Liberty Phelps speaks to Islington Radio
Interview conducted by Annie La Vespa

Hi Liberty! How are you doing? What have you been up to recently?

Hey Annie, I’m doing as well as one can in a global pandemic! Lately I’ve been working really hard at Radio X, creating many shows from under my duvet (Sonic Sunday and You Play Like A Girl) for Islington Radio and watching a lot of Netflix! (I’m currently binging New Girl). As much as I’d love to be back in a studio, interviewing bands in person, I’ve been able to really utilise all this new tech that’s taken over our lives. I’m used to interviewing London-based bands and only really getting to talk to people from elsewhere at festivals so it’s been fantastic to be able to branch out to not only artists across the country, but across the globe.

We know you’ve gained a lot of radio experience over the years. When did you first know that radio was something you wanted to get into?

 Well when I was in college I used to make mixtape CDs to play in my car with friends. There was a lot of Peace, Sundara Karma and Foals in there. I loved making playlists for certain moods or creating collections of songs that reminded me of people. Although I listened to a lot of radio, I didn’t realise back then that people are actually hired to do what I was doing. Anyway, I was interested in geography and photography at college and was convinced I was going to land a job at National Geographic. 

 However, I think I can pin-point it to when I was at Uni. I went to Goldsmiths in South-East London and had a show called ‘Red Red Whine’ on our student station Wired Radio. It was such a laugh playing guilty pleasures and nattering away on air with my best friend (also a red head) about everything and anything. I think it would be incredibly cringeworthy to listen back to those now - fingers crossed they don’t resurface in the future! I’m sure we only had about six listeners which were our mums and our flatmates who we forced to listen. As someone who has always been obsessed with music, this was the perfect platform to be able to share my love of music with others. It never feels like ‘work’ as I enjoy it so much. 

You were selected to co-present a show at Glastonbury’s Worthy FM. How did this come about and are you excited for it?

In 2019 I entered a competition to be a presenter on the station. I was shortlisted but unfortunately didn’t get it. Obviously being devastated, I wrote to the manager and asked if I could volunteer to do anything for them throughout the year even if it meant that I didn’t go to the festival - I just wanted to work for this legendary station. It turns out being persistent sometimes works. They asked if I would like to create ‘the sound of 2019’ with jingles, beds and idents and also sound edit interviews on site (result!). 

 Then just before the festival was about to start, one of the presenters fell ill so they asked if I could present and I said ‘Yes’ *whilst internally screaming*. I got to co-host with a brilliant presenter called Guy Lloyd and even interviewed Michael Eavis after his surprise set. I was incredibly nervous about going but the team were so welcoming and you can get to know people pretty quickly when you’re camping with them for ten days straight. They feel like my extended family now and we’re always talking on Whatsapp. Everyone is so supportive of each other's work throughout the year. The team has invited me back to present a solo slot at the 50th Anniversary and I can’t wait to see them - I’m absolutely buzzing!

 Your show Sonic Sunday consists of mainly ‘specialist indie, rock, punk and alternative’ music. Are there any other music genres you're particularly into at the moment?

Of course! I’m massively into classical music. I find it fascinating how it has influenced modern music. My brother plays the trumpet so I spent years of my childhood being dragged against my will to every concert he played in. I remember hating it at the time but now going to listen to a live orchestra is one of my favourite things to do. It’s cool to be able to bond with him over music which is something I don’t really have with my other siblings. I also listen to a lot of soul, ska and jazz. I enjoy the spontaneity of jazz and the freedom it represents compared to some of the more formulaic genres out there. I can’t wait to go to a few jazz clubs when live music returns. I’m hoping to build on my collection when I can go crate digging in record shops. 

 We also know you present You Play Like A Girl which highlights the achievements of female artists. What made you want to start a show like this?

Since working in the industry for just over four years now I’ve really noticed a gender divide. This is within a number of different areas but most notably with presenters, music producers, and artists played on air. I don’t know why it’s so difficult to iron this out and create a more equal playing field because the talent is out there and you really don’t have to look far. I wanted to showcase that with my new project You Play Like A Girl on Islington Radio. In the first half of the show I delve into the life of a womxn in the industry who paved the way for girls today and in the second hour I play new music on my radar by female artists and producers. So far I’ve featured Minnie Riperton and Donna Summer and had guests on including singer-songwriter Nia Wyn and DJ Alfie Butler. It’s been received even better than I’d hoped and a lot of people have said they really enjoy learning about how these womxn smashed through different glass ceilings. 

Do you have any plans of future shows you may want to do?

I have a few up my sleeve... I have always wanted to do a specialist music show with my Dad. He has one of the best tastes in music I know and he’s incredibly honest about what he doesn’t like (probably Sonic Sunday’s No. 1 critic). There’s something interesting about each generation listening to music that their parents don’t like. It’s usually louder and often more politically charged. I think I’ll test the waters by giving him a feature on Sonic Sunday first though.