Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates
Park National will be the first band to tour Europe with the Berklee Popular Music Institute this May.
Asher Thomas
The Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) will embark on its first European tour later this month with the band Park National. The band will perform at the Great Escape in Brighton on Thursday, May 15, followed by a concert at the Crafty Egg in Bristol with Yesterday's Girl, MLY, and Trans-Siberian Express on Friday, May 16. The tour will close with two Sofar Sounds shows in London on May 17 and 18.
The institute’s BPMI Live program is an innovative, three-semester-long program that provides hands-on experience deep within the live music industry, specifically the festival business. As part of BPMI, students learn how to immerse themselves in the music industry as they develop their skills in artist discovery and development, communication, marketing, promotion, and live music. Curriculum activities are designed to reflect contemporary trends and practices in the music business, including opportunities for students to participate on-site at prestigious festivals and industry conferences. Students travel to festivals across the United States, such as Lollapalooza, the Governors Ball, and Bourbon & Beyond, where they act as artist managers, production and tour managers, and artist media representatives. The Great Escape represents the institute’s first foray into the European music market.
To assist with Park National’s UK dates, BPMI enlisted the help of three students enrolled in Berklee Valencia’s Global Entertainment and Music Business graduate program. Laura Larenas will handle tour management for the band, Sophie Johan will focus on social media and communications throughout the festival, and Hannah Lucchesi will assist with production management on site at the Great Escape.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to take BPMI acts to a new market in Europe,” said Morgan Milardo, BPMI artistic and managing director. “Park National’s UK tour and participation in the Great Escape allow Berklee students to learn more about the global entertainment market and what it takes to bring a band overseas to perform in multiple venues, including a major festival. The collaborative effort between our undergrad students in Boston and graduate students in Valencia has been remarkable to watch unfold—I'm thrilled at this new partnership between the two campuses. We are very grateful to our BPMI board member, Sean Goulding, and the generous donor who made this initiative possible. We are thankful for all of the promoters, talent buyers, and event producers who are supporting this tour for Park National, an outstanding band that will only continue to grow from this experience.”
Park National is the project of Chicago-born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Liam Fagan, blending indie rock, Midwest emo, and punk with raw, relatable lyricism. His music has resonated deeply, amassing over three million streams on Spotify and cultivating a dedicated fan base across the US, the UK, Australia, and beyond.
While Fagan admits to feeling nervous amid the whirlwind of preparation, he says a quiet confidence is beginning to take hold, one he believes will carry him through the experience and onto the stage. “The last five years have led up to this point,” he said. “It’s really special being able to bring my bedroom-made songs to stages across the world.”
