Case studies › The Ignition Sessions
The Ignition Sessions: young bands on a real stage
Four teenage bands from a local band workshop played a ticketed showcase at Lewes Con Club, an established music venue, with sound checks, the venue's sound engineer and an audience of about 120.
Live event · Performance pathwayLewes Con Club, Lewes · May 2026
What we did
On Sunday 10 May 2026 Future Sounds put on The Ignition Sessions, a showcase for four young bands at Lewes Con Club, an established music venue on Lewes High Street. The bands, Obscure Colour, The Illusion, Ominous Feedback and Fulmination, all came from the Local Band Workshop run by Red Butler Music School. Each band had its own sound check in the afternoon and a set of up to 30 minutes in the evening. The bands shared one drum kit and set of amps to keep changeovers quick, and the venue's sound engineer ran the sound and lights. Future Sounds organised the event, worked with the venue and ran the door, and two mentors from the workshop looked after the bands and the stage.
Why
All four bands had played gigs before, but only in school halls and similar spaces. They're fine, but there's nothing quite like playing in a dedicated music venue. The Ignition Sessions added a step on the way to live performance: a proper stage, a professional sound engineer, a paying audience, and the routine of load-in, sound check and changeovers that comes with a real gig.
Impact
About 120 people came, mostly the bands' families and friends. The night was buzzy, and the bands loved performing in a professional venue. Parents told us how much they enjoyed the gig and how much they valued the chance for their children to play live. Lewes Con Club gave its space free of charge, and ticket sales paid for the mentors and the sound engineer. All four bands are still practising and want more gigs.