 aims to pull in fans aged between 15 to 24. But Chris has just turned 35. Many of his production team, who take part in the show, are also in their early thirties.

Mum-of-four Jo Whiley, who hosts a daytime show, is 43, while weekend host Sara Cox is 34.

I suppose because I’m in the over 30 bracket myself, I’m quite satisfied with the DJs at Radio 1. Because on the plus side:

1. DJs like Chris Moyles and Jo Whiley are great for introducing new music. Jo Whiley’s contribution to the music industry over the years has been phenomenal. She’s introduced some exceptional music to the public.
2. With age comes professionalism: Moyles, Scott Mills and Co have branched out to TV appearances and other things. And all of those appearances bring people back to Radio 1.
3. The 15-24 year old demographic seem to be sticking around, despite the age gap between the DJs and listeners.
4. Possible replacements: Reggie Yates and Fearne Cotton? Reggie comes across as a lovely guy, but is exceedingly dull as a DJ. There’s no controversy or fire with Reggie. Fearne has obviously sold her soul to Satan for 24/7 TV coverage. She never seems to be off the telly. Which explains why Reggie presents so much on his own – she’s always got some better gig to be at. Radio 1, please don’t encourage her. Plus, I heard she’s got ITV’s cooties. You don’t want that, do you Radio 1?
5. Would they really be so mean as to put Westwoooood out to pasture? Do they have retirement homes for white gangstas or will he die in a bloody drive-by as he pimps someone’s ride?

However, on the other side, here are some negatives:

1. I’ve heard plenty of people bitch about how Moyles’ show has gone downhill. Certainly, I found myself switching off more as his rants became more egocentric and the banter on the show became irritating. Poor Aled. Likewise Scott Mills, who – nice guy, I’m sure – makes the sound of nails scraping down a blackboard seem like a pleasant auditory experience in comparison with his early evening show.
2. Some of the DJs have been around Radio 1 forever. And they’re obviously comfortable, because there’s no indication that they’re planning to leave. Maybe it’s time to let some fresh blood loose on the prime driving to/from work slots?
3. Radio 1 could really shake things up if they put some of their more radical DJs into the mainstream slots. The station has a number of late night shows that promote different types of music: maybe instead of blasting Alesha Dixon at us every half-hour, they could bring on some DJs to break exciting new music?

I know this is a jumble of ideas. Part of me is a little change resistant (why break a winning formula?), but another part would love Radio 1 to do something completely bold and reinvigorate the format.

Yes, this is where I start harping on about them using their platform to bring real new music (ie, not signed to major labels) to the public. Hell, the really brave heads of the station might even accept a radical drop in listener numbers, just until they established a new format.

What do you think? Are the DJs out of touch, and is it time they moved on to let new talent through?

The event takes place at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May. Chris Moyles announced the big news and the full main stage line-up on his show this morning. The line-ups for the rest of the stages will be announced throughout the day on Radio 1.

Across the weekend and over four stages, over 30,000 lucky music fans will enjoy a stellar line-up of over 50 UK and international artists alongside world-class DJs. Radio 1’s Big Weekend is the station’s free flagship event and the UK’s biggest free ticketed music festival.

The main stage line-up in full is:

Saturday 10 May
Gates open at noon, curfew 10.00pm

Main Stage

* Madonna
* Usher
* The Fratellis
* Robyn
* Duffy
* Scouting For Girls
* The Feeling
* The Hoosiers

Sunday 11 May
Gates open at noon, curfew 10.00pm

Main Stage

* The Kooks
* Nelly
* Adele
* Newton Faulkner
* Goldfrapp
* The Enemy
* Pigeon Detectives
* One Republic

Every year, Radio 1 throws a massive party, and they call it their Big Weekend. This year’s Big Weekend takes place on the 10th and 11th May at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent.

What To Expect

If previous Weekends are anything to go by, there’ll be a whole host of Radio 1 presenters there to host the event. And there’ll be a glittering array of the UK’s finest musical talent.

Although it’s a free event, you will have to register for tickets on the Radio 1 website to get in. Apparently the majority of free tickets will be reserved for people from the Kent area.

To ensure a fair distribution of tickets in the region, Radio 1 will ask listeners to register their details and then select by random based on postcode.

The Big Weekend 2008 Line-up

Details of the line-up have been quite hush-hush so far, but we do know that Scouting For Girls are confirmed for the bill. I’ll update this post whenever new details are available.

The Fringe Festival

I’ve always wondered what the Fringe Festival was – and wrote it off as something to do with hairdressing. It’s actually a way to showcase musical talent from the area that the Big Weekend takes place in. If you’re part of a band from the Maidstone/Kent area, I recommend you check this page out for more information on how to apply.

In addition to the Fringe Festival, Radio 1 are also putting on a fourth stage this year, “the BBC Introducing Stage – which will feature the best new and emerging UK talent selected from new music shows across the BBC.”

I’m pleased to see new music being so well catered for this year. Many of the Radio 1 DJs are instrumental in getting new acts showcased, so this is great news. It’ll definitely be worth tuning in to catch some of these acts in May.

(Update: Lisa’s already covered the Fringe Festival.)

Some of the covers have been fantastic, while others have been drill-your-eardrums-out abysmal. Lily’s version of Don’t Get Me Wrong is faultless however: chiming, upbeat and with her own distinct character on it.

Check out the track below:

The concept is brilliant: a contemporary artist or act will record a song from one of the 40 years Radio 1 has been on air. You’ve got Girls Aloud covering Wheatus’ Teenage Dirtbag, Klaxons covering Blackstreet’s No Diggity. I’m finding myself already wondering how some of these renditions are going to sound!

Here’s the entire song list (as found over on MusicSlut):

1967 ? Flowers In The Rain (The Move) covered by Kaiser Chiefs
1968 ? All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix Experience) covered by The Fratellis
1969 ? Cupid (Johnny Nash) covered by Amy Winehouse
1970 ? Lola (The Kinks) covered by Robbie Williams
1971 ? Your Song (Elton John) covered by The Streets
1972 ? Betcha By Golly Wow (The Stylistics) covered by Sugababes
1973 ? You?re So Vain (Carly Simon) covered by The Feeling
1974 ? Band On The Run (Wings) covered by Foo Fighters
1975 ? Love Is The Drug (Roxy Music) covered by Kylie
1976 ? Let?s Stick Together (Bryan Ferry) covered by KT Tunstall
1977 ? Sound & Vision (David Bowie) covered by Franz Ferdinand
1978 ? Teenage Kicks (The Undertones) covered by The Raconteurs
1979 ? Can?t Stand Losing You (The Police) covered by Mika
1980 ? Too Much Too Young (The Specials) covered by Kasabian
1981 ? Under Pressure (Queen & David Bowie) covered by Keane
1982 ? Town Called Malice (The Jam) covered by McFly
1983 ? Come Back And Stay (Paul Young) covered by James Morrison
1984 ? Careless Whisper (George Michael) covered by The Gossip
1985 ? The Power Of Love (Huey Lewis & The News) covered by Pigeon Detectives
1986 ? Don?t Get Me Wrong (The Pretenders) covered by Lily Allen
1987 ? You Sexy Thing (Hot Chocolate) covered by Stereophonics
1988 ? Fast Car (Tracy Chapman) covered by Mutya Buena
1989 ? Lullaby (The Cure) covered by Editors
1990 ? Englishman In New York (Sting) covered by Razorlight
1991 ? Crazy For You (Madonna) covered by Groove Armada
1992 ? It Must Be Love (Madness) covered by Paolo Nutini
1993 ? All That She Wants (Ace Of Base) covered by The Kooks
1994 ? You?re All I Need To Get By (Mary J Blige) covered by Mark Ronson
1995 ? Stillness In Time (Jamiroquai) covered by Calvin Harris
1996 ? No Diggity (Blackstreet) covered by Klaxons
1997 ? Love Fool (The Cardigans) covered by Just Jack
1998 ? Ray Of Light (Madonna) covered by Natasha Bedingfield
1999 ? Drinking In LA (Bran Van 3000) covered by The Twang
2000 ? The Great Beyond (REM) covered by The Fray
2001 ? Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus) covered by Girls Aloud
2002 ? Like I Love You (Justin Timberlake) covered by Maximo Park
2003 ? Don?t Look Back Into The Sun (The Libertines) covered by The View
2004 ? Toxic (Britney Spears) covered by Hard-Fi
2005 ? Father & Son (Yusuf & Ronan Keating) covered by The Enemy
2006 ? Steady As She Goes (The Raconteurs) covered by Corinne Bailey Rae

This may be the must-have album of 2007.

Due to unprecedented demand, BBC Radio 1 confirmed today, that they will add an extra 5,000 tickets across the two days for Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

The event takes place in Preston, Moor Park on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 May and promises to be the biggest in Radio 1’s history.

Application levels for Radio 1’s Big Weekend have been the highest ever, with almost half a million people registering for free tickets to date. The station has received such an overwhelming response that it has taken the decision to increase the amount of tickets, allowing as many people as possible to attend.

On Wednesday 9 May, Radio 1 will email entrants to advise if they have been successful or not. Tickets will then be mailed out by first-class post.

Jason Carter, Editor of Live Events, Radio 1 said: “Radio 1 is delighted to reveal we will be making the festival site bigger to give an additional 5,000 tickets across the two days to our audience.

“Listeners will still be incredibly lucky to win one of our golden tickets and they’ll find out tomorrow if they have been successful or not.

“For all of those who don’t win tickets, they can still be part of the action by listening on Radio 1, viewing on BBC TV and Red Button and going online. This year’s multi-platform content is bigger and better than ever.”