With just under 30 days to go until BoomTown open their gates for what promises to be the biggest and wildest chapter to date, the UK's largest independent festival is about to get that little bit bigger with the announcement of yet another area, complimenting 24 stunning themed main stages across a huge festival site.
Located deep within the numerous woodlands spread throughout BoomTown, House In The Woods will encapsulate the innovators and dreamers behind the best in house, disco, techno and boogie with a curated line-up from four of the UK’s most influential tastemakers.
Further igniting the house-heavy vibes on Friday will be renowned Bristol natives Shapes, who’ll be teaming up with underground trailblazers Flux to bring two legendary figures from the underground dance scene to the hallowed BoomTown turf. A Guy Called Gerald has continuously re-writing the rule book for dance music and will be showcasing his History Of House Set under the mesmeric woodland skies. The night gets even bigger with pillars of the underground dance world Horse Meat Disco stopping by to deliver a set of deep house nuggets.
On Saturday, it’s the turn of infamous Bristolian crew Alfresco Disco to take the reins for an unpredictable night of breath-taking beats. Alongside their acclaimed residents will be a unique headline set from Raf Daddy of The 2 Bears, who have set the scene alight in recent years with two acclaimed studio albums combining two step, house, hip-hop and soul. It’s a night destined to live long in the folklore of BoomTown.
After a weekend of rhythmic debauchery, it will fall to the mighty Electric Minds to shake House In The Woods one last time with a night bursting with mavericks of the underground dance world. Iconic Electric Minds boss Dolan Bergin will be on hand to oversee a line-up that includes the dynamic Amir Alexander, who will be transporting the loyal residents of BoomTown to the gritty sounds of modern America and celebrated “outsider” Pangaea appearing in the midst of a worldwide touring schedule that has seen his nostalgic drum and bass sound reach thousands. Topped off by an appearance from George Levings (Commix) new musical project Endian, The House In The Woods is likely to shake BoomTown to its knees.
Somerset House has established itself as the perfect summer music venue, with an impressive eighteenth-century courtyard, right by the River Thames in central London. Summer Series always has an impressive and diverse line up every year, with the likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Professor Green and Ellie Goulding on their list of past performers, this year was no different. So far Passenger, Nick Mulvey, George Ezra and James Bay to name a few have graced the stage, tonight was Kwabs, Raleigh Ritchie and Zak Abel’s turn to shine.
Walking through the venue, it's small and intimate. People are starting to filter through, grabbing beverages and jerk chicken on the way. Zak Abel kicked off first and warmed up the crowd for the night’s following proceedings. The up and coming star, probably best known for his vocals on Gorgon City’s 2014 summer smash ‘Unmissable’, performed to the crowd, his own material from his latest EP ‘Joker Presents’. After a few microphone issues, Abel soon caught the attention of the audience with his edgy but soulful voice as people started to arrive. Songs in his set included, ‘Higher’, ‘Alchemy’ with a Daniel Beddingfield’s ‘Gotta get thru this’ mash up and ‘These are the days’.
Following Zak Abel, was Raleigh Ritchie, who built on the atmosphere and energised the crowd further.. Asking people to dance ‘like no-one’s watching’, the audience didn't hesitate as they started singing along to his set which included hits ‘Stronger than ever’, ‘The Greatest’ and ‘Bloodsport’. Given the short amount of time he was on stage, he gave an explosive performance and left the audience wanting more.
The much anticipated Kwabs didn't disappoint when he graced the stage to headline tonight's event. Full of suave and rhythm, he grooved to the beats of his up and coming debut album ‘Love+War’ which is out this September. He performed known hits such as ‘Walk’, ‘Wrong or Right’ and ‘Pray for Love’, as well a as sneak preview at some album material. If that wasn't enough, Kwabs also threw in an amazing cover of Arctic Monkey’s ‘Do I Wanna Know?’, then sat down and serenaded to a quiet audience, James Blake’s ‘The Wilhelm Scream’ and John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’. It was an intimate moment, and Kwabs really connected with the crowd. The audience then started to dance and sway to ‘Fight for Love’, ‘Saved’ and lit up the whole courtyard with their mobile phone lights to ‘Cheating on me’.
The Summer Series was the perfect way to begin the weekend. The weather was great, the intimate venue meant the sound was enclosed within the courtyard, emphasising the sounds and atmosphere a whole lot more and from tonight's performance, Kwabs debut album sounds amazing – definitely watch this space!
It was a scorcher at Splendour Festival 2015 with The Specials, The Twang and Lawson headlining the mainstage. In between acts we got the chance to have a chat with Georgie, Ferocious Dog, To Kill a King, and Lawson. Splendour has a reputation for showcasing Nottingham's best young talent and again this year it didn't disappoint, with up and coming acts from Nottingham, the Midlands, and around the UK. There was no lack of things to do with the day, with fair rides, stalls, samba and a circus, it catered for the whole family. Much to the disappointment of the festival goers, the ale ran out at 5pm, however they didn't let it dampen their spirits and still enjoyed the sun, music and entertainment.
We caught up with headliners Lawson backstage, with band member Joel Peat himself originally from Nottingham, he said he loves being back in his home town and with a familiar crowd. The sun wasn't quite enough for Lawson though, who were all feeling the chill despite what we thought was a happy 22 degrees. The boys had visited the circus and the beer tent and gave Nottingham a sneak preview of their brand new single 'Lions Den'. Lawson said they love playing to a Nottingham crowd and like lots of the other local bands are inspired by, and love playing at Nottingham's own rock city. During their Splendour set it was screaming girls galore with their typical pop-rock ensemble of songs to get the crowd going.
Ferocious Dog, on the confetti stage, have a large following in Nottingham and when we caught up with them they said that it was great to be back since they first played two years ago. The guys are hoping to play on the mainstage within the next few years as they're becoming more popular. Ferocious Dog are building up their fanbase and have played two sold out gigs at Rescue Rooms, and got to play at Nottingham's infamous Rock City which they described as 'the dream', having spent the eighties and nineties watching bands there.
To Kill a King, have used Splendour to increase their exposure for the young band after making the main stage, being one of the first acts up, the crowd warmed to their British rock infused set. The boys have been really busy, travelling to Nottingham for Splendour follwing playing at Latitude festival the night before. They said that often festivals can be far less stressful than gigs as 'everyone's really intent on listening to what you're doing and that'll get really stressful, and you'll come to festival season and everyone's in a field, drunk, and you can basically just have a really good time with it'. Equally, the boys say they love gigging and explain that by the time festival season is over they think 'why is no one listening to me?!'.
On the main stage Roots Manuva's set was perfectly timed with an outburst of sun much to the appreciation of the festival goers. Roots didn't disapoint with ska infused reggae to keep the crowd entertained and in the festival mood. James were recieved by one of the largest crowds of the night and the tracks 'Laid' and 'Sit Down' had to be among my personal highlights of the day, with the crowd of all ages joining in with the classics.
Local artist Indiana, tore up the mainstage with a cult Nottingham following, after being brought in to replace Jess Glyne. From her appearances on BBC introducing and In New Music We Trust, Indiana's fanbase has gradually developed in the midlands and across the UK. Her melodic, Florence-and-the-Machine-esque voice, combined with a heavy baseline went down a storm setting up the three headline acts. With the local acts out in storm, Georgie, first up on the confetti stage, was enjoying the exposure of being at a festival being an under the radar musician. Georgie says her progression in music has come as her 'voice has matured' and she's 'matured in herself'.
Heading over to the acoustic tent, which was snuggly tucked away inside the off buildings of Wollaton Hall, Joy Mumford was singing to mellow beats as the sun went down. The acoustic tent showcased some of the best new music across the day including Hhymm, Eyre Llew, Pierce Brothers, Jamie Lawson and Molly and Jack.
Bananarama, headlining on the confetti stage, attracted a crowd of life long fans, singing along to all of their hits including 'Robert de Niro's Waiting', 'Full Summer', and 'Really Saying Something'. They also switched it up with covers of the Beatles 'Help', and The Bee Gees 'I want you back' and 'You should be dancing'. Bananarama's disco vibes on the confetti stage and The Specials eighties two tone and ska on the main stage offered something for everyone and was a great end to a family day out.
East Hampshire District Council are delighted to announce the final bands to complete the line up for this year's Butserfest, the UK's biggest alcohol free youth live music festival.
Joining an already explosive lineup are South Wales' post hardcore GIANTS Funeral for a Friend, who make their return to our hallowed field, Nottingham scoundrels HECK* (formerly known as Baby Godzilla) – who will headline our alternative road stage sponsored by Crossroads, and who make a very welcome return having aptly lain waste to the same stage in 2014, those loveable ladies The Lounge Kittens, who will be entertaining our crowds on the main stage between our later acts, the delightfully ferocious SHVPES, Southampton boys Our Hollow, Our Home, also making their return to our event having smashed our second stage last year, pop punkers Boston Manor, who recently toured the UK with As It Is, and Londoners Vanity Draws Blood.
Complete lineup:
Don Broco, Funeral for a Friend, Hacktivist, HECK*, The Xcerts, The Qemists, The Lounge Kittens, Fathoms, The One Hundred, Carcer City, Zoax, Our Hollow Our Home, Lock & Key, Create to Inspire, Shields, SHVPES, Prolong the Agony, Dirt, Boston Manor, Networks, Lost Atlanta, Cardinal Bay, Vanity Draws Blood, Wars and Waking Angel.
INTRODUCING STAGE (in no particular running order):
Deference, Elements, Daniel Eagle, Flashfires, Zenthetix, Jack Howson, Forever in Depths, Eight 28, Just Millie, These Septic Stars, Forgotten Shores, Ella Davidson, Breathe in the Silence.
Tickets are on sale now priced at just £24.90 (and no booking fee) from www.butserfest.co.uk/tickets
Every ticket bought in July & August will be entered into a draw to win VIP packages. More info on website
Miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in the rolling hills of the secluded Leicestershire countryside, the ground was once again shaking as Noisily returned for its forth year. With a tantalising line up for any electronic dance music fan, this festival brings you the best acts from the UK and abroad, including MC Xander and Whyt Noyz both from the UK, Stephan Bodzin (DE), Grouch (NZ), Parasense (Russia) and The Outsiders (Israel) as well as Brazilian techno giant Victor Ruiz. From Psytrance to techno and glitch-hop to house, Noisily enlightens you on a journey of music.
In Orbit did the décor for the tree house stage, where MC Xander, ODJBox and Specimen A headlined. Most of the décor throughout the festival was done by Liquid Fairies who are highly recognised in the psychedelic festival scene, their attention to detail is second to none including the golden kite bird décor on the crown of the Liquid stage as a nod to the birds which surrounded them during the build. Within an hour of the festival opening, everyone was exploring their new wooden playground that they would call home for the next 3 days – the hammocks in the shaded woodlands area were a popular addition, providing a chilled out vibe.
The main stages are Liquid (from Glade/Liquid records )(Psytrance), Noisily (Techno), and Treehouse (from Glitch & NeuroHop, Mid Tempo to Bassline House and Electro through to Drum and Bass, Dub and other genres). As well as having 3 main stages Noisily also has several sub stages: Nicholas Cage, Yeti Tent and Bassport Gazebo (Bassport takeover the Treehouse stage at 9pm Sunday with Drum and Bass). There are 3 main bars close to the main stages, apart from the cocktail bar which overlooked the festival from the hill.
Psychedelic dream temple was here this year on the first leg of its European tour showcasing 18 international artists, and headed up the list of performance and circus artists.
With what started as a gathering of 500 people back in 2012, has now grown and expanded into Noisily festival as we see it today – which welcomed just under 3000 festival-goers in 2015.
With its high production values, diverse line-up and unique atmosphere, Noisily has already put itself on the map for small festivals.
Although the ground was soggy, the air stayed clear for the majority of T in the Park, Scotland's biggest music festival. There had been a lot of anticipation with the change in venue from the usual Balado sight in Kinross. However it seems with a few “teething problems” set aside, Strathallan did not disappoint. With a promising line up of artists from Avicii to Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds set to headline, there was a very diverse weekend of music in store for Scotalnd’s festival goers.
The Cribs and The Wombats were the first to take to the main stage on Friday, offering a punk-rock vibe to get the crowd warmed up with their infectious energy. Tord Øverland Knudsen from the Wombats living up to his usual playful, crowd pleasing self. Meanwhile acts such as Blossoms and Indiana were pulling out all the stops in the BBC introducing and T Break stage.
Later on Annie Mac took to the Main Stage and had everyone up dancing for her first of two performances over the weekend. After her followed Hozier, performing his debut Album with hit song Take Me To Church amongst the set.
As Rudimental hit the main stage the crowd multiplied. Well known for their high energy live performances, drum and base group Rudimental put on a spectacular show, opening with Not Giving In. DJ Locksmith could not stop moving and his infection energy really rubbed off on the crowd. The DJ also pulled on the crowds heart-strings by dedicating a song to his son. Waiting All Night was a huge crowd pleaser and had everyone dancing and singing along.
When Sam Smith took to the main stage, you could hear a pin drop over at the BBC introducing stage. The crowd were hung on his every word. He delivered a very sincere performance and stated how happy he is now he creates music true to himself. He thanked the crowd for helping this happen. Some reckon they even seen Sam Smith shed a tear during his performance.
Kasabian wrapped things up on Friday night headlining the main stage. As the countdown clock displayed on stage got lower and lower the energy in the crowd lifted higher and higher. With Bumblebee and Underdog being amongst the opening songs the atmosphere was electric from the beginning of the set right through to the end. Songs from Kasabian’s No.1 UK album Empire went down a treat and it was clear to see both the crowd and the band were having a great time. People headed back to their tents with Kasabian's bass line resinating in their bones.
There were a number of early risers on Saturday morning who turned out to see acts such as The Lafontaines and The Strypes play. Later on pop-rock group Lawson took to the stage, getting the whole crowd singing along to songs such as When She Was Mine.
Jungle were a real crowd pleaser in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent. A young boy took to the stage mid set and break danced which had the crowd going wild. Also performing in King Tut’s was St Vincent who delivered an intense and captivating performances. The set was accompanied by some spectacular lighting to add to the intensity of the performance. After St Vincent came Scotland’s pride and joy, The Proclaimers who attracted the widest age range. Delivering hits such as Letter From America and 500 Miles the Tent was full of good vibes and nostalgia.
A lot of young excited festival goers gathered to watch The Script on the Main Stage on Saturday Night. Well known for his tendency to leave the stage and come down to the crowd, Danny O'Donoghue did not disappoint the die hard front row spectators. Girls were screaming and crying and doing everything they could just to touch the Irishman’s leather coat. Danny stated he loved to play gigs in Scotland as it was close to home and had the Celts in the audience raise their hand. Performing all of the classics alongside the more recent hits, The Script attracted an enthusiastic crowd.
The Libertines, the first of the headliners to be announced when T in The Park released 2015’s line up, took over the main stage. The Libertines attracted a slightly different crowd, many excited to see the band play for the first time after their reformation. The band opened with hits such as Time For Heroes and Can’t Stand Me Now and played an encore including Up the Bracket and closing with Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. There seemed to be a great relationship between Pete Doherty and Carl Barât throughout the set which pleased the crowd.
Some of Scotland’s finest talent was on display throughout the weekend with acts like The Proclaimers, Admiral Fallow and headliners Twin Atlantic playing across the stages. Many people faced a tough decision on Saturday with Avicii and Twin Atlantic playing at the same time on separate stages. However it was safe to say whichever act was chosen would not have disappointed. Both acts offered an energetic, all singing, all dancing performance that not even the rain could hinder. The Swedish DJ, Avicii, offered a visually captivating performance with smoke, streamers and a spectacular lighting display. There was a rave taking place in Strathallan with people dancing and singing along to hit songs Hey Brother and Wake Me Up.
On the Radio One Stage, Twin Atlantic were offering heart filled seventh T in the Park performance. Amongst speaking of the honour and emotion the band were feeling to be headlining on a Saturday night, lead vocalist sam McTrusty also had the crowd sit on the ground and on his count stand up and go wild. With a wide range of new and old songs from what What is Light? Where is Laughter? to I Am An Animal, Twin Atlantic invested their hear and soul in the performance and had the audience captivated from start to finish.
The third and final day of T in the Park was kicked off by acts such as Saint Raymond, The Parsonage Choir and Ella Eyre. The View followed James Bay, whose good looks and great tunes both attracted many goey eyed females. It was great to see the amount of people out to see the opening acts on the final morning of the festival.
The Main Stage and Radio 1 Stage were both displaying tough competition on Sunday evening. Catfish And The Bottlemen, Kodaline and Jamie T all offered an indie/alternative rock performance Radio 1 Stage. In tandem on the Main Stage there was a slightly different vibe, with the soul singing group Alabama Shakes giving a spectacular performance and had people in the crowed shouting ‘We love you Brittany!’.
The crowd were extatic to watch Paloma Faith perform. She played a variety of songs, from her first ever single, Stone Cold Sober to the more recent chart topping single Changing. Although there was much controversy over Paloma’s revealing outfit, the singer-songwriter put on a great visual performance with her quirky stage set up, opposed to the black back drop the crowd had gotten used to across the weekend. This performance was not the first time the crowd has got a glimpse of Paloma. The brit appeared at the front of the stage the previous day to watch her “idol” Labrinth play and later stated he made her cry “actual tears”.
Stereophonics opened with Catacomb and a small flame display and continued to wow the crowd with all-time favourites such as Graffiti On The Train, Mr Writer and Maybe Tomorrow. Stereophonic are no strangers to T in the Park and have developed a reputation that is certain to attract a large crowd every time. Just when it seemed the energy could not be elevated any higher, Stereophonic kicked it up a notch and played finished the set with 2005 No.1 hit, Dakota.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were the grand finale on Sunday night. The band’s own songs got the crowd going, however it was the old Oasis classics that got the crowd going wild. People of all ages showed up to absorb the atmosphere and sing their hearts out. There was many an emotional Oasis T-shirt wearer when they played songs such as Champagne Supernova and The Masterplan. Noel communicated with the audience throughout the set and offered a more sincere performance many may be used to. The band closed with Don’t Look Back in Anger. A very fitting end to both the set and T in The Park, 2015.
BLOODSTOCK HQ is a-buzz with activity with just over three weeks to go! There’s still more bands to announce and we also welcome the return of the brutal-yet-amazing ‘Battle Of The Nations UK’ historical fighting team!
The New Blood stage on Friday sees a brace of additions; Hertfordshire melodic death metal outfit and Luton ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals winner, COUNTLESS SKIES (www.facebook.com/countlessskies) and Gothenburg, Sweden’s WE ARE THE CATALYST (www.facebook.com/WATCofficial) – who also won DELAIN’s competition with Metal Hammer magazine to win a support slot on the Dutch symphonic rockers’ UK tour. Joining the New Blood bill on Saturday are Midlands-based prog metallers, MARTYR DE MONA (www.facebook.com/martyrdemona, groove metal outfit and Norwich M2TM winners, SOULBORN (www.facebook.com/soulborn) and self-proclaimed ‘hobo sludge’ gang and Reading’s M2TM winners, VICTORIAN WHORE DOGS (www.facebook.com/VWDBAND). Sunday welcomes London death metallers SKARTHIA (www.facebook.com/skarthia), hard rock funk/schplunk metal men and London final M2TM winners, WRETCHED TOAD (www.facebook.com/wretchedtoad) and lastly, the winners of the ‘Metal To The Masses’ Hobgoblin online video upload competition, Newcastle groove metal beasts, TOMBSTONE CROW (www.facebook.com/tombstonecrowofficial).
Over on the Jagermeister Stage on Friday, hard rock four-piece CITY OF THIEVES (www.facebook.com/cityofthievesuk) join the fray. On Saturday, the blues-based rockers PIG IRON (www.facebook.com/pigironmc) grab a slot, as well as stoner/sludge squad, MORASS OF MOLLASSES (www.facebook.com/MorassOfMolasses) and straight out of Valhalla, the truest of true cover bands, HANOWAR (www.facebook.com/Hanowartruemetal); a bit like Manowar, but…well, you do the math! Lastly for this announcement, Sunday sees horror-metal punksters, THE HELL PUPPETS (www.facebook.com/hellpuppets) join the Jager bill. Final additions to all stages will be announced next week!!
There’s plenty more on site to see and do besides watching the awesome bill! Returning this year for Friday-Sunday are the very popular BATTLE OF THE NATIONS UK historical fighting team! These guys have to be seen to be believed. Catch their regular ‘demonstrations’ (read: ‘full-on’, no-holds-barred fighting with broadswords, maces and plenty of other historical weaponry) in their designated pen in the main arena.
All these stellar bands are on the bill! Friday’s headliner TRIVIUM and special guests SABATON, Saturday’s headliner WITHIN TEMPTATION and special guests OPETH, Sunday’s headliner ROB ZOMBIE and special guests BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, plus CANNIBAL CORPSE, IHSAHN, SEPULTURA, ORANGE GOBLIN, DEATH D.T.A, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, 1349, NAPALM DEATH, DARK ANGEL, ARMORED SAINT, BELPHEGOR, OVERKILL, ENSIFERUM, AGALLOCH, KORPIKLAANI, PRO-PAIN, ENSLAVED, RAGING SPEEDHORN, XERATH and WOLF. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, there’s headliners DELAIN, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, GODFLESH and ARNOCORPS, LAWNMOWER DETH, MORDRED, ETHEREAL, ONSLAUGHT, OAF, CONAN, PLANET OF ZEUS, GODSIZED, plus many many more.
No strangers to T in the Park, Twin Atlantic took to the stage for the seventh time on Saturday night. It is a well established fact that the band will never disappoint with their performance.However, Twin Atlantic take it in their stride to up their game every time. From BBC introducing, to the Main Stage, the band have grown with T in the Park and now represent everything the festival stands for. With Avicii on the main stage as a tough competitor, it was incredible to see the sheer mass of people that turned up in the pouring rain to watch Sam, Barry, Ross and Craig. The band started with a bang, firing canons of confetti into the crowd and opened with Edit Me.
Being local Glasgow lads, Twin Atlantic could empathise with the crowd enduring the heavy rain. Lead vocalist Sam McTrusty expressed his gratitude that so many people had showed up to watch the band play and shouted to the crowd "We’re from Scotland, the rain doesn’t faze us, bring on the snow!"
Sam then decided, whilst performing I Am An Animal, that given everybody was already wet with the rain and dirty with mud he encouraged the crowd to sit on the ground and on his count, stand up and ‘go wild’. When this happened more confetti and streamers were blasted into the arena and the atmosphere in the crowd was one like no other.
After an energetic start with songs such as Make A Beast of Myself, Fall into the Party and Free, Twin Atlantic slowed tempo. Addressing the crowd, Sam spoke of the "honour” it was to headline the Radio 1 Stage on a Saturday night at T in the Park. He told the crowd he felt “so emotional” and thanked everyone for making the band feel as though they belong and for making T in the Park a “second home”. Tears were streaming in the crowd as they begun to play Crash Land.
The band then picked up the pace playing old classics such as What Is Light? Where Is Laughter? – a song they performed for the first time at T in the park. The energy carried on to the end of the set and the atmosphere was electric. The band finished on the recent hit, Heart and Soul. It would be fair to say that the heart and soul of both Twin Atlantic and the Saturday night crowd was invested in the performance from start to finish.
This Saturday 18th of July, Wollaton hall (of Batman fame) opens its park doors to festival goers for the annual Splendour festival. Splendour will be bursting with all sorts of family friendly entertainment this weekend including circus cabaret, samba drumming, magic and vaudeville.
All of the set times have now been announced which you can catch at the bottom of this article and on their website. The festival opens at 11.30am with the music kicking off on the Acoustic Stage at 12pm and on the main stage with Future Sound of Nottingham winners Suspect Alibi at 12.30pm.
Splendour's official radio partner GEM 106 is bringing its award winning breakfast show Sam & Amy to soak up the atmosphere and do a special show live from Splendour between 2pm and 6pm. Listen in, to catch all the latest gossip. They'll have a free photobooth to capture lots of fun on the day, and a chill out area.
Festival-goers will be kept on their toes by the Fun Police, out in force to make sure all are enjoying themselves responsibly. With megaphones, banner and cordons, the 'officers' will be creating silly scenarios of safety and generally being a delightful nuisance. Created especially for Splendour by Nonsuch Theatre, the roaming performers will be part of the fringe walkabout.
The Nottingham School of Samba will be taking their beats around the Wollaton Park site with drumming performances of Brazilian songs in the styles of Afro-Brasil, samba reggae and Rio samba sure to get the party started.
Also new this year are DIY Poets, a Nottingham based poetry collective who will be bringing their dynamic brand of performance poetry to the Splendour setting for the first time. And for something completely different, check out the full kazoo orchestra brought by the DH Lawrence and the Vaudeville Skiffle Show.
As well as more walkabout entertainments this year, the fringe stage will have lots going on throughout the day. The showstopping Notts Circus will once again be thrilling the audience throughout the afternoon with three dazzling mini-cabaret performances, complete with aerial acts on its impressive eight metre rig. Marvel at the acrobatics, and enjoy free-play activities including diabolo, stilt walking, juggling and more between shows.
Swing dancers will be encouraging everyone to get involved as Swing Nouveau play modern songs performed in a retro style while detective of magic Inspector Hemslo will be discovering the most intimate secrets of those he meets.
New for kids this year is the mini big top hosted by Big Top Mania, featuring circus skills workshops including low tightrope wire, hula-hooping, diablos, juggling & unicycles. They’ll be bringing giant bubbles and crazy inflatables along too, as well as closing proceedings in the Children’s Area with Big Bear’s Big Balloon Disco.
Area Inbetween will be offering exciting workshops for young people. Alongside LP record painting on Dizzy The Bike, face painting, and recycled materials workshops, there will be games and chill-out space for socialising and hanging out, including Giant Jenga, Ten Pin Bowling and Twister. All activities are free except for a spin on Dizzy charged at 50p per vinyl.
Set Times MAIN STAGE 21:00 – 22:30 THE SPECIALS 19:15 – 20:15 JAMES 17:45 – 18:45 LAWSON 16:30 – 17:15 INDIANA 15:30 – 16:00 ROOTS MANUVA 14:30 – 15:00 AMBER RUN 13:30 – 14:00 TO KILL A KING
The world renowned Electric Daisy Carnival returned to the UK on 11 July for its 3rd edition.
One week before the festival excitement on social media was reaching its peak. Around this time I stumbled across a group on Facebook for people going solo to EDC. By the day of the festival there were over a 100 people in this group from not only all corners of the UK but from further afield too.
A number of us decided to meet up at Lake Furzton, Milton Keynes, close to the festival site, the morning of a festival. The sun was shining and we were all in good spirits. A short while after the gates opened we made the short walk over to the north entrance of the National Bowl where entry was dealt with quickly and efficiently.
I soon hit the KineticFIELD, a lush green and wooded area which is set in a gigantic bowl meaning no matter where you stood in the arena you had a great view of the stunning KineticCATHEDRAL main stage. With a glowing neon pipe organ bookended by gigantic, 45 foot tall twin owls, the stage played host to a full stage show incorporating dozens of performers, and of course DJs including Steve Aoki and Hardwell, that unfolded throughout the day. The 90 feet high and 240 feet wide structure weighs more than 200 tons. It featured 20 multi-coloured lasers and multiple massive LED screens, giving the illusion of detailed stained-glass windows to match the cathedral theme.
I took a break from the KineticFIELD to check out the rest of the site. It was a very hot day but at the chill tent the wellbeing crew were on hand giving out water and sun cream to festivalgoers (or Headliners as EDC prefers to call us). This was a nice touch.
Around the back of the main arena I came across the NeonGARDEN. The stand out set here came from headliner Jamie Jones.
I walked a little further and hit the CircuitGROUNDS, a playground for lovers of bass heavy beats. This large tent was very busy all day and Pendulum and Sub Focus went down a storm.
My favourite of the smaller arenas was the CosmicMEADOW where the sweet sounds of trance and electronic rang out. Cosmic Gate put in an awesome performance in the afternoon. Later in the evening trance legend Ferry Corsten showcased his new track Anahera under his alias Gouryella. Paul Van Dyk headlined this stage to a smaller than usual crowd due to his clash with Tiesto in the KineticFIELD.
At 9.30pm most of the 35,000+ ravers descended on the KineticFIELD to see the aforementioned legend that is Tiesto close the show. He was accompanied by a full on stage show including fireworks, waterfalls and streamers. It was a sight to behold from up on the hill. His set included my personal favourite, his iconic remix of Adagio for Strings.
Photo courtesy of Insomniac
EDC UK is a very well organised festival in a wonderland setting. It has excellent production values not only on the main stage but in all four arenas. EDC UK has established itself as a festival big boy so the others had better watch out!
