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!

Rhythmtree Festival POSTPONED till August 2012

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See the press release from the organisers below:

"It is with regret that we have to announce the postponement of the Rhythmtree Festival.

With this years unprecedented weather bringing unrelenting rainfall to the festival site we have been spending weeks putting into place contingency plans to allow the festival to go ahead.
However in the last week it has become obvious we cannot now commence the site build planned to start today Thursday 12 July.
 
With the ground in its present waterlogged condition the site build itself would destroy what is a beautiful setting for this years festival.
The Rhythmtree is very much an all age festival and this has also influenced our decision.
The last thing we would want is that our existing and potential ticket buyers attend a festival on a site already damaged and churned up by the necessary vehicles involved in the delivery of everything from the main-stage to the portaloos.
We have been using the best weather forecasting websites we can find and of course, like all those with planned events in the next few weeks, had hoped for a dramatic change in the present weather pattern. 
 
There is no evidence that the current high rainfall levels will relent in the next few days and there is very little probability that there will be even a brief period of dry weather to allow the site to recover from its present condition.
 
We have therefore taken the decision to postpone and set a new date for the festival on the 24/25/26 August. 
 
All tickets already purchased will be valid for the new dates.
 
All ticket buyers who have purchased on-line from Red Funnel or WeGotTickets will be notified by email of this postponement and be offered refunds if it is not possible to attend on the new dates.
 
If you have bought a ticket from one of our island outlets we need a few days to organise a refund procedure. 
We have an agreement with our outlets that they will not be responsible for ticket refunds and the refund process will be by postal application to Rhythmtree Promotions Ltd. 
 
An application for refund of tickets will be available on this website within a few hours and we will also place application forms in all the outlets by this week-end.
 
All ticket money is secure and available for refund on request. 
 
The Rhythmtree has built up an exceptional reputation for fair dealing and good organisation in the last three years and we are not about to destroy that by delaying or prevaricating about refunds for those of you who cannot attend the festival in August. 
 
The Rhythmtree has not and will not be cancelled or abandoned.
 
We hope to see as many of you as possible in August"

Hard Rock Calling Weather Forecast

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Check out the weather forecast for this years Hard Rock Calling at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

This London Olympic Park South weather forecast is generated by the Met Office Weather Widget

 

Chase & Status to headline Brighton’s Shakedown Festival

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These superstar DJ’s are known for their eclectic blend of genre defying styles and are one of the most potent forces on the dance scene.  Famed for their incendiary DJ sets, this irrepressible duo will be armed to the teeth with a plethora of dance floor anthems and underground classics.
 
Chase & StatusChase & Status  have earned international recognition through their monumental album ‘No More Idols’ which crashed into the charts in 2011, amassing over 300,000 sales  and  spawning a  stream of chart topping singles including collaborations with Plan B, Tempa T, Maverick Sabre and Dizzee Rascal to name but a few.
 
Supporting Chase & Status in the Supercharged Arena will be the much lauded Knife Party and Zane Lowe, back by popular demand at Shakedown for a second year after a jaw dropping set at the inaugural event.  Local boy and Drum & Bass heavyweight DJ Friction will also perform alongside pioneering producer and godfather of UK Bass, Shy
FX.  Multi award winning Ms Dynamite and will also join the succession of artists on stage alongside rapidly emerging production duo The Prototypes.
 
Headlining the main stage is the UK’s ultimate showman Dizzee Rascal.  Armed with an arsenal of hits, Dizzee is arguably the best live act in the country right now; an artist at the top of his game and his set will be a defining Shakedown moment. Professor Green will
take to the stage at Stanmer Park performing all the hits from his albums, Alive Till I’m Dead and ‘At Your Convenience’ whilst girl about town and queen of the underground Katy B showcases her mix of dub step, funky, house, garage and r n’ b to mesmerising effect.
 
Hotly tipped Stooshe are embracing mainstream success with their brash, bolshy and infectiously catchy brand of urban pop whilst Clement Marfo and The Frontline provide an endless supply of gargantuan pop hooks and sweet neo-soul vocals.
 
Hed Kandi, the most stylish name in house music have been confirmed to host the VIP Arena with a spectacular production and a host of DJ’s including Freemasons, Seamus Haji and Phil Faversham.
 
Shakedown Festival 2012 brings the most exciting names in contemporary music to Brighton for one last festival outing.  With such an indepth line up of talent, Shakedown is the perfect end to an incredible summer of festival fun.
 
TICKETS £40 + bf
 
http://www.shakedown.co.uk/tickets
http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/
http://www.seetickets.com/
http://hmv.com/
http://www.viewbrighton.co.uk/
http://www.brightondome.org/
 
VIP TICKETS £75 + bf
Available now from the Hed Kandi bar on West Street, Brighton and http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/1F004787ACD2AF57

Newton Faulkner new album and UK tour dates announced!

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It’s been over three years since 2009’s ‘Rebuilt By Humans’ and in that time he’s toured the world, started a family (he has a one year old son, Beau Henry Faulkner-Richards) and some might say helped usher in a new generation of singer-songwriters. Ed Sheeran, Ben Howard and Michael Kiwanuka might be stylistically diverse, but their ‘have-guitar-will-travel’ approach surely flows from the trailblazing example of Newton.

Newton Faulkner

Now, after invention, innovation, reinvention and creation, comes his third album, Write It On Your Skin. This one man band (in every sense) has opened himself up to the talents of other writers and players working with his brother Toby (a former drum and bass MC), hip hop fan Sam Farrar (Phantom Planet) and production writing pair Nexus.

The result? An album bristling with spontaneity, the best kind of DIY imagination, and songs from unlikely sources but with a very likely-lad appeal.

He is the feelgood man of the season, the summertime troubadour who brings singalong vibes. As he says now with a laugh, despite his trademark rust-red dreads, he only seems to get recognized when it’s sunny outdoors:

 “For some reason if it’s raining it can’t be me – but if the sun’s shining, then it’s definitely me! I’m completely affiliated with the sun. I get that now.”

Newton has previously sold over 1million albums in the UK alone. His debut ‘Hands Built By Robots’ spent over 10 months inside the Top 40 Album Charts and become one of the Top 20 Biggest Selling UK digital albums of all time.

Check out the Album sampler below:

Buy your copy of the Album here:
iTunes – http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/write-it-on-your-skin-deluxe/id534802330
Amazon – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Write-It-On-Your-Skin/dp/B008DBM69G

YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/NewtonFaulknerVEVO
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/newtonfaulkner
Twitter – https://www.twitter.com/newtonfaulkner

Tour dates:

October dates are:

1st        Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
3rd        Glasgow O2 ABC
4th        Inverness Ironworks
9th        Newcastle O2 Academy
10th      Manchester O2 Apollo
11th      Liverpool O2 Academy
12th      York Barbican
14th      Leeds O2 Academy
15th      Oxford New Theatre
16th      Leicester O2 Academy
18th      Birmingham O2 Academy
19th      Bournemouth O2 Academy
20th      Exeter Great Hall
22nd      London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

0844 811 0051 // www.gigsandtours.com // www.gigsinscotland.co.uk

Get your tickets now:

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Newton-Faulkner-tickets/artist/1196943

BT London Live Update

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These events include: Have-A-Go-sports, watching every medal and all the Olympic sporting action beamed in live, courtesy of the BBC on giant, state-of-the-art screens and enjoying amazing live music performed by some of the best of Britain’s musical acts, all absolutely FREE! Hyde Park will open from 28 July – 11 August and Victoria Park from, 27 July – 12 August.

At Hyde Park: visitors will enjoy various sports participation activities (Badminton, Netball, Tennis, Modern Pentathlonamong others) as well as cultural and musical performances on the BT Vision Stage, attractions including face-painting at The Sun Bus, or moving into the Great Games Zone in Cadbury House to get a taste of what it’s like to be in the shoes of an Olympic athlete, head to head in a virtual race with Rebecca Adlington before receiving a celebratory chocolate medal. There will also be other music and retail opportunities around the Serpentine Bar and Bandstand. The Main Stage in Hyde Park will feature a host of great musical artists including: Tom Jones, Rebecca Ferguson, Alexandra Burke, Amy MacDonald, McFly,Saint Etienne, The Overtones and The Temper Trap. BT London Live is proud to announce that Ocean Colour Scene, Ren Harvieu, Cover Drive, The Enemy, Lemar and The View have all been added to the main stage line up presented by Absolute Radio (Official national radio station of BT London Live)- and Magic FM (Official London radio station of BT London Live)

In Victoria Park: visitors will be able to enjoy an amazing array of family-friendly Have-A-Go sports and cultural entertainment with a 55m high BT Observation Wheel giving views of the Olympic Park, amazing outdoor spectacles, Bungee Trampolines, Zip Lines and land and water Zorbing. On the main stage inVictoria Park, visitors will enjoy performances by top UK acts including Norman Jay and Friends, Club De Fromage, Alexandra Burke, Alyssa Reid, Jazzie B and Friends plus BT London Live is proud to announce new additions to the calendar presented by Kiss FM (Official London radio station of BT London Live)- Sway, Skepta,  Yasmin, Misha B, Conor Maynard, Soul II Soul and Brand New Heavies

For BT London Live sites book your Guaranteed Entry Ticket in advance (there is a transaction fee of £3.50 for a maximum of 4 tickets per booking) or just walk up on the day for free entry (subject to capacity).

In addition, in Hyde Park, there are also two Celebration Concerts with a ticket price of approx. £55. BT London Live will open with an Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert in Hyde Park on Friday 27 July withDuran Duran, Paolo Nutini, Stereophonics and Snow Patrol, all performing. Blur, The Specials, New Order,Bombay Bicycle Club are playing the Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert in Hyde Park on 12 August.

BT London Live’ is a partnership between the Mayor of London, The Royal Parks and The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is a key part of the citywide programme of events being organised by the Mayor of London to celebrate theLondon 2012 Games.

Log on to www.btlondonlive.com for full details.

WHO ELSE IS PLAYING?

Youwill be able to watch some of the best acts in the UK perform free in Hyde Park and Victoria Park this summer.

Hyde Park

·       Saturday 28 July – Sir Tom Jones, Newton Faulkner

·       Sunday 29 July –, Nell Bryden, We Will Rock You

·       Monday 30 July – Ren Harvieu, The Feeling

·       Tuesday 31 July – Rebecca Ferguson, Cover Drive

·       Wednesday 1 August – The Levellers The Beat

·       Thursday 2 August – Alexandra Burke, Lawson

·       Friday 3 August – Amy MacDonald, Dodgy, Cast

·       Saturday 4 August – McFly, Saint Etienne

·       Sunday 5 August – Alyssa Reid

·       Monday 6 August – Lemar

·       Tuesday 7 August – Kenny Thomas

·       Wednesday 8 August – Nik Kershaw

·       Thursday 9 August – The Overtones, The Enemy

·       Friday 10 August – The Temper Trap, Ocean Colour Scene, Feeder

·       Saturday 11 August – Paul Carrack, The View

Victoria Park:

·       Friday 27 July – TBA

·       Saturday 28 July – Swing Patrol, John Wean, Fat 45, Norman Jay and Friends + Don Letts

·       Sunday 29 July – Halfway To New York, Busk Off Pro – Robbie Boyd Band, East London Reggae

·       Monday 30 July – Jive Aces, Club De Fromage, Scams, Rising Tide, Jangles, Bigga Fish, Tenors of Rock

·       Tuesday 1st August – Scams, Rising Tide, Bow Jangles, Bigga Fish, Theatre Tol.

·       Wednesday 1 August – Brassroots, Jazz Umbrella Presents Courtney Pine and Trevor Watkis trio and Loz Speyer Quartet, Goldheart Assembly

·       Thursday 2 August – Alexandra Burke, Eliza and the Bear, London Contemporary Orchestra, Talvin Singh, Misha B.

·       Friday 3 August – Grande Union Youth Orchestra, Hackney Colliery Band, Sounds From of the Asian Underground from Bobby Friction, Crowns.

·       Saturday 4 August – The Asps, Rising Tide, Rhythms of City Samba, Guilty Pleasures

·       Sunday 5 August – Alyssa Reid, Hudson Taylor, The Fontannas, Swing Zazou, Electro Swing Club, Sway

·       Monday 6 August – Romani Rad, Gypsy Soundclash – Trans Siberian Marching Band, Alejandro and The Magic Tombolinos, Gypsy Hill, The Thirst, Horsemeat Disco

·       Tuesday 7 August – KAV , Jive Aces, Katy Carr and The Aviators, Movimientos Sounds of Latin London Remixed – Lokkiterra, Wara, Ska Cubano, Los Chinches

·       Wednesday 8 August – Laura Steel, Bikini Beach Band, Grande Union Youth Orchestra, African Routemaster 21st Century London African Sounds

·       Thursday 9 August – I Dream In Colour, Natty Bo and Congeroos, Premises Studios and Moshi Moshi Records, The Fabulous Lounge Swingers

·       Friday 10 August – Acid Jazz Presents 25th Anniversary Special including Matt Berry and Gino Washington, Colour The Atlas.

·       Saturday 11 August – Mount Fabric,  Perhaps Contraption, Jazzie B and Friends, Skepta

·       Sunday 12 August – Cuttashine Hoedown, Kidnap Alice, Imagined Village Spectacular

For artist performance times please visit http://www.btlondonlive.com/

WHAT ATTRACTIONS ARE PLANNED?

A plethora of fun activities for everyone across both sites.

HYDE PARK:

·       Five Giant screens – BT London Live welcomes Londoners and visitors to watch the BBC's coverage of The Games beamed live into the sites and enjoy an exciting range of entertainment. BT London Live Hyde Park will show the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage on five giant screens, (the largest at 144m2) between 11:00 – 0:00hrs daily. 

·       Exclusive appearance from Team GB Medallists –The BOA (British Olympic Association) is partnering with BT to give fans an exclusive opportunity to see Team GB medallists in person during the Games. The official Team GB Fan Zone will be where British medal winners first gather to publicly celebrate their success with Team GB fans this summer. For Team GB’s Olympic medallists this will be an amazing opportunity to celebrate in front of their home crowd in the heart of the city.

·       Main Stage – The main stage screens will separate two or three times a day, dependent on the sporting schedule, to reveal top acts performing every night, with approx performance times of 5pm – 7pm and 9:30pm – 10:30pm.

·       Have-A-Go in the Sports Arena with 300-seat grandstand – The Sports Arena will operate three sessions every day from 11:00 to 14:30, 14:45 – 17:45 and 18:00 – 21:00. It will have something for all ages. Activities include: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Football, Handball, Judo, Lacrosse, Modern Pentathlon (Shooting Range and Fencing), Netball, Tennis, Volleyball and Wheelchair Basketball. Sessions all attended by sports professionals.

·       BT House and BT Vision Stage – BT House will offer people the opportunity to meet sporting legends; listen to live musicperformances on the BT Vision stage; win tickets every day to the London 2012 Games, including Closing Ceremony, Athletics and Gymnastics, by playing London 2012 – the Official Video Game of the Olympic Games; or to just relax and get online with free BT Total Broadband and BT Wi-Fi.

·       Cadbury House –Walk into the Joyville tasting zone to experience the deliciousness of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, before continuing into the Chocolatrium to take part in five Cadbury experiences The journey then moves into the Great Games Zone to get a true taste of what it’s like to be in the shoes of an Olympic athlete including the chance to go head to head in a virtual race against with Rebecca Adlington before receiving a celebratory chocolate medal.

·       Sun Bus – (The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) chill out on deck chairs and enjoy a wholehost of family fun including face painting, pose with your head through funny photo boards, watch magicians and have fun with balloonists. Plus The Sun Cheerleaders will be helping Hyde Park celebrate in style

·        The Times and Sunday Times Lounge (The Times and Sunday Times, Official Print Partners of BT London Live) will allow Times + members to relax in a hostedenvironment which includes a bar, café and garden area

·       Absolute Radio – (Official London Radio Partner of BT London Live) Every day from 5pm, Absolute Radio’s latest signing Johnny Vaughan will broadcast live from BT London Live at Hyde Park (Absolute Radio, Official London Radio Partner of BT London Live). Set to feature interviews with famous comedians, musicians, presenters and Olympians the show will reflect the big events, the obscure sports and the day’s talking points on and off the track.

·       Magic – (Official London Radio Station of BT London Live) Magic 105.4’s Breakfast Show  presenters Neil Fox and Verity Geere will be broadcasting live from BT London Live on Friday 27 July from 4-7pm in the lead up to the Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert. The show will reflect the atmosphere, artists and preview the sporting action to come. Magic will also capture the excitement from Hyde Park for the duration of the Olympic Gameswith interviews from artists appearing each day and updates of all the medalmoments.

·       Bandstand – regular music programme every day from 12noon to 10:30pm with a mixed line up from Live Connection www.live-connection.co.uk and Gigs www.molpresents.com/gigs

VICTORIA PARK

·       Giant Screens – 3 screens set up across the park to watch the BBC's coverage of The Games beamed live into the sites.

·       Multi-purpose Sports Courts: sports include Badminton, Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Handball, Judo, Volleyball, Basketball, Table Tennis, Lacrosse and Athletics.

·       Main Stage presented by KISS (official London Radio Station of BT London Live): line up includesNorman Jay and Friends, Soul  II Soul, Brand New Heavies, Yasmin, Alexandra Burke, Skepta, Sway, Misha B and Conor Maynard.

·       BT Hot Air Balloon:  free tethered flights (dependent on weather)

·       Sun Pub  -(The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) a space to have a drink and watch the Games on multiple plasma screens.

·       Sun Bus – -(The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) chill out on deck chairs and enjoy a whole host of family fun including face painting, pose with your head through funny photo boards, watch magicians and have fun with balloonists. Plus The Sun Cheerleaders will be helping Hyde Park celebrate in style

·       Kids Zone: Activities will include sporting themed craft activities for children aged 2-8 years for up to 600 young children every day from 11am – 5pm.  Activities include torch and medal-making and sports themed story -telling

·       Showtime: between 8 – 12 August a taster of some of the exciting artists taking part in Showtime, which has been commissioned by the Mayor of London and is the biggest festival of outdoor arts ever staged in the Capital . Artists range from Red Poppy (female Chinese Drum ensemble from Beijing) tocomedy & magic shows.

·       Theatre Tol: the leading outdoor arts company from Belgium will perform a late evening 45-minute cycling based aerial spectacle. Nightly performances will be staged from 27 July – 1 August.

·       Fanfare, all the best show choirs from the USA, with varied performances from three different schools every night in the Sports Arena between 3 & 7 August

·       Cirque Bijou & The Boxettes, an urban performance of parkour and dance nightly with interactive workshops through out the day on 6 & 7 August

·       In the Zone, a Wellcome Trust initiative inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, It provides a fun, free and fascinating way of using science to discover how our bodies work during sport, activity, movement and rest.

·       Big Dance will be running mass participation dance events ranging from Dirty Dancing, Bollywood, Disco Fever, Tango and many more themes in nightly performances in the Sports Arena between 28July & 2 August.

·       The World in London Project, a visual art exhibition from the Photographers Gallery, with images of Londoners from all over the world depicting London’s diverse population and illustrating that all 204 competing nations in the Olympic Games will have ‘home support’

Paid for attractions (which can be obtained via www.btlondonlive.com when booking Guaranteed Entry Tickets) include:

·       Kiss FM Zip Line, (Kiss FM, official London Radio Station of BT London Live) zip down the 320m long, 45m high, 4 wire

·       BT Observation Wheel, first class view of the Olympic Park and the London skyline

 

Comedy Tent returns to Green Man Festival

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Here are the latest fantastic funny men and women heading to Wales’ breathtaking Black Mountains from August 16-19 for Green Man 2012:
 
Tom Wrigglesworth The Yorkshire funny man is an articulate and natural raconteur with an innate ability to riff with an audience like they’re old friends.
 
Colin Hoult Talented actor who excels in comedic character transformation; marvel at his acute ability to snap in and out of a multitude of hilarious personas.
 
Jordan Brookes Cardiff-based comedian who regularly intimidates tipsy people into nervous laughter; an unnervingly stable presence with smart one-liners.
 
Josie Long Much-loved Green Man favourite returns with her obsessive and ridiculous stories that leave audiences smitten with her innocent wonder.
 
Benjamin Partridge Rising star of Welsh comedy who has an intimate knowledge of the M4 thanks to regular gigs in London and Cardiff.
 
Steve Hall One third of BBC Three sketch group We Are Klang and an acclaimed solo live performer who supported Russell Howard on his sell-out national tour.

Dan Evans Accessible but childish surrealism from a comedian who continues to delight audiences throughout the UK and Ireland a decade in to his career.
 
Tom Bell Prolific sketch star and stand-up comic with an upbeat, surreal style – one of the most unique and exciting performers on the circuit.
 
Nadia Kamil Swansea comic born to a Welsh mother and Iraqi father, an Edinburgh Festival hit as one half of the acclaimed double act The Behemoth.
 
Chris Chopping Cardiff based comedian with an engaging anecdotal style who reached the Semi Finals of the Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Award 2011.
 
PLUS Jared Hardy, Danny Deegan, James Bland and a whole host of amazing undiscovered up-and-coming comedians in the daily Green Man New Act Hour!
 
And don’t forget, Green Man 2012 gets off to a flying start on Thursday night (August 16) as Adam Buxton presents Best of BUG: The Evolution of the Music Video – a hilarious compendium of outstanding video clips, astounding online nuggets and perhaps a few homemade musical gems of his own thrown in for good measure…

Catch some of the best stand-ups from around the world live on stage from 7pm to 2am daily as part of the 24 hour merriment you'll find at Green Man this summer!

Bloodstock Open Air Fancy Dress theme

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After MACHINE HEAD’s historic set on Saturday night, it’s time to get spooky, ugly and evil, to party the night away, as well as win one of three great prizes on offer. There’s also the small matter of some serious fun-times, with the 4 DJs of The Apocalypse and the infamous metal karaoke to entertain the morbid masses til the early hours.

The first prize for the most gloriously dressed is a pair of weekend tickets for next year’s festival, as well as a £100 cash prize. Second prize is £50 cash and a BLOODSTOCK goody bag, with the bronze medal earning you a goody bag.

Whether you’re a Goblin from middle earth, Errormon, the Nibenay Basin, the Green Goblin of New York or even Wychwood’s own Hobgoblin, Abaddon, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles or some other nefarious Demon or just an ugly, hairy Troll, there’s ample opportunity to get creative and take home the grand prize.

What’s more, anyone who purchases a weekend ticket between now and the 31st July (including anyone who has already purchased a ticket), will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of 25 pairs of tickets for BLOODSTOCK 2013 – for which one awesome headliner has already been confirmed.

Don’t forget – headliners MACHINE HEAD are letting fans pick five songs from Burn My Eyes – head to http://www.facebook.com/Bloodstock now to cast your vote.

T in the Park 2013 Early Bird Tickets

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On the back of another triumphant year, festival organisers DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager are looking ahead to 2013, when T in the Park will celebrate the significant milestone of its 20th year. Fans can ensure they’re part of this momentous occasion and secure their place in the 85,000 strong crowd daily when a limited batch of early bird tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 13th July at 2012 prices. Music lovers can also guarantee their ticket for the festival’s 20th year with an exclusive early bird offer; a £50 deposit will secure their 2013 ticket, making sure they don’t miss the hottest festival action on the planet in 2013.

T in the Park’s 20th year will bring the biggest acts and the most passionate music fans in the world together again for the weekend of a lifetime. Next year’s event will take place over Friday 12th – Sunday 14th July 2013.
 
A limited number of T in the Park 2013 tickets will be available at 2012 prices – go to www.tinthepark.com or www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call 08444 999 990.
Vodafone VIP customers can buy tickets 48 hours before they go on early bird sale from 9.00am on Wednesday 11th July, simply go to vodafone.co.uk/vip

Gold Panda & Willy Moon to headline Festibelly 2012

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Headlining Saturday, sharp suited Willy Moon fuses rock'n'roll and hip-hop; or “Bo Diddley as imagined by Timbaland” says Q Magazine. 

Gold Panda headlines Sunday, whose magnificent debut LP ‘Lucky Shiner’ scooped accolade after accolade (“a masterclass” – Dazed & Confused, “stunning” – Q Magazine, “blissful” – NME) and went onto win The Guardian’s First Album Award. 

Gold Panda

Also joining the bill is BBC Radio 1 DJ and Bestival host Rob Da Bank, rave heroes Ragga Twins, perennial ‘Belliers Man Like Me and many hotly tipped bands including Clock Opera,Bluebell and Bastille. 

Amongst those already announced are three-piece rock ’n’ roll family band sensation Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, folk group Skinny Lister, who won the title of 'Hardest Working Band in Britain' following their record number of festival appearances last year, Mr Nice aka Howard Marks, rising French band We Were Evergreen and London collective Reggae Roast. 

Festibelly, now in its fifth year, is a hidden gem on the festival calendar. Nestled among the woodland on the edge of the New Forest, there is something for the entire family. For the first time it opens its doors as a two day party, a double dose of the intimate charm it had become known for. 

As well as the usual dazzling selection of musical talent on the main stage, the Festibelly field will play host to a number of venues and attractions including Terrapin Station, Le Disco, brand new Le Roller Disco, Massive In China and Autumn Shift – together creating a kaleidoscope of psychedelic gypsy to dirty disco, wrong cabaret, circus performance, wonky gameshows, cosy cafés, poetry, painting and more. This year Festibelly flings its arms wide open to those with young Festi Critters, bringing new kids entertainment area The Owlery to site. 

As ever, Festibelly stays close to its grassroots ethos and remains brand and sponsorship free and is always guaranteed to have friendliest Festi-goers to be found. Previous artists to play Festibelly include The Big Pink, New Young Pony Club, Ghostpoet, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Rob Da Bank, Drums Of Death, Man Like Me, Hollie Cook, James Yuill, She Keeps Bees, Greco Roman Sound System, Psychemagik, Reggae Roast, Oh Ruin, Johnny Flynn, King Charles, My Tiger My Timing, Tek-One, O Children, Skinny Lister and Toy.

Festibelly also throws several warmup events this summer at London’s The Lock Tavern, Bournemouth’s 60 Million Postcards, Southampton’s The Orange Rooms and Festibelly Local events in its hometown of Lymington, Hampshire. 

15th July – Kitty Daisy & Lewis (DJ), Draper @ The Lock Tavern, Camden
21st July – Festibelly Vs Durty Sound System, Chichester
3rd August – Man Like Me @ Orange Rooms, Southampton
11th August – 60 Million Postcards, Bournemouth
12th August – Festibelly presents Terrapin Station @ The Lock Tavern, Camden

Editors Notes: 
Event: Festibelly 2012
Location: Undershore, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5QA
Date: Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th August 2012
Times: Gates open 9am 25th August – close 2pm 27th August
Ticket Price: Weekend ticket: £55 // Sunday ticket: £38 – on sale via festibelly.com
Capacity: 3,000

15 more bands for Bloodstock

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The main RONNIE JAMES DIO stage and the SOPHIE stage boasts some of metal’s biggest names, both international and homegrown. But no less exciting is the NEW BLOOD stage, which offers emerging talent the chance to play an internationally renown festival. The METAL TO THE MASSES initiative works hard scouring the length and breadth of the country to discover the UK’s best new talent, hosting heats where bands will compete for a coveted spot at BLOODSTOCK.

This year, the quality of the unsigned bands on offer is outstanding, resulting in the NEW BLOOD stage’s most exciting line up to date. With sold out finals up and down the country in 200 – 600 capacity venues, as well as reaching over the borders to include talent from abroad – as well as rewarding homegrown talent with the opportunity to play partner festivals abroad, WACKEN andMETALCAMP, the future of UK metal has never looked so bright, and with this latest batch there may well be a futureBLOODSTOCK headliner in amongst them.

On the Friday, EXILE THE TRAITOR bring their melodic death metal to the NEW BLOOD stage, joined by Brummie death metallersKATALEPTIC, Norwich thrashers KILLER HURTS, Romanian experimentalists KRESPUSKUL, Manchester bruisers MY WOODEN PILLOW, Liverpool’s SCARE TACTICS and WALKING THEO from Selby.

Saturday sees Welsh trad-metallers APOLLYON join midlands doomsters COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM and all the way from Croatia,RATHER, while the Sunday offers Nottingham glamsters AIRSTRYKE, Cypriot death/thrash/groove combo BLYND, Welsh sludge monsters HAKIN, Nottingham Trash-Merchants INCINERY and Preston Industrialists SA – DA – KO.

Simon Hall, who has been overlooking METAL 2 THE MASSES can't help being excited by the talent on display:

This year's Metal 2 The Masses has blown me away with the diversity and talent that is turning heads within the UK underground scene. The quality of The Newblood Stage is undeniable and I can't wait to unleash these bands on Bloodstock along with some more to come in the next week or so!

Whatever you do, make sure you stick your head into the NEW BLOOD stage and support new bands – you may discover the next big thing!

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Tickets are available from www.bloodstock.uk.com

Line Up So Far:

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

ALICE COOPER

MACHINE HEAD

BEHEMOTH

ANVIL – WATAIN – PARADISE LOST – DIMMU BORGIR – HATEBREED – CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – SANCTUARY – GRAND MAGUS – THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – EVILE – NILE – MAYHEM – LOCK UP – SEPULTURA – ICED EARTH – TESTAMENT – CHTHONIC – DIO DISCIPLES – CROWBAR – BENEDICTION – I AM I – MOONSORROW – FREEDOM CALL KOBRA & THE LOTUS

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE in association with Last.FM

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH – HEADCHARGER – WINTERFYLLETH DEMONIC RESURRECTION – EASTERN FRONT – ANCIENT ASCENDANT – SIGHT OF EMPTINESS – PRIMITAI – PYTHIA – CRIMES OF PASSION – SATURNIAN BLOODSHOT DAWN – RE-ARMED – GONOREAS – COMMANDER IN CHIEF – RISING DREAM – INFERNAL TENEBRA – NOCTEFERIA – MARIONETTE- FURYON – DERISION – BATALLION – WITCHSORROW – DRIPBACK – SAVAGE MESSIAH – FLAYED DISCIPLE – VIKING SKULL – DEATH VALLEY KNIGHTS – SWEET SAVAGE –

PRITCHARD Vs DAINTON – STEVE HUGHES

NEW BLOOD STAGE

DOOMED – GONE TIL WINTER – HURON – FALLEN FATE – REIGN OF FURY –DREAMCATCHER – REFLECTIONS IN EXILE – INFERNAL CREATION – CAMBION – WARHORSE – MERCILESS FAIL – STORMBORN – TEMPUS FUSION – WRETCHED SOUL – A THOUSAND ENEMIES – SHATTERED SKIES-  EXILE THE TRAITOR – KATALEPTIC – KILLER HURTS –  KRESPUSKUL – MY WOODEN PILLOW – SCARE TACTICS – WALKING THEO APOLLYON – COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM – RATHER – AIRSTRYKE – BLYND HAKIN – INCINERY –  SA – DA – KO.