BBC News presenter and ‘Explainer’ star Ros Atkins has announced a Rave Machine drum & bass takeover in Falmouth – check out all the details below.
Atkins, who’s known for his ‘explainer’ videos, is set to bring his drum & bass party to Falmouth in Cornwall on February 21. The event, held at The Cornish Bank, will see the journalist and DJ play alongside former Aphex Twin and Mark Pritchard collaborator Tom Middleton, as well as MCs Ribbz and Chickaboo – you can find your tickets here.
Speaking about how the gig came about, Atkins said (via DJ Mag): “I’d heard brilliant things about The Cornish Bank in Falmouth and got in touch to see if we could do a night together. To my delight, they were keen.
“Then I started to think about the line-up. I’d exchanged messages with Tom Middleton after my BBC 6 Music set in 2022 and, of course, I knew his brilliant music and his significant place in the Cornwall scene. It was a long shot but I messaged him to see if I could persuade him to join me in Falmouth.
“Almost straight away, he messaged back and a few days later we were talking and making a plan. He was all in!”
He went on to praise those joining him on the line-up, saying: “Ribbz was on so many of the cassettes I collected in the ’90s. What an MC! My friends and I are all massive fans. I couldn’t believe it when Tom said Ribbz was up for it too. Then the other person I immediately thought of was MC Chickaboo.
“She hosted Rave Machine at Glastonbury so brilliantly and I’ve been hoping for a chance to team up again. It’s happening! It’s a dream line-up for me – and I’m hoping everyone in the scene in Cornwall is as excited as I am about seeing these three exceptional artists take the stage. They know all about putting on a party – it’s going to be a great session.”
“Cornwall’s rave culture has been such an important part of my life and I can’t wait for this party to happen.”
This year’s edition of Rave Machine follows Atkins’ previous stints at Green Man and Glastonbury. Back in 2024, the newsreader announced that he was “astonished” to be on the line-up for the Worthy Farm festival. Calling it “an unlikely development”, he told surprised fans at the time there was “a bit of a story here“.
It started in 2022, when he discussed his past DJ’ing in an interview, and was then asked by BBC Radio producer Matt Tasker if he’d like to do a set, while Soho venue The Social also asked him if he’d like to do a gig.
Some of his Atkins’ drum’n’bass “heroes” got in touch, too, including Ray Keith, who he explained helped him figure out what equipment he needed to practice at home, leading to them deciding to play at The Social together. He added, “I think I just about hung it together – with Ray watching on! And everyone seemed to have a good time … I was up and running. I kept practising. And we did another night last year – this time with the brilliant Chinese Daughter too.”
After the second night, Carl Gosling of The Social broached the possibility of Atkins playing the Stonebridge stage at Glastonbury, which is organised by the team from the venue.
As a result, Atkins played Glasto alongside huge names like Annie Mac, Idris Elba, Rudimental and Groove Armada.
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