Festivals

Looking for the latest lineup, date, ticket information or latest news about your favourite festivals, look no further.  Summer Festival Guide’s Festival News section covers all your needs!

Countryfile Live! The summer’s most action-packed countryside day out is back!

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BBC Countryfile Live takes place from 3rd – 6th August 2017 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. Full show information and tickets are available now from www.countryfilelive.com

 BBC Countryfile Live is returning for its second year, bringing the best of the British countryside together with all the Countryfile presenters, to the picturesque grounds of Blenheim Palace, from 3rd – 6th August 2017. 

After the success of the inaugural Countryfile Live 2016, which saw 125,000 people flock to the 100 acre site in Oxfordshire, the second helping of the summer’s most action-packed countryside day out is eagerly anticipated.

BBC Countryfile Live presenter Adam Henson and pupils from Woodstock Primary School launched this year’s BBC Countryfilee at Blenheim Palace with some new-born helpers, the ‘Countryfile Live Lambs’.

 

The lambs are amongst the first born at Blenheim Palace this year, and will be on show at the Passion for British Livestock area at this year’s event. Fans will be able to keep up with the ‘Countryfile Live Lambs’ via social media, @Countryfilelive, with regular access to video and photo updates, alongside online question and answer sessions with Charles the Blenheim Shepherd on the Countryfile Live Facebook page facebook.com/bbccountryfilelive.

 

Countryfile Live allows the whole family (including the dog!) to experience the best of the British countryside. With a host of exciting new attractions for 2017, including four days of live arena shows, hands-on activities, animal displays, debates, food, drink and shopping from over 500 independent retailers and lifestyle brands, the show brings together everything there is to cherish about the British countryside. There will be further fun for all the family with information on a huge variety of other activities available on the Countryfile Live website. 

·         Adam Henson’s Farm: Meet some of the friendliest and rarest animals you’ll know from the programme, and learn more about how farmers care for their livestock

·         Central Ring: Watch working animals show off their skills

·         Farming in Action Area: See the journey produce takes from field to fork and learn more about our fragile food chain

·         National Trust Theatre: debates, talks and interviews will be led by farmers, environmentalists, commentators and outdoor enthusiasts 

·         The Big Barn: Pull up a hay bale and listen to stories and interviews, and watch demonstrations from your favourite TV personalities and authors, wildlife experts, environmental commentators and leaders, countryside enthusiasts, and foraging and food experts.

·         The Village Green: The ultimate setting for family entertainment, complete with bandstand and traditional maypole

·         The Craven Arms: Order your cool beers, cider or ginger beer. There’s plenty of room in the pub garden too – a fine spot to meet up for lunch, with a great summer food menu to choose from.

 

Date: 3rd – 6th August 2017 
Location: Blenheim Place, Oxfordshire, 

Adults tickets start from £27 and are available now from www.countryfilelive.com

Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more on standard price tickets (excludes VIP & family tickets). To book a group, please contact: 020 7492 1637 or [email protected]

 

Full information can be found here: https://www.countryfilelive.com/show-features

Elbow, Laura Marling and Tom Odell headline this year’s Mouth of the Tyne Festival

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Mouth of the Tyne Festival

6TH – 9TH JULY 2017

TYNEMOUTH PRIORY & CASTLE

North Tyneside Coast

Set in the beautiful, conservation status village of Tynemouth, The Mouth of Tyne Festival is set for its thirteenth annual edition. Headliners such as Elbow, Laura Marling and Tom Odell will perform at the Priory and Castle Arena, as well as other musical acts on the Sunday, and also other kinds of events at Playhouse Whitley Bay and the Surf Café as well as amazing, local craft beers. 

Tynemouth, eight miles east of Newcastle is one of England’s coastal jewels and the festival itself attracts around 100,000 people for a four-day celebration of live music, dance and arts by the sea. A blue plaque in the window of the village chippy is testament to the village’s charm, visited by none other than Jimi Hendrix, and well worth checking out. The village itself is welcoming, laid back, jovial and light-hearted.

There’s a heavy focus on art and music, particularly local and community art with hundreds of children from the area taught new skills in the weeks leading up to the event and they’ll be kicking things off with a parade. Later, ticketed live music concerts will be happening in the majestic grounds of the Tynemouth Priory and Castle – an English Heritage property. “Local street food pop-ups trade under festoon lighting whilst customers gather around shipping bobbins and on reclaimed driftwood seats” – this as well. At a nearby pub, looking over the sea, a jazz stage will fill the seaside air and a free programme of international street theatre will provide the entertainment. You can also take surf lessons on the sandy beach, or get stuck in with a spot of beach volleyball.

Here’s more from the organisers:

“There’s an innovative programme of dance and one-off attractions on the platforms of Grade II listed Tynemouth Station, as well as evening concerts at Playhouse Whitley Bay and Tynemouth’s Surf Café. As part of the festival, the 45 seater café played host to a BBC Introducing night, an intimate album performance from The Futureheads Barry Hyde and their fastest selling event ever – an acoustic night with Gomez’ Ben Ottewell – in 2016.”

On the beach next door is Riley's Fish Shack who will be providing food on site. Jay Raynor gave a 5/5 review and was featured last week on Michel Roux’s Hidden Restaurants. 

 

Wildfire Camp is back for its third instalment!

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Wildfire Camp is back for its third instalment. Set in an “an ideal summer hideout” in a Kentish heritage forest, it’s an immersing blend of adventure and music, perfect for a weekend away from the pressures and banality of modern life.

The idea is to spend the daytime tackling (or at least giving it a decent crack) any of the 80, enriching activities put on for all. There’s something for all abilities, tastes and passions, from bushcraft to adventure sports, arts, crafts and engineering, all included in the price and which can be booked in advance.

After an energising day packed full of fun and satisfaction, the setting sun brings a different side out of the camp; then comes the wildfire. The festival is transformed into a “a hedonistic utopia of live music, crazy fun and unabashed revelry.” The diverse array of music has been curated by the award-winning team behind LeeFest, especially for such a setting.

Be warned, Wildfire Camp operates a “analogue-only” policy, which means no smartphones, no tablets, no laptops, which in turn leaves idle scrolling, trashy selfies and work emails back in the real world where it belongs.

“Wildfire Camp is a challenge Only the Curious can meet.”

NEW ACTIVITIES FOR 2017: 

Extreme Hill Rolling (Zorbing):

“Ever wondered what it's like to be trapped inside a ball and flung at 30 miles an hour downhill?” Not really, but let’s do it anyway because it sounds like a laugh. For those in the know, this is “old fashioned rolling on a hill.. taken to the extreme.” Hang on. Before you get straight to buying tickets, there’s more. There’s even a competitive element. It sounds wacky as. I’m not even sure I fully get it but basically you have to roll over/into different targets to accumulate points and apparently you can get “splattered.”

Bow Battles:

Billed as “paintball but with bows and arrows.” This is starting to get wackier by the second. This is an “intense and exciting combat sport” in a deathmatch-type situation. Expert instructors are on hand to load you with the tricks and skills needed to survive; ducking, dodging and even plucking whizzing arrows from the air on the way to your face. 

Hemp Ice Cream Making:

“It's all about making your own ice cream from hemp,” to paraphrase just a little. All the hemp is grown in the forest. This place is like The Beach. 

Wild Obstacle Course:

Wet and wild obstacle style. “Test your skill and strength or simply flail wildly through it in a fit of laughter,” depending on your personality, and get caked in shit in the process.

Hammer Horror Mud Run:

Another mud-mad bit of deathmatch shenanigans this time escaping famous monsters of Western culture, trying to grab your tags (three in total, representing your heart, lungs and brain, as many as two of which are wackily expendable). If you fail to keep hold of your tags, uh oh, better get a mask on and join the other side!

Wild Game Cooking:

“Grill wild venison on our open campfire under the guidance of our survival experts whilst listening to some seriously extreme adventurers tell their treacherous tales of travel.”

And there’s all these old chestnuts thrown in as well: High Wire Rope Course, Leap of Faith, Bee Keeping, Scavenger Hunt, Archery, Extreme Water Slide, Stand-up Paddle Boarding, Sign Language, Wood Fired Hot Tubs, Survival Skills, Rifle & Pistol shooting, Swing Dancing, Jewellery Making, Meditation and Mindfulness, Pioneering,  Aerial Circus, Macramé and Nipple Tassel Making!  And much much more. 

For a full list of activities: www.campwildfire.co.uk/adventure

Tickets are available now at: www.campwildfire.co.uk/tickets  .

Wildfire Camp is a challenge Only the Curious can meet.

‘This is utopia’ – Noisey/Vice

Just ten more weekends before BLOODSTOCK!

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Time is zipping past and there are now just ten more weekends before BLOODSTOCK!  Have you planned your travel and dusted off your tent?  BOA HQ is busy with preparations, site visits are underway and we’ve confirmed nine more bands and a whopping 26 more club nights!

Lining up for a Sunday slot on the Sophie Lancaster stage are PUPPY.  Freshly signed to Spinefarm, the hotly tipped band were recently chosen to open for CKY on their comeback tour.  The band tell us "We're beyond excited to be playing Bloodstock. Every year we're in awe of how good the line up is, so for them to ask us to jump on board is a real privilege.  See you guys in the pit for Megadeth!"  Check out their recent video for ‘Beast’ here – https://youtu.be/r8LvjC26pfw.

Grabbing a Saturday Sophie slot are much lauded Londoners, THE ONE HUNDRED. Their new album ‘Chaos + Bliss’ comes out on 2nd June via Spinefarm.  Watch their latest video for ‘Monster’ at https://youtu.be/hP_nIAVAKbE.  Frontman Jacob tells us, “BLOODSTOCK is one of the finest heavy music festivals on the circuit and we are excited to be joining an already amazing lineup.  See you in August!”  Also appearing on Saturday are Welsh rockers, FLORENCE BLACK.  Get a handle on their sound with the video for ‘The One’ – https://youtu.be/29gpEAHm58E – and check out their new ‘EP II’ at iTunes or Spotify.  Midlands thrash animals, ERADIKATOR also join the Saturday bill.  Check out their lyric video for ‘Astral Body’ – https://youtu.be/iUSQ265xorw – taken from their 2015 album, ‘Edge of Humanity’.  

Last seen at BLOODSTOCK on the Jagermeister stage in 2015, Reading stoner/sludge squad MORASS OF MOLASSES bring their swamp and groove filled riffs to the Sophie stage on Friday.  Get to grips with ‘My Leviathan’ at https://youtu.be/F_cTjECbvZA.   

We’ve also locked down the undercard for Thursday night’s party night bill, below that night’s headliners, BATTLE BEAST.  We welcome back ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ alumni, RAMAGE INC. to open the weekend’s proceedings!  Check out the tech metallers’ ‘Within Circles’ over on their YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/v_bC0L4Lc1g.  Party doomsters, GURT also land a slot.  Get a taste of their sludge via this fan-filmed footage from their Edinburgh show late last year – https://youtu.be/8Zm0qCYCiHs.  THE INFERNAL SEA will bring their black metal noise to the bill.  If you’re not already familiar, watch the ‘Plague Herald’ video over at their record label Cacophonous’s YouTube – https://youtu.be/O4dyiNtIIfA.  Lastly, Italy’s WIND ROSE round out the Thursday bill with their ‘Lord of the Rings’-inspired dwarven folk metal.  Hear their track ‘To Erebor’ here – https://youtu.be/-qF1EQXIG1c.

The second phase of BLOODSTOCK club nights start on 2nd June!  Get along to one of the following events, bang your head to some tunes from BLOODSTOCK bands old and new, and be in with the chance of winning weekend tickets or related giveaways.  Expect fun ways to win – previous year’s events featured the likes of bucking broncos, endurance tests, and air guitaring!  Check your local club for details, as dates may be subject to change.  Events for June/July run as follows:

Fri 2nd Jun – Nottingham – ‘Tactical Assault’ at The Level, NTSU (featuring Evil Scarecrow)
Sat 3rd Jun – Hanley – ‘Devil’s Night’ at JJ’s
Sat 10th Jun – Glasgow The Cathouse
Sat 17th Jun – Coventry – The Phoenix
Sat 24th Jun – Sheffield – The Corporation
Sat 24th Jun – Norwich – ‘Meltdown’ at The Waterfront
Sat 24th Jun – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Mon 26th Jun – Reading – Sakura
Thu 29th Jun – Exeter ‘TPT’ at Timepiece
Fri 30th Jun – London ‘Voodoo’ at Elektrowerkz
Fri 30th Jun – Camberley – The Agincourt

Sat 1st Jul- Hanley – ‘Devil’s Night’ at JJ’s
Sat 1st Jul – Brighton ‘Apocalypse’ at Envy
Sat 1st Jul – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
Fri 7th Jul – Leicester ‘Feedback’ at Firebug
Fri 7th Jul – Woking – Schism
Fri 7th Jul – Reading – ‘The Pit’ at Face Bar
Sat 8th Jul – Coventry – The Phoenix
Sat 8th Jul – Southampton – ‘Apocalypse’ at The 1865
Fri 14th Jul – London ‘Project Mayhem Pirate Party’ at Electric Ballroom
Sat 15th Jul – Burnley – Sanctuary
Sat 22nd Jul – Norwich ‘Meltdown’ at The Waterfront
Sat 22nd Jul – Birmingham ‘Uprawr’ at Asylum
Sat 22nd Jul – Middlesbrough ‘SUMO/Holy Shit’ at Medicine Bar
Sat 29th Jul – Birmingham – Eddie’s Rock Club
Sat 29th Jul – Sheffield – The Corporation

Ariana Grande & friends unite for One Love Manchester

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Ariana Grande is returning to Manchester to headline a special One Love Manchester benefit concert on Sunday 4 June to honour and raise vital funds for the victims and families who were tragically affected by the Manchester attack after her show last week. The concert will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground. General admission and hospitality tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) from Thursday 1 June 2017 at 10:00AM BST.

 

Ariana Grande has called on the biggest international names in music to join her for this unforgettable evening, including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That, Niall Horan, and others. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Television, and on BBC Radio and Capital Radio Networks. The BBC will be the host broadcaster for international television networks. The show will also be streamed with a digital partner worldwide, to be announced soon.

 

All net ticket proceeds of the show will go directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross, in aid of grieving families and victims of the horrific attack.

 

Ariana is offering fans who were at the Manchester show on Monday free tickets to this benefit concert. Customers who would like to attend will need to follow this link (http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) and register before Wednesday 31 May 2017 at 4:00PM BST. Ticketmaster will be in touch via email within 36 hours of registrations with instructions on how to process your free ticket.

 

Ariana Grande said, in an open letter posted on her social media accounts:

 

“My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.”

 

She continued: “We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win… Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”

 

“Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”

 

The attack – which took place after Ariana’s Dangerous Woman concert at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May – killed 22 people, seven of whom were children, and injured hundreds of others.

 

ONE LOVE MANCHESTER

LOCATION: Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, Stretford, Old Trafford M16 0PX

For speed of entry, we are requesting that concert-goers do not attend with bags.

For more information on travel and arrival – please visit: http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester

 

BLOODSTOCK reveal ten more bands for 2017

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As Spring creeps into Summer, BLOODSTOCK HQ is a hive of activity.  The ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals are well under way and plans are on track for 2017 being the biggest and best BLOODSTOCK yet!  Here’s ten more bands for starters…

 

BLOODSTOCK is delighted to now reveal that nefarious Nuclear Blast group DEVILMENT will join the bill at Catton Park this Summer.  Featuring the unmistakable vocals of Dani Filth, catch the band on the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Friday.  DEVILMENT declare, “Obviously the band are really looking forward to playing the festival, and as a English band it will definitely be an honour to play the main stage on what is tantamount to the best British festival out there. Hopefully festival goers will come and check DEVILMENT out, we intend on putting on quite a raucous heavy metal spectacle!”  If you’re not a loyal disciple already, get to grips with their most recent album, ‘Devilment II: The Mephisto Waltzes’, via their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/devilmentcorps/ and watch the video for ‘Hitchcock Blonde’ – https://youtu.be/tQbZ-tQycEY.

 

Thursday’s headliner over on the Sophie Lancaster stage will be Helsinki’s own BATTLE BEAST!  With ferocious riffs galore, BATTLE BEAST are both heavy AND metal, perfect for opening night party shenanigans!  Bassist Eero comments, “We're psyched to be taking on BLOODSTOCK for the first time. We had a great time playing in the UK this spring, and it's really neat to be returning there so soon. Looking forward to seeing all our friends again soon!”  Check out the video for ‘Bringer Of Pain’, the title track from their most recent album, at: https://youtu.be/pBpv_pcUEIQ.

BLOODSTOCK can also announce the first batch of additions from the ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals!  Friday welcomes Coventry winners DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, who combine hardcore vocals with power melodies (https://www.facebook.com/devil.playground) and modern metalheads MERITHIAN, who took top prize in the Swindon heat (https://www.facebook.com/MerithianOfficial).  Check out their lyric video for ‘Grow’ at: https://youtu.be/vnsGwZTJMgk.  Also brutalizing Friday are Brighton’s death metal victors ENSLAVEMENT (https://www.facebook.com/EnslavementUK), influenced by classics like Suffocation, Immolation, & Devourment.  On Saturday, Sheffield champions BA’AL add their blackened doom (www.facebook.com/baalsheff) plus Dublin’s top dogs ZHORA bring some progressive sludge a long way from Tipperary (https://www.facebook.com/zhOramusic/).  Sunday sees Slovenian doomsters MIST roll in, as part of the band exchange with MetalDays (www.facebook.com/mist.doom).  Originally all-female, the group builds on the legacy of acts like Black Sabbath, Candlemass, & Pentagram – hear it in ‘Phobia’ at: https://youtu.be/u7QwIwGk28w.  CD application conquerors HEATHEN DEITY join Sunday from the Midlands (https://www.facebook.com/heathendeityofficial).  Get into their esoteric lore and absolute blackness via ‘Gut The Church’ at https://youtu.be/414Y6aG-RUo.  Last but not least, melodic death metallers SHROUDED also join Sunday’s bill (https://www.facebook.com/shroudedband), having clinched first place in Belfast’s final.

 

Planning your travel to BLOODSTOCK yet?  Need a lift or driving there and want cash for your empty seats?  BLOODSTOCK have teamed up with GOCARSHARE again so you can rock out and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.  Register where you’re travelling to/from, or your route, and then wait for drivers/passengers to get in touch!  GOCARSHARE is integrated with Facebook, so you can check out your possible travel buddies and they encourage travellers to post feedback.  Plus you might even win a pair of tickets for next year!  For full details, head over to http://gocarshare.com/festival/bloodstock.  Prefer to come by coach?  BIG GREEN COACH have 21 departure cities directly to BLOODSTOCK in 2017, from all over the UK.  They’ll bring you, all your camping gear and beer supplies, and drop you hassle free right inside the festival grounds.  Visit http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/events/bloodstock-festival-tickets-coach-travel.

 

Already announced for 2017 are our three headliners AMON AMARTH, GHOST, and MEGADETH, plus ARCH ENEMY, KREATOR, BLIND GUARDIAN, HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, OBITUARY, KING 810, BRUJERIA, WHITECHAPEL, SKINDRED, POSSESSED, ANNIHILATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, HELL, DECAPITATED, SOILWORK, CHELSEA GRIN, MACABRE, INQUISITION, SCARAB, WINTERSUN, ONI, DENDERA, KROH, ABHORRENT DECIMATION, COURTESANS, WRETCHED SOUL, BOSSK, WINTERFYLLETH, GODS, BLIND HAZE, ARTHEMIS, SEASON’S END, BLIND RIVER, ENDEAVOUR, BLAAKYUM, DAKESIS, NORDJEVEL, TORQUED, BLACK MOTH, MANTAR, WOLFHEART, LIONIZE and BROKEN TEETH.  Many more are still be announced!  Stay tuned to BLOODSTOCK’s social media at https://www.facebook.com/bloodstock and https://twitter.com/bloodstockfest for the latest!

 

Parklife 87

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The line-up at Parklife is diverse; it crosses genres and over four decades of music history. Older artists aren’t in the mix solely for nostalgia, they represent the music that is part of our music culture here today in 2017. We mentioned in the preview that we’re coming up to a decade of Parklife/Mad Ferret (one year shy) and how festival culture here in the UK has evolved from raves, warehouse parties and soundsystems and merged to form the current festival culture, particularly in the UK. We also looked at that maiden line-up from 2008. This year the musical mezze of acts spans electronic music, hip hop, R&B, drum and bass, UK garage, dub and reggae and the artists that represent those evergreen steelos (yea I’m hip) have histories of recording or performing music stretching back as far as 1978. So this is where it gets a bit Rick and Morty, or more accurately, Doc Brown and Marty McFly: imagine if you could jump in a 1983 DeLorean and go back in time to start your own festival, using only acts from this year’s Parklife line-up, Parklife prequels if you like? Well guess what? You don’t have to because we’re gonna do it for you, each week, until Parklife, starting with Parklife ’87. (Tell me any one of these would not be #LitAF!)

 

Parklife 87

Chaka Khan – Congo Natty – David Rodigan – Norman Jay – Pete Tong 

The headline on the main stage would undoubtedly be Chaka Khan. Already a Grammy Award winning artist with ‘70s groups Rufus, over a decade after ‘You Got the Love’, Chaka was an established solo artist and cameo in a major Hollywood motion picture by 1987. That’s not to mention having a list of collaborations from Stevie Wonder to Quincy Jones and being the first R&B singer to make a crossover hit featuring a rapper under her belt. A 1987 version of me (there was actually a one year old version of me in 1987 but we’ll ‘llow that) would be gassed at the prospect of catching the by then five-time Grammy Award winner at Heaton Park.

Away from the main stage, up the hill and down the other side, what would start as a low rumble would open out to another, altogether different stage. A stage with speakers stacked almost as high as the summer sky, spilling sub-low frequencies and the echoing toasts from the deejays. Before the digital age, in the golden era of soundclash culture, the man dem got their kicks, and their bass, by way of dub. From Brixton to Bristol, Chapletown to Moss Side, kids from the inner city to the suburbs were bunning absolute dog shit weed and drinking cheap lager at parties, clashes and radio shows brought to them by man like Congo Natty, Norman Jay MBE and David Rodigan MBE. And yep, we still are. By 1987 Rodigan had grown from selling roots records in Putney to shows on the likes of Capital FM, keeping the nation warm n easy. Born in Notting Hill, Norman Jay had built up a credible international reputation starting in the late ‘70s at block parties in New York at a time when the city was beginning to churn out the music we live by today. When disco was red hot, when hip hop and house were being born and the Big Apple’s large West Indian communities were getting down to new, exciting waves of sounds of the islands. Associated with the emerging careers of Trevor Nelson, Giles Peterson, Jazzie B from Soul II Soul, Judge Jules and Danny Rampling, by the time of the (hypothetical but jeez you should have got this by now) Parklife 87 came around he was Mr rare groove himself and synonymous with the London incarnation of the then-pirate KISS FM.

But this was the ‘80s. Technology had provided musicians with new tools to their armoury, new, electronic tools, and so we go, over to the house tent. This was just slightly before acid really took off, a year (or two) before the second summer(s) of love, and four years before the Essential Selection first aired on Radio 1, but nevertheless, Pete Tong was a well-established ‘dance’ DJ and radio presenter, particularly in the capital.

I’d go to that festival today, never mind back then. Also, there’s another name worth a mention. They hadn’t released their debut album yet, or even had someone listen to their demo, but A Tribe Called Quest might have had a cheeky feature on an up-and-coming slot, having been formed in 1985, but their time will come when we visit Parklife 97 next week.

 

Anyway, back to reality… 

Parklife 17 updates: New act announced!!

I was surprised when they weren’t included in the initial line-up but the announcement coming just as tickets were pretty much sold out seems more like a thank you than a stub-shifter, okay I’m stalling, I’ll get on with it… The latest announcement is… a bashy, energetic, anthemic collaboration between Brooklyn rapper El-P and ATL’s Killer Mike. Yep it’s Run the Jewels. Hyped.

 

lloyd w

Countdown to Parkilfe Weekender 2017

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Parklife 17

Heaton Park

10-11 June 2017

Some ticket availability

It’s nearly ten years ago now that Mad Ferret made an audacious attempt to throw a party in the heart of Fallowfield with the idea of lighting a fuse that had been priming since the 90s. They hoped to combine the two sides of Manchester – the native music and rave heritage of the Ten Townships and a student population desperate and deserving of another dimension to their experience of the city – for a big party in the park to sign off the end of their uni year and kick start the summer, or just for a laugh at the weekend. The Resident Advisor page for the original event still exists on the results page of a Google search and it says a lot about how that experiment has succeded and indeed a lot about how the UK festival landscape has transformed in less than a decade.

5000 people, 50+ DJs, 20+ bands.

Stanton Warriors. Friction. Aim. D.I.M. Iration Steppas. Nicky Blackmarket. Youngsta. Ntype. Prophecy. Chase n Status. Riot Jazz Band.

Straight away a whole heap of things stand out. For starters, none of these acts made the lineup nine years on. Perhaps the only one of those acts you might consider a current household name would be Chase n Status, but I wouldn’t mention that to any of the living memes you find in Antwerp on a Tuesday night, but still they found themselves on the fifth line of the original poster. Remember when Chase n Status were big lol. That was a time I bet we all could delete from our Facebook photos.

The press release showed this year’s full lineup in a chaotic scramble of names, spread over two pages, a lineup so big I wonder if half of them would have even managed to cop tickets for the first one in 08. What’s more interesting is how much more diverse and international it is now, like exponentially. It’s incomparable. And the set up at Heaton Park is another world from the days of Platt Fields. I’d say it’s the most coveted non-camping festival in the UK. From Frank Ocean to Carl Cox, it really doesn’t get any bigger. From Moodymann to A Tribe Called Quest it doesn’t get any more credible. From the 1975 to EZ it doesn’t get more diverse. Diverse but that’s not to say populist, or pandering desperately for anyone who will love them or fork out for a wristband. No one stands out as alone in style or support – it’s a broad array of music but still with only a few degrees of separation. You can imagine someone who’d like Frank Ocean might like Anderson .Paak and might also have listened to Drake’s (not featured) album and heard Giggs or BBK’s Skepta, who in turn will probably get wheelups from EZ as his Nike cap bobs into view over the DJ booth. And I know it’s possible that people that are into all of that will probably be digging holes in the turf to Ibiza favourites like Jamie Jones and Joseph Capriati, Patrick Topping, Martinez Brothers, Elrow and Joris Voorn. It won’t just be Mancunians at North Base, Levelz or Solardo. And of course there are even crossovers to that first ever lineup. I’ve had tape packs in my youth featuring both Nicky Blackmarket and Andy C. I’ve seen Congo Natty at Iration Steppas’ Subdub and I’m sure David Rodigan will have a Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry tune for us (I’ve not even checked if Rodigan’s on the lineup because that’d be like no Attenborough on Planet Earth). Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Chaka Chaka Khan.

We’ll be going a bit more in depth in our weekly updates, focus on a couple of artists each time to build the hype before the big day. Browse the lineup at your leisure, if there’s anyone in particular you’d like us to look at, drop a comment below (inbox me). Weekend and Sunday tickets are still on sale, all the earlybirds have obviously flocked the nest, and from what I can gather Saturday tickets have sold out. Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 of June. Shit that’s soon!

 

lloyd w

The Temple of Boom returns to Secret Garden Party’s finale

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The Secret Garden Party’s patron saint Eddy Temple Morris is bringing back the spirit of The Remix tent and the much loved Temple Of Boom to the last ever Party in The Colosillyum.

Taking place Friday and Saturday, 6pm to 6am, The Colosillyum is the perfect venue for the high octane artists that Eddy always pulls in. This year, the line-up will be both spectacular and ground-breaking, with several acts who've played blistering sets in the past, coming back to send SGP off in style.

Friday night sees an eclectic bill of friends old and new:  Utah Saints, Hervé and two very special surprise superstar artists are coming back (to be announced nearer the time), plus Eddy's Producer Of The Year, the brilliant (Chase & Status signed), 1991, along with Document One and hotly-tipped bassline/mash up duo,Shapes, who made such waves in 2016, join the Party for the very first time.

"I wanted to strike a balance between history and nowism" says Eddy, "to have sets by people who've both had and given such good times in the past, and for a few newer producers to come and see why this is the best party on planet earth."

Then roll up roll up for Saturday’s gladiatorial exclusive, an unprecedented union of the two biggest brands in Drum & Bass:

Temple Of Boom presents: Hospitality Vs Ram

 

Saturday Night! The Colosillyum! Never done before, never to be repeated, this is a special present for all those attending the last Party ever.

Line-up is as follows:

 

Sub Focus Vs Metrik

 

Camo Vs Krooked

 

SPY Vs Rene LaVice

 

Fred V & Grafix Vs Culture Shock

 

Nu:Logic Vs DC Breaks

 

Keeno Vs Chords

 

Frankee Vs Krakota

 

 

HOSTED BY

Daxta, Ruthless ID & Carasel!

 

"Without question the two most titanic labels in this genre, and most played on my Remix radio show, are Ram Records and Hospital Records. To have them collaborating on an event for the first, and probably last time in history is a dream come true and a reflection on how profoundly SGP is loved by the electronic music community.

I cannot thank both Ram and Hospital enough and all the artists who've supported us over the years. I'm truly honoured to be a part of SGP and to be hosting such an incredible line up this year."

Slam Dunk 2017 – Who To Watch

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This years Slam Dunk see’s hordes of new and returning acts, picking out the artists to watch is a task and obviously every band are ones to watch, however, there isn’t enough time in the day and as with all festivals, there are bound to be clashes so we’ve come up with some of our main ones we think you should go and see

Madina Lake’s reformation and first performances in the UK since the reformation, Enter Shikari’s headline set, the pop-punk kings of the old generation Bowling For Soup are definitely acts you should be going over to the stages to see.

 

WE ARE THE OCEAN

Sadly, this year’s Slam Dunk festival will see We Are The Ocean take to the main stage for their last ever performance before parting ways. Although the band have pulled out of the Hatfield date, those of you attending the North and The Midlands dates are in for a treat; as the band have said ‘this is one last chance to celebrate the past, the present and the future’. So, if you want to scream your lungs out to songs from Cutting Our Teeth, Go Now And Live, Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow, Ark and the Self-Titled EP one last time and celebrate their farewell you know where you need to be.

 

VUKOVI

This year’s line-up is full of pop-rock heavyweights and it’d be easy to forget about the exciting new acts gracing the smaller stages around the venue and one of those being Vukovi. Who have made themselves unavoidable after dropping their riotous debut album earlier this year!. The Glasgow bunch have been making quite a racket on and off the record. Armed with their heavy riffs, super-charged tempo and front woman Janine Shilstone’s sizzling vocals, the four-piece have been tearing up the UK’s live scene, setting a precedent for their first ever Slam Dunk set so make sure you’re there to witness it.

 

DEAF HAVANA

Deaf Havana have had it rough in the last few years. In the wake of their Old Souls record, the band were dropped from their record label, fell into debt, and even fell out of love with their craft.

Miraculously, the band have made their return with an momentous new album, All These Countless Nights, which was unveiled earlier this year. If their recent headline shows across the UK are anything to go by its proved the band have found a new lease of life both in their material, and in their live show.