Beat-Herder Festival Review 2016

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So here we are for Beat-Herder number 11. How do you follow last years’ amazing 10th Birthday celebrations I wonder, surely there can’t be more naked camel riders? With more fireworks, new venues and a cracking line up featuring huge names from across the dance spectrum Claude Vonstroke, Booka Shade, Miike Snow, Todd Terje, Jesse Rose, Justin Martin, Marshall Jefferson and Riton to name but a few. This is my sixth time at this small but perfectly formed festival in the Lancashire Dales; you could say I’m huge fan of what the brothers do. BH is different to other festivals; there’s attention to detail and creativity everywhere you look, and sixteen unique stages dotted around the site provide something for everyone.

Beat Herder 2016

Friday

Friday greeted us with all-day rain, which turned the main arena into a mud fest as soon as the gates opened. Not that little bit of mud is going to deter the Beat Herder loyal posse. They have also been coming here for years too and have a tattoo to prove it.

A quick pitch of our tent and were off to go on a tour of the new site. There're a couple of new venues to take in. Bubba Gumma is a 60s Barbarella-esque, bubblegum disco box that you enter from a long dark bunker. The DJ spins rhythmic Afro disco beats, and the party gets going. Psychedelic hippy den Sunrise boasted a thumping sound system. The Illustrious Society is home to the good, the bad and the glitterati. You can only enter if you are suitable dressed. Steampunk, monocles, and Victorian cloth to be precise.

Avoiding the soupy mud and relentless rain we hide out at the undercover venues Trash Manor, BH&DWMSC (working men's club) and Maison D’etre until the evening.

On the main stage on Friday night we catch German duo Digitalism, Swedish band Miike Snow, who drew large crowds and James. Booth enters the stage and delights the crowds with the promise of a decidedly dancy set. He shouts ‘This is dance festival isn’t it.' They performed a number of songs from their new offering ‘Girl at the End of the World’ alongside classics ‘Come home’ and ‘Laid’.

Miike Snow

James

On to Pratty’s ring and we catch A Skillz. The whole of the ring is erupting with his face-paced turntable trickery. The crowd was jumping and singing along. The rain pelted down again, and performances from Dirtybird founder Claud Vonstroke, and Radio one’s B-traits suffered smaller numbers than they should, save a few hardcore fans. We took shelter once again in the Parish Church and spent the night dancing away on the pews.   

A Skillz

 

Saturday

Salvage came on Saturday morning in the form of the sun, a welcome relief from Friday’s heavy downpours. Trudging around in what now is a soupy smelly quagmire is quite a workout. It's times like this that I remind myself that this is exactly why I like small manageable festivals and couldn't deal with the trauma of glasto. We take a bit of respite in the only bit of green grass we can see. We were swooped on by the Samaritans who are keen to talk to anyone in trouble. That certainly wasn’t us, unless they could resolve the mud, we just needed somewhere to eat our yummy cheese Raclette. It’s reassuring to know that they are there for people who needed it over the weekend.

Scottish singer, songwriter Donovan took to the main stage Saturday afternoon, an older crowd waved their arms to ‘Mellow Yellow’. Not really my cup of tea and he seems oddly placed for a predominantly dance festival, but that’s the beauty of the Beat-Herder offering. They are plenty of curveballs from folk, gypsy, indie, reggae and downright weird.

Local lad Paul Taylor brings with him an array of followers, and it is heaving inside The Fortress as fans scrambled to get on shoulders. I do like DJ, who knows how to work the crowd, and this was mightily evident in his set.

Paul Taylor

As the late afternoon cracked on, we saw the annual fancy dress come into play. This year’s theme was the letter ‘R’. We caught glimpse of Ron Burgundy’s, Ronald McDonald's, the Red Arrows, and an abundance of rodents and robots. Groups of revellers played paint powder fights in the afternoon glow, covering me and my camera. It's all good fun and warm vibes and I join in the banter. Gentleman's Dub Club and the Easy All Stars provided a particularly bouncy evening on the main stage, bringing some much needed energy to the fatigued crowd.

Beat Herder Fancy Dress

Gentleman's Dub Club

We headed up to the Toiltrees to catch one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, house legend Marshall Jefferson.  He belted out house classics Peter Brown’s ‘Miracles’, Derrick May’s ‘Strings of Life’ and of course ‘Move your body’. He certainly didn’t disappoint and was one of my highlights of the weekend.

Firework cannons boomed before house veterans Booka Shade took to the stage. Despite playing their hit seminal hit 'Body Language’, it was a rather lack lustre set for a Saturday night headline act. Anyway onwards and upwards to Pratty’s Ring and the Fortress, which had a distinctly heavy bass and DnB feel to it. The evening sun played out and the parties across the site got dark and dirty.

Marshall Jefferson

Sunday

Sundays are for lie-ins, and we arose to the sounds of Mama Jerk and the Lady Fingers. The energy of jungle gypsy band Ushti Baba made us head to the main stage. Crowds started to gather and swing each other around to hypnotic trans-European melodies. There was an unmistakably chilled vibe to Sunday and everyone seemed smiley. 

Next up was Essex folk singer Beans on Toast who opened his main stage set with apt track called ‘2016.' “It’s got a short shelf life” he claimed. The emotional song brought unexpected tears to my eyes.  He recalled the unfathomable news that we have had to deal with this year; (Bowie, Prince, Paris, Victoria Wood, Lemmy, Turkey, Syria and the migrants, Brexit and our current state of political affairs). He jumped down into the crowd to get closer to the audience, pulling the leads behind him. He ran through an hours worth of his best from ‘Outlaws’, ‘The Chicken Song’ and ‘MDMA’. Like the 2pm slot at Glasto he drew the largest crowds. It was satirical commentary and storytelling at it’s best. Another festival highlight and surprisingly standout set that perfectly sums up the true spirit of festivals. 

Beans on Toast

In somewhat of a tradition at BH, we head up to the Toil to catch the laid-back grooves of Mr Scruff, and have one last boogie in the church. There’s a nun in the pulpit kissing her cross, as she waves and raves. It’s gone all heavy hip hop and breakbeat as they blast out Ice Cubes’ ‘You can do it’. Back to the main stage, we catch London reggae singer Kiko Bun's, before heading to the Fortress Krafty Kuts is kicking up the mud with a storming set. Taking to the stage in the Toil is the man of the moment Riton. A favourite for many, and drawing a largely youthful crowd. His mega hit ‘Rinse and Repeat’ pounds out of the Toil Trees system. 

Mr Scuff
 

It's difficult for any solo headliner to stand behind a desk of kit on their own, but Norwegian producer Todd Terje commands stage presence with ease. His set plays like one long soundtrack that undulates & bounces, with good visuals to boot. Girls get on shoulders for 'Delorean Dynamite', 'Disco Circus', 'Inspector Norse' and a superb mix of Stevie Nicks 'Stand Back' bleeds out into the night sky. At 12am dead on all the music across the site concludes and punters scurry off looking for sound systems across the camp area large enough to carry on the party. Many huddle round the fire not wanting it to end.

That’s it for another cracking Beat-Herder. Despite the mud, the organisers have done themselves proud and put on another party to remember. I hate that pang of sadness and a heavy heart that's it's all over you feel as you pull away from the site. You've had an incredible weekend, left the cares of the world at the door and entered into the spirit of abandonment. But soon enough it's back to reality, more politics and a Turkish coup. Take me back Beat Herder I don’t want to go home. See you 2017!

 
 

Truck Festival 2016 Review

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This weekend saw Truck Festival joined by more music-lovers than ever before and over 200 performers and DJs who basked in glorious sun rays amid the Oxfordshire countryside.

Recent years have seen a boom in the number of big festivals as well as an increase in the commercialisation of smaller festivals. Truck has always been proud to be an independent festival with a niche list of performers and a very intimate vibe.

While Truck stayed true to it’s roots as a smaller and less commercial festival, it has still been growing ever since it was established in 1997. This year saw a major expansion of Truck with increased tickets, an additional arena, a new entrance, and an extra day.

Truck prides itself on providing a platform for local and underground artists to showcase their talents alongside big, well-known artists such as 2016 Brit Award winners, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Manic Street Preachers, and Kodaline. Truck’s local connections run deeper than just the line-up however, with the local Rotary Club handling a large proportion of the food catering (although their importance is shrinking as more food stalls are being sourced to feed the growing audiences).

The music at Truck Festival is so diverse that there really is something for everyone. Each of the stages has it’s own style – The Truck Stage is most diverse with the headliners playing alongside a mixture of bands including Band App winners; The Market Stage is second in command and hosts some of the most popular bands of the weekend including Mystery Jets, SOAK, and Switch DJs into the early hours; the new Nest stage hosts the bands previously seen in the Barn (which continues to be a favourite for many) – with a more hard rock and punk vibe, such as NeckDeep and Mooseblood; the Saloon is famous for its ‘great western’ style; the Veteran and Virgins has a mixture of styles playing hosts to bands who have stuck by Truck for its 19 years and others using it for their first Truck experience; and finally, the Palm City and Horizon stage was a favourite by many teens for the DJ’s Roughion and club vibes.

Each of the headliners was distinct from the others and all graced the stage for a different reason. Catfish and the Bottlemen are very popular following their Brit Award win for Best Newcomers, and have been played by the likes of Channel 4’s Hollyoaks recently. This made them a hit with the younger audience as they played all of the most popular songs from their May 2016 release, ‘The Ride’.

The Welsh 80’s rock band, Manic Street Preachers, pulled in a strong Welsh fanbase for their set on Saturday evening and their ‘glam rock’ vibe was enjoyed by all, even though some of those attending with their parents clearly were not familiar with the songs.

 

The final headliner for Kodaline had a slightly quieter response as a small number of festival goers began to leave thoughout Sunday ready for Monday morning. Despite this, the whole of Arena 1 was rocking to the band, who were known as ’21 Demands’ until 2012. The Irish born band are known for their unique mix of ‘folk rock’ and they gave Sunday evening a very relaxed and content vibe – ending the weekend with confetti cannons and streamers being blasted into the crowd.

While the three-day event was a bargain (working out less than £30 per day), returning festival-goers may have been shocked at the increased charges once they were there. Truck Festival has always boasted a large “children’s tent” for the under 12’s, full of creative arts and crafts and some poets etc to entertain them. This year the children area had expanded but with everything charged at a minimum of £3, it was difficult to last out the morning without going bankrupt. There was plenty on offer – climbing frames, dream catcher workshops, jewellery workshops, rubber archery, etc. but everything was charged which was not mentioned prior to arrival and was unexpected for anyone who had attended previously. Prices for food had also increased dramatically at the Rotary Club stalls, with a bacon sandwich costing £4, and only a choice of 3 stalls for breakfast.

But this didn’t effect the overall vibe of the weekend which was completely laid back and inclusive, once again. It was in no way about wearing the right clothes or being seen, but rather about kicking back and enjoying the unique atmosphere while soaking up the festival sun. There was no fancy VIP area like you’ll find at other big festivals; backstage was purely functional. Instead, everyone mingles in the main arena – the artists roam the site, picking up beers at the bar just like everyone else. Truck is clearly about the music and people enjoying themselves, something that feels lacking at the bigger festivals which seem to be just money-spinning corporate beasts.

Organisation had also failed slightly this year when it came to the much-loved paint fight. I have been to the paint fight every year I’ve attended Truck – it is one of my personal highlights of the weekend. But this year I was one of many who missed out because it was advertised in the wrong arena. There were crowds of teens clad in all white waiting at 4 o’clock on Saturday in Arena 2, but when 4 o’clock came and went, cheers were heard coming from Arena 3, and paint covered bodies began walking passed. And that was that – we had missed what, for many of us, was something we’d been very much looking forward to.

With the fabulous line-up, a new site layout and even a new bridge across the stream, alongside the perfect festival weather, this was the festival you’ll be gutted to have missed.

The Adventure that was Benicassim, 2016.

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You’ve all heard of Benidorm, I presume. That Spanish resort town, filled with sunburnt brits and head fuckers for breakfast, even with its own TV show about the life and times of its seasonal inhabitants.

For one week of the year, however, the brits are pre-occupied with a different kind of Beni, Festival Internacional de Benicassim. As a veteran fib goer myself (this year was the fourth) bringing along a backpack with an Argos tent, a Chromebook, a few different cameras plus their owner, the only clean clothes I had left, and flashbacks of Benicassim campsites and extreme heat, I felt well equipped and mentally prepared to tackle the biggest party of the summer, all in the name of journalism.

Benicassim itself is one of the friendliest experiences you will ever have. International is mentioned in the name because that is truly what it is. Though I felt there were considerably less Spanish goers (and noticeably a lot less Spanish acts) the multicultural vibe is definitely known, and with the gloom of Brexit still hovering over our heads there felt a definite subconscious need for camaraderie, which when you consider the amount of EU flags we saw dotted around and more often than not, wrapped around sleeping people, is a comforting thought.

The general atmosphere of Beni and it’s set up is really what makes it. Your ticket entitles you to 8 days of camping in their main area ‘campfest’ (you can also opt for glamping at a fairly reasonable price) and whilst alongside the various parties and events, the actual festival itself doesn’t start until 7pm, leaving you plenty of time to head to the beach, go into town, get your shopping done, and pregaming started, whilst not missing anything, and saving insane amounts of cash by raiding the Mercadona or the Lidl for the supplies you need to survive the night.

Financially, unlike British festivals, it won’t cost you a kidney and your first born child to enjoy Benicassim. Early Bird tickets start at 85 Euros, building to not more than 120, factor in the low, low cost of living out in the Spanish desert and even with a flight you’re still way ahead of the game, as long as you don’t mind inhaling 6 metric tonnes of dusk every time you wake up in the morning, and a hell of a lot of sun.  

 

Musical Highlights

 

Although Benicassim has become almost a rite of passage, the reason we all keep flocking to this ant infested wonderland every summer is not only for its general atmosphere but for the music. Although fib tends to have a smaller lineup (spread over 5 stages) than the majority of British Festivals, its headliners alone have enough pulling power. I’ve found over the years that a lot of the Glastonbury lineup will make a few sneaky appearances, but you’ll have to take my anecdotal word for it.

 

Thursday /

 

The shortest of all music days, but what turned out to be one of the best, Thursday boasted sets from DJ Hannah Wants and Irish rapper Rejjie Snow, however, the two main acts of the night by far were grime music artist Skepta and electronic music entity Major Lazer. Skepta, who halfway through his set worshipped the crowd as individuals, claiming he ‘hated celebrities’ became the simultaneous shunner and bringer of hype. The energy in the crowd was electric, and the growth of the London grime scene became increasingly obvious from the gigantic, international crowd that flocked to see him. The first headline act of the long weekend extravaganza, however, was Major Lazer, which gave the newbies a taste for FIB life and veterans like me a heightened nostalgia of what it’s all about. Their set was planned to the millisecond and mixed in a haul of different samples from Eurotrash, bashment and dancehall, and of course starting with Pon de Floor, the absolute tune that filled me with nostalgia and brought me back to being a fifteen-year-old getting drunk on a bottle of Lambrini. Moving forward, they started the encore with their feelgood hit of last year, Lean On, which shows just how much their popularity has grown.

 

Friday /

 

Friday saw the likes of more bands take to the stages, including the British rapping, indie, all-round shabby Rat Boy, the lo-fi garage rock Spanish girl band Hinds, now increasingly veteran rockers The Vaccines, and an emotional set from the harder rock of Biffy Clyro. Hinds played the main stage fairly early in the day, and although they started out with a small crowd it had almost quadrupled by the end, obviously attracted to their dynamic and the energy oozing from all four of them. They seem to be drawing quite a following from their various performances around the globe the last couple of years, and I’m pretty sure next year their names will be way higher up the bill. Finishing with Davey Crockett, throwing in a couple of new songs and even a Dead Ghosts cover, Hinds were one of the highlights of my weekend.

Though Friday was technically a lot more band heavy, Jamie XX took over for a disco-heavy and grime influenced set later in the evening, and the heavyweights of electronic music and putting on a fantastic show The Chemical Brothers headlined that evening. Starting with Hey Boy, Hey Girl and finishing their set with a combination of Galvanise and Block Rockin Beats, the show itself boasted spectacular lights, visuals and sound that made pretty much everyone go nuts.

This year Benicassim decided to up the ante with the dance stage, turning their previous second stage into the South Beach area set up complete with a ‘pool party’ – basically borrowing some Ibiza vibes from the another well known Spanish turn-up. Though the pool got pretty dirty after day one, the area itself was a success and saw the likes of Dan Deacon and John Talabot tear it up on the Friday.

Saturday /

 

If you’re a Muse fan, Saturday night was what you were waiting for. They headlined the main stage with a show-stopping two-hour set, incredible lights, showmanship and Matt Bellamy’s vocals in full force. Bringing out all the classics such as Supermassive Black Hole, you really cannot fault this band for doing what they do, and doing it heart-stoppingly well.

But on the contrary, it wasn’t just the superband that got the crowd going on that day. Disclosure followed suit on the main stage, starting with White Noise and playing a mix of tracks from Settle and Caracal, the boys radiated buzz as they always do whenever they take to the stage.

For the earlier parts of Saturday, however, it seems the indie and rock bands were out in full force, with Irish rockers Walking on Cars taking the main stage with the sun still glaring. For relative newcomers, they gathered a lot of support from a ferocious fan base, which, given the amount of Irish melodic voices heard around the festival is quite unsurprising. Bloc Party also mesmerised the visa stage, back with a vengeance and a beautifully revised selection of their catalogue, after a hiatus left them with just Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack as the original members. A brief chat with Kele himself before the show lead me to believe we can expect some new music from the new lineup very soon, and the band is sure to go from strength to strength after the writing process gets well and truly underway.

Echo and the Bunnymen and The Coral also played incredible sets, giving us a little blast from the past. For E&TBM we came for The Killing Moon but ended up infatuated with the set list, and after a five year hiatus, old time rockers The Coral perfectly matched their classics Dreaming of You and In the Morning with the release of their new album, Distance In Between, including track Chasing the Tail of the Sun, which Skelly himself thinks is the best to get the crowd going.

Although Muse did steal the show on the main stage, whilst the heavyweight rockers were letting the crowd fall in love we did sneak away for a few songs at the Visa Stage, where The Kills created an atmosphere that was lively, dramatic and addictive, even though a major amount of their fan base was stolen away. They were definitely one of my surprising highlights of fib, and deserve a medal of musical adoration in my eyes.

 

Sunday /

 

Sunday finally came around, and although I was completely shattered after running around a festival in sweltering heat, sleeping on a dusty floor of a tent and getting accidently sunburnt with the most awful tan lines you ever did see, the nostalgia was creeping in and I didn’t really want to go home. The mix of genres on this day was pretty special, Jess Glyne took the visa stage, where a surprising collection of men found themselves bobbing along to classics Hold My Hand and Rather Be. She also did a solo rendition of My Love, the Route 94 song that helped propel her solo career, as well as a collection of her own material. Following on from Glyne, Mac Demarco and The 1975 also played the Visa Stage, Demarco drawing a sizable crowd, arguably just as crazy as him. Known for his antics and his love of crowd surfers, he let good old ‘Tony’ climb his way onto the stage for a spot of light conversation before prompting his guitarist to crowd surf himself. The topless boys definitely knew how to do a show, and hardcore fans were lapping up every second, in fact every time they play they look like they’re having the best time, which is first and foremost what you want from a performer. The 1975 followed suit, again drawing in a large crowd with a pretty serious fanbase.

The main stage saw the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, who this year decided to make some festival appearances after cancelling a load of them last year. The northern rockers played a great show but I’m yet to be fully convinced of their staying power. Kendrick Lamar took the headline set that night, bringing in a gigantic crowd and a chilled vibe all across Benicassim. The setlist was perfect, with How Much a Dollar cost, B*tch Don’t Kill My Vibe, of course King Kunta and after a profound, heartfelt speech that referenced the attacks in Nice, Turkey, and the need to unite at the state of the world, Lamar ended his set with the notion that we’re all going to be Alright.

DJ’s Snakehips took to the South Beach stage later that night to help bring the festival down to a close, and although I would have perhaps liked to see Lamar play the friday alongside Skepta, especially seeing grime music start to crack america, I was more than content with the set up as it was. All in all, I ended up completely delirious with sleep deprivation, but it was so worth it just to be at fib again.

 

Would I come again? Just try and stop me.

 

Creamfields announce a host of new acts for this years lineup

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With festival season now well underway, dance fans can barely contain their excitement as the 6 week countdown begins for the big one, when the mighty Creamfields rolls into town to take over the Cheshire countryside for 4 days of beats, bass and festival fun.  And just when you thought the UK’s #1 dance fest couldn’t get any better, it certainly got a whole lot bigger as they’ve announced more acts to the already outstanding line up.   

First up and never one to miss out on the action is Techno legend Sven Vath, he’ll be joined by one of the most in demand DJs of the moment Patrick Topping, who joins the family for his Creamfields debut along with a host of other debut performances from the likes of Jerome Price, Magic Wand, Angemi,Seeb, and returning for a second year Eli & Fur as well as the return of Cream Favourite Tall Paul. And getting the party well and truly started Creamfields welcomes a legendary outfit whose unstoppable, infectious force of nature is unmissable…The Cuban Brothers!   Didn’t think it could get any better?  It just did!

T in the Park 2016 Review

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T IN THE PARK kicked off on the Friday with an absolute belter. The sun was shining, The Stone Roses were headlining and un characteristically there wasn’t a mud puddle in sight – of course that didn’t last. Of course it wouldn’t be T without its trademark mud and after dodging it on the Friday the patchy rain hit hard throughout the next couple of days – festival goers brushed it off as nothing and cracked on. Situated at Strathallan Castle close to Perth, it was the festivals second attempt in its new location and 26th year overall. The festival bill was a strong one, a splutter of genres merging together throughout the three days. Blending together the new, the old and the loved by all, every age group was covered with a stella line up. 

With other headlining performances coming from Calvin Harris & Red Hot Chilli Peppers plus support acts including Major Lazer, LCD SoundSystem, Disclosure, Chase & Status, The 1975 and more, it was bound to be a good weekend of music.

The Stone Roses hit the main stage on the Friday. The bands merch floated around the festival site like nothing else and as the day progressed it began to get difficult to be difficult to spot anyone NOT in a signature bowl hat. The bands ‘second coming’ was surely seen as the whole weekends highlight. Performances by the Manchester group aren’t quite as sparse as they have been in the past with their reform back in 2011, but its impossible to ignore the effect the bands presence has on its crowds. The Stone Roses were bred for the festival set up – it is surely the definitive way to see the cult band. The band played a full set of tracks from their self titled debut album, favourites from the much under-rated second album ‘Second coming’ alongside a few new tracks including the new single ‘All for one’. The crowd followed every word of every song sung by Ian Brown, tambourine in hand, who finished the act by waving on the Scottish flag to applaud a fan base at T that he has become very accustomed to.

Disclosure opened up for The Stone Roses – a difficult transition however they easily held their own and as soon as the opening track ‘White noise’ was belted out, they had the audience in the palm of their hands. Disclosure are always capable of surprising people wherever they sit on the bill and if this set was anything to go by their headline act at Reading/Leeds festival could prove to be something huge.

Elsewhere on Friday, festival favourite whereever she goes, Annie Mac packed out the Radio 1 Dance stage with a typical fun and bouncing set.  In contrast Rodrigo y Gabriela performed at the same time in the King Tuts Tent with a smaller crowd who enjoyed the spanish infused heavy guitar riff style of music they are most famous for.  

Huge crowds swamped over to the main stage to watch Calvin Harris headline the Saturday. Quite the regular at T, Calvin is just behind Biffy Clyro for most appearances at the Scottish festival. Quite the transformation from the geeky looking artist of 2007 to the huge international DJ and producer that he is today. Its been a undeniably huge rise from the Scot who is now considered to be the face of modern dance music. He played a typically impressive set, reminding everyone just how many huge tracks he has notched up under his belt. Track after track of number one hits alongside new song Hype which included an appearance of fan favourite Dizzee Rascal.

 

Saturday's lineup also showcases Bastille, Jess Glynne, Tinie Tempah, Kaiser Chiefs and more.  With health issues in the past year, Jess Glynne is one that I was very much looking forward to seeing.  Her amazing soulful and powerful voice fills the main stage with hits like 'Dont Be So Hard on Yourself', 'Not Letting Go' & 'Right Here'.  She sounds just as good live as she does on the radio, its a great performance to head into the evening.  Prior to Jess Glynne, Tinie Tempah fresh off his new album knows how to get a crowd going.  His music is perfect for the festival atmosphere and having seen him numerous times before, I know exactly what to expect.  Hits like 'Mamacita', 'Pass Out', 'Written in the Stars' have the crowd singing throughout the entire performance.

 

Over on the Radio 1 stage, The 1975 close out the day as the rain dies down and the sun sets over Strathallan Castle.  There is nothing fancy about this performance, just a great selection of tunes which have a die hard crowd singing along to almost every track they belt out whist competing with the echoes of Calvin Harris on the main stage.  This isnt an energetic performance by all means, but its worthy of the headlining spot for this stage.

 

Red Hot Chilli Peppers topped off a superb weekend with a headline act reminiscent of their last 2006 headline appearance. Even strangely leaving hits, Californication and Dani California off the set list didn’t make for a disappointing show. The Chilli’s in full form played a huge set filled with crowd pleasers, new singles, Chad Smith solos and the occasional handstand back onto stage from Flea. The strong set was played with swagger from frontman Anthony Kiedis backed up by plenty of energy and gratitude towards the crowd from the rest of the band.

 

One of the most unfortunate festival appearances would have come from LCD Soundsystem who barley drew a crowd to the Radio 1 stage.  Major Lazer however drew a huge crowd to the Radio 1 stage with their mix of dubstep, reggae and house music.  With Diplo flying all over the stage mic in hand hyping the crowd up at every opportunity, its an entertaining set bringing all sorts of dance moves and hands in the air reactions.  Comeback king of 2016 is surely Craig David, armed with a DJ Booth and mic in hand, this is a talented performance as he single handedly mixes the music and sings.  Singing over tunes like Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself' and mixing it with his skillful rapping, his set ensures the crowd is bouncing for the entirety.

 

Its fair to say that this years T in the Park was a marked improvement on last year.  Most of the issues that were encountered have been resolved and the event is well oiled engine that ran smooth over the entire weekend.  Regardless of the wet weather and the muddy grounds, the performances across the weekend leave us feeling satsified & happy.   We look forward to another year at the castle in 2017!

 
Photos by Kristian Lissimore

T IN THE PARK 2016

UK Country Music Duo The Shires hold a free secret gig for fans showcasing new music

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UK Country Music duo The Shires held a secret launch party at Embankment One in London on Thursday July 14th.

The purpose of the event was to showcase new songs that will feature on The Shires second album MY UNIVERSE which is to be released October 7th.

Fans had to enter a contest to gain access to this event which held only a couple of hundred people. At 6pm doors opened and fans were lead up some stairs then down again to a standing area in front of a stage. The balcony was held for press and media outlets as well as family and friends including co writers to some of The Shires songs Nina Nesbitt and Twinnie Lee Moore and new country duo Darline. There were very many familiar faces amongst the fans, some of whom had been strong supporters of The Shires since the very beginning of their career back in 2014 when their first single Nashville Grey Skies was released. 

Bob Harris-Radio 2 DJ and Country Music fan who hosts a Country Radio hour every Thursday at 7pm – introduced the duo before they took to the stage. Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes who make up The Shires, then came on stage after their band played the intro to Nashville Grey Skies. The audience cheering and applauding their arrival set a great atmosphere. The fans sang along to every word with The Shires as they looked into the crowd smiling and waving to those they recognised. 

Addressing the crowd and briefly talking about their career journey so far, The Shires introduced new song I’m not even drunk right now which was a fun up- beat track and I can see becoming a crowd pleaser at future shows. Beats To Your Rhythm was the next new song which was more of a repetitive song but a good fast paced song with a much more rocky sound than Shires fans are used to. Title track to new album My Universe seemed more of an anthem track with uplifting lyrics and a nice melody. As well as adding a more rocky sound to their material, The Shires have stayed true to their stylings, especially with their talent to always produce stunning ballads, so fans were left very emotional and entranced during the beautiful heart wrenching Daddy’s Little Girl, a song written by Crissie about her late Father.

Glad to have been able to get through the song wthout crying, Crissie thanked the audience as Ben took to the keyboard ready for next new song Naked followed by title song from the last album Brave, which is a fan favourite for many reasons as the lyrics mean so much to many people. Members from Crissie's Gospel choir joined them on stage for the song A Thousand Hallelujahs. Of course, there were not a thousand hallejuhas in the song as Ben too jokes. The gospel choir were flawless and gave the song that oomph to deliver a more powerful sound.

The set ended with Friday Night, another song from the debut album Brave. A typical sing a long song, everyone was singing every word as well as raising their glasses in the air as the lyrics chant put your glasses in the air.

The Shires said their goodbyes as they left the stage. After much crowd chanting, they returned to the stage with new song Desperate which Crissie tells us almost did not make the album but she insisted upon it being included. 

After the show The Shires held a meet and greet for the fans which was in a photo booth and there were various props people could use to wear for fun. Unfortunately, due to time, I could not stay for this but I heard that it was great fun and that The Shires were very chatty and grateful to each and every fan.

Going by the songs that I have heard tonight, I can say with confidence that I think the new album My Universe is going to be spectacular. I am very much looking forward to it and have already pre ordered my copy.

The Shires new album My Universe will be released October 7th and they have also announced a Tour for the end of November and December. Please see the press release below for pre order details and pre sale ticket info:

 

BAND TO PLAY SHOWS ACROSS THE UK IN NOV/DEC NEW ALBUM ‘MY UNIVERSE’ RELEASED 7TH OCT – EXCLUSIVE TOUR PRE-SALE ACCESS WITH ALBUM PRE-ORDERS FOLLOWS SECRET ONE EMBANKMENT SHOW LAST NIGHT WHERE THE SHIRES WOWED FANS AND PREVIEWED NEW TRACKS

“Spearheading a British country boom” – Daily Mail “Voices entwine and musical magic ensues”- The Independent on Sunday

Fresh from a triumphant headline set on Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage, UK country duo The Shires have just announced they will be touring the UK later this year. The tour will see the critically acclaimed pair play tracks from their forthcoming album, alongside fan favourites from their gold selling debut ‘Brave’ to gig goers up and down the country finishing at London’s prestigious O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Ben Earle stated: “It’s something magical to be on stage and sharing your songs and seeing the fans’ reaction. We’re particularly excited to share our new tracks with the fans on this tour.”

Last night, Crissie and Ben gave fans a chance to hear some of their new tracks when they played a secret album launch show at London’s One Embankment. Previewing songs from their forthcoming second album ‘My Universe’, which will be released on 7th October, The Shires showcased how recording in Music City: Nashville has further honed their songwriting craft for making clever and catchy Country-Pop that continues to push the genre into the UK mainstream. Last year, they were one of only a handful of British acts to see their debut release certified Gold alongside Jess Glynne, James Bay and Years & Years. The first UK country act ever to have a top 10 album in their home country, The Shires have been at the forefront of the British Country music movement which has seen a sea change in the opinion of the British public, who have embraced the genre and UK bands making music inspired by US country artists.

Eager fans can secure their tickets for the tour when they pre-order a special edition of the new album at HMV before midnight on Monday 18th July. The HMV exclusive edition of ‘My Universe’ includes exclusive artwork and two bonus tracks. Those who order the album before midnight Monday 18th July will receive a unique code to give them access to the tour ticket pre-sale from 9am Thursday 21st July before general on-sale at 9am Friday July 22nd.

pre order here http://www.hmv.com/music/the-shires-announce-new-album-my-universe-and-massive-uk-tour

On recording the new album in Nashville, The Shires said, ,“It was great to go back to Nashville. This time we had a different approach as we knew it better and we practically lived there. We have friends there now and for some reason when you write and record there you just feel more inspired. It definitely comes through in the new music.”

The band are already making Country the soundtrack to the summer performing at a series of high profile music festivals and events including Platform and Lakes Festivals this weekend and Bracknell, Lytham, Castle Roc, Cottingham and supporting Sir Tom Jones at Bedford Park still to come. This follows their headline debut at Glastonbury Festival last month and Cornbury Festival last weekend.

The live dates will follow an intense period of song writing for the Shires, who have been working on their new album in Music City: Nashville. Ben and Crissie co-wrote some tracks with top country music writers including Kip Moore and recorded their album at Sound Stage Studios, one of the most prestigious recording studios in Nashville, which has cut records for other country superstars such as Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum. They also graced the stage at the famous Grand Ole Opry and can add their name to Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Garth Brooks and a veritable who’s who of Country music who have played at the famous Nashville landmark venue.

Here’s where fans can catch The Shires on their UK tour later this year:

NEW TOUR DATES O2 Academy, Oxford – Friday 18th November, 2016 Anvil, Basingstoke – Sunday 20th November, 2016 O2 Guildhall, Southampton – Monday 21st November, 2016 Royal and Derngate, Northampton – Wednesday 23rd November, 2016 St. David’s Hall, Cardiff – Thursday 24th November, 2016 Corn Exchange, Bedford – Friday 25th November, 2016 Corn Exchange, Cambridge – Sunday 27th November, 2016 Colston Hall, Bristol – Monday 28th November, 2016 Dome, Brighton – Tuesday 29th November, 2016 Venue Cymru, Llandudno – Friday 2nd December, 2016 O2 Institute, Birmingham – Saturday 3rd December, 2016 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – Sunday 4th December, 2016 The Sage, Gateshead – Monday 5th December, 2016 O2 ABC, Glasgow – Wednesday 7th December, 2016 Barbican, York – Thursday 8th December, 2016 O2 Academy, Liverpool – Friday 9th December, 2016 O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – Sunday 11th December, 2016

The band will also be performing at the following festivals this summer:

Platform Festival – Saturday 16th July, 2016 @ 1:00 pm. City: York, Venue: The Old Station, Pocklington Lakes Festival – Saturday 16th July, 2016 @ 6:00 pm. City: Skegness. Venue: Sycamore Lakes Park Bracknell Festival – Saturday 30th July, 2016 @ 12:00 pm. City: Bracknell. Venue: South Hill Park Grounds Lytham Festival – Tuesday 2nd August, 2016 @ 6:00 pm. City: Lytham. Venue: Lytham Green Supporting Tom Jones – Sunday 7th August, 2016 @ 5:00 pm. City: Bedford. Venue: Bedford Park Falmouth Week – Wednesday 10th August, 2016 @ 7:30 pm. City: Falmouth. Venue: Falmouth Events Square – JUST ADDED Castle Roc Music Festival – Saturday 20th August, 2016 @ 12:00 pm. City: Chepstow. Venue: Chepstow Castle Cottingham Music Festival – Sunday 28th August, 2016 @ 7:30 pm. City: Cottingham. Venue: Civic Hall

Four weeks til Bloodstock!

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There’s just over a month before the heavy metal hoardes rampage on to Catton Park’s hallowed turf for BLOODSTOCK 2016!  The site planning is well under way and the bands are still being added for the UK’s best heavy metal weekender.

In a move that’s sure to please the power metal faithful, riding on to the main stage bill for an early Friday slot are ‘Intergalactic, space metal’ outfit, GLORYHAMMER!   Check out their video for the title track from last year’s ‘Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards’ here – https://youtu.be/YGV6bCTMM5w.  Also joining the bill as main stage openers on Friday are Welsh heavy rock power trio, HARK.  The band’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Crystalline’ featured a guest slot from Clutch’s Neil Fallon and their second release is due later this year.  Get up to speed via www.facebook.com/harktheband/.

Lining up for a Saturday slot on the Sophie stage are British doom/sludge beasts MAGE (www.facebook.com/Mageband) and horror rockers, THE HERETIC ORDER (www.facebook.com/thehereticorder) featuring members of Breed 77.  Stepping into Sunday slots are female-fronted Brit metal four-piece, SANGUINE (www.facebook.com/sanguineband) and hotly tipped, Japanese-inspired, Finnish melodic death metal outfit, WHISPERED (www.facebook.com/whisperedband).  

Joining PHIL CAMPBELL’s ALL STARR BAND for Thursday’s ‘Party Night’ (which sees Phil christening the newly-monikered ‘Lemmy’s Bar’ with the first drink of the weekend), are Norse death/thrash outfit, SUBLIME EYES (www.facebook.com/SublimeEyesBand),  tech/deathsters KARYBDIS (www.facebook.com/Karybdis.band), post-prog metal five-piece SUMER (www.facebook.com/SUMERBAND) and the thrashtastic PSYKOSIS (www.facebook.com/Psykosisthrashmetal), who caused mayhem on the Hobgoblin New Blood stage in 2014 when they threw out hundreds of samples of their home brew to the loyal New Blood supporters.

Got all your camping gear ready?  This year, our campsite partner is Miss Daisy’s Camping Store.  If you can’t be bothered to tow a ton of camping gear to site, order online and collect your stuff from the Miss Daisy tent in the main Midgard campsite at Catton Park.  Saves a lot of hassle and achy shoulders!  Place your order or just see what’s available via their ‘click & collect’ service here – http://www.missdaisyscampingstore.co.uk/.

Want to check out the 2016 merch range?  BLOODSTOCK's online 'click & collect' service allows you to pre-order your favourites for on site collection.  Festival attendees can snap up their choice of t-shirt or grab the 2016 beer mug or hip flask without fear of their size or design being already sold out on site.  Simply pre-order at https://bmerch.com/store/bloodstock/collect-on-site and collect at the merch stall in the arena at any point over the weekend, knowing your item is guaranteed and paid for.  Maybe you want that BOA hoodie for when the sun goes down, so just collect it from the merch stall then to save a trip back to your tent!

How to get to BLOODSTOCK?  Ditch the hassle of car parking, trains, & transfers and let our official coach travel partner Big Green Coach take you and your camping gear straight to the festival from 21 UK cities. Various packages are on sale now; secure your coach trip straight to the festival site with only a £10 deposit.   To book your return seat and see where to catch the coach, check: http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel.  If you’re coming by train to Catton Park, don’t forget to pre-book Big Green Coach’s shuttle bus from the station to save yourself a wad of cash.  Return tickets are priced at £10, one way at £8 (it costs more to pay on the day, so pre-booking wins)!  Book tickets at the link.  Car-sharing with GoCarShare is also available (and participating could even win you a pair of tickets for 2017)!  Full details and to post up a car space/look for a car ride from your town, visit: http://gocarshare.com/festival/bloodstock.   

Our three headliners for 2016 are TWISTED SISTER (in their last ever UK show), MASTODON and SLAYER, plus special guests BEHEMOTH, GOJIRA and ANTHRAX.  Also on the bill are FEAR FACTORY, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, SYMPHONY X, SATYRICON, PARADISE LOST, DRAGONFORCE, METAL ALLEGIANCE, STUCK MOJO, ROTTING CHRIST, MISERY LOVES CO, GHOST BATH, VENOM, UNEARTH, DIAMOND HEAD, GOATWHORE, ACID REIGN and many more.  Additional bands are still to be announced.

Reading and Leeds Festival announce Alternative Stage for 2016

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Leading the comedy line up is the phenomenally talented Russell Howard who has enjoyed massive success with Russell Howard’s Good News, establishing Russell as one of the UK’s most successful comedians and a rising international star.

 

Bill Bailey will be returning to Reading and Leeds after his incredible performance in 2014. Known for the astounding musical knowledge that saw him become a panel show staple on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as well as starring in Channel 4’s sitcom Black Books, Bailey will be delighting the Reading and Leeds audiences as his famous Limboland world tour makes a stop at both festival sites in August.

 

Joining them over the Bank Holiday weekend is an extensive array of well-known comedic figures including Radio 4 stalwart and one of Britain’s finest comedians Marcus Brigstocke. Katherine Ryan will be entertaining audiences with her razor sharp critique of pop culture alongside Well Good prankster Lee Nelson, the flamboyant flow of Russell Kane and Impractical Jokers’ very own Joel Dommett.

 

Further Alternative Stage appearances will come from outspoken political commentator Owen Jones who will be in conversation with Andy Parsons alongside performances from Sara Pascoe, Holly Walsh, The Boy With Tape On His Face, Andrew Maxwell, Mark Steel, Tom Deacon (Reading Only), John Robins, Carl Donnelly (Leeds Only), Daniel Simonsen, Dane Baptiste, Lloyd Griffith (Reading Only), Al Porter, Angela Barnes, Jamali Maddix, Lauren Pattison (Leeds Only) and Alternative Stage MC’s David Morgan, Iain Stirling, Dan Nightingale (Leeds Only) and Ian Boldsworth (Reading Only).

 

The Alternative Stage will also play host to a vast array of late night entertainment throughout the weekend, including a special appearance from the US hip-hop icon Grandmaster Flash who’ll be performing an explosive set at Leeds Festival only. He’ll be joined by hip-hop turntablist DJ Yoda and the impressive stylings of Rave Karaoke and Nightmares From The Discotheque for a full-throttled evening of entertainment, ensuring that Leeds will be dancing late into the night.

 

Masterful indie club night Propaganda will once again provide a late night euphoric disco soundtrack with special guest appearances from This Is England’s Thomas Turgoose, DJ Dan and many more, with Buttoned Up Disco also on hand with the rock, pop, punk and indie party-starters. Then be ready to travel back in time, with the unrivalled Hot Dub Time Machine bringing the world’s very first time-travelling party to Reading & Leeds this summer, taking you back on a journey through the defining hits of over 60 years of good times.

 

With the previously announced Kurupt FM Presents Champagne Steam Rooms and Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish also taking to the stage over the weekend, the Alternative Stage offers a different spin on the UK festival experience, making Reading and Leeds 2016 the ultimate festival party of the summer.

 

Reading and Leeds 2016 boasts the biggest names, sounds and festival moments for another year, with 5 headliners over 3 days – Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals, Biffy Clyro, Disclosure and Fall Out Boy. They head up an unmissable Bank Holiday weekend which also includes performances by Jack Ü, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club, Boy Better Know, Chvrches, Imagine Dragons, The Vaccines, A$AP Rocky, HAIM, Nas, Good Charlotte, Asking Alexandria, Fetty Wap and over 200 more.

ALTERNATIVE STAGE ANNOUNCED TODAY

Russell Howard
Bill Bailey
Marcus Brigstocke
Katherine Ryan
Russell Kane
Lee Nelson
Owen Jones in conversation with Andy Parsons
The Boy With Tape On His Face
Andrew Maxwell
Sara Pascoe
Holly Walsh
Joel Dommett
Mark Steel
Carl Donnelly (Leeds Only)
John Robins
Tom Deacon (Reading Only)
Daniel Simonsen
Dane Baptiste
Al Porter
Angela Barnes
Lloyd Griffith (Reading Only)
Lauren Pattison (Leeds Only)
Jamali Maddix
Mark Grist
Mystry
Anthony Anaxagorou
David Morgan (MC)
Iain Stirling (MC)
Dan Nightingale (Leeds Only)
Ian Boldsworth (Reading Only)
Grandmaster Flash (Leeds Only)
DJ Yoda (Leeds Only)
Rave Karaoke (Leeds Only)
Nightmares From The Discotheque (Leeds Only)
Propaganda with Special Guests Including This Is England’s Thomas Turgoose, DJ Dan + More
Buttoned Down Disco
Hot Dub Time Machine
 
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
Biffy Clyro (Co-headline) (UK Festival Exclusive)
Fall Out Boy (Co-headline) (UK Festival Exclusive)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Headline)
Foals (Co-Headline)
Disclosure (Co-Headline)
Imagine Dragons (European Festival Exclusive)
Jack Ü                  
Two Door Cinema Club                 
The 1975
Courteeners                     
Boy Better Know
Chvrches
The Vaccines (UK Festival Exclusive)
A$AP Rocky (UK Festival Exclusive)
HAIM (UK Festival Exclusive)
Jack Garratt
Nas (UK Festival Exclusive)
Frank Turner
Kano
Good Charlotte (UK Festival Exclusive)
Coheed and Cambria
Mastodon
Tonight Alive (UK Festival Exclusive)
The Wombats
Twenty One Pilots (UK Festival Exclusive)                                                       
Crystal Castles (UK Festival Exclusive)    
Fetty Wap (UK Festival Exclusive)                     
Eagles Of Death Metal (UK Festival Exclusive)
Slaves  
Parkway Drive (UK Festival Exclusive)
Nothing But Thieves     
The Internet (UK Festival Exclusive)
Rat Boy
Hinds
Lower Than Atlantis (UK Festival Exclusive)
Asking Alexandria (UK Festival Exclusive)
The Dillinger Escape Plan (UK Festival Exclusive)
Travi$ Scott (UK Festival Exclusive)
G-Eazy (UK Festival Exclusive)
Skindred        
Five Finger Death Punch (UK Festival Exclusive)                     
Sleeping With Sirens (UK Festival Exclusive)
The Neighbourhood (UK Festival Exclusive)
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes         
State Champs
Savages
Die Antwoord (UK Festival Exclusive)
Cage The Elephant (UK Festival Exclusive)
Krept & Konan
Sigma
Half Moon Run
Basement
Blossoms
Mura Masa
Spring King
Sunset Sons
Deaf Havana
Haelos
The Virginmarys
Third Eye Blind
Clutch
Black Foxxes
The Temper Trap
Brian Fallon And The Crowes
BØRNS
Lapsley
Charlie Sloth
Arcane Roots
Fickle Friends
Eagulls
Whitney
Clean Cut Kid
Pulled Apart By Horses
Ezra Furman
VANT
Big Narstie
The Magic Gang
Blaenavon
The Hunna
LANY
The Sherlocks
DMA’s
Rationale
Beach Baby
Transviolet
Isaac Gracie
Giggs
Netsky
Highly Suspect (UK Festival Exclusive)
Sundara Karma
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Palace
Lewis Del Mar
LUH
Otherkin
Anteros
Will Joseph Cook
White Miles
Gnash
The Beach
The Vryll Society
Area 52
Tibet
Thrice
Hacktivist
DMAs
LUH
Nothing More
Milk Teeth
Ghost Town
Greywind
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra
MGK
Heck
ROAM
Beach Slang
SWMRS
Superheaven
Big Spring
Waterparks
Yung Lean
Hoodie Allen
Maverick Sabre
Metro Boomin
Little Simz
Fekky
Geko
Bugzy Malone
Logic
K.Flay
Sneakbo
Baauer
Mick Jenkins
Kiko Bun
Troyboi
Franko Fraize
Clara Amfo
SOPHIE
Danny L Harle
Rag’n’Bone Man
Friction
Fred V & Grafix
Delta Heavy
The Japanese House
99 Souls
Redlight
Lion Babe
AlunaGeorge
Duke Dumont
David Rodigan MBE
Disciples                              
My Nu Leng B2B Oneman + Dread MC (Reading) / Oneman B2B My Nu Leng + Dread MC (Leeds)                          
MistaJam
Philip George                    
Riton                    
Birdy Nam Nam                               
Oliver Heldens   
DJ EZ
Hannah Wants
Crossfaith
Kurupt FM Presents: Champagne Steam Rooms
Cassetteboy vs DJ Rubbish
The King Blues
Kvelertak
FVK                                                          
Modern Baseball
Dead!         
Creeper             
Citizen                                      
Maxïmo Park
Raleigh Ritchie                                                                                                     
INHEAVEN                        
Banners                                                                                                                     
Tuff Love                                              
Seratones       
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals                         
Section Boyz                     
Protoje                                                              
Lady Leshurr
DJ Semtex (Reading)
Yungen    
Jauz  
The Range
Rude Kid
Zac Samuel
Tkay Maidza
Hermitude
Lemaitre
Low Steppa
Draper
James Organ

Will Young at Henley Festival 2016 and why Henley is a ‘go-to’ festival!

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Henley Festival is a rather sophisticated 'black tie' event held over five nights on the river bank at Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire – notably most famous for its annual regatta. Henley Festival has been running for years with this year being its 34th year. The festival, limited to approx 5,000 tickets, offers live music, comedy, art and fashion as well as many marquees with fine dining, which have to be pre booked, as well as other food and drink outlets spread around the festival.

Henley Festival is more than just a festival, it is an excuse for a pleasant evening out with family and friends where you can dress up as extravagantly as you wish – you will only be looked upon admiringly – it is most certainly the place to be and is so spectacularly different from any other festival that, instead of wellies, you see designer shoes, instead of rowdy beer drinkers, people in deep conversation holding glasses of champagne or Pimms and the only smoking I saw were of cigars as ladies walked around the festival in old theatric Interval style over the shoulder holders selling them.
 
This year, the line up was one constantly talked about, especially with regard to Wednesday headliner Sir Elton John. Sir Elton’s night sold out in minutes, with the other nights featuring Elvis Costello, Bryn Terfel and the WNO Orchestra, Dame Shirley Bassey and Will Young following closely behind. Speaking to some of the guests, they informed me that the night Sir Elton played, the festival was over subscribed by approximately 2,000 extra ticket holders, making it impossible for guests to move freely and becoming quite a health and safety concern. This, I was told, took away the true essence of Henley Festival's charm and left many loyal attendees disappointed, angry and perplexed as to how this could be allowed to happen.
 
On Sunday night, the night I attended, was Will Young’s night and was, thankfully, quite a different story. Arriving promptly at 6pm, I took the short walk from the car park to the main entrance dressed up for the night as it is not everyday you get to attend a Black Tie event. The entrance had a beautiful pop up doorway, in blue with silver sparkly writing and with entrance staff dressed up just as smart as the guests.
 
As soon as I arrived I was drawn towards all the guests as they shone out as visually artistic shown by the range of outfits worn, the different styles, colours, hats, bags and even down to the shoes they were wearing. People really went out of their way to look the part and look the part they did. I loved the street performers who were dressed in their variety of spectacular costumes. There were performers dressed as Angels with large wings moving around on rollers, two men dressed as tall – small headed men with their actual heads being lower down making you wonder how they could see. Over the course of the other nights there were Gorilla costumes, tree costumes and various artists with painted faces and silver hair.

Oh and the toilets…the toilets were AMAZING…so clean and not your typical festival toilet, that is a reason alone to go to Henley Festival, ha!

Despite this being a relatively small festival, you couldn't get bored as there was something for everyone.  Mini art galleries were dotted along the walkway to the main lawn area, overlooking the river. There were many boats moored in the middle of the Thames eagerly waiting to hear a night time of music from their decks.
 
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Bar had prime position at the far end providing a fairly similar look to the original bar in London, and was a round pop – up venue which had impressive décor both outside and in.
 
In the centre of the main lawn area were six large boards raising awareness for the charity The Children’s Society who the festival were working in partnership with.  The boards all carried a statement from Young carers telling of their aspirations in life whereas their reality was far different. Very moving to read, it tugged at your heart strings to discover that so many children become young carers for their siblings or parents from such a young age. The charity is a very important part of Henley Festival. The Children’s Society is a national charity that runs local services, helping children and young people when they are at their most vulnerable, and have nowhere left to turn. They also campaign for changes to laws affecting children and young people, to stop the mistakes of the past being repeated in the future. Their supporters around the country fund their services and join their campaigns to show children and young people they are on their side. More information on the charity can be found here : http://www.henley-festival.co.uk/support-henley-festival/henley-festival-trust/The-Childrens-Society
 
And here: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk
 
With various stages scattered around the festival, I started at Ronnie Scott's as The Ronnie Scott's Story began. The Jazz Band took centre stage and played a beautiful set of Jazz music which was both relaxing and mesmerising. I did not stay for the duration as I wanted to take a look at the other stages before Will Young commenced. Just outside the main entrance stood The Pizza Express Live stage, with 90’s pop Jazz band Shakatak. I was not aware of this band prior to this event but they certainly pulled a crowd and really knew how to put on a show. With the female lead singer being a Jazz powerhouse and a band really comfortable with knowing how to fully play their instruments and playing a very impressive set, they certainly knew how to entertain a crowd.
 
I quickly moved on to The Comedy Stage, expecting to see comedy. I was pleasantly surprised to catch the end of Shlomo. Shlomo is a British beatboxing artist, technologist, composer and teacher. I only caught his last two tracks which left me gutted that I hadn't watched the entire performance. His audience absolutely loved him and, being a young beatboxer, I was surprised by the amount of older people really getting into his set. Multi-talented, I would love to see this artist on a bigger stage one day. He had great original material and had so much energy running all over the stage singing, beatboxing and mixing. I did miss out on buying a cd he was selling afterwards as he had a long line of fans and I had to get to my seat for Will Young but Shlomo, I want one, so I hope there is somewhere I can purchase one?

Now to the main event of the evening. Will Young, who was closing the evening and the entire festival. Will was performing on The Floating Stage which is so named because the stage was built mostly on the actual river with the audience on the river bank. The seated areas were either on the lawn in front of the stage or the grandstand, the grandstand being the most expensive ticket. I obviously knew who Will Young was as I had watched Pop Idol together with most people my age and his song Leave Right Now was one of the most played songs the year it was released.  But I had never really sat down and paid full attention to his other music. So…prior to this night, I binged listened to Will Young without barely coming up for air so that I knew what to expect. Well..Will had a lot more songs I knew than I had realised and his new album 85% Proof was very impressive. I could not find a bad song on there, no fillers at all, so this made me especially excited for his show.

From the minute his band arrived on stage the crowd were cheering. Running to the microphone, he started with the song Joy. The audience sang along whilst large beach balls were floating on the stage. Love Revolution, one of my favourites, was the next song and most people stood up during this, which was hardly surprising with it being such an upbeat song. Will addressed the audience telling them how happy he was to be back at Henley Festival, his home town, and how his father lives on the other side of the river. Will has such a great, fun personality with a typical British sense of humour, so had the audience howling throughout, myself included. Stories about his dad walking around the festival with him debating whether some lady was wearing knickers or not and later texting Will at midnight to say “ You know, I don’t think she was wearing knickers.” Hilariously, Will’s mother had been banned for life from Henley Regatta for purposefully jumping in a puddle to ruin a lady's white dress back in her youth. With many other funny stories, Will entertained the crowd the entire evening and even sang Happy Birthday to a fan in the front row.
 
Will’s vocals are just as perfect as they sound on his studio recordings. His tone is so unique and beautiful that he was a joy to listen to. He made use of his stage with little dance moves and he waved to the audience throughout – giving a shout out too to ticket holders who were stood at the side of the lawn area. Will’s band and backing singers were also amazing, giving us a flawless performance in a perfect summer evening setting. It was lovely to see people on their boats dancing and there were crowds of people over the other side of the river too. At one point in the evening, Will asked everyone to get their phones out to shine them and making them sway them in the air, side to side, up and down and all around. Even the people on the boats and other side of the river had their phones shining which I doubt he knew and it was truly spectacular to witness.

The set list was a lovely mix of his big hits as well as album tracks. We were treated with probably, most peoples' favourite songs and, as the night went on, people got merrier and more confident to get up and dance. Everyone sang along to songs such as Light My Fire, Leave Right Now and Jealousy with Will often holding the microphone to the crowd to hear them sing. We were also treated with a rendition of Evergreen which was Will’s winning song on Pop Idol and was not originally on the set list. The encore saw Will returning to stage on a mobility scooter with a fixed keyboard doing a cover version of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.
 
I simply could not fault Will's performance and am so glad that I went. As someone who was neither a fan, or not a fan prior to this show, I can most certainly say that I am now a Will Young fan and would definitely go to see him perform live again. I even overheard a guest saying that she had attended all five nights of the festival and that Will Young was the best performer by far.
 
His show was certainly not average, I don’t think you could ever call that average!

The night closed with a spectacular show of Fireworks over the river followed by a performance from comedian The Boy With Tape On His Face on The Comedy Stage who I sadly had to miss due to travel commitments but I hear he is fantastic.
 
Set List
 
Joy
Love Revolution
Runaway
Light My Fire
(The Doors cover)
Thank You
Changes
Who Am I
You and I
Grace
Switch It On
Leave Right Now
 
Encore:
 
Let's Dance
(David Bowie cover)
Your Game
Jealousy
All Time Love
Evergreen

Bloodstock preview: BRUTAI

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Bloodstock Preview: Brutai

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE- FRIDAY 12TH AUGUST

MUSIC VIDEO FOR 'DEEP'

'DEEP' lyrically tells of a period of songwriter's block that the band experienced whilst writing their debut full length. It's a mix of melodic and and progressive metal, with catchy vocal lines, guitar wizardry and groovy intricate drum work. Something for all modern metal followers to enjoy.

The band have recently supported the likes of Butcher Babies, Textures and have toured with The Five Hundred. Now they're showing they're a live force to be reckoned with, and will appear on the Sophie Stage at Bloodstock Festival.

Live Dates
12th August- Bloodstock Festival- Sophie Stage
20th August- Readipop- Reading
21st August- The Monolith All Day- Dingwalls, London w/ Zoax, Press to Meco, No Consequence
24th August- Sticky Mike's Frog Bar- Brighton w/ Voices From The Fuselage
25th August- London- Underworld w/ Soilwork
More dates TBA

"Brutai have matured into a really distinctive, engaging proposition. Expect big things from them, and soon."- The Monolith

"The British band Brutai, whose members hail from London and Reading, might be labeled as hard rock on first listen. But there’s a distinctly metallic, vaguely Swedish style to their riffing that gives the band a harder and more complex edge than what you’re accustomed to hearing from “hard rock” bands. The songwriting is super-tight, also; think “Soilwork Lite” and you’re pretty close. "- Metalsucks

"…few of the genre's current protagonists can match Brutai when it comes to matching that technical prowess with refined songwriting skills.
Precise, ornate and never less than monstrously heavy, the size of their hooks and melodies make them such an enticing proposition."
– Dom Lawson, Metal Hammer

Photo credit: http://www.willirelandphotography.co.uk/
(Left to right-  Mathieu Bauer, Alex Lorimer, Felix Lawrie, Henry Ryan, Christian Sturgess)