The Isle of Wight is, in spite of – or possibly as a result of its location – a place bustling with artists, writers, and musicians, in a community with many unique and often surprising facets informed by its geography and sense of displacement from the rest of the UK.
Wolverton Manor, in Shorwell, has long been a centre of cultural activity on the island, accommodating artists and musicians, from its concerts of world-class classical music to the annual Folk and Blues Festival, fostering an atmosphere of creativity that has also seen the births of locally legendary Isle of Wight punk, avant-garde and hip-hop projects.
Community arts radio
Wolverton FM, a new community arts radio station based in the grounds of the manor, will celebrate the Island’s creative heritage and provide a platform for experiment and expression for the Isle of Wight, through DJ radio shows, documentaries, radioplays, sound installations, field recordings, live sessions and talk radio.
AvantHardCollective
The project is headed by AvantHardCollective, which is comprised of Island native Lottie Depresstival Bowater, songwriter, 
part of the winning team of the Edinburgh Festival Panel Prize 2016 for “Iraq out and Loud”, activist, and curator of the long running London avant-garde multidisciplinary arts event “Depresstival Presents”, in collaboration with Dominic Robertson AKA Ergo Phizmiz, an artist, radio playwright, and composer who has a long association with the Isle of Wight.
Both artists recently collaborated with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra on their production “Ariadne auf Naxos”, which received Critic’s Pick in the New York Times.
Get involved
We are seeking expressions of interest from local artists, writers, musicians, bands, arts organisations, or anyone interested in presenting radio or behind-the-scenes in-studio work.
Live broadcasting will begin in September 2019.
For more information, and to get involved in the project, please contact [email protected] and visit our Website.
Check out one of the latest podcasts which has more details about some of the plans. Other podcasts can be found via MixCloud.
