It’s that time of the year again; the streets of Lincoln are awash with promotional staff for the various Lincoln nightclubs, bright eyed students plough into the shops for their new gear and Zane Lowe returns to the Engine Shed to raise the roof.
The Linc caught up with Zane after the gig backstage. He said: “Everything seemed to go great, I mean technically everything was perfect, plus the crowd in Lincoln are always awesome so it was a great night.”
Last Monday night was the start of Zane’s “Electrified” tour, which will take him to 15 universities around the UK.
He explained: “The next month I’m gonna do a lot of sets around the UK, then I’m off to America, touring with Knife Party and then I come back and I have got lots of studio stuff until the end of the year.
“I’m working with Example on a song that I recorded and produced. But I’m gonna focus on that for the end of the year and then at the start of next year there’s already a lot more touring.”
For those unfamiliar with the Radio 1 DJ, Zane presents the evening show on weekdays and is well known for his high energy shows and “Hottest Record in the World” feature.
He said: “The UK music scene is great at the moment and the Mercury Prize nominations show that. It’s going to be really hard to call. For me it’s between Alt-J or Leanne La Havas for the Mercury.
“I wasn’t surprised by the nominations at all. It’s been pretty good as it is a good selection of the most exciting records of the year. It’s a tough one to call this year for sure.”
With the field of nominees ranging from the mainstream in the shape of Ben Howard, to the more obscure like Roller Trio, The Linc asked Zane who he thought was missing from the shortlist.
“The Invisibles made a fantastic record that ticked every box in the criteria of the Mercury Prize.
“I am a fan of the awards. I turned down the chance to be on the panel as I wanted to remain impartial when I was broadcasting and I didn’t want to feel like I was giving away any behind the scenes information.”
He continued: “The way I look at it is like this, musicians need to find a way to get their music heard. Some of them they can do that themselves. I am just fortunate enough to continue to be in a situation where I can support music that I really appreciate and respect.
“I can share it with an audience and that is what is considered a job and while it won’t last forever, right now I am loving it! I’m the lucky one to get the opportunity.”
After the gig at the Engine Shed, Zane tweeted: “Lincoln. Every time. Incredible!”
When asked whether he may come back next year there was no surprise when he answered: “Of course! I’ll be there!”