Saturday the 9th of May marked the return of the annual Hanwell Hootie Festival – a free, volunteer-led music festival, spread across 14 venues, including pubs, parks, and public spaces throughout Hanwell. Originally founded as a celebration of Hanwell’s heritage and its legendary connection to Jim Marshall, the festival has grown into a vibrant platform dedicated to nurturing emerging talent and keeping the spirit of live music accessible for all. This year, we were proud to sponsor the Terry Marshall Youth Stage.
By supplying the stage lighting, we were able to support 12 up-and-coming solo artists and bands, helping them build confidence through meaningful exposure while developing new skills and gaining valuable live performance experience. For many younger performers, opportunities like this are an important step in building both experience and belief in their creative potential.
As part of the collaboration, Kev Westbury, Head of Artist Development at the Terry Marshall Academy, shared his appreciation for the support from Neg Earth Lights, saying:
“The Terry Marshall Academy is delighted to have “Neg Earth Lights” joining our stage this year to provide not only some amazing lights but also connecting with the youth team. This is a massive privilege to have such a prestigious company wanting to provide a youth stage with a professional light show for free. So we at Terry Marshall Academy want to give a huge thank you to “Neg Earth Lights” and we really hope it will be an experience we can repeat again in the future to support our youth teams and bands.”
At Neg Earth, community is at the heart of what we do. We believe the future of live events depends on creating inclusive opportunities for the next generation – not only for performers, but for the wider network of creatives, technicians, and production professionals who make live music possible. Supporting initiatives like the Terry Marshall Youth Stage allows us to give young people access to real-world industry environments, helping them build connections and find their place within the live events community.
As a company rooted in live entertainment, we recognise the importance of investing in the future of the industry. Whether through technical support, placements, or creating opportunities for visibility and growth, we remain committed to championing the next generation and helping keep live music culture thriving for years to come.
Testimonial
“We just wanted to say a huge thank you from Terry Marshall Academy and the Hanwell Hootie for providing a great team and fab light show. It made all the difference between a good show and a great show. We really hope we can do some more together. We have a few more dates for local festivals and I wondered if we might talk about training for young people on lighting?”
Kev Westbury, Head of Artist Development at the Terry Marshall
