Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

My new series is called Sonic Fields. It’s a year-long deep dive into British music festivals and is my second podcast story. My first was this small idea that ran away with itself and became a 5-part series called There Are No Greater Heroes. It’s about this band Tony, Caro & John and their strange musical survival.

I basically got the bug and after that, I knew I wanted to do something about the music festival. They’ve held this special place for me since childhood and I think we slightly underestimate our relationship with them in Britain. I wanted to shine a light on it.

I didn’t expect I’d end up telling a story going back 60 years, but this path revealed itself that was too fascinating not to explore.

The series is in two parts. Part 1 is a journey through British festivals past, through meeting the people that have shaped its story. Part 2 is this summer adventure I had in 2023, where I went to a bunch of them and tried to figure out their place in our culture now. And my own place within it all!

Sam Tyler

What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?

It was definitely a long form interview one. That’s what I thought podcasts were to begin with. WTF or Distraction Pieces were early favourites. When you hear two interesting people really in tune with each other and speaking truthfully, that’s pretty irresistible.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

I really connected with this intimate and patient storytelling I was hearing in some podcasts. S-Town was a huge one for me. I listened intently to the shows I loved. Then one day the penny dropped that you could actually meet people and ask them about their lives. And record it with some simple equipment at basically no cost. All that was left was to try it.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I don’t think I’d ever have given it a crack if it wasn’t for Jon Ronson. I heard him telling these intricate human stories and it really moved me to have a go. He’s a master at what he does, but what he does doesn’t feel out of reach. It made me want to try. That says a lot about him I think.

Besides that Blindboy is an unmissable weekly companion.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

All the interviewee’s for Sonic Fields are in the bag now. But a dream guest for a future podcast… David Lynch would be hard to top. I have no idea how that would go.

Sam interviews Penny Rimbaud – musician & writer / founder of Crass

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

If you’re drawn to a story or an idea and you can’t really explain why, you’re on the right track.

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Episode 2 is the explosive moment that kicks off the whole series. I tracked down this man called Ray Foulk who put on the original Isle of Wight music festivals. He shared this unbelievable inside story of the 1970 festival, when 600,000 hippies poured onto the island.

The joys, conflicts and big questions around freedom vs public order (that keep recurring in the series) are all on show here.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

@incrediblesocietypresents on Instagram. The one-stop shop for anything I put out, including live music nights with my mate James.

Listen to Sonic Fields on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast apps >>

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