T in the Park 2014 – Friday Review

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There’s very few things I expected to happen in my lifetime; meet the queen, find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow and for Scotland to be so hot my eyelashes are even sweating (they pay be pity tears for my poor ginger skin). If only the free tap water was free factor 50 and we would all be sorted, unfortunately the only thing someone has thrown my way is a cup of warm pee.

A woman who won’t need to worry about looking like a juicy, home grown tomato by the end of the day is Foxes. The dark haired, golden skinned beauty graced the main stage with her soft voice teamed with a bubbly, flirtatious stage presence made for an enjoyable watch. Going from one extreme to the other I then found myself in front of possibly the three fiercest women I have ever seen. Haim are made up of three sisters from LA with enough attitudes to put any old Rock and Roll band to shame. They’re absolutely and utterly off their rocket. The energy they put in to their live performance means that if you’re going to see them live, you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

Imagine Dragons aren’t a band I would have paid money to see but after watching them today I’m willing to admit I’m an idiot. Every member is a completely different character, all full of confidence and grabbing your attention, with that much stage presence there’s always something to watch whether it be Daniel’s envy worthy hair, his golden guitar or lead singer Dan Reynolds strong strides across the stage. They played King Tut’s Wah Wah tent last year and this year, rightly so, were promoted to the main stage.

So since Rihanna deleted her Instagram, we’ve all been creeping on Ellie Goulding’s right? (If you’re answer is no, you’re doing Instagram wrong). Seeing her a few years ago, she was a quirky wee blonde; she has now taken on a completely different stage persona on and is now an uncompromising sex symbol, this teamed with her angelic voice makes her an unstoppable force.

Now I’m not going to lie to you, I did do a skip, a hop and an unintentional slip on the way to Ed Sheeran. My excitement was not without reason. Alone on the stage with nothing but a guitar and a loop pedal this man managed to get the crowd pumped up more than all other acts put together. Playing a few new songs from his breathtaking new album “X” Ed is one of the most genuine talents in the music industry today and with quick witted banter with the crowd in between songs this man could also possibly be one of the most likable guys in music.

I ended off the night with Steve Angello and if my sun burn wasn’t keeping me warm, his flame cannons definitely did. Proving he doesn’t need fellow Swedish House Mafia DJ’s he had the sun stroked crowd going crazy.

If you’ve not already got a ticket there are still some left on Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/packages/t_in_the_park_2014.html. Acts for Saturday include Twin Atlantic, Rudimental, Pharrell Williams, John Newman, Elbow, The 1975 and Calvin Harris. Sunday you have Disclosure, Tine Tempah, Sam Smith, Example, Passenger, London Grammer and Bastille to look forward to. Come and join in the fun (remember your sun cream!).

 

Libertines at British Summer time Hyde Park Review

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"The good ship Albion strays off course"

The Libertines at Hyde Park started started as it ended, in chaos. By 3PM, the stitching on the red jackets was already unravelling. The Theatre venue for support acts was full, bursting to capacity, their was no chance for many wolf Alice fans to get a look in and further disruption as both Graham Coxen and Swim Deep sets had to be cancelled. 

The shambolic aura of the libertines seemed to take over the whole event. Which on the previous day for Black Sabbath, ran with military precision, matched with a mature audience there to have a good time and enjoy the heavier side of music.

On the Saturday it was not to be, with bars running out of beers by 6PM, male temperaments were being pushed to their limit having to order £7.50 Cocktails; These were quickly expelled, as any flat upright surface was met with lines of lads urinating up them.

The Mid afternoon set from Spiritualized, an odd choice for such an indie focused bill, wasn't enough of a distraction as time passed and more alcohol was consumed. A cheery Pogues did lighten the mood, although it still got rowdy enough for their set to be cut short due to crowd pushing.

The stage at 9pm was lit up with flickering montages of old photos and clips from the Libertines glory days, this set anticipation even higher amongst the restless audience.

Finally the Libertines were on stage, Pete and Carl sharing microphones all grudges forgotten breaking into 'Vertigo.' It only took the second song 'boys in the band', for the music to be halted due to crushing at the front. Doherty and drummer Gary Powell had to calm the audience down with a odd rendition of 'fill me Up buttercup'. This stop and start seemed to drain the momentum from the group, and the rhythm section probably suffered the most. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. They were and have always been the bands the safety net during live gigs and John Hassel's ashen face said it all.

With the shaky start out the way, the rest of the set continued in typical Libertines fashion. Appearing pub drunk and sloppy may go down well in small clubs, but even with the bounty of sing along songs the band have, they seemed to lose grip over such a large audience (even if everyone did know all the words). 

For the adoring fans at the barrier, who would gladly suffer being saved from the crowd by security just to be closer to their heroes, it was most likely a great night and one they won't forget. For others it was a memorable let down, with a greying Doherty now telling his audience to behave themselves when they climbed up the on the lighting platforms, his days of debauchery long forgotten. It is a blessing that with two more gigs announced for Alexander Palace, this wasn't the final voyage for the Libertines.

Duke Dumont Interview: Hideout Festival

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A few years ago, Duke Dumont was nearly forced to give up his career as a DJ and producer in favour of one that was actually going to pay the bills. Fortunately, his luck turned around and he subsequently went on to top the chart twice in the past two years. It was 2013′s club banger ‘Need U (100%)’ that kickstarted his meteoric success, then along came the summer anthem ‘I Got U,’ released earlier this year, to prove he’s no one-trick-pony.

A producer first and foremost, he also runs his own record label Blasé Boys Club and is now armed with a new track ‘Won’t Look Back’ showing plenty of commercial promise. It is safe to say Adam Dyment (aka Duke Dumont) is one of the most in-demand figures in electronic music, so we were lucky to catch five minutes of his time for a little chat. Here he talks to SFG about Ibiza, festivals and upcoming plans with Blasé Boys Club before his set at Hideout Festival 2014.

So you’ve just flown in from Ibiza, how was the journey?

The flight was a nightmare, but Ibiza was amazing – it was my first live residency at Sankeys. It couldn’t have gone any better, so hopefully it stays as good as throughout the season. Speaking about travelling, as a DJ I think the best way to look at it is: you get paid to travel; not to DJ. DJ’ing is the fun bit. Travelling can be a nightmare. You get paid to do that, but what I’m about to do in thirty minutes that’s the fun part.

Have you been to Croatia before?

I have about six years ago. It’s been ages since I’ve been here but unfortunately I don’t have much time here. I have to shoot off back to London tomorrow but it would have been nice to stay here a bit longer. Last time I was here it was a bit more chilled out, Hideout seems a bit more full-on. I’ve counted about four stages so far, so I’m going to be quite self-contained and not look around too much and just go straight on to the stage and just concentrate on that.

Could Croatia be the new Ibiza?

I think it’s getting a lot more popular. A lot more of the British contingent are over here. I haven’t really experienced Croatia enough to pass an accurate comment but I know Hideout is maybe more underground than what Ibiza is, but then again, Ibiza does have quite an underground element now than what it had five years ago. We’ll wait and see how it goes but it’s definitely growing out here compared to when I first came. Hideout is definitely one to watch out for!

So how is your label Blasé Boys Club going?

It’s going alright! I’m a record producer first and foremost, I’m a DJ and have started my own label and I’m hopefully going to be starting my own radio show very soon and I want to try my hand at many things. The label is going really well. I’ve signed two acts: Jax Jones – who sings on I Got U – and another artist called Kiwi. I’m hopefully going to sign my third next week, but I can’t say who that is yet although I really want to, but anyone who is into the UK house music scene will know the guy. And then maybe one more act this year, and work on my own music, the album’s on the label and next year… we’ll see how it goes!

Were you expecting Need U (100%) and I Got U to go to number one?

Need U, no. It’s kind of like a happy mistake in the way it was produced and
came about. Originally it was going to be one of our club E.P’s before we called in a vocal and it gave it more of a pop feel. There was no grand plan behind it – the radio picked it up early and started playing it and suddenly people were going out and buying it. It was as innocent a number one as you’re going to get. Then with I Got U, that was a little bit more, ‘we had success with Need U, so let’s try and replicate that.’

What’s your favourite festival to play at?

Bestival is probably one of only a few festivals I’d actually pay to go to myself. And the other one is Coachella, I had a really good time there.

What about your new single, Won’t Look Back?

Again, since Need U, things got bigger and a bit more serious. I Got U came after Need U and hopefully Won’t Look Back will come after I Got U. It’s all come together well. There’s an album coming out and all the songs will be on that. There will probably be two more singles after Won’t Look Back towards the end of the year, they’re already recorded it’s just a case of holding them back for a while.

What do you think of the current house music scene?

The popularity's here, because chart music has been staggering for the last five years or so, so house music is providing a different option. And I hope in five years’ time there’s another option to house music. So as long as popular culture is constantly changing and isn’t staggering, then it’s all good!

As seen originally online for Platform magazine: http://platform-online.net/2014/07/exclusive-interview-duke-dumont-at-hideout-festival-2014/#sthash.FVAfCnnx.dpuf

HD Festival 2014 Review

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Into its fourth year, High Definition moved to a new venue to deliver its biggest line-up to date. On 5 July 2014 a short bus ride from Tunbridge Wells’ train station lead to the stately Eridge Park which seemed more befitting to a Jane Austen Period drama than an all-out dance fuelled Saturday festival.

A surprisingly slow queue opened out into a large grassed space circled by various tents and surrounded by some truly impressive views of the countryside. Heading straight to the bar following instructions to purchase drink tokens for all liquid transactions we found the £5 beers quite reasonable.  There was also a wide range of beverages available if beer wasn’t your thing.

The festival was well put together with two bars, one at either side of the site, two large tents and a few smaller tents, with some fairground rides you would have found at an old-school rave situated at the center. The main stage was tucked away at the back of the field which worked well in delivering minimal through traffic for the crowd who were there to see Carl Cox, Marco Carola and Jon Rundell.

The sound systems were solid and the DJs looked like they were having a lot of fun across the board. Carl Cox delivered a classic set late in the afternoon in the bright sunshine sun to everyone’s surprise because of the forecast of rain. Oneman, as usual did not disappoint in the evening playing to the packed out Digital Arena before Gorgon City stepped up and played their recent hits, as well as Ten Walls’ Walking with Elephants, a personal favorite of mine and what seemed to be everyone else’s too.

An apparent no-show from Ms Dynamite disappointed a few people but there was plenty to make up for it; Huxley, Midland and Bicep had the crowds firmly in their grasp throughout their sets and delivered beat after beat to warm receptions.

If you wanted to up the tempo with a trip to the Epidemik rave tent it was best to get in there early and experience a stand out display from Eksman and Logan-D taking us through the late and great years of DnB, one rewind at a time.

High Definition provided a great day out with big acts and a vibe I would be happy to return for.

Review by Sam Walsh

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Wireless Festival 2014 Review: The Bruno Mars Storm!

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Summer Festival Guide parties alongside Salt-N-Pepa, Outkast, Sean Paul, Clean Bandit, Bruno Mars and over 50,000 people at Wireless Festival last Sunday. It is probably one of the biggest festivals in London and the UK in July 2014. Each year the line-up never disappoints. Summer Festival Guide headed to Finsbury Park to check out over 30 acts across three stages including Ellie Goulding, Naughty Boy, Rixton, Clean Bandit, Outkast or the headline for Sunday Bruno Mars.

Created in 2005, set across three days in two different locations (Birmingham and Finsbury Park), the Wireless festival organized and managed by Livenation attracts HUGE names, different genres and all sorts of audience. One stage you’re jumping along with Raileigh Christie, and the next you’re skaking and waving with Salt-n-pepa. The choice is great and yours.

I start my journey from the Pepsimax Stage looking forward to Raleigh Ritchie. DJ Westwood is doing an amazing job with the warm up. Raleigh Ritchie arrives like a storm directing at the audience “Today, we’re gonna do a lot of jumping” and we do. I left after the crowd pleaser track “Stronger than ever”.  Raleigh Ritchie has lots of energy and great interaction with the audience, mainly due to his acting career (Acting name: Jacob Anderson). I meet him later for a chat in the Wireless VIP office. Leaving the Pepsimax Stage, I noticed one of the grossest things|: the urinals are next to the stage as if guys need to hear live music to pee. This is very unpractical, gross and quite disgusting as long as the day progresses. I can’t understand why Livenation agreed to have two major spots of urinals near stages as families walk around and young girls walk around to navigate from stage to stage. Stopping by the Main Stage, Alexa Goddard is singing “Marilyn” The singer signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation record later earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Andrew Whitton

In the VIP area, Rixton, John Newman, Neon Jungle and Dominique Young Unique were interviewed and photographed in the dedicated Wireless area. The place is quite buzzing with new and fresh acts.

Heading back to the Main Stage, Salt-N-Pepa is now performing and what a performance. If the American hip hop trio from New York is in the UK every 10 years, please let me sign right now. The sun is shining in Finsbury but they definitely bring the heat! They are engaging, sexy, funny and very happy to be there. They start thanking their 70s babies, 90s babies and the ladies singing a cover Arrested Development “Everyday People”. Everyone is bouncing, waving and singing. Next, it is a tribute to old school hip hop mixing new tunes like Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”, “Shoop” and “Shake your thang”. They continue with the Ultimate classic “Let’s talk about”. Cheryl James a.k.a Salt is wearing a clear skater skirt and a Salt-n-Pepa T-shirt with a gold belt whereas Sandra Denton a.k.a Pepa is wearing sexy black trousers withSalt-n-Pepa t-shirt with a tight ponytail. Deidra Roper or DJ Spinderella is in the back all in black.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Fesitval – Jenna Foxton

DJ Spinderella is in da house and is working the next dance session tracks starting with Montell Jordan “This is how we do it”. The two dancers on stage with Salt-N-Pepa are amazing: wearing red caps, Adidas tracksuits and Salt-n-Pepa t-shirts, they really interact the audience and show us some great moves. Asking all the ladies to “Shake their booties” on Sugarhill Gang Apache’s “Jump On It”. The next track starts with old school hard rock songs like: “Smells like a teen spirit” by Nirvana, “Sweet Child of Mine” of Guns N’ Roses with everyone going crazy on air guitar! “What a Man” is next for all the good men in the world. The last song had Beyonce’s “Run the World” as an intro but as soon as Salt-N-Pepa put their American Football jacket on, the crowd knew it was time for “Push It”.

After a really great time dancing and bouncing with Salt, Pepa and DJ Spinderella, I am heading back to the food section for a late lunch. Once again there is a great choice, from Lebanese Street food to Hot Chocolate station: Everything is set for to please all pallets and wallets. The Fresh Lemonade stand is having amazing success. My advice is to follow the queue! Water points are also available and in abundance. There is 2 tobacco shops with rainbow benches and a Medicine man truck where you can find sun cream, Anadin, paracetamol, cough medicine, sunglasses and even condoms.

By the time I am the VIP section to meet with Clean Bandit, John Newman is singing, “Love me again”.  The Cirque du Soir entertainment is in full swing and the fire pizza stall has great success. It also smells Churros and Ben and Jerries’ van is popular as well. Heading to the Boombox Stage for Rixton: They are performing “Make out” and the crowd is very excited with lots of girl fans screaming. After Jake Roche wished a Happy Birthday to a fan they finished the show with their star main song “Me and my Broken Heart” – the ultimate crowd pleaser. The four-member Mancunian band is charming, cheeky and full of energy on stage.

On the way to Pepsi Max Stage, J. Cole is rapping “Crooked Smile” on the Main Stage. Dj Westwood is entertaining the crowd and asks to “scream for Clean Bandit”. Everyone is waiting for Clean Bandit now: Grace Chatto, all dressed in white is coming first playing cello. Followed by Milan Neil Amin-Smith playing the Violin and Luke and Jack Patterson on the drums and keyboard. Jess Glyne arrives first for “A+E” joined soon by guest Elisabeth Troy for “Heart on fire”. Another guest, Florence Rawlings comes on stage for “Extraordinary”. I had to leave before they performed by favourite track “Rather Be” but I really don’t want to miss Ellie Goulding concert. I arrive just in time for the last song of her show “Burn”. She is playing the guitar, wearing a flowery short and a crop top. Her performance is sincere, emotional and strong.

Going back to the VIP section, Le Cirque du Soir is still there entertaining the crowd and the food stalls are busy. John Newman and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule from Rizzle Kicks are chatting. I am now getting ready for Sean Paul back in the Pepsimax Stage. In front row, a group of ladies are waving Jamaican flags and DJ Westwoodis getting everyone hysterical. The show starts with two dancers wearing ethnic print latex jumpsuits. Followed by Diplo and Major Lazers, the tone is set. Sean Paul, proud with his Mohawk hairstyle,starts the show with “Temperature” and “Get Busy”. Bouncing, Jumping and dancing with a towel flying in the air, he gets the crowd crazy. After 30mns: direction the Boombox Stage to catch the end ofIndiana’s performance. The twenty five year old singer-songwriter Indiana has a very fragile and emotional voice, with interesting arrangements and lyrics. Unfortunately, It is quite quiet and the venue is nearly empty because people are gathering around the Main Stage for Outkast. They are reuniting to celebrate their 20th anniversary and they have not performed in the UK since 2002 and fans have been waiting for the gig! Andre 3000 is wearing a white wig beany, a black t-shirt with “I’ve never been to Africa” and Big Boi is wearing a cap, a gold chain and a black tracksuit. They performed their biggest hits like “Roses”, Mrs Jackson” and “Hey Ya”. One of the main disappointments is the lack or organization and aggression from Livenation security team. They seem to be more obsessed about the badge color to get to VIP areas rather than the actual safety of people. A group of young people notices a gap in the barriers and manages to get in the premises without passes. Security paid attention to the issue after 30 minutes. In the “In Da Zone” section, some celebrities like Tristan Wilds get the access denied and watch the show with the rest of us. Jade Thirwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix snubbed fans to get their own seats in the pitch area as they only have “in da zone” passes.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Rachael Wright

On my way to Pepsimax stage, I stopped by the main Wireless Bar, the entire staff is singing and dancing on “Hey Ya” and really enjoying the show.The gig is disturbed by the heavy rain so everyone tries to find shelter and umbrellas. Before Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke is playing the piano for bluesy version of “Too Little, too late” inPepsiMax Stage. After each song, he is claiming his love to his wife Paula Patton, which is quite boring and intense. The next song is “Lock the door” showing his powerful and amazing vocal range.Robin Thicke is a great surprise as most of the crowd appreciates his talents as a songwriter, musician and singer. The blues and soul band behind him and the two back up singers really bring his songs to live giving a new dimension to the lyrics. The last song “Get her back” is dedicated, with no surprise, to his wife.

Passing by the tobacco shop near Boombox Stage, Naughty Boy is playing their last track “La La La”. By that time the rain just stops for Bruno Mars amazing performance. What a performer! He just does not disappoint. He even gets better with time! Arriving on stage wearing a white hat with a red flower, ethnic shirt and tight black trousers, he is followed by the Hooligans.

Phillip Lawrence from the Hooligans is next. Wearing round glasses, a black hat and red animal print shirt and black trousers.The Hooligans, they just mean business and start with the “Lazy song” with a ska twist. We are here for a great show. Bruno Mars starts talking to the impatient audience “London how you feel? London can we see your dance?” They sing, “Treasure” encouraging people to clap and bounce while displaying some serious foot action and choreography. We are on our feet!! Bruno definitely brings back the sun in London. Playing now the guitar for a “Money Medley”, he is singing “Money, that’s what I want” which brings us back to the cool 50s rock years for a few moments before switching to “I want to be a billionaire” with a reggae edge mixed up with “I need a dollar” of Aloe Blacc. At the end of the song, he finishes acapella twisting the lyrics with an English accent “I want to be a billionaire, so bloody bad” which the crowd absolutely loved. 

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Danny North

Asking the audience to move our bodies side to side slowly on “Out first time”. His vocal range reminds us of Michael Jackson. A beautiful rainbow is surrounding the Main Stage, which adds to the performance and mood. It is the calm before the storm as the crowd scream on the first notes of “Marry you” followed a cover of “Walk with you” of Michael Jackson before an emotional and genuine interpretation of “When I was your man”.  After a long and amazing piano intro from Phredley Brown, Bruno Mars sings a rock version of “Grenade” followed by “Just the way you are”. Bruno Mars is now playing drums before “ Locked out of Heaven” which put an end with fireworks to the show. Bruno Mars is always praised for his retro showman and generosity on stage. With the help of the Hooligans and choreographed dancing arrangements, mellow and soft interludes, fantastic, fancy and slick footwork inspired by James Brown, we had a fantastic time. What an end of this three-day festival. See you next year Wireless!

Sonisphere Review 2014

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Sonisphere made a triumphant return after being cancelled for the past two years, due to a mix of financial problems, getting the right line up and bad luck. So this year it was time for Sonisphere to pick back up and the people of Sonisphere to finally reunite. A weekend of The Prodigy, Iron Maiden, Metallica from fist pumping to moshing, circle pits to expensive beer, dam good burritos, disgusting toilets and pretty good weather these past few days have been incredible. 

The layout of this years main arena was a fantastic and cleaver set up with the two main stages (Apollo stage and Saturn stage) opposite each other, being such a small festival fans could easily move from one to another within a few minutes. If stood in between the two stages there were some spots which you could see both stages from a reasonable distance. I believed this helped promote the bands on the second stage (Saturn stage) more as it wasn't any effort to switch between the two stages. To walk around the whole festival aswell has having a cheeky look into some of the market stalls it would take around ten minutes. 

The market and food stalls have an excellent selection to choose from. The market stalls include festival clothes, festival gear, temporary tattoos, face paint, shoe stalls, as well as tones more. Food wise, Sonisphere went a little on the gourmet/ bohemian style food, with the desert bar, the Hippy chippy, I <3 Ostrich and Milkshake bars. However there has been an uproar on the expense of the beer. Being at £4.90 a pint and allowing no alcohol of your own into the main area this proved to be a disappointment to the people of Sonisphere. 

Friday
Tents up and the sun shining Defiled kicking off this years main stage, this wasn't there only slot, they also performed Nivarna covers on the Bohemia stage later on in the weekend. Next up Anti Flag, who enticed the audience by making them sing back, clap their hands, and of course start circle pits. Without a doubt Anti Flags audience participation was defiantly there. As well as getting the crowd involved witty banter from lead singer Chris Baker shouts "the mother fucking pink power ranger wasn't singing, don't you dare fuck this up for the rest of us." Their last song 'Power to the Peaceful' was performed with Chris surrounded by the crowd. HIM singing behind their signature brand image, I believe there could of been more enthusiasm from the band it's self as there was very little audience participation which let there performance down. Limp Bizkit started out by saying "Now you know what time it really fucking is? Limp Bizkit in the house, you ready for this" 'Rollin' starting their set everyone stood up and began moshing and head banging. A lot of toilet roll was thrown around the crowd, was this a sign of a bad performance or just typical festival discourse? Awkwardly saying it was Saturday when in fact it was Friday, there were a few other blips throughout the set. "You guys ready to get you're Saturday night on?" Left the crowd a little silent and confused. But this was styled out with a cover of George Michael's Faith. To finish was the first headliner of the weekend, The Prodigy. Lights and smoke filled the stage, building the suspense for the fans. The atmosphere was electrifying, hands were in the air, everyone was dancing, and when it begin to rain during the second song this was a massive relief (especially to the sunburnt people) after the insanely hot weather that whole day. Thunder was slowed down and changed to fit the crowd which was good as it was a metal festival but made Prodigy loose abit of its originality.  

Saturday 
Alestorm took the Saturn stage early this morning and with pirate metal being such a niche market the turn out was pretty big. Fans embraced the music and danced to fit the genre. Alestorms advice to the crowd was "Let's drink a lot of shit." Baby Metal blew everyone away at this years festival, if they were to receive a on award from the crowds feedback, it would defiantly be most upcoming band of the year. The three sweet Japanese young looking trio contrasted with the hard metal instrumental but it worked and was a fantastic performance that everyone couldn't stop talking about and was singing the whole weekend. The bands visuals spoke of no bullying and not hurting one another this may have been contradictory after the trio then told the crowd to do the wall of death. Ghost gave out a passionate performance and excelled on there on stage presence which the band is recognised for. Lead singer Papa Emeritus mimics the Roman Catholic Pope although the greatest difference is the anti Christ symbol on his head piece, the image representing the worship of Satan. The guitarist were also dressed mimicking Priest. Anthrax turn out was pretty much the same as an a headliner maybe this is a hint for Sonisphere in the future, but this wasn't there only set, on Friday they played their 'Playing Among the Living' on the Bohemia Stage but the tent was packed full the security had to monitor people going in and out of the tent. Their main stage performance, the crowd was really going for it. Sonisphere sure did love Anthrax. Deftones and Slayer both had similar audience engagement, everyone was moshing, circle pits were forming and head banging was taken place which concluded these two bands really pulled it off. If you weren't in an Iron Maiden top for today then you would stick out like a saw thumb because literally everyone had them on. Overhearing a lot of people talking about Bruce Dickinson and were jokes going round that every plane that flew past, it was Bruce flying it, (even if it was an easy jet plane.) To end the day of this crazy line up, Iron Maiden took the stage and completely ripped it apart. The visuals were continuously changed throughout the set, with Eddie in his few forms. "It's you that's makes it real" Bruce proposes to the crowd. Lights, fire, sparks, everything and more in a performance you could wish for, this was by far the performance that completely owned this years Sonisphere.
 
Sunday
Sadly the last day of Sonisphere, but the wait for Metallica tonight was sure to hold the crowd up from their hangovers. After Gojira noticed the crowds half hearted dancing (as this was an early set,) they soon got the crowd back up, by shouting, "Still a little sleepy, let's makes some noise," which woke the crowd up and circle pits started appearing and more fist pumping was taking place. Devin Townsend Project was all about the love at this years Sonisphere as he told the crowd, "Group hug everybody, it's all about the love." Devin pulled off a fantastic performance and even hinted he may be back next year. "Maybe see you next year, love you all, see you and have a good night." Airbourne hitting the stage next and we all know this is going to be an exciting performance after the expectations of Joel O'Keefee goings on, on stage. Airbourne completely took the stage and had everyone gripped. "Even though the toilets are leaking, you lot still having a good time…You lot look great, you are rock and roll." As of tradition Joel did start climbing the scaffolding of the main stage and began to swing his guitar about whilst up in the air. At the end of the set Joel kindly threw a few beers into the crowd. Reel Big Fish on next, the crowd did experience about a minute worth of sound missing from the main speakers but the bands humour and charm pulled this off. The song 'Fuck You', resulted in "47 fucks in a row." Everyone was soon up singing and dancing when they played a cover of Ah Ha's Take On Me. Alice in Chains on before the final headliner of Soniphere was another kickass performance. "How you doing Knebworth?" got the crowd buzzing and was a consistent performance from start to finish. Wrapping up this years Sonisphere Metallica held the fans waiting a eager 15 minutes after their scheduled time. This really built up the climax to the final big performance. Typically some great facial expressions from James Hetfield as they played fans request for the set list. The bands classics were played along with their new songs Lords of Summer which seems a little strange that this was requested, but the bands performance was truly astonishing. The visuals and props were a little disappointing at the beginning but this got better as balloons and lasers appeared later on in the set. 

This years Sonisphere was a thrilling return and a complete success. Lets hope Sonisphere lives up to its amazing weekends like this one for the future. 

Ben Pearce Interview: Hideout Festival

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Last year, Ben Pearce dominated the charts with the catchy ‘What I Might Do’ becoming one of 2013’s most prominent anthems. The track saw the Manchester-based DJ and producer shoot to fame and is still in heavy circulation in club playlists today. In between a hectic touring schedule, he is also creative director at his own record label and DJ agency Purp & Soul.

Despite having just arrived in Croatia straight from Ibiza, Pearce managed to grant us a quick moment to chat about his smash hit, his hectic summer schedule and his favorite festivals. Here he talks to Sayuri Standing and Ben Jolley before his set at Hideout Festival 2014.

So have you just got into Croatia then?

Yeah, about three hours ago. We came straight from Ibiza after I played at Amnesia last night.

Who else are you hoping to see around here?

F**k knows! John Talabot’s on tonight so I really wanna see him but I think we are playing at pretty much the same time which is annoying. And then, I don’t know, Route 94’s on after me, I’ll watch him. Skream’s on at the same time as me. I haven’t really looked at the set times yet, I’m going to look at them more tomorrow properly, hopefully. I try not to plan festivals because there are so many people that you meet, friends that you’ve not seen for like a year so you never actually get round to watching anyone.

Are you planning on sticking around for a bit?

Yeah, for a couple of days. We’re doing a boat party tomorrow and then I’m going to go to Garden Festival after that for a bit of a holiday.

Have you been to Hideout before?

Yeah, I played last year for the first time. It was great fun, just insane. It’s on a different level!

Is there a variation between club sets and festival sets?

Kind of, maybe a bit more just high energy stuff because you can’t really play big breakdowns in festivals because everyone will just go to sleep and get bored. There’s no plan in my head, but I guess there is a quite a big variation.

Did you expect ‘What I Might Do’ to be as big as it was?

No! I never expected it to get signed, let alone anything else so it was a bit of shock.

Your new Lego E.P was released recently, what other music have you got lined up?

I’m working on quite a bit of stuff at the moment, just different projects with different people and some of my own stuff. A couple of singers, one – Anna Holder – she’s really talented, and a Dutch artist, whose name I can’t give away right now. Because I’ve been touring so much, I’ve not been in the studio for about six weeks, so hopefully after summer I’ll get to the stage where I’m making more music and I can bash out a few more tunes!

Where else are you playing over the summer?

Everywhere really! I’m back in the US at the end of August. Loads of festivals in the UK, I’ve still got Reading and Leeds and also Lovebox, which will be really good. I really don’t know what else but quite a lot – I’m very busy. June has been crazy but it’s kind of calming down a little bit, but it’s still mental.

What’s your favourite thing about festivals?

Just the range of music you can get really, ‘coz usually when you go into a club, it’s very much ‘this is what’s happening’ – unless you go to a Fabric night where there are loads of people on – but festivals there can be anyone. I’m really liking European festivals a bit more because you can get a hip-hop stage, a death metal stage, a main stage, a house then techno stage – there’s so many genres. That’s what I like about it because you can wander around the different stages and discover things which you might not have seen before.

What is your favourite festival to play at?

Oh, that’s impossible to answer. Secret Garden Party’s really good, I did it for the first time last year and it’s so f**king good. It’s kind of like a mini Bestival, it’s got that kind of Glastonbury, Bestival feel to it – a bit boutique and a bit odd, but really good. I always really enjoy that one so I’m looking forward to playing there again.

Do you think Croatia could potentially become the new Ibiza?

Yeah, it’s looking like it! I think the money is a big factor because Ibiza is what it is, it’s just really expensive. It’s 14 euros a beer in some clubs and 50 euros to get in so it’s become that kind of status thing and fair enough if you can do it. But I think Croatia’s something new and it’s got a big appeal to it because Ibiza has been around for years since I was growing up. Now, Croatia’s new, it’s something different and it’s a beautiful country. Absolutely amazing driving around it, the views are insane. So definitely, if more people get into it, it’ll easily be on the rise.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a DJ or producer?

I was working in a bank before at a call centre as a complaints manager so I was doing that and then still DJ’ing on the weekends and kind of gave that up just as this started really kicking off, so I just kind of left it till the last minute.

How would you sum up your set in three words?

Music wise, it’d probably be: diverse, random and interesting, hopefully. I’m
hoping it’s interesting!

As published on Platform magazine: http://platform-online.net/2014/07/exclusive-interview-ben-pearce-at-hideout-festival-2014/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter