BORN TO BE WIDE
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BORN TO BE WIDE -
Wednesday 22 Oct, 2025
Leith Arches, Edinburgh
Join Born To Be Wide for a special panel exploring the roles of grassroots music collectives and how they champion a diverse range of genres and communities.
Panelists will explore their individual approaches, the benefits of mutual support and tips on setting up a collective. Audience members will also be invited to ask questions and contribute their own experiences.
Speakers include Evie Smith (The Forbidden Zone), George McFadyen (Crowded Flat), Sanjeev Mann (Hip Hop Scotland) and Vicky Kavanagh (Works in Progress).
The Power of Collectives
Evie Smith
Founder/Events Promoter, The Forbidden Zone
Evie Smith is an Edinburgh based musician and music and arts promoter. Though she has been planning and promoting gigs for around 3 years now, she founded The Forbidden Zone in November 2023 as a place for grassroots alternative artists to get their start. With a DIY ethos and an emphasis on safe spaces, The Forbidden Zone has grown to over 2000 followers on social media and organised over 100 events with performances from over 100 bands.
George McFadyen
Promoter/Venue Booker/Artist Management, Crowded Flat / 1990
Founder of DIY promotions and management company Crowded Flat, Booker at Glasgow venue 1990 and music photographer.
Sanjeev Mann
Producer / CCO, Supermann on da beat / Hip Hop Scotland
Supermann on da Beat is an innovative producer, spoken word artist, promoter, and activist whose genre-blending tracks push musical boundaries. Emerging from Scotland’s hip-hop scene after teaching himself production during the pandemic, he has collaborated with global names such as Mic Righteous, Hyro The Hero, and Rockie Fresh. His journey features standout achievements: starring in his own BBC documentary, winning the 2024 Youth Music Social Action Award, earning BBC Track of the Week twice, and landing two tracks in the Herald Top 100 of 2023.
Vicky Kavanagh
Co-organiser, Works In Progress
Vicky Kavanagh is a musician, DJ and writer based in Edinburgh. She is the Station Manager at community radio station EHFM, where she helped establish Works In Progress (WIP); an experimental sound project and collective formed by a group of EHFM residents. WIP offers a platform for emerging artists to share brand new or unfinished work, both on air and through live performances in distinctive locations across Edinburgh. Alongside her work with EHFM and WIP, Vicky is vocalist and lyricist for local dance punk project Bikini Body.