Riding Out With Rogers

PRESENTING, DJING, JOURNALIST GEORGIE RODGERS GIVES US THE INSIDE SCOOP

From the iconic BBC 6Music platform through to TV presenting, journalism and DJing, Georgie Rogers is the epitome of new music cool. A huge champion of alternative, independent and electronic music, Georgie has been bringing us the cream of the crop from artists on a host of A-list stations for the last few years.

She is also flying the flag for female motorcyclists across the country - with epic road trips and custom Mutt under her belt. Georgie called by our brand new Bethnal Green showroom for a coffee, a natter and a ride on our Mastiff 250cc street cruiser.

When I was 16 I had a go on a 50cc dirt bike in Italy and I remember never wanting it to end.

We kicked things off where it all started and Georgie’s first steps out on 2 wheels: “When I was 16 I had a go on a 50cc dirt bike in Italy out the back of a family friend’s house and I remember never wanting it to end. Then in my mid-20s I rented a motorbike in one of my favourite places on earth, Hampi in India. Exploring such magical scenery on two wheels got me hooked, but it wasn’t until after another few trips using mopeds to get around that I decided to make it my primary mode of transport.

“In 2015 I had a pretty savage knee accident and the rehabilitation was so limiting that the minute it was healed I definitely threw myself into everything and that meant getting back on a surfboard, snowboard and finally getting a bike. The week I passed my CBT a friend texted me a picture of a customised 125, and that was it..”

London has an excellent base of female motorcyclists and Georgie has been an active part of the scene since passing her test. “There’s a great scene for female riders in London and I’ve made some pals for life through it, in particular the talented photographer, rider and racer Caylee Hankins who shot these pictures,” she tells us. “We went on a trip in Germany together last year the week after I’d got my full license and that’s what you want really - someone on your wavelength who has your back when hitting the Autobahn for the first time!

“Leah Tokelove is changing things for the Flat Track scene and Spanish Enduro rider Laia Sanz is killing it. She kicked off 2020 riding in the Dakar Rally after getting 9th place overall in 2015. There’s bikers who are using their skills to cater for female riders’ needs making awesome hardwearing and environmentally conscious apparel for on or off the bike like Black Arrow and Ame Pearce’s brand Fast Women. We also have the ultimate flag-waver in Elspeth Beard, who was the first British woman to ride solo around the world and released her book Lone Rider in 2017. I had the pleasure of interviewing Elspeth for a short film we made about her story, which launched the Super Women series I’ve made with filmmaker Alice Smith. Watch it because she’s so badass.”

Out on the open city streets, zipping around town or commuting on a Mutt is a breeze. Our latest 250cc machine was the choice for Georgie as she headed out to shoot locations around the capital. “That 250cc was more than enough power to make a great run around in the city and I’m a sucker for that scrambler/café racer style so I really enjoyed taking it for a spin. It was great.

When the weather is good I commute a lot. It’s such a good way to get around and far preferable to the Central Line underground, especially in the summer when it’s hotter than the sun down there. As soon as you are cruising into work with the breeze on you it’s instantly a better start to the day.

2019 was absolutely mammoth for Georgie - playing host to a plethora of DJ sets, festival appearances and radio shows on several networks. “DJing at Glastonbury Festival had always been on the bucket list and I did that for the first time. There were magical sets up a mountain in Bulgaria at Meadows In The Mountains festival and the disco ship at End of the Road. BBC News had me on a few times to talk about music stories which was pretty wild being live on telly in the main news studio. I voiced some commercials and interviewed some more heroes like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Lizzo for BBC 6Music, while building on my broadcasting through Music Discovery on Soho Radio and Foundation FM. The biggest highlight was launching our series of short docu-films and podcasts about trailblazers across various fields, Super Women, a platform dedicated to mentoring female filmmakers. Looking back, I guess it was a pretty good year!”

Life on two wheels is an excellent opportunity to pack your schedule full of great biking events, ride outs and get togethers. Whether that be with pals or like-minded enthusiasts, you’re never too far from a well-organised and fun city event. Georgie gave us the low-down on her next riding movements: “Getting out on my new bike as much as possible and planning lots of trips. I did Amsterdam and Germany last year visiting bike festivals Pure and Crafted and Petrolettes so this year I’ll go to the Malle Mile locally and hope to do more weekend rides to the UK coast, into France and beyond. The dream would be getting out to the US or Central America for some road trips in 2020.”

As soon as you’re cruising into work with the breeze on you it’s instantly a better start to the day.

Georgie works with such a range of personalities and crews and we were keen to get the detail on who would up sticks, pack their bags and jump in a sidecar or on the back of a Mutt for an epic road trip! There’s quite the broadcasting bike crew forming: “I reckon I could persuade quite a few of them to hop on the back with me or jump in a sidecar! The rockstars would be game. Of the BBC radio presenters that are into bikes. There’s Mary Anne Hobbs and Reggie Yates [Another Mutt owner, naturally]. That’s the start of a broadcasting biker gang right there...The BBG! We could go full Sons of Anarchy with jacket patches, a TV series and everything.”

There’s a great scene for female riders in London and I’ve made some pals for life through it ”

Following on from an epic 2019, Georgie is set to smash 2020. It looks like a packed diary of events, DJ sets, shows and more for the rest of this year. “Lots of exciting things to keep me busy. We have five more episodes of Super Women to get out there including films with Amali De Alwis MBE FRSA who spearheaded Code First Girls and one of my favourite jewellery designers Tessa Metcalfe. The BBC 6Music Festival is coming up in Camden, London so I’ll be involved with that and back on with Shaun Keaveny, covering the music awards season into summer festivals. I have a bunch of upcoming DJ gigs and I’m hoping to launch some podcasts, programmes and docs that have been in development over the past year too.”

We couldn’t leave it there without getting some inside 6Music gossip from Georgie! We wanted to dish the dirt on Shaun Keaveny and Matt Everitt and we got back exactly what we thought...They’re absolutely top blokes! “Shaun is the most generous broadcaster and has a true gift of taking your remarks and working it into radio gold. Sharing airtime with him over the years on such a well-loved station like 6Music has been one of the greatest joys of my career. There’ve been so many times in the studio where we almost couldn’t breathe for laughing so hard. That sense of inclusion comes across and is infectious, which is why so many people love him. Matt’s been a trusty guide since my first job in radio at XFM in 2007. I followed him to 6Music shortly after so he’s been a huge part of my story there, taught me so much and is one of the best interviewers in the game. They are legends!”

Georgie is set to pop back to our Bethnal Green store soon, so keep an eye out for more features with this broadcasting trailblazer!