Bestival Sold Out but Line-up still growing

by

NEW ACTS JOINING THE BILL
JANELLE MONÁE (FESTIVAL EXCLUSIVE) /
JOLLY BOYS / MR MOTIVATOR /
AND OUR ESTEEMED CLUB DADA, POLKA TENT &
BLACK DAHLIA ARTISTS
PLUS
FANCY DRESS COMPETITION /
NEW WISHING TREE AREA FEAT.
THE BIMBLE INN / CHAI WALLAHS & MORE

 

In the rarest of quiet moments away from the Bestival Bunker Rob da Bank said: ‘I’m down on the Isle of Wight at the mo’ supposedly having a breather before Bestival but actually just getting very excited about all the latest fun and games we have to announce. Janelle Monáe is without a doubt a superstar, fame and glory aside she just writes the best songs since Prince…technicolour funk mayhem coming to Bestival only this year! The Jolly Boys were so brilliant at Camp Bestival we had to get them back for Besti and they’ll be gracing the main stage – undoubtedly a Bestival moment waiting to happen.

 

Mrs da Bank has been very busy beavering away on a brand new field, The Wishing Tree, roughly running 24 hours and really a place to wind down after the main stage finishes and also somewhere to get horizontal during the day and check out some brilliant cabaret, comedy and our two new micro venues Chai Wallahs and The Bimble Inn, two staples of the alternative festi circuit. Make sure you discover the actual The Wishing Tree (you can’t miss it) and get inside later on for ambient sets from the likes of Phil Mison, Chris Coco and Moonboots. Yoga, meditation and chanting is not compulsory but is encouraged. Phew …I cant wait!’

We are beyond excited to announce that Janelle Monáe, possibly the hottest pop property in the world right now will be joining us at Robin Hill Country Park on Thursday 9th September for a super-exciting festival exclusive set. Her universally acclaimed debut album ‘ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)’, that has been getting the likes of his purpleness Prince all hot and bothered, is a bold, futuristic fantasy-funk odyssey that moves effortlessly between styles as diverse as R&B, disco and psychedelic rock all beautifully topped off with Janelle’s jaw-dropping vocals.  This is a one-off for this festival season and a total coup, making it simply unmissable. We just can’t wait!
Fresh from wowing the Camp Bestival crowd with a high-octane bandstand appearance, mento messiahs and bona-fide legends, The Jolly Boys will be getting on the ferry across the Solent to deliver their incredibly infectious grooves to the Bestival brethren. Giving their Jamaican folk perspective to classics like ‘Rehab’, ‘Perfect Day’ and ‘The Passenger’ – all taken from their forthcoming ‘Great Expectation’ album – The Jolly Boys are just about the perfect party band, so make sure you catch them.
Keep your eyes peeled all weekend for early-morning fitness legend Mr Motivator. One of the country’s best loved exercise gurus, Mr Motivator will be popping up across the site making sure you’re on your toes with some energising workouts that will help you keep your stamina up for an epic four days of partying. Leotards are optional.
Amidst all the preparations we’ve been having a bit of a chin-wag with Chase & Status, who are celebrating the release of their latest single ‘Let You Go’ this weekand we can confirm that they’re all steamed up and raring to go for their third Bestival appearance in as many years. This year’s will be super-special though, as it’s the first time they have brought their mind-blowing live band along to hype the crowd before The Prodigy on Sunday night. They told us: ‘We’re really looking forward to this one as we’ve always had such a great time there in the past. Bestival has one of the best crowds of the festival season and if we have the time we’ll be spending the whole weekend there’.
With three weeks to go until Bestival 2010: The Year Of The Fantastic is upon us, we thought we’d ask for a sneaky peak at all the Magickal costumes you inventive lot have been busy knocking up over the last few months for this year’s Fantasy theme. Simply send us a photo of you dressed up in your Fantasy fancy dress to [email protected] and we’ll post them up on our Facebook page ww.facebook.com/bestivalfestival in a Fantasy photo album. This year’s fancy dress judge and Fantasy fashionista La Roux will then choose the most fantastically dressed of all the Bestival goers on Friday 3rd September who’ll get their hands on a much coveted prize ofa lifetime’s supply of tickets to Bestival! We’ll also be giving 2 runner-up prizes of a Bestival hoodie so make sure you email your pics in now for your chance to win!
 

Brand new to Bestival this year will be the stunning Wishing Tree area, a round-the-clock laidback lure, where you’ll find a wealth of wonders. A spectacular sight to behold, the actual Wishing Tree itself is an eight metre tall sparkling vision of beauty where you will be bathed in Balearic beats as blissfully chilled tunes spun by the likes of Chris Coco, Phil Mison, Pete Gooding, Pathaan, Moonboots and many more fulfil your late night desires. Also making its inaugural trip to Bestival as part of the Wishing Tree area is the Bimble Inn. A solar powered stage and bar that serves cider and organic ales, all situated within a striking giant bespoke tipi, the Bimble Inn is bedecked in bewitching fairy lights that will draw you in to a world of nocturnal fun that will include performances from David Harks, Shadow Orchestra, Philip Henry, The Amgios, Nately, Baraka, Domino State, Movits, Ta Mere, Papa Dez (DJ), Lulu And The Lampshades, Bellaruche, Countryside Alliance Crew, The Egg, Andy Barlow (Lamb), Skinny Lister, Midnight Expresso, Sound Of Rum, Django Django, Brassroots and Cindy Pink (DJ Set). 

Another newbie coming for the Wishing Tree is Chai Wallahs who will provide a sensually indulgent experience, hosting performances from a selection of the UK’s finest underground talent and established artists including Selectah Si Chai, DJ Moneyshot, DJ Parker, DJ Featurecast, Rodney P, Skitz, DJ Die, The Nextmen, DJ Yoshi, Channel One Soundsystem, Reggae Roast, Evergreen & Landlord, Jstar & Shepdog, David Rodigan, Skuff & Inja, Asbo Disco, Heatwave DJ’s, Mr Benn and Diplomats Of Sound. Chai Wallahs also boasts aroma DJs who blend scents to fit the musical vibes, a bar & café, herbal shot bar, Crazy Shaman Herbal Emporium and a Shisha Lounge. The Wishing Tree area will also host the Cabaret Tent and silent disco, 24hour (dub) café, The Big Love Inflatable Church, Lost and Found, Prangsta, Bramble FM, Dukebox and Mr Whippy & the Conettes, making it an essential destination.
Returning to Bestival for more deliciosuly deranged fun, Club Dadais going to swing, ding and ultimately explode. Taking  over the Spiegel Tent  every night after Come Dancing and spinning it into the 23rd Century with Electro Swing, jumping brassed up Ska and deep Blues mixed up with performance and lots of weirdness, Club  Dada’s line up includes Le Bal Swing, DJ `s Bart and Baker, Dj Romain Bno – G – Swing, Kormac and His Orchestra, Movits, DJ Nick Hollywood, Dj Tofu Ska Remix, Top Cats, C.W. Stoneking and the Primitive Horn Orchestra, Dj  Gaz Mayall, Last Man  Standing, Correspondents Curete, DJ Switch, Dutty Moonshine, Lazy Habits meet Correspondents,  Mr B The Gentleman, DJ Mr Chuckles, Movits,Dj Dirty Retro and Wagon Tails.
 

Bestival is the only festival in the UK to boast aPolka Tent dedicated to gypsy remix, jumping Polkas and  hoedown folk . A firm favourite for the faithful this year’s action includes fruit that sings, 1000 mile an hour  Gypsy Punk, Burlesque Morris and tonnes of Eastern polka . Brought to you by the Global Local project of  Continental Drifts and the Arts Council the line up features Manouche’s Django Rheinhardt style Gypsy Swing with jumping horns, The UKs original Gypsy Remixer Max Pashm, the truely insaneGogol Bordello meets a live techno band meets a Gypsy wedding styles of Tako Lako,hoedown madness from Cut a shine and Sunday’s  MAGPIES NEST. Plus there’s Sam and The Womp, Drunken Balordi, Penny Metal Besti Guestee, Dodo, Kidnap Alice, The Sonic power of Fruit and Vegtables, Dj Chris Van Tofu, Drunken Balordi, Lazy Habits, Billy Vincent, The Sonic power of Fruit and Vegtables, Loose Moose Stringband, The Trailer Trash Orchestra, Folkoke, Wagon Tales, Goodnight Lenin, Dj Peeping Tallulah and DJ Tony Lambada.

 

The Shellac Collective will also be on hand once again to supply jumping jive and swinging beats in the Black Dhalia Tent with live sets from Lonnie Donegan Jr, Jack, The Henry Brothers and The Siren Sisters  plus Greg’s Greats, DJ78, Count Sizzle, Natty Bo, DJ SisaMo, DJs Flutter & Wow  and DJ GG will be spinning their gramophone selections.  

With more magic, mayhem and madness on offer than ever before for our Year of the Fantastic, make sure you sign up to Rob da Bank’s twitter page for up to the second artist updates, last minute changes and surprise slot info… there’s two surprise guests so far! Head to www.twitter.com/robdabank  and click the follow button.
And, as ever, there’s a wealth of info at www.bestival.net so check it out.
 

BESTIVAL LINE UP SO FAR…

LIVE MUSIC FROM THE PRODIGY, DIZZEE RASCAL, THE FLAMING LIPS, ROXY MUSIC, HOT CHIP, THE XX, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, FEVER RAY, RICHIE HAWTIN presents PLASTIKMAN, JÓNSI, CHASE & STATUS, MUMFORD & SONS, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, GIL SCOTT-HERON, TRICKY, THE WAILERS, DELPHIC, CHIC featuring NILE RODGERS, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, THE TEMPER TRAP, ELLIE GOULDING, ROLF HARRIS, FOUR TET, KITTY DAISY & LEWIS, TINIE TEMPAH, EXAMPLE, CORNERSHOP, FAT FREDDY’S DROP, BEARDYMAN, DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP, HEAVEN 17, THE CUBAN BROTHERS, ALEX METRIC, HURTS, TUNNG, STORNOWAY, VITALIC, CHILLY GONZALES, GASLAMP KILLER, ULRICH SCHNAUSS, NATHAN FAKE, GIRL TALK, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING, WILD BEASTS, HOWARD JONES, DUB PISTOLS, THE VEGETABLE ORCHESTRA, CHARLIE XCX, SUMMER CAMP, ERRORS, OU EST LE SWIMMING POOL, THE TWINKLE BROTHERS, HIGH LLAMAS, THE ANTLERS, ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT, BETH JEANS HOUGHTON, I BLAME COCO, MIXHELL, GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB, GLEN MATLOCK, SAMUEL AND THE DRAGON, THE CORRESPONDENTS, THE JAPANESE POPSTARS, THE LOST BROTHERS, THE JIM JONES REVUE, MEMORY TAPES, ERLAND AND THE CARNIVAL, GAGGLE, DEER TICK, SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP, CRYSTAL FIGHTERS, EGYPTIAN HIP HOP, HEAR WE GO MAGIC, GOLDHAWKS , COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE CREW, LAURA J MARTIN, A GENUINE FREAKSHOW, BOOKHOUSE BOYS,  KING CHARLES, THREE TRAPPED TIGERS, WORSHIP, FRENCH HORN REBELLION, SISTERS OF TRANSISTORS, SPINDLE AND WIT, STARLESS & BIBLE BLACK, THE BOY WHO TRAPPED THE SUN, TELEGRAPHS, TIM AND SAM BAND, UNICORN KID, PHOSPHORESCENT, PORTICO QUARTET, RACE HORSES, NEON INDIAN, NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION, MADEMOISELLE CARO & FRANCK GARCIA, JAMIE WOON, THE BIKINI BEACH BAND, LISSIE, OUR FOLD, HOLLY KIRBY, DERWYDDON DR GONZO, THE KURVES
DJ SETS FROM ROB DA BANK PLUS MYLO, ZANE LOWE, ANNIE MAC PRESENTS, AEROPLANE, DAVE CLARKE, EROL ALKAN, LA ROUX & DEAD GUY, MAGDA, SKREAM, AUDIO BULLYS, GILLES PETERSON, DAVID RODIGAN, DJ YODA, JACK BEATS, JOY ORBISON, FLYING LOTUS, HORSEMEAT DISCO, CASPA & MC ROD AZLAN, JOKER, MARY-ANNE HOBBS, HUW STEPHENS, DON LETTS, ARTHUR BAKER, EWAN PEARSON, TOM MIDDLETON, GREG WILSON, TODD EDWARDS, DJ ZINC, DJ DEREK, JOKER, JACK BEATS, BARRY PETERS, SHY FX, SETH TROXLER, JAGUAR SKILLS, SBRTKT, JAKWOB, DIXON, ADRIAN SHERWOOD, CHRIS COCO, VILLA, RAMADANMAN, ADRIAN SHERWOOD, MC DYNAMITE, GREG’S GREATS, UNTOLD, THE BROKEN HEARTS, BACK TO THE PHUTURE, SERGE SANTIAGO, REGGAE ROAST, AUTONOMIC SHOWCASE FEAT. DBRIDGE, INSTRA:MENTAL & SP:MC, BREAKAGE, FEELING GLOOMY, FEAR OF THEYDON, SOMBRERO SOUND SYSTEM, PADDY FREEFORM
PLUS  4 DAYS OF BESTIVAL FUN, 14 STAGES OF LIVE MUSIC & DJS, OVER 200 ARTISTS, THE BIGGEST FANTASY FANCY DRESS PARTY EVER, NEW ARENAS INCLUDING THE WISHING TREE & TOMORROW’S WORLD, NEW MAIN STAGE POSITION, AFTERBURNER RAVE UP, THE CASTLE IN THE SKY BONFIRE EXTRAVAGANZA & MUCH MORE

Final acts revealed to complete V Festival Lineup 2010

by

The latest name to join the V Festival billing is frontman of pioneering Madchester band Happy Mondays – Shaun William Ryder. Joining the legendary Mancunian will be electronic dance duo, Groove Armada, who will step up to headline the new Nissan Juke Arena stage.
 
Also performing in the Nissan Juke Arena is Aussie pop star and TV personality Peter Andre set to make his debut performance at V. Rising star Matthew P will also be performing at the festival alongside 100 other confirmed acts, including headliners Kings of Leon and Kasabian, plus Stereophonics and rock god Paul Weller.
 
Plus, replacing previously announced Virgin Media Union act Eli Paperboy Reed, will be roots reggae nine-piece, Gentleman’s Dub Club.
 
V Festival Director Bob Angus said,
“We’re chuffed to bits to be able to welcome a living legend like Shaun William Ryder to the line-up this summer. These final additions conclude our 2010 line-up and we hope fans are excited as we are about all the great music on offer. We wish all our visitors to V have a weekend to remember.”
 
Missed out on a ticket to this year’s festival? Don’t worry – you can now catch all of the action for the very first time via online streaming at www.vfestival.com thanks to Ovi by Nokia.
 

KINGS OF LEON • KASABIAN • STEREOPHONICS • FAITHLESS • DAVID GUETTA • THE PRODIGY• • PAUL WELLER • THE KOOKS • FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE • DOVES • PAULO NUTINI • THE CORAL • PET SHOP BOYS • GROOVE ARMADA • EDITORS • MADNESS • WHITE LIES • CALVIN HARRIS • CHASE AND STATUS • MIKA • SCOUTING FOR GIRLS • JAMIE T • GOLDFRAPP • ELLIE GOULDING • THE COURTEENERS • SEASICK STEVE • THE TEMPER TRAP • EELS • THE CHARLATANS • AIR • NEWTON FAULKNER • AMY MACDONALD • ROBYN • LA ROUX • PALMOA FAITH • SHED SEVEN • PLAN B • THE DIVINE COMEDY (SOLO) • JASON DERULO • SUGABABES • IMOGEN HEAP • TRICKY• PASSION PIT • SKUNK ANANSIE • THE MAGIC NUMBERS • THE SAW DOCTORS • TINIE TEMPAH • KATE NASH • FRIGHTENED RABBIT • MARK LANEGAN • PIXIE LOTT • FEEDER • SHAUN WILLIAM RYDER • CHIPMUNK • PAUL HEATON • CHERRY GHOST • PROFESSOR GREEN • DAISY DARES YOU • JOSHUA RADIN • DIANA VICKERS • GABRIELLA CILMI • EXAMPLE • THE PRETTY RECKLESS • MATTHEW P • MATT AND KIM • ROX • HURTS • PETER ANDRE • DIAGRAM OF THE HEART • TIFFANY PAGE • GENTLEMANS DUB CLUB • SARAH BLASKO • LISSIE • ELIZA DOOLITTLE • THE PARLOTONES • KIRSTY ALMEIDA • DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB • ALEX GARDNER • JACK MCMANUS • CHEW LIPS • JOE BROOKS • THE HIGH WIRE • THE BOY WHO TRAPPED THE SUN • WHITE BELT YELLOW TAG • RACHEL FURNER 

Alternative Stage for Reading and Leeds Festival finalised

by
Keep an eye out for our comperes at both sites, Huw Stephens will man the main stage at Reading and Colin Murray (Fri/Sat) and Gill Mills (Sunday) at Leeds. At Reading Bethan Elfin and the Vinyl Vendettas will be on the NME/Radio 1 stage and Mike Davies on the Lock Up. Gazz Snowden will be keeping the Lock Up Stage in check at Leeds where Cerebral Ballzy and Random Hand have been added to the bill (Reading Sat/Leeds Fri) replacing RX Bandits and Crime In Stereo.
 
Festival Republic are also proud to announce a FREE downloadable programme for the festivals will be available from 23rd August from www.readingfestival.com and www.leedsfestivals.com .
 
The line up for all stages has now been announced (Main, NME/Radio 1, Lock Up/Dance, Festival Republic, BBC Introducing and Alternative) and there’s not long to go. The READING & LEEDS FESTIVAL is held on 27th – 29th August 2010 at Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds. Tickets for this event are now sold out.   The full line up and further information can be found at www.readingfestival.com and www.leedsfestival.com .
 
Continuing its commitment to reflect the most significant live music cultural events, the BBC will once again be broadcasting from Reading Festival. From Friday 27 August – Sunday 29 August, the BBC will bring audiences closer to the festival through the best music, including headliner sets, artist interviews, exclusive acoustics and special performances, across programming on BBC Three, BBC Red Button, BBC Radio 1 and BBC Online.
 
SILENTARENA at Reading and Leeds: Coming to Reading and Leeds for the first time SilentArena present the world’s largest concurrent silent disco featuring a total capacity of 9000 people across the festival.  Having travelled around the world this summer visiting some of the biggest festivals and events they plan to end the summer in style. The party will on go on into the small hours long after the headline acts have finished, featuring some of the UK’s top DJs competing head-to-head for the crowds attention. Don’t miss your chance to be part an unforgettable experience for you and thousands of others. Leeds will run from 11pm – 5am. Reading will be over two sites from 10.30pm – 4am with Steve Lamacq, Huw Stephens, Bethan Elfyn and the Vinyl Vendettas, My Ex Boyfriends Records and more names to be confirmed.
http://www.silentarena.com
 
The Salvation Army: If anybody has any problems, are worried about anything or just need a friendly chat the Salvation Army marquee is close to its usual location in Reading on G4 road, near the Green camping area and between the river and the main area and will also be in Leeds.   They will be serving hot drinks and can even help with blankets if anything gets lost.   Last year in Reading they initiated a ‘Food Drive’ where they collected any non perishable food they have left after the weekend.   This resulted in over a tonne of food being collected from the recycling areas and at the marquee which was then distributed for those in need in the Reading area. Save yourself from having to carry heavy tins home and drop them off here.
 
Free Tunes from Dance To The Radio: On Thursday night the lucky people at Leeds are treated to a night of entertainment from local label Dance To The Radio – and have now kindly made a free album download available for people wanting to check out the bands they’ll see on site. Visit:
http://dancetotheradio.bandcamp.com/album/dance-to-the-radio-stage-2010-digital-e-p
 
Get Fresh For The Weekend with SEAT:   While at this world famous festival make sure you check out the SEAT Human Car Wash.  Whether you’re mucky from the mosh-pit or just feel like a freshen-up, this free-to-use service will lather you up, hose you down and give you a thorough air drying – just like a real carwash! Check it out in the Village at each site.
 
One Water: One Water is the official water supplier for Reading and Leeds festivals and will be onsite to give away One Festival survival packs which can be won by entering the competition detailed on the One water bottles sold on site. 
 
Relentless Energy Stage at Leeds: This action kicks in between 10pm and 3am each night with DJs and live music. Check out Plastic Thumbs, Crystal Fighters (Live) Quemist Soundsystem, Goldierocks, Drums of Death (live) Dekker, Punks Jump up and the thrillingly titled Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.
 
Gaymers – Lost In The Orchard at Leeds: Gaymers Cider will be hosting their own area at Leeds with live music, DJs and entertainment.   Lewis Floyd Henry, Connan Mockasin and Skinny Lister will all perform during the days and Cosmic Truth (DJs), Broken Hearts (DJs) and DJ Kobayashi (DJ) will be spinning the tunes. The ever popular Rockeoke encourages people up to sing their heart out, there will be a music quiz and a Gaymers Jukebox where everybody can be the superstar DJ until 3am each night.
 
ActionAid at Reading: ActionAid will be returning to Reading festival with their infamous tent just outside the main arena. With comfy seating, giant games and table football by day and feel good DJs until 3am, the friendly crew will keep you smiling all weekend. This year ActionAid are asking you to say Bollocks to Poverty by putting hunger back in the headlines. It’s outrageous that one billion people are hungry and politicians could end it if they put their minds to it, so the Reading crowd can help out by making hunger front page news. You and your mates will be able to put yourself on the cover of specially created magazine NMH by posing with hunger-busting headlines. Dress up, strike a rock star pose, and say bollocks to poverty by demanding a HungerFREE world.

ALTERNATIVE STAGE
 
Comedy on the Alternative Stage:
 
Best know for his hysterical appearances as burger van owner ANGELOS EPITHEMIOU on the TV series Shooting Stars; this is actually just one creation of the talented comedian Renton Skinner. He has appeared on radio, TV and film as a comedian and actor, performed stand up and written for various shows. We can only pray he brings along his ‘bag’ to show us what’s in it.
 
Described as the bad boy of comedy and nominated for Chortle’s Best Headliner category at this year’s awards, ANDREW LAWRENCE brings his sick and twisted humour to the festival. With previous shows titled “How to Butcher your Loved Ones” and “Social Leprosy For Beginners & Improvers”, don’t expect gentle humour, it would be gross if he wasn’t so funny.
 
As seen on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Mock The Week, TOM STADE brings his magnetic stage presence and distinctive laid back style to Reading and Leeds Festivals. In demand around the globe, this clever and controversial Canadian is not to be missed.
 
“King of the surreal one liners” MILTON JONES is a former Perrier Award winner at Edinburgh and constantly touring around the UK and had his own show on Radio 4. Don’t miss this respected and raved about set.
www.thebigfatcat.co.uk/MJ/(Reading only)
 
Recognisable as the face of BBC’s Switch, TOM DEACON is one of comedy’s bright new hopes. The 24 year old host of  a regular Radio 1 show on Sunday evenings made his solo debut at last year’s Edinburgh Festival having previously stared in the Fringe’s longest running group comedy show ‘The Comedy Zone’ and, despite his relative youth is already an award-winning stand up.
www.myspace.com/tomdeaconcomedy
 
Described as the “comedian’s comedian”, MARTIN MOR has been entertaining for years, first as multi talented performer in the circus until injury curtailed that path. Since when he has written and warmed up for anyone you’d care to mention. Oh, and his picture has adorned the Trivial Pursuit board game (!)
 
Nominated for last year’s Chortle Awards, heavy metal fan ANDREW O’NEILL has brought his own unique brand of occult comedy to the Edinburgh festival over the past six years and is a vegan to boot. He is not a Goth!
 
Famed as one half of the Eighties comedy duo Skint Video, STEVE GRIBBIN has established himself as one of the stalwarts on the comedy circuit and since going solo in the early nineties has performed almost annually at Reading/Leeds festivals.
www.stevegribbin.com/
 
Bristol based comedian MARK OLVER has not updated his website for a while as he’s too busy doing stand up around the country and his warm up acts on TV (including Deal or No Deal, so be sure to ask him to show you his box). When he’s not doing that he’s catching up on The Wire. 
http://markolver.com
 
Time Out Magazine once described STEPHEN GRANT as “Britain’s best comedy compere and odd job man” and he’s also been said to be the hardest working comedian in the country. A regular at the infamous Komedia clubs he’s been gaining fans wherever he goes for over a decade now.
 
Despite only being on the scene for just two years JOSH WIDDICOMBE has already made quite a name for himself and picked up some tasty reviews, award nominations and written for some cool TV such as 8 out of 10 Cats and Mock The Week.
www.offthekerb.co.uk/josh-widdicombe  (Leeds only)
 
Only a few years ago BRIAN GITTINS owned “the best roadside cafe in a 12-mile radius of Pyecombe” but he was determined to make it to the London Palladium. He’s luckily stopped off at Reading (or rather creator David Earl has) to bring his quirky and giggle-some set to us at the festival.
 
Comedian, actor and writer BARRY CASTAGNOLA has firmly established himself as an accomplished comic performer.   His easy-going (yet very physical) style, mixing personal anecdotes with some sharp topical and political comment has tickled fans all over the world and we are thrilled to welcome him back to Reading.
 
Music on the Alternative Stage:
 
MATT ABBOTT used to be better known as Skint and Demoralised but is now goes by his real name.   He is a spoken word/lyricist from Yorkshire who garnered great reviews and lots of national radio when he first broke through in 2009. His latest album is called ‘Love and Other Catastrophes’, make sure you catch him performing at Leeds this year.

www.myspace.com/iammattabbott   (Leeds only)

Leftfield L.E.D Interview

by
You are headlining the Saturday of the very first L.E.D festival, how does it feel?
I’m really, really excited about doing L.E.D, its great playing in London obviously because it’s my home town and we don’t get much chance to do that plus its 10 years since the last time I played in London so I can’t wait!
 
Is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing at the festival and what about L.E.D will you be checking out Aphex Twin?
 
I always make sure to check out the other acts when I play at festivals, it’s one of the great things about being at a festival!
 
The line up for L.E.D is really good, there’s a lot of people on the bill that I want to check out. I saw a bit of Aphex Twin at Rockness as I’ve been a fan of Richard’s forever really and it was such a fantastic show with the lazers going off everywhere and it was just really exciting.
 
I’m also looking forward to Goldfrapp and Friendly Fires on the Saturday, I really like the way the acts have crossed over on the Saturday and the Friday’s also interesting with Soulwax and Calvin Harris.
 
Can you tell us in 5 words what the show will be like at L.E.D?
 
An intense electronic music experience.
 
Do you think a Southern crowd differs from a Northern one?
Not really, if you can get the right people to go to the festival then you can get just as good a crowd in the North as the South.
 
I would say that from city to city crowds definitely differ, for example if you play in Paris you can’t expect the same crowd in Barcelona.
 
What are you festival essentials?
 
Plenty of sleep before you go because you won’t be getting any when you get there!
 
Sasha, recently said that your album Leftism ‘wrote the commandments on what an electronic music album should be’ when you began creating your music did you have any idea that it would get the reaction and the accolades that it has?
 
Wow! Well the big answer to that is no, we definitely never expected the response to the albums that we received and to respond to Sasha, in my eyes Sasha is a DJ that has always kept a considerably high standard, he’s always been an absolute brilliant DJ and even though it can be easy for a DJ to get lazy Sasha has never done that and its nice for him to say that about Leftism.
 
Why do you feel your albums received such amazing feedback?
 
We were real perfectionists when we made our albums and we worked ridiculously hard and spent far too long on them which I think helped.
 
As far as them being timeless and all the relevance that they still seem to hold, I don’t know what the explanation is for that, maybe we just got it right. We just made a record that we would want to listen to and we were very hard on ourselves and wouldn’t let anything out that we weren’t 100% happy with.
 
It was exhausting but also very satisfying. It’s very difficult to describe how to make records but our interests were so very wide we were always looking for the next thing and we never sat back and wallowed in anything and maybe when you put that together it works. It was also an exciting time for electronic music; I think its hard these days to do that because so much has now been accomplished.
 
How do you think dance music has changed since the release of Rhythm and Stealth?
 
It’s become very familiar. When we brought out our albums it was very new and we were coming out from an indie/Blur/Oasis time and we were real alternatives to that.
 
Now there’s quite merge between dance music and rock and that is really exciting but as a result it’s no longer a new thing it’s an established thing. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just times change.
 
Someone will come along again though, and make a completely new type of music and there are already people such as who are expanding dance music and bringing out new variations of dance music.
 
What did you originally set out to achieve when you began making music?
 
When we made our first album we just wanted to make cutting edge music, we weren’t interested in being popstars and being on the front of a magazine and although that happened, we didn’t plan for it. We always wanted to be in the background and just make real exciting music.
 
Have you brought out any tricks from your original tours to keep your energy levels high for L.E.D?
 
Experience! As soon as you’re up on stage, you get it all back, as soon as you’re there the adrenalin hits you and you forget about being tired and you power through because it’s so exciting.
 
I’ve never had worries with tiredness, I’ve got a great group of people around me that are excited about doing the show and the energy of the show keeps us going. As long as everyone’s happy you don’t worry about energy levels.
 
Speaking of your band, you have some amazing artists performing on tour with you, what part do you feel they play in the show?
 
I’ve got some wicked people that I’m working with now that I’ve brought in and they’re great to work with and be around because they’re so enthusiastic and they push me and we push each other. Its just all about the music and I never quite know what’s going to happen when I get on stage as the band always do little things that are unexpected.
 
Will there be any of the original performers from your last albums joining you? Is there a chance John Lydon will appear?
 
Well at the moment we’ve got original vocalists from the albums including DJUM DJUM, L16 and Cheshire Cat. As far as John goes he’s on tour himself so it’s hard to get hold of him but we will just have to wait and see.
 
You had a very young crowd at RockNess as well as your original fans. What do you think it is about your music that makes it sound fresh even in 2010?
 
Well we spent quite a lot of time making the tracks relevant and bringing them up to date on the drum side which has appealed to a younger audience. I think our determination in the late to make something exciting and new can still be heard in our music and that has rubbed off on the listeners.
 
Having a young crowd is one of the reasons I decided to do this again, I would get people coming up to me much younger than I am who had just got into the two albums and I could feel that they were into it and it was still relevant.
 
Its great having that young audience out there and I can tell that some songs may not be recognisable to them but they will still follow it on stage and thats great to see.
 
We’re already 7 months into 2010, how has the year faired up for you so far? What has been your highlight? What are you looking forward to in the rest of the year?
 
It’s been a hard year, and I’ve put a lot of work in but it’s been a great year so far, and I’ve met some great people including my band.
 
As far as the rest of the year’s concerned I’m really looking forward to my tour in the Autumn and there’s a chance to go abroad again later in the year.
 
This year’s already gone far beyond my expectations; I’m very pleasantly surprised that it’s going so well because I didn’t know how it was going to be perceived. I spent so much time on it because I didn’t know until we arrived on stage how people would take it and whether it would fall on its face! Luckily its going great.
 
Listening to your two albums there’s elements of drum n bass and dubstep in there which would connect well with the dnb/dubstep scenes nowadays. Are you interested in exploring these genres more with your music?
 
Well there is definitely a dubstep element to the albums and it would be great to bring more dubstep elements into our tracks because we were always into that half time beat. Its reggae basically and we were always influenced by that.
 
Two of your tracks, Phat Planet and Release The Pressure were used in the early-00s for massive advertising campaigns for Guiness and the launch of O2 respectively. That must have had a huge impact on the people your music was reaching?
 
It is odd because even recently the BBC featured Phat Planet during the coverage of one of their World Cup Games and I’ve had loads of people contacting me about that. Also Africa Shocks seems to be getting a lot of airplay over this World Cup period so its amazing that it still has that relevance. It’s also exciting because I know that I can now take even more tracks from my albums and play them live and make them even more electronic.
 
What do you love about the UK crowds?

The Leftfield audience has always been great and I have no worries that the UK crowd is going to be really excited.

David Guetta Interview – L.E.D Festival

by
You are headlining the very first L.E.D festival with your first outdoor London show. How do you feel about this?
 
I’m really excited about L.E.D because it’s the first one and I like the challenge. I’m going to work extra hard to make sure it’s a memorable day and I also love the concept of it being in a park in London as I’ve not done anything like that before.
 
What can we expect from the show?
 
I’m planning on playing a few tracks off my new album and also some of my favourite electronic music as well as some new music I’ve been working on that no one has ever heard before.
 
Last year at Creamfields you had to stop your set temporarily because so many people flocked to see you in the Cream Tent, how did it feel to be in such demand?
 
That was crazy, the moment they told me I couldn’t play I was so frustrated but at the same time, after 30 mins and they said I could play I knew what was going to happen and after the first kick it was already going off , it was amazing.
 
This will be your first UK main stage festival appearance of the year; do you ever get nervous before such a massive show?
 
Of course, it’s a big thing! And because I’m going to be playing some new music it’s going to be really interesting to see how people are going to react to it especially because it’s a UK show and the UK audience has such a massive club culture. But L.E.D I’m ready!
 
What’s been your biggest achievement professionally and personally to date? (Sunday mirror)
Well I’m really happy with the response I’ve been getting in America with the tracks I’ve recently released. I think this is my contribution to the scene, opening a lot of doors for people in the community not just for myself but for other artists in the industry. I think America is really opening up to dance music and music is definitely moving in that direction and the music we’re making is now migrating from Europe over to the US and back again.
 
Do you think you’ll ever retire – or still be DJing until you’re an OAP? (Sunday mirror)
I’m going to carry on until I can’t, I love DJ’ing. People say ‘are you going to just produce now’ but no way. Everything I do and all my inspiration comes from the club.
 
Do you prefer club shows or festival shows?
I love both, they’re both so different. Festivals are all about the energy, they’re crazy it’s like a big rush whereas in a club I’ll usually play a much longer set and I can see people’s reactions to the tracks.
 
Who would be your dream collaboration? Are there any stars you’d love to reinvent into a dance diva? (Sunday mirror)
Well I’m living the dream already working with all the big artists that I have recently. I’m not even living the dream as a producer but as a fan too, I’m just really excited about everyone I’m working with at the moment and I really hope its lasts!
 
You release much more chart/pop tunes than the much harder stuff you play when you DJ. Is that deliberate and what is the secret to success in both the charts and the clubs.? (Press Association)
Well you know I first think as a DJ about making people dance and making the DJs happy but if the songs really strong then it can touch people who are outside of the community and aren’t even into club music. If a song is good it doesn’t matter if its rock or pop or hip hop. If it can touch people’s hearts it will succeed.
 
I think that’s why I’ve had so much success with One Love and other productions with artists like Kelis, Pharell, the Black Eyed Peas, Madonna and the other artists that I’m working with.
 
I’m just trying to keep that formula. I’m a DJ first and I’m trying to keep it that way even if I work with a pop artists I really want to keep it in mind that I want to make people dance.
 
What will your next collaboration be? How will you top working with Madonna and Kelly Rowland? Could the next collaboration be a famous man? (Press Association)
Well I’ve just done a new record for Flo Rida called ‘Club Can’t Handle Me’ which is out now and I have some other really cool collaborations coming up but I’m sorry I can’t tell you about them yet!
 
We see the highly energetic David Guetta on the big stage jumping around, but who are you in the studio?
 
I’m actually exactly the same in the studio as I am on stage. I’m always jumping around, getting excited. The artists I work with always laugh at me because I get so excited making tracks. It’s always been about making people dance and then drawing emotion from the track then writing the song.
 
Where does your music start? Do you write the lyrics and the melody or is this all in a collaborative form?
 
Well it always starts with a track because I’m a DJ first and foremost and I start off trying to make something that will get people dancing and then I’ll move on to the melody and then the lyrics.
 
If you could send a message to all of your fans, what would that be?
Get ready to party, its going to be crazy I’m so excited to play in the park and play at the first L.E.D festival, just get ready and party and go crazy and get ready for all the crazy things were going to do!!
 

David Guetta headlines L.E.D Festival on Friday 27th August, alongside the likes of Soulwax, Calvin Harrism Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Tiga to name a few. Tickets on sale now: 08444 775 775 / www.ledfestival.net

Axwell brings his Heart Show to L.E.D 2010

by
You are playing the Friday of the very first L.E.D festival, how does it feel?
Great! Looking forward to playing in London again! Just hoping for some nice weather!

Can you tell us some more about your heart show that you will be bringing to Victoria Park?
Well, it is a 5 x 5 meter LED screen and with help from my video techs I want to give the audience something back! A more synchronised show with a visual impact. I just want to bring something to the table and develop it as it proceeds. And hopefully people will like the music and the show.

Your Brixton shows have been incredible, how does it feel to have such a loyal UK fanbase?
England has always been an important place for me and it’s fantastic to see the crowd excited and loving what I love to do! It gives so much energy and that makes me want to continue to do music.

What does 2010 have in store for Axwell, can we expect any big hits?
Haha, well I always try my best to deliver and fulfil the fans expectations, and I have some tracks that I personally love.  “Nothing But love (for you)” will be out soon and the hype on the internet have been amazing!  I try my best and I hope it’s enough to get the crowd going!

Will you be making time to see anyone else on the L.E.D line up this year?
My schedule is more C R A Z Y this year! I am even doing a couple of days with 2 shows on the same night! But it would be nice to hang around when Sebastian Ingrosso is playing without having to work myself! Haahaha.

Travelling around the world must be amazing, but do you get time to see any of the countries?
Before, when I did 2 maybe 3 gigs per weekend id could try to take some time to walk the streets in a new city. Maybe see a friend. But now when I do 4-5 shows a week it’s hard to keep up with work. So every chance I get in the hotel or on the airplane I need to focus on making music. Otherwise I won’t have any tracks to play next year!   

You also have your own night in Ibiza, will you be bringing a bit of the Island fun to L.E.D?
Is a special thing to travel to Ibiza and visit a place like Pacha. The vibe, the weather and listening to the fantastic music. And that’s hard to take to another place, but I promise to try and make everyone as hot as they would be in Ibiza.

In the Cream arena you are joined by lots of your friends, Ingrosso, AN21 & Kim Fai just to name a few, can we expect one big party?
It’s always a big party! That’s what keeps the spirit alive! I am going to book a big suite so the after party will be at my place!

When you began DJing/Producing did you ever envisage getting to this stage in your career?
I dreamt about it but maybe I didn’t dare to think it could be true one day. But at the same time I believe that success comes to those who work. Sometimes it’s harder, but if you fight for what you believe in and do what you like, the road forward will give you opportunities and if you make the right decisions, it can even take you further.

What did you originally set out to achieve when you began?
I just wanted to do music. I didn’t want to do anything else. And if I could pay the bills by doing just that… I would be happy!  Getting to play these big shows and Djing on clubs is amazing and great fun to do, but it also gives me the opportunity to continue to do what I wanted to do since I was a kid. And that’s more music.

Can you tell us in 3 words what the show will be like at L.E.D?
Heart-pounding, sweaty & fresh!
 

Axwell will be bringing his ‘Heart Show’ to L.E.D festival on Friday 27th August. For more information and tickets visit www.LEDfestival.net

Annie Mac Waxes Lyrical about L.E.D Festival

by
You are bringing the Annie Mac Presents Arena to the very first L.E.D festival, what can fans expect from the show?
 
L.E.D is going to be mental, we’ve got Professor Green in our tent which I’m really excited about and the rest of the line up is very London centric with the festival being in East London so there’s a lot of urban stuff in there with Shy FX, Zinc and the Boy Better Know crew which includes Wiley and Skepta and is a really serious grime act.
 
Are you going to see any other acts outside of the AMP Arena?
Aphex Twin on the Main Stage is something I’m really looking forward to, that’s going to be wicked. When I do my own arena I actually try to be a presence in there and support the artists and catch up with everyone and have a chat with them in there. The whole point of the Annie Mac Present’s party is the chance to see DJs I really wanted to see and book the DJs that I wanted so I don’t really need to go anywhere else. Everyone I want to see is in my own tent!
 
You will also be performing in the arena, what sort of musical journey will you be taking the crowds on?
Well the music I play is all over the place, I play jungle and dubstep and because so much music is fusing and interchanging I even played grime the other day because that’s getting quite dubsteppy. I guess what I play you could call UK bass music which circles everything from electro stuff to the UK funky stuff to jungle and dubstep. Its bass heavy music and I also always throw a bit of disco in as well.
 
Leftfield are headlining L.E.D, why do you think they are such an important electronic act?
When Leftism came out, that to me was the album that taught me about techno, I would have been 15/16 and I was so into that record I was addicted to it. I saw them live at Rockness and I was really nervous because I loved the record and didn’t know how it would transfer today live because it could have been considered too retro or too old for the audience but it really stood up against all the other headliners and artists that I’d seen and I was delighted to see the crowd getting really into it. The soundsytem that they used blew me away even if you haven’t heard their album before you can’t not love the show and they are going to be amazing at L.E.D on the Main Stage.
 
What are your festival essentials?
Wet wipes, some sensible shoes obviously such as a wellies or some sort of boots that goes over the ankle, a big thick hoody for the night, some sort of jacket with a lot of pockets and I always take shades, I can’t go to a festival without them. I also always have ciggies and I about five lighters because I always lose them. Chewing gum is an essential as well and a compact mirror as there’s never any mirrors in the portaloos. I try to take my phone charger with me in my bag too in case there’s a chance I can plug it in somewhere.

Who would be your dream DJ to go b2b with?
The likes of DJ Mehdi, Justice and Busy P are great, their whole ethos is to kind of open the DJ booth up and get everyone to muck in and have one big party and that’s why they set up the Club 75 group because they were always playing together anyway and that’s probably one of my favourite times playing alongside someone. Also I played b2b with Toddla T in Newcastle recently which was great as we play a lot of the same stuff and Fake Blood. Any of the above are my ideal people to play with.
 
How did you become a Radio 1 DJ?
Well I worked behind the scenes for the while as an Assistant Producer on Zane Lowe’s show, kind of just learning the ropes and I’d done a bit of presenting at college and on some local radio shows but a lot of it was luck. I’d always made it known to Radio 1 that if a broadcasting slot came around then I would be up for it, and I started working on a few shows, but not as me it was more using my voice for different shows but then a slot came up for a dance show and they were looking for a girl so I was like ‘Hi, I’m here!’ and they gave me a chance. Its getting the chance that is the hardest bit but once you get it you can prove your worth.
 
What has been your best Radio 1 memory so far on the road with them and in the studio?
There have been so many amazing moments, I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world with Radio 1 presenting my show from Miami, New York, Exit festival in Serbia and even from a tiny old man’s pub in Northern Ireland so I’ve had some amazing opportunities. I think in terms of memories the best moment would probably be the first show that I ever did for Radio 1 and the first link did. I played a High Contrast track and had to do a link straight after and I had such a mixture of fear and excitement, its definitely my favourite moment.
 
Have you ever made a mistake on air?
Oh yes lots! I’ve never cursed *touch wood* but there’s been plenty of times when you get your words mixed up or you mispronounce something. I once said that David Cameron was the leader of the ‘Conservatory’ Party and some mistakes that you make, if they caught by the wrong DJ will get aired all over the station.
 
Scott Mills is a favourite for doing that isn’t he?
Yes he’s the one who usually plays my mistakes!
 

Annie Mac Hosts the Annie Mac Presents Arena at L.E.D Festival on Saturday 28th August Bank Holiday weekend.   Tickets on sale now: www.ticketmaster.co.uk / Info:   www.ledfestival.net

Weather Forecast for V Festival – Chelmsford & Staffordshire

by

We have got the latest weather forecast for V Festival, provided by the good people at www.metoffice.gov.uk

South West Four (SW4) Saturday SOLD OUT!

by

Tickets for the Saturday after-party with Pete Tong and Mark Knight at Ministry of Sound (only 5 tube stops away on the Northern Line from Clapham Common!) are now available priced £15+BF. Joint tickets for SW4 and the Sunday after-party, also at Ministry of Sound and headlined by Layo & Bushwacka, M.A.N.D.Y. and Matthew Dear, are priced £60+BF. Don’t hang around any longer if you want to be a part of SW4 2010.

Fatboy Slim SW4

FATBOY SLIM VISITS PINEWOOD STUDIOS FOR SW4!

Having been unable to unleash his brilliance on Brighton Beach this year, Fatboy Slim closes SW4 2010 in one of the most eagerly anticipated DJ sets of the festival season. His headline performance on the Kiss Main Stage, hosted by his very own Southern Fried Records, will feature the full Fatboy experience alongside many other mouth-watering performances. This includes Salt N Pepa (first London show in 15 years!), Armand van Helden (UK festival exclusive), Uffie, Hervé, Steve Aoki and Radio 1’s Zane Lowe, Kissy Sell Out and Jaymo & Andy George. Expect bangs, whistles, inflatable cows and electronic debauchery like you’ve never seen or heard before.

As part of his act Fatboy Slim has created boundary pushing visuals using high-tech motion capture techniques developed at Pinewood Studios. Pinewood are of course the world renowned film studios made famous for their spectacular animation on James Bond blockbusters and more recently Evian’s roller-skating babies. The visuals developed for Norman’s SW4 performance involves a 3D version of Norman’s head, synched to his audio mix and visuals. Norman will have full control of when to drop the 3D creation’s acapellas into his set mixing the two seamlessly for a visual master-class… a world’s first we ask?!?

CHECK OUT OUR BRAND NEW SW4 PROMO VIDEO HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q9gXaSgvS8

FATBOY SLIM AT SW4: EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
We recently caught up with Fatboy Slim ahead of his South West Four headline performance this August Bank Holiday. Having prepared for SW4 after appearances at Glastonbury, Rockness and across South Africa for the World Cup this summer, expect Fatboy Slim to arrive on Clapham Common in trademark style. In other words expect the unexpected!

“I was going to use a vuvuzela in my set at Glastonbury but we left it in our tent. What we were trying to do, as we sometimes use airhorns on stage, was work out if we could put the gas from the air horns through the vuvuzela which would be pretty loud. I’m going to try and do that for Clapham so keep them peeled!” Fatboy Slim

READ FATBOY SLIM SW4 INTERVIEW IN FULL HERE:
http://www.southwestfour.com/interviews.aspx?interviewID=57

Be sure to catch the Summer Festival Guide crew walking through the crowd on both Saturday and Sunday at SW4 and get your photos taken for the website.

 

Creamfields 2010 Sold Out!

by

The team behind the festival which takes place in Cheshire on August Bank Holiday weekend have put together one of the biggest dance festival line up’s of the Summer, which will see performances from the likes of Tiёsto, David Guetta, Leftfield, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Swedish House Mafia to name a few.

For all those who have missed out on a ticket for this years show, then please get in early for next year or if you cant wait that long then head to L.E.D Festival in London on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th August, where you’ll get the chance to see some of the world’s biggest electronic acts perform before they head north to Creamfields! We’re offering a 10% discount on L.E.D Festival tickets for all Creamfields fans who missed out on this years show. To purchase call Ticketmaster on 08444 775 775 and quote ‘Creamfields’ or click here: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/promo/6tgvhl. More Info: www.ledfestival.net