Jamie Scott: ‘a New Era Of Music & The Arts At Silverstone’

Following Silverstone’s recent announcement that it will be delivering ‘four gigantic evenings of live music and entertainment’ over the course of this season’s Formula 1 Aramco British Grand Prix, we caught up with the man behind a revolution that is set to mark the start of a new era for the racetrack.

The fusion of music and sport is spreading.

The NFL’s iconic half-time show is perhaps the best example of this fusion in action. Nowadays a Super Bowl performance will reach 29 million US households and is regarded as a unique milestone in an artist’s career.

Closer to home, The Hundred welcomed UK band Bastille as its headline for the latest final at Lords, as the cricket competition continues to build on its relationship with BBC Music by showcasing upcoming musical talent throughout the summer’s matches.

And in the last Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, popstar Camilla Cabello took the pitch before a ball had been kicked.

The expectations amongst fans have changed and nowadays the entertainment on offer when you buy a ticket to see your favourite team is no longer limited to sport. The fight for the modern fan’s attention means there needs to be something more. And more often than not – sport has turned to music.

Now, it is Formula 1’s turn. Silverstone, the iconic racetrack and home of the British Grand Prix, has announced that one of the biggest artists, DJs and producers in the world, Calvin Harris, will headline its first Thursday night launch party this summer, playing alongside Jess Glynne and Cat Burns.

Other huge acts such as Jax Jones, Black Eyed Peas and Tom Grennan will also perform across the new-look British Grand Prix weekend. The lineup has been curated by Grammy-nominated and Ivor Novello Award-winning British songwriter and producer Jamie Scott, who was appointed Siverstone’s new Director of Music and the Arts last year.

“I met the guys that run Silverstone and we were chatting about music and the opportunity to lift the music and arts at Silverstone as a venue,” says Scott, a self-proclaimed petrol-head.

“I fell in love with the idea of using the two worlds that I am so passionate about and trying to fuse them – and that is motorsport and music.”

Scott’s appointment follows Silverstone’s first attempt at a musical twist to its Formula 1 race weekend, a performance by Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder at the Grid Ceremony in 2022.

“We came into it late last year so wanted to focus on something that could quickly make an impact. This year we have had the time to pull together a massive, epic event to kick off the whole weekend’s activities. We are really taking it to another level with the Thursday launch party.

“We wanted to focus on a best of British theme for the launch party and are so pleased we will have Calvin Harris, Jess Glynne and Cat Burns performing. They are artists that sell out the biggest shows and festivals around the world – it’s a real statement to have them playing here.

“Thursday’s show will signify the start of a new era of music and the arts at Silverstone. Then we go into a brilliant weekend line-up with Tom Grennan, Black Eyed Peas, Jax Jones, and plenty more still to be announced.”

Formula 1 is facing an overhaul of its calendar. New races in Miami, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have recently joined the schedule and Las Vegas’ arrival looks set to shake things up even further. Meanwhile, revitalised plans have resurfaced for an ambitious London Grand Prix in the future. With new kids on the block providing fresh settings and tracks, the threat of traditional circuits being knocked off the schedule entirely is real.

Scott is determined to make sure Silverstone not only survives but thrives in a modern and diverse racing calendar, and at the same time, stays true to what makes the track one of the most popular on the circuit.

“We have to evolve to entertain and deliver for the shifting audience we are seeing come through the gates. But we also have to be true to ourselves and remember what makes Silverstone special,” he says.

“There’s been a lot of work at other tracks like Miami, but that’s not something we are trying to replicate here. We don’t want to be the next Super Bowl half-time show because that’s not authentic and that’s not what people want.

“Anyone who has visited Silverstone knows it already has the feeling of a British summer festival and that’s what we want to capture and build on. Over 400,000 people visit over the weekend because they love that spirit and that’s what we have to deliver more of.”

The track’s intentions also fit well with the current Formula 1 narrative. Since the success of Netflix’s Drive To Survive, the sport has responded to its younger, modern audience and their thirst for more content.

“It’s a really serendipitous moment in F1,” Scott explains. “The sport is redefining what is on offer when you come to a race. It is exciting and modern.

“The audience has been completely changed because of Drive To Survive. You go to an F1 race and there is such an eclectic mix of people there and I want to cater for that in the entertainment offering,” he continues.

As well as highlighting the impact of new blood in the sport, Scott recognises that the traditional fan may be put off by the associated bells of whistles of this new entertainment approach. It’s a battle that has already been played out in other sports, the introduction of The Hundred perhaps the most obvious example.

When The Hundred was first broached, former England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Director of Cricket, Andrew Strauss, described it as a competition for “people who aren’t ‘traditional cricket fans.”

Unlike The Hundred, however, Scott and Silverstone are much more determined to include both ends of the fan spectrum in their new approach, while recognising the need to evolve the product at the same to align with modern media consumption.

“We live in this new modern world and a need to entertain all of the time. We live in the fast lane as human beings, and I want to replicate that at Silverstone through music and arts.”

Scott only sees this going one way. Silverstone has already announced huge musical acts across their other events this year – with McFly and Sugababes to play the newly-named Silverstone Festival, and Kaiser Chiefs, Chase and Status and Razorlight are all scheduled to perform at this year’s MotoGP.

The phenomenon of mixing music and sport is snowballing and before long it might well be a prerequisite to the UK’s biggest sporting moments.

“I would like to believe that there is no limit to what we can do, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the race which is the most important thing. That will remain the spectacle,” says Scott.

“Everything around the racing – the sky is the limit. We will keep pushing to make sure we deliver those ‘I was there’ moments.”

JAMIE SCOTT