With only 3 weeks to go and the hot summer weather well and truly here Made Birmingham announce after parties – Made… My Night – More details TBC!
*ADDITIONAL SECOND DAY WITH FOOD PROGRAMMING FROM DIGBETH DINING CLUB*
*LINEUP ADDITIONS: LOW STEPPA, 99 SOULS, JASPER JAMES + MORE*
Returning to The Digbeth Triangle for 2015, MADE Birmingham debuted last year to huge success, being nominated for Best Metropolitan Festival in the UK Festival Awards. With an already stellar programme of both live music and DJ performances confirmed for Saturday 25th July – including a headline set from MK who described the event as having "Such an organic vibe to it, I sometimes wish that more promoters from the US would come here to experience what a great time it is” as well music from Wilkinson, Claude VonStroke, Heidi, Julio Bashmore, Beardyman, David Rodigan and Norman Jay – the festival is proud to reveal that a second day (Sunday 26th July) will be added with food host, the multi award winning, Digbeth Dining Club as well as further additions to the lineup including local hero, Low Steppa and rising house duo 99 Souls.
SECOND DAY ADDED TO THE FESTIVAL, SUNDAY 26TH JULY
Presenting MADE Birmingham's second day; a celebration of food, beverage and artistic talent from the Midlands and beyond. Digbeth Dining Club, award winning street food event which has revolutionised the scene in Birmingham, returns to host the food programming on the day whilst a selection of independent breweries, distilleries, street art from Digbeth's City of Colours, live music, spoken word, retro gaming, and more will be on offer. Proceeds will go to local charities.
LINEUP ADDITIONS; LOW STEPPA, 99 SOULS, JASPER JAMES, THE HEATWAVE, TOM SHORTERZ + KURUPT FM
* * *
LINEUP
SATURDAY 25TH JULY
MK, WILKINSONBEARDYMAN, BLONDE (LIVE), CLAUDE VONSTROKE, DAVID RODIGAN,
DOORLY, DORSIA, DUSKY, FONO, FRICTION, THE HEATWAVE, HEIDI, JASPER JAMES, JULIO BASHMORE, KURUPT FM, LEE FOSS, MATRIX & FUTUREBOUND, LOW STEPPA, NIGHTMARES ON WAX (DJ SET), NORMAN JAY MBE, PALEMAN, PHILIP GEORGE, PLEASURE STATE (LEE FOSS, MARC KINCHEN, ANABEL ENGLUND), STANTON WARRIORS, SUBB-AN & ADAM SHELTON, TOM SHORTERZ, TROJAN SOUNDSYSTEM (DEX N FX), 99 SOULS & MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
SUNDAY 26TH JULY
FOOD PROGRAMMING FROM DIGBETH DINING CLUB:
PLATINUM PANCAKES, MEAT SHACK, CANOODLE, ESMIE'S, SAVANNA GRILL, BIG, DADDIES DINER, DELIZIE ITALIANE, BUDDHA BELLY, HABANERO, FYBIN AND LOIN, BAKED IN BRICK, MEATHEADS, FAT DUCK SPUDS
Tickets are available at http://www.madebirmingham.com
The Bristolian two day event kicked off to a sunny start, bringing in flocks of hipsters from far and wide to Eastville Park. Saturday was a sell-out with queues of up to two hours to get into the festival site and huge lines for both the bar and toilets too. Despite the lack of amenities the curation of the festival was really well done, with all tents hosting an array of sounds for all tastes. With lots of Bristol performers, caterers and exhibitors, Love Saves the day 2015 definitely seemed a joyous celebration of the cool and diverse city.
Established as one of the best and biggest selling electronic acts, Groove Armada was one of the most legendary names to perform at Love Saves the Day this year. The relaxed and chilled vibes of daytime main stage instantly filled into a crowd of avid fans eagerly awaiting the electronic music duo. At the first kick drum the crowd went wild, kicking off the party atmosphere at main stage. Playing samples of 'I see you baby' the duo quickly move on delivering to a sea of raised arms and shoulder riders. Towards the end, the crowds attention began to slant just before teasing us with the legendary party anthem 'Superstylin' then kicking into it in full at the end just in time for sunset.
Cloud 9 presented by Apex proved to be tent for the party atmosphere hosting the likes of Tourist and Gorgon City. Tourist- a Grammy winning artist is certainly grabbing the musics lovers attention and 2015 has been a good year for him. As well as an excellent musician, he proved himself as a phenomenal DJ for Saturday Love Saves the Day. At no point did the crowds attention seem to stray. Gorgon City also provided a high finish to a night for the house/ garage fans.
The London singer/songwriter Jessie Ware, turned out to be a wonderful wind down a predominantly DJ and dance night. With some technical difficulties at the beginning Jessie Ware smoothly brushes it over by greeting the crowd. Her soulful and flawless voice eased us into sways of utter blissful happiness. Right before the end of the set Ware announces to 'slow dance with person you are standing next to' to which we complied singing the heart stopping 'Wildest Moments'. With the stage lights now turned off and heading back through the cold, the atmosphere of sheer satisfaction was upon the crowds face as you could hear passers-by singing Jessie Ware lyrics.
Saturday’s sunshine and atmosphere was the perfect way to really kick off the festival season and although the prior weather reports suggested otherwise, Sunday’s proceedings started in much the same way. Again, queues for the bars and toilets were a slight annoyance, even though tickets were still available on the door but it was nowhere near as bad as the first day. Perhaps the fewer people seeing the entire festival through were really making the most of the penultimate bank holiday before Christmas!
Giant illuminated signs outside the festival gates informed Sunday’s crowd that it was ‘party time’, and if any of the stages at Love Saves the Day lived up to this promise, it was the ‘Shambarber’ stage. Tucked away in the corner of the site, sheltered from the wind by the Paradiso tent and a slightly quieter bar ;) – this place was alive with festival spirit. It was a suntrap, with Dirtytalk and Jethro Binns providing the perfect accompaniment of feel-good house tunes making it really difficult to leave.
After a day outside, it was time to get some shade inside the paradise stage – one of the festival’s two larger tents. Floating Points’ stepped out, accompanied by a familiar face in Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), who must have been getting into the zone for his set later in the night. Floating Points’ impressed with yet another feel-good festival set – something he can be relied on. Whilst scatterings of electro-funk and disco took the premise, it was his own record ‘Nuits Sonores’ which really stood out as being something special.
After this a set by Daniel Avery which was again a lot of fun (although a little tamer than the last time I saw him at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen) it was the turn of Four Tet to take to the stage once again. Four Tet is an artist in the true sense of the word and once again he sculpted the perfect set to close the festival for the Paridiso tent’s crowd. He threw out tunes from every corner of the world, with samplings of African music seamlessly transitioned into deep electronic soundscapes. He treated our ears to some of his own tracks, with the reaction of the crowd to the haunting ‘Angel Echoes’ standing out as a highlight to the whole festival.
The time had come to get ready to round off a really memorable weekend and it was down to Harlem’s own Azealia Banks to close it out in style. Whilst Miss Bank$ has been known for a number of high profile arguments with other certain celebrities in the past, at love saves the day she let her music (and dancing) do the talking. Donning her sparkly purple jacket and white high tops and joined by her backing dancers, she covered and owned every inch of the stage. Singing and rapping along to songs which ducked and dived between hip-hop and popular dance in style, she brought her A-game from in the opening song of ‘Idle Delilah’, continuing to impress through to her arguably most famous track in ‘212’. There was no grand exit from Azealia – a simple ‘Thank you Bristol’ and she was gone.
Love Saves The Day are pleased to announce three new additions to their already staggering line up for 2015. Blonde, Jazzie B and Break will be joining Jessie Ware, Azealia Banks, Groove Armada, Roni Size, Leon Vynehall and Grandmaster Flash to name a few at Bristol’s Eastville Park over the bank holiday weekend of the 23rd & 24th May.
Following the success of last years after parties, the Love Saves The Day team have put together another set of post festival soirees, allowing the Love Saves The Day family to continue the party once the festival gates close. Doors will open at Motion, Lakota, Marble Factory, Coroners Court, Blue Mountain and the Big Chill with well loved names including Gorgon City, Julio Bashmore, David Rodigan and B Traits.
On Saturday 23rd May, electronic music duo who are taking the world by storm Gorgon City, will take over the main room at Bristol super club Motion. Joining Gorgon City will be Shadow Child and My Nu Leng, whilst Motion’s Tunnel welcomes Mihalis Safras, Banjax residents, Craig Brown, Dean Bray, JBSquared, Robert Van Ryn, Jack Cook and Ollie Higgs with Billy Disney, Hank Champagne (Bodywork), Hall of Fame and Fred Holt in Motion’s cave.
Over at Lakota, Wide Eyes presents the likes of Julio Bashmore, Hyetal, Velour and Shanti Celeste. Also providing the soundtrack to the evening will be Studio 94 vs Foundations, People Like Us, Get Born, Half Naked and Piff.
Coroners Court welcomes Radio 1′s B Traits, Waifs & Strays, Sly-One, Troy Gunner, Artwork, Origins Sound, Cubana Residents and a very special guest which is still to be announced. Watch this space…
Blue Mountain will provide revellers with their post festival Drum n Bass fix, the line up boasts Danny Byrd, Doc Scott and Cedric Maison who will be performing a Jungle set. In addition to Tayo, TS2W and A.Quake plus more very special guests.
Shambarber takes over the Big Chill with Shambarber Sessions, with very special guests still to be announced.
On Sunday 24th May, soundclash champion David Rodigan will headline a special Motion show, joined by a number of house and bass music heavy weights including Dismantle, GotSome, Jus Now and NYTA.
Elsewhere, party goers will be able to catch Four Tet playing back to back with the highly sought after Floating Points in the Marble Factory. Four Tet and Floating Points will also be joined by Solar and Shapes Residents on the evening, a perfect way to round off the Love Saves The Day weekend.
There are still a couple of very special guests to be announced for Saturday’s night, all will be revealed soon.
Love Saves The Day After Party tickets can now be purchased online here:www.residentadvisor.net
After Party Line-Ups & Details:
Saturday 23rd May
Motion
+++
Main room – Gorgon City Curates
Gorgon City, Shadow Child, My Nu Leng + support
Tunnel – Banjax
Mihalis Safras, Banjax residents, Craig Brown, Dean Bray, JBSquared, Robert Van Ryn
Jack Cook, Ollie Higgs
Cave – Playback
Billy Disney, Hank Champagne (Bodywork), Hall of Fame, Fred Holt
_______________________
Lakota
+++
Wide Eyes
Julio Bashmore, Hyetal, Velour, Shanti Celeste + support, Studio 94 vs Foundations, People Like Us, Get Born vs Halfnaked vs Piff
________________________
Coroners Court
+++
B.Traits, Special Guest TBC, Waifs & Strays, Sly-One, Troy Gunner
Artwork, Origins Sound, Cubana Residents
________________________
Blue Mountain
+++
Distinguished Gentlemen of Drum & Bass
Present: “And DJ…You Gwan Like Mr. Kipling…Exceedingly Good Me Bredrin.”
Danny Byrd, Doc Scott (History lesson)
Cedric Maison (Jungle set), Tayo, TS2W & A.Quake (The Blast)
+ very special guests
Hosted by: Jakes, Remidy
& More TBA
_______________________
Big Chill
+++
Shambarber
Shambarber Sessions + Very Special Guests
_______________________
Sunday 24th May
Motion
+++
Main room – Trap vs Who Cares?
David Rodigan, Dismantle, GotSome, Jus Now, NYTA
Tunnel – Durkle Disco Takeover
__________
Marble Factory
+++
Four Tet b2b Floating Points, Solar, Shapes Residents
Annie Mac has become nothing short of an inspirational, ground-breaking tour de force over the past few years. When we heard that she would be taking the AMP team out to the Mediterranean island of Malta over the Easter weekend to launch their very own Lost And Found Festival, we knew we had to be there. With a line-up that reads like a who’s-who of the music scene right now, the promise of sun, boat parties and beats, no wonder it enticed an abundance of clubbers and DJs alike.
You can get to Malta from most of the major UK airports, in comparison to other European dance festivals getting to Lost and Found festival was relatively easy.
We stayed in one of the main hotels recommended from the festival website, just a stones throw from the daytime party location Café Del Mar at St Paul’s Bay. Being held so early in the season it was apparent that this sleepy island wasn't ready for what was about to hit it – 7,000 British partygoers were joining us, imminently.
Friday
Café Del Mar seemed to be the windiest bit of the island, even in the sunshine. None the less that did not stop the ravers who were ready to party at all costs. Friday kicked off with a pretty wild pool party hosted by Toddla T. North Base, DRS, Jamz Supernova and Mele joined Toddla on the decks. Between them they pounded out sounds of house, DnB, grime and bass. Toddla took things up a notch, giving the crowd a pure injection of energy-induced dirty beats. Cisk time (local Maltese beer) was flowing nicely as the hazy sun set in the early evening. If this pool party was anything to go by, then the rest of the weekend was bound to be pretty spectacular.
We caught the festival shuttle service, which took around 20 minutes to get from St Pauls to Ta’ Qali. We arrived at the main festival site around 10pm, which was far too early, at least it gave us the chance to get our bearings and mooch around the festival site. Numero Uno is a small site which resembled Ibiza’s zoo project, a warren of stages, VIP viewing platforms and bars. Palm trees, pink flamingos and neon lights created quite a magical atmosphere. The chill out area provided the masses a space to recharge their batteries and get some nourishment.
As night fell, it turned quite cold and us unprepared Brits got caught out in vest and shorts. Fortunately the hoodies at the merchandise tent provided us with some much needed warmth. The evenings were a more serious affair with a calibre of DJs to match. Neon cocktail glasses flanked the Tropicana stage, which saw a line up of Oneman,Julio Bashmore, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. Rising geordie star Patrick Topping opened proceedings on the Palace stage, followed by Hot Since 82, the Martinez Brothers and finally closing with Hot Creations Heavy weight Jamie Jones.
As we caught the shuttle bus back to our accommodation we chatted to a few of the partygoers. It seemed most peoples highlight from the evening was a storming set UKG legend DJ EZ. EZ opened with Sticky & Ms Dynamite’s infamous Booo!, with a surprise that not only got the crowd wild, but also made Annie herself go nuts. Most commented on how well the event was organised, which one would expect from the team that run WHP.
Saturday
Early Saturday morning we headed down to the Annie Mac All Stars boat party, all aboard for the rave on the waves. Most of the crowd were surprised to see their favourite artists in such a close proximity, and Annie was hounded for non-stop selfies. Redlight was the surprise guest, who went B2B with Annie,Monki, Melé and Toddla T, they blasted us with track after track on the three-hour boat ride.
It was great to see the Maltese bar staff letting their hair down and joining in with the merriment. Toby Tea (the white tiger mascot) who appeared all over the festival over the weekend, getting fist pumped into the air by the crowd. The boat party even witnessed an engagement, as reveler Ian got down on one knee in front of everyone and proposed to his girlfriend Victoria. Of course she said yes… #theloveboat
Better prepared and wrapped in several layers, we were ready for whatever Saturday night had to throw at us. Torn between the four stages we caught sets from Barely Legal,My Nu Leng, Doorly, Ten Walls, Skream, Artwork, Jackmaster, Duke Dumont, Cajmere, with MK nicely closing the palace stage with an immense set. Redlight was one the standout set for us, already a fan of his music, he dropped house classics as well as his own 9TS, Lost in your love and new track Gold Teeth.
Sunday
The crowds didn’t start filtering in until much later in the day, which meant that Monki, Shadow Child, B-traits didn’t get the crowds they deserved.
Taking the main stage just before sunset was base-heavy house DJ Hannah Wants. Her set at Lost and Found was unsurprisingly a hit; mixing classic ‘90s garage tunes with her own contemporary bass and house beats. The crowd went berserk when she dropped Faithless’ Insomnia. Her hit Rhymes went down just as well with raised hands to the sky for the track's bass heavy drop.
Over the course of the night we saw sets from Catz n’Dogs, Paul Woolford, Kerri Chandler, Flat White, Tiga, Green Velvet and Haitian-Canadian electronic musician, producer and DJ Kaytranada. Leading on to the penultimate act of the day Heidi that set the crowds ready for the headline act.
Annie entered the booth and greeted chanting crowds with a croaky voice. The weekend had clearly taken its toll. She didn’t care; the Annie Mac party faithful was here to dance. She opened with a belter Après Chicago, followed by a plethora of electronic bassy bangers. Her set contained highlights from Waze & Odyssey, Grum, Ten Walls, Adam F (Eats Everything Remix) and stand out track of the weekend for myself and others was Melé’s superb drum-ladden Ambience.
Annie hyped her audience into a frenzy as she jumped on the speakers draped in an Irish flag to Dumont’s The Giver, the crowd chanting “Annie, Annie, Annie F**cking Mac” their hands illuminated and a sea of phones recording the moment. Confetti cannons exploded for the grand finale and she played out to Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the crowd lapping up every minute of the loved-up vibes. Annie put on an immense performance with dance-floor hit after hit, showing us exactly why she is the UK’s premiere live, and radio DJ.
We’ve been to quite a few festivals, but this definitely felt like a game changer. We felt incredibly lucky to be part of something so special, and to be welcomed with open arms by the Maltese. Lost and found far outweighed my expectations. It was beguiling, bewitching, brilliant and proved an unforgettable experience. Not a bad way to spend an Easter, is it!
In just under a month respected Radio 1 host and world-class dance DJ, Annie Mac will be whisking her AMP community away to the majestic island of Malta for its debut Lost & Found festival.
Happening over Easter weekend and set across 8 core venues, with beach parties and boat parties conveniently located a stone’s throw from one another, revellers can party from dusk till dawn, on land or at sea.
“I’ll be heading to Malta over Easter weekend for three days of music and merrymaking. Having attended festivals all my life, I did not enter into this project lightly,” Annie Mac explains. “Expect boat parties, beach parties, night time open air raves and plenty of AMP surprises!”
Boat boat party schedules were announced last week and with an overwhelming demand many of the tickets sold out on the same day. Featuring a range of artists from the festival's line-up that includes Dusky, Hannah Wants, MK, Route 94, Skream, The Martinez Brothers and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs amongst an array of special guests and surprises – plus an 'All Star' boat headlined by Annie Mac herself. With daytime party line-ups also set to be announced shortly, Lost & Found festival remains on course to kick off this year's festival season in style.
The lineup includes Breach, Carl Craig, Duke Dumont, Eats Everything, Hannah Wants, Green Velvet, Julio Bashmore, Jamie Jones, MK, Hot Since 82, David Rodigan, Kerri Chandler, TEED, Ten Walls, The Martinez Brothers, Dusky, Heidi, Patrick Topping, Tiga, Redlight, Route94, Skream, Benji B, Paul Woolford and many more.
It might still be a baby on the festival circuit, but Bristol’s Love Save The Day has no trouble drawing the hordes. Students, ravers, and the trendy youth of the West Country are all out to play for the festival’s third birthday.
Thick, grey clouds loom on Saturday, with a washout predicted for the day’s entirety, but spirits are high, and these wellie-clad punters ain’t afraid of no mud. Located in the heart of Bristol’s centre, attractive little Castle Park seems an odd choice of location to hold a dance festival, but a convenient one nonetheless.
With a generous helping of DJs on the line up, we are launched headfirst into the housey beats that usually form the late night proceedings. The likes of Crazy P and Kove get the party started on the Futureboogie and BB Records stages, while the main stage presents a more eclectic mix of genres.
Kiesza proves a highlight, largely due to her impressive ability to carry out intricate dance routines while simultaneously projecting note perfect vocals. The crowd seems entertained when she beckons a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs” during her most famous track, ‘Hideaway’; it’s an impressive turn out for the soon-to-be star.
Trudging through the already muddy grounds, we find a collection of smaller venues sheltered within the trees, including a ‘Cocktails and Dreams’ stage complete with a campervan selling exotic cocktails, and the ‘Dance Off’, an area for the hardcore ravers where a boxing ring has been erected in front the stage – presumably intended for busting moves rather than for competitive fighting.
Later, Hercules and Love Affair provide a rather disappointing set on the main stage, and despite their garish outfits, seem to struggle to really engage with their audience. Annie Mac picks things up again, offering nearly an hour and a half of healthy dance beats as the heavens really open.
Saturday’s final headliner, Eats Everything, is local to Bristol, and his house tracks are successful in carrying the party into the night, gearing up the hardcore ravers for the after party taking place off-site at a nearby nightclub.
A much brighter and sunnier start to Sunday sets spirits high. Kicking things off are Laid Blak, recognised for their reggae infused music and weed-themed lyrics. Joined on stage by their children and revelling in the midday sun, the group seem to be having so much fun that they appear reluctant to leave at the end of their set!
Subsequent act Gentleman’s Dub Club are equally as excitable, and prove to be one of the standout performances of the festival. A parade of suited and booted men make up this ten-man band, complete with trumpeter and saxophonist. Exuding energy, they prance, skank and bounce their way through the set, urging the audience to join them in doing so. As the clouds part, they entice the crowd into a sun dance, which subsequently works its magic for the rest of the festival.
As the day progresses, bar queues begin to snake around the festival, as the crowds line up to wash down the afternoon with a customary Bristolian cider or Pimms for such weather. The lack of bars and food stalls is one of the biggest problems at this festival, which no doubt would benefit financially by making refreshments more readily available.
Quantic and Clean Bandit are both hits over on the main stage, with the former injecting a refreshing dose of salsa and jazz into the mix, and the latter pleasing the audience with their rendition of ‘Rather Be’. Yet perhaps the biggest crowds are drawn at the opposite end of the festival, when Shy FX and then Mike Skinner take to the Soundboy stage. Skinner swops vocals for decks, and surprisingly proves to be quite the DJ.
Bringing proceedings to a close, Jamie XX spins and remixes furiously to produce his trademark electronica sound, warming up the stage for headliner SBTRKT. Joined by regular collaborator Sampha, the set is slick and entrancing, enhanced by a hypnotic light show reserved for only the biggest artists.
Aside from the food and drink niggle, Love Saves the Day is a triumph. Despite covering such a small area of ground, the sound from its six stages never muddles, and it is particularly refreshing to see artists given such long sets. Bring on year four!
In readiness Beat Herder festival this year we went out and stocked up on new supplies of wellies and waterproofs after being towed off site in calf deep mud by a JCB last year. We couldn’t have got it more wrong as this year the festival fell on the most glorious weekend of the year so far, with scorching temperatures in the late 20’s. In stark contrast, it was hard going due to heat exhaustion, rather than trudging in mud-laden boots.
Sprawling over the lovely valleys of Lancashire, this three-day festival attracts a wonderful community of people who all crave a fun-packed weekend. There’s an array of different stages here offering plenty of choice for musical tastes from house, techno, reggae, drum & bass, funk, disco and soul. New additions for 2013 was a 60 feet long, corrugated steel, fire breathing dance arena named The Fortress. Over the weekend the DJ booth in the loft played host to Cut la Roc, John Carter, Justin Roberston, Bentley Rhythm Ace and Sicknote. The other notable new space was Maison D’etre that hosted eclectic music and comedy acts throughout the weekend.
Now in its eighth year, the BH organsiers seem to have hit on a winning formula for the perfect festival experience; reasonably priced bars, the ability to attract reputable artists and international dj’s and a not for profit ethic. It’s clear that loads of love and attention that go into the site from the hand painted flower boxes with artists’ names on, to the beautiful hand-sewn timetables.
The site itself has everything in the right proportion, small enough to bump the same friendly faces around the site other and stages within easy distance of each other. My favourite space has to be the beautifully lit up Toil Trees stage in the woodland area, where the trees seem to reach up to into the heavens. Apart from a awesome line up of dj’s from Kissy Sellout, Mr Scruff and Norman Jay, It even has its own mini town, complete with a chapel of rest (open purely for your dancing pleasure), a vintage sweet shop, a hotel, garage, a barbers shop (yes they really cut hair on site) and a tattooist (…and yes you can get yourself a real beat herder logo tat to boot).
Friday night’s standout performance was from Chic and Nile Rogers. They kicked the festival off in pure style covering their hits ‘I’m Coming Out, Everybody Dance, He’s the Greatest Dancer, We are Family’ and stage invasion finale ‘Le Freak’. I felt like I was witnessing a very special moment. Groove Armada followed Booka Shade’s thumping live set. Tom and Andy brought the stage to a close with a dj set of clubland classics and mixes of their own superstylin’ tunes.
This year’s fancy dress theme is T, and dressing up here is huge. People really go to town on hand made costumes rather than cheesy bought in attire. We witnessed twisters, terracotta armies, technic stereos, togas, tornados, taco’s, tin men, tweedle dee and dums, a twix, Thatcher, trailer trash, take away, teen wolves, tampons and one punter whom aptly came as a tent.
The Other Tribe helped us ease back into the party vibe early Saturday evening with their infectious summer anthem ‘Skirts’. Another main stage highlight was Slamboree. A 10 piece band made up of circus performers who manage to create what can only be described as an visual and audio riot, with music spanning dub, Balkan, rave and hip hop. We danced the rest of Saturday night away in the pews of the chapel, arms raised to the air and sipping on cocktails with the sassy waitresses in the Hotel California. You have to shake everything that your mama gave you in in here, no standing still, it’s the law!
Sunday was super el scorchio down on beat-herdershire farm, hitting the low 30’s. Hiding in shaded areas and iced smoothies was the only way to keep cool. Perfect Sunday afternoon tunes were underway from Good Times DJ, Norman Jay. We melted in the Maison watching comedienne Barbara Nices’ hilarious set. She encouraged overheated, lethargic punters to get involved in a game of dead celebrity statues. Raising temperatures nicely in the Toil Trees was a 4 hour set from Mr Scruff and MC Kwasi, perfect in the hazy wooded sunshine.
Bondax delivered a blistering Sunday night ‘dance ya socks off’ set that bought the festival to a beautiful close. Ahhh…well that’s Beat Herder over for another year, we’ll definitely see you in the shire next year for more beats and barminess. Herd em up!
I was somewhat nervous and excited to be attending the Secret Garden Party. All that I had read told me to leave my expectations and inhibitions at the door, and to join my fellow gardeners in four days of absolute freedom, games and spectacles.
The festival for us started in the massive queue to get on site on Thursday evening. We tuned in 87.9 – Secret FM and listened in to the dandies from The Gentleman’s Club (Arthur & Reginald), taking us through the stages of becoming a gentleman, “Gentleman must only smoke the finest cigars and port must not be passed to the left”.
The garden is set in the gorgeous grounds of a Cambridgeshire manor house, centered around a swimming lake. This years theme was Standing on Ceremony, however, this year is an extra special edition, in honor of their 10th birthday.
Walking around this site, even covered in mud, it’s clear to see it’s spell-blindingly beautiful. There are surreal sights to feast your eyes upon everywhere; art installations, bandstands, sideshows and non-stop parties dot the site. The crowd are already on good form and looking equally bizarre – a knife & fork go by, then a globe globe, unicorns, aliens, geishas, a pack of cards, deep-sea divers and every animal conceivable.
We head further into the site and stumble upon the Collo-silly-um – a hay baled, high walled arena where two punters are getting down and dirty in the mud wrestling pit. It’s Britain vs. Germany and we actually win (is that a first)? The pants are off, rather than the gloves and this isn’t the first bit of nudity I’ve seen – its in abundance here. I feel my inhibitions loosening just a little bit…..shall I jump in? This festival is decadent, indulgent and hedonistic. It’s an enormous adult playground and you feel under the SPG magic spell as soon as you enter the site.
It’s clear to me by now that this festival is not all about the music – although, they do have some pretty good names on the bill. Friday afternoon saw Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny take to the main stage. Beth clad in a hooded leotard, sang favourites ‘Dodecahedron’ and ‘Lilliputt’ to a small but appreciative crowd.
Evening comes and Alabama Shakes get things moving on the main stage with their Southern style grooves and thumbing bass riffs. Followed by Little Dragon and finally Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Lead singer Alex Ebert with his hippie charisma kicked off his boots and leaped onto the barriers, the audience whip themselves up into frenzy. ‘Man on fire’ was the stand out track for me. The band closed things with the equally brilliant track ‘Home’, and the crowd were once more on their feet, singing along and dancing with their arms in the air.
On the way back to the campsite, we stop on the hill and take in a vista of the scenic site. By night it’s even more impressive, transformed by neon blues and greens illuminating the trees.
The mascara wearing comedian, songwriter and musician Tim Minchin got Saturdays proceedings underway on the main stage. He joked ‘I’m surprised to see any one up this early’. He raised the roof (well proverbially, if there was one) to a packed out crowd with his razor sharp satirical ditties on Jesus.
The sun was out in its full glory, which meant lake swimming and more naked liberation. We caught a boat over to the Lake Stage where rumbling DnB sounds could be heard. From here you can see more people ‘shaking their stuff’ on the Pagoda Stage opposite. T.E.E.D, Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler are DJ’in here, but stage times are not listed, instead clues are hidden around the pagoda – shhh, it’s a secret.
Around the lakeside lies the ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ Stage, its front adorned with knotted and twisted tree branches. This rather lovely stage is playing host to a good line up of new folk and up-and-coming bands over the four days, starting with Bastille. During the course of the weekend we see Ellen And The Escapades,We Were Evergreen,Lucy Rose, Daughter, Lianne La Havas and King Charles play to packed audiences.
What I am beginning to like more and more about SGP is that there is so much to get involved in, even if the music wasn’t your scene. The organizers actively encourage that you don’t get hung up on seeing the bands and that you participate rather than be a spectator. You can go punting, join a literary reading, have dance lessons, go swimming, ride a camel, take a hot tub under the blue skies. I’m finding it impossible not to fall in love with this festival.
As darkness falls, we ready ourselves for the big birthday burn. A crescendo of activities that starts with dozens of fire jugglers surrounding the lake, hundreds of neon balloons sent floating skywards, a breathtaking firework display and then the big climax. The Lake Stage is ignited and the flames roar into the blackened sky. It was truly phenomenal. Huge crowds swell the banks as far as your eye could see. SPG know how to put on an awe-inspiring ceremony.
Taking to the stage after the immense sights on the lake were Obital. They needed something epic to follow the pyrotechnics we had just witnessed. Never failing to please, the Hartnoll brothers with trademark headlamp glasses blew the audience away with projections, laser beams and some good old classics ‘Halcyon’ ‘Belfast’ and a 15 minutes version of ‘Chime’ to conclude this blissful set.
Sunday turns out to be a hot one and perfect for hanging out at The Dance-Off stage, a boxing ring where punters challenge each other to dance like an idiot to cheesy mash-ups. There is some serious partying going on down there.
The merriment continues with the infamous paint fight at the main stage. Organizers hand out bags of powered pigment and before you know it people are multi-coloured from head to toe in garish, blue, yellow, purple and orange and the air is full of colourful dust.
In the evening we get ourselves into the north field in time for another birthday parade. Just when you think SPG couldn’t pull out any more surprises out of the bag, well they did. From the skies came five parachutists landing on the lake, two planes that created a love heart in smoke trails in the sky, a carnival style procession with a band of foxes, a giant cake, a brass brand, camels trail.
Glastonbury may be taking a sabbatical this year, but there is no chance of festival goers feeling hard done by with this festival. I urge anyone who hasn’t been, to give this one a go. You might not set foot on Worthy Farm again……but shhhh it’s a secret!
