Joshua Illingworth: Early Career Promoter Fund
Concise Description: Deliver an outdoor Wave anniversary event at The Beehive with a headline DJ and emerging local artists, strengthening Bradford’s grassroots underground music scene.
Bio: Josh Illingworth is a Bradford-based music promoter and the founder of Wave – a grassroots electronic music platform built to give underground culture a proper home in the city. He launched Wave in 2021 with small basement sessions at The Beehive, creating space for local DJs at a time when Bradford’s scene was still rebuilding. Since then, Josh has delivered more than 20 events, growing Wave into a recognised platform for drum & bass, jungle, breaks and bass music in West Yorkshire. Alongside booking major UK names including Fabio & Grooverider, DJ Hype, Dillinja, DJ Hazard, A.Skillz, TC and The Freestylers, he continues to prioritise emerging local artists, often giving them their first opportunities to play on larger line-ups. Josh handles everything from programming and promotion to branding and on-the-day production, drawing on his background in marketing and design to keep Wave independent, consistent and community-led.