BBC Introducing DJ Emily Pilbeam on the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival
Emily Pilbeam is a long way from home, in more than one sense of the world. The BBC Introducing presenter has just ventured across the Pennines from West Yorkshire, over a decade on from her first move to the region – a move driven in no small part by her love for music.
“I’m from Norfolk, and there’s not much going on there,” she chuckles when she speaks to The Yorkshire Post. “But there were quite a few bands in Leeds that I liked back then at the time. I thought I’d head up and see what happened!”
What happened has since snowballed into a career that has seen her help bring a new wave of local music to listeners across the airwaves, both regional and national. This week, Pilbeam will return to Manchester as part of the line-up for BBC Radio 6 Music Festival, playing a B2B set with Nathan Shepherd at YES alongside Beth Ditto and Lambrini Girls, among others.
There’s no apprehension for the task at hand, especially when it comes to striking the right note. “I used to DJ at Oporto every Thursday for five or six years,” she notes. “You do that for long enough, you kind of knock the crowdpleasers and the wildcards.”
There’s a pause, and then a snort. “Nathan will chuck in some Tame Impala somewhere, I’m sure. It’s what we want to hear though, really. I’m fortunate with the shows that I’ve worked on, I get to pick everything. It’s something I try not to take for granted.”
Nor does Pilbeam want to downplay the festival’s latest move. Previously held across a variety of venues since finding a semi-permanent home in Manchester, this year’s edition has swapped the larger spaces of places such as the O2 Victoria Warehouse in favour of whites-of-the-eyes spots like the famed Band on the Wall, where Bloc Party and The Horrors will play a co-headline show on Friday night.
“I think it’s nice to do something different, isn’t it?” she concurs. “It’s a conversation that’s gone on for as long as I remember. Without the smaller venues, the ecosystem doesn’t work. Without places like the Brudenell Social Club or the Hyde Park Book Club, artists have nowhere to cultivate a scene.”
She chews her words. “There’s an effort to move outside of London too. Look at the BRITs in Manchester, or the Mercury Prize in Newcastle. That’s what BBC Introducing does all year round. There’s talent everywhere, and things like this are a good way to showcase it.”
Time is almost up, with a rehearsal for her set on the docket immediately after her call. As somebody who took a punt on switching ends of the country, Pilbeam admits before she goes that it means more than she can sometimes say when she looks at her job. “Without being cheesy, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do. Having the opportunity to bring new artists to an audience of captive listeners who want to find new music, it’s not lost on me that it’s a privilege to do.
She laughs again. “Hopefully everyone likes them as much as I do!”
The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival runs at Band on the Wall, Manchester from Wednesday March 25-Saturday March 29, and will be broadcast on BBC Sounds and the BBC iPlayer.
6 MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026 LINE-UP
Weds March 25 – BBC Introducing
TTSSFU + Pyncher + Ellen Beth Adbi at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Thursday March 26
Kelly Lee Owens (DJ set) + Wesley Joseph at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Mandy, Indiana + SILVERWINGKILLER at YES from 7pm
Friday March 27
Bloc Party + The Horrors at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Yard Act + Sorry at YES from 7pm
Indie Forever club night with Steve Lamacq, Beth Ditto + Nick Grimshaw, Emily Pilbeam + Nathan Shepherd, and Lambrini Girls at YES from midnight
Saturday March 28
Courtney Barnett + Jacob Alon at Band on the Wall from 7pm
Lynks + Tiberius b at YES from 7pm
6 Music Festival and FaT OuT present Lauren Auder, Naima Bock and R.AGGS at Eccles Town Hall Ballroom from 3pm
Homobloc presents 6 Music’s Festival’s Closing Party with Olof Dreijer at YES from 11.30pm
The 6 Music broadcast schedule is as follows:
Wednesday March 25
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am) and Craig Charles (1-4pm) broadcast their shows from MediaCityUK in Salford
· Huw Stephens (4-7pm), Deb Grant & Nathan Shepherd (7-9pm) and Emily Pilbeam (9-11pm) broadcast from Band on the Wall in Manchester
Thursday March 26
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw Stephens (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
· Deb Grant & Nathan Shepherd from Band on the Wall with live music (7-9pm)
· Mary Anne Hobbs and Femi Koleoso from Band on the Wall with live music (9pm-midnight)
Friday March 27
· Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw Stephens (4-7pm) from MediaCityUK
· Steve Lamacq from YES in Manchester with live music (7-9pm)
· Nathan Shepherd & Emily Pilbeam from YES with live music (9pm-midnight)
· Indie Forever club night DJ sets (12-3am)
Saturday March 28
AFRODEUTSCHE (6-8am), Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am) and Deb Grant & Craig Charles (10am-1pm), Gilles Peterson & Zakia (1-4pm), Cerys Matthews & Huw Stephens (4-7pm) from MediaCityUK
Nick Grimshaw & Beth Ditto from Band on the Wall with live music (7-9pm)
Amy Lamé & AFRODEUTSCHE from MediaCityUK with live music (9-11pm)
SHERELLE from MediaCityUK with DJ sets from Homobloc presents 6 Music Festival’s Closing Party (11pm-1am)
Sunday March 29
AFRODEUTCHE (6-8am), Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am), Cerys Matthews (10am-1pm) reflect on the festival, broadcasting from MediaCItyUK
Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour with a 6 Music Festival themed show (1-4pm)