I want to sing, I want to shout… about grassroots music connections!

I want to sing, I want to shout… and you can read all about it, read all about it now…

Back in 2025 we took Honey Box Live out on the road. We already had a format that had worked locally – a development day for technicians preceding a live music gig, featuring several local unsigned artists, broadcast live.

The outcomes we expected were similar to what we’d experienced locally. A sharing of experience, knowledge passed on, content created, with the bonus of artists experiencing taking their music on the road and reaching new audiences in great grassroots music venues, and online. Offering something fresh to the creative community-rooted music venues into the bargain. All good stuff.

What we never expected was that the amplification of grassroots talent would hit the high notes of Pro Green at the Leicester Music Conference in 2026! But when people in the music business get together, the magic happens.

At PHPS we always maintain that we connect much more than just amps, we connect people! This has never been truer than when we hooked up with Dr. Yasin El Ashrafi BEM, BCAa – a multi award-winning mentor and entrepreneur, Founder and Owner of HQ Recording Studio, HQ Familia record label, Leicester Music Conference and a Director of HQ CAN (Community Arts Network) CIC – who was a guest interview at last year’s Honey Box Live. It was there he discovered our live streaming capabilities and we connected to support production elements and introduce live streaming to this year’s Leicester Music Conference. The two-day event involved panels and discussions from two separate venues, workshops and demonstrations, creative industry expos and – of course – an evening of live music headlined by none other than Professor Green himself!

The Leicester Music Conference brought together hundreds of artists, industry professionals, and music enthusiasts. Our involvement gave us the opportunity to reflect on the growth of Honey Box Live, the connections we’ve made, and the unexpected and impressive impact the funding boost from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Arts Council England has already had on us, the musicians, the grassroots scene and on each community we’ve visited. The cross-pollination of ideas inspired us to include an industry session on the formation of strategic Music Boards, at the Music Awards of Staffordshire and Cheshire.

Honey Box teamed up once again with Leicester’s 2 Funky Complex to host a development day on the 14 February 2026, and stage Series 9 Episode 5 live from the venue the following Sunday, with performances from 9 O’Clock Nasty, Heidi Rolph-Stott, RECØDE and Jake Thompson.

Our Leicester connections also extend to Matthew Newton, Head of Marketing at Horus Music where he leads a team delivering global campaigns for independent artists, record labels, and white label distributor clients, and Max Thomas a cofounder and Director of Bullfrog Arts, a Leicester-based, award-winning organisation that delivers high-quality, trauma-informed music interventions, who both made fantastic contributions to our development workshop days.

The passion and commitment of Matt, Max, Yasin and the wider Leicester Music Board, alongside their deep understanding of the transformative impact music has on communities, just resonates from them.

Next up… Honey Box is off to Wolverhampton Arts Centre, where once again we’ll be amplifying grassroots talent… and making even more connections.

Pic used with kind permission of Leicester Music Conference, photography rights: Aaron Slaney Photography