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!

Win festival slots with Live and Unsigned

by

The prospect for local bands and acts to share the stage with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Example, Chase and Status and many others has blown wide-open with this fantastic opportunity, maybe it’s time to get involved?!                                                                                                                                                            

The UK festival scene is ever-expanding, and the chance for unsigned acts to play them is ever-diminishing, so Live and Unsigned has to be THE best chance to get a direct-line to the best UK festivals. The variety of festivals on offer is outstanding; there is a plethora of independent grassroots festivals such as London Summer Jam, Z-Fest, Brownstock, CockRock, Folk on the Water and Newcastle Green; massive national festivals that attract tens of thousands such as Beach Break Live, Live Fest and Norfolk Spectacular; and everything in between including Butserfest, Osfest and AIM’s official ‘Best Independent Festival 2011’, Bearded Theory.

Add to that the prospect of a world tour including festival slots in Latvia with Summer Sound, Italy with Tour Music Fest, and Canada with Supernova and it’s clear to see that Live and Unsigned is THE competition for aspiring bands and acts to enter in the New Year. Alongside the cherry-on-the-top that is the announcement that there will be an exclusive fly-on-the-wall documentary of the Live and Unsigned 2012 competition to be aired on Sky TV, can you afford to NOT enter this competition?

With the chance to play at The O2 in London and with £100,000 in prizes, Live and Unsigned is set to attract thousands of unsigned musicians when auditions begin in January. The competition has also just announced an additional new main cash prize of £10,000 for the winning act to spend on their development.

Acts that make it through the audition stage will get to perform to industry judges, A&R associates and celebrity guests in some of the UK's most prestigious venues. Judges set to join the panel in 2012 include Radio 1 DJ’s Annie Nightingale, Tom Deacon and Daniel P Carter, Kerrang’s Alex Baker and Happy Mondays star Bez.

Auditions begin again in January 2012 with a number of new audition venues on the circuit including the world famous Dingwalls in Camden. Acts are urged to enter now as places are in high demand and auditions are limited for what will be a great platform for any act or band to showcase their music. For information on how to secure your live audition for 2012 go to www.LiveandUnsigned.uk.com and register today!

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band to headline Hard Rock Calling 2012

by

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are back. This is the second time they have played the Hyde Park show following a mammoth performance back in 2009. Expect some of their biggest and most loved hits plus a few surprises. 

“Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s 2009 Hard Rock Calling performance proved to be one of the greatest live performances in the festival’s history,” said Hamish Dodds, President and CEO of Hard Rock International. “We look forward to having them back for Hard Rock Calling 2012, for what is sure to be another iconic show.”

Live Nation’s Vice President of Promotions, Toby Leighton-Pope commented: “It’s great to welcome Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band back to Hyde Park. They always put on a fantastic show and 2012 is set to be a special one.”

Hard Rock Calling takes place 13-15 July 2012. The 2011 shows saw over 150,000 music fans flock to Hyde Park for an unforgettable weekend of live music.

 

Ticketing Information:

Tickets go on sale Saturday 3 December at 10am and are priced at £60 plus booking fee.

Tickets available at www.hardrockcallling.co.uk

Vodafone customers can buy tickets 48 hours before they go on general sale. Get yours from 9am, Thursday 1 December at www.vodafone.co.uk/vip  

To buy VIP Experiences and Hospitality please visit http://www.livenation.co.uk/vip or call + 44 207 009 3484.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band to headline Isle of Wight Festival 2012

by

This will be Bruce Springsteen’s first visit to the Island and only his 3rd festival performance in the UK to date. Join us at the Isle of Wight Festival 2012 to witness what will be an unbelievable performance from one of the greatest artists of all time. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 25th November from www.isleofwightfestival.com. 
 
Vodafone customers will have an exclusive pre-sale period from 8am Wednesday 23rd to 8am Friday 25th November and tickets go on general sale from 9am Friday 25th November. The Isle of Wight Festival 2012 is the perfect stomping ground for music lovers, stylish festivalgoers and fans alike and tickets for what will be an epic weekend are sure to go quick, so head to www.isleofwightfestival.com to get yours.
 
Bruce Springsteen, is one of the most influential artists in the world.  A musical legend who records and tours with the E Street Band, Springsteen is famous around the globe for his brand of heartland rock, poetic lyrics and American sentiments centred around his native New Jersey.   Springsteen’s recording have included both accessible rock albums and folk-orientated works and his most successful studio albums, Born in the U.S.A and Born to Run, have cemented his place in music history. The singer has sold in excess of 65 million albums in the United States alone and 120 million worldwide. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including a staggering 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award.
 
John Giddings, the Festival’s promoter, says, “It's taken years to get him here, but it will have been worth the wait – he is one of the greatest acts of all time, it's going to be a classic year…”

Renowned for hosting the biggest names in music, along with the best up and coming acts the Festival will once again be one of the hottest tickets of the summer.

Calvin Harris & Madeon join Swedish House Mafia @ Milton Keynes Bowl

by

As one of the hottest dance acts in the world, the electronic pioneers, will also release their new single ‘ANTIDOTE’ – a collaboration with Knife Party (side project of Pendulum's, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen) – on JANUARY 15TH. The track treads a much darker path than the Swede’s usual productions and comes with a massive dubstep-esque warbling bottom-end.

Hear Antidote’s exclusive first play on Radio One’s Annie Mac show.

 

From 9am on Friday 18th November, Swedish House Mafia are giving fans the opportunity to purchase the full VIP Swedes experience.  For £199 (inc. VAT & booking fee) fans will have access to an exclusive VIP compound with private catering and bar, drink tokens for food and drink and access to the aftershow party where DJ’s will play until 2am.  Fans who have already brought a ticket will be able to upgrade for £154 (inc VAT). 

The band will also play another landmark ‘One Night Stand’ show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 16th 2011. This will see SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA – Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso – make history when they become the first dance act to have headlined both venues.  Not only that, the show sold out in only 10 minutes.

Swedish House Mafia will join an enviable list of music legends who have headlined the National Bowl including Oasis, Green Day, Metallica, Eminem and Foo Fighters. The list of artists who have played Madison Square Garden reads like a veritable who’s who of music dating from the late sixties to the present day.

The Swedes have already enjoyed phenomenal success to date. Not only did their recent UK tour sell out in minutes which saw a second night added at London’s Alexandra Palace, but they sold over a million singles in 2010 alone, saw their album‘Until One’ reach Gold status, co-headlined Radio One’s Big Weekend and played major festival including Creamfields, T in the Park and Oxegen. Internationally, their infamous Masquerade Motel events sold out in Miami, Las Vegas and Ibiza where they enjoyed a sixteen week residency.

The Prodigy confirmed to headline Download Festival 2012

by

After notching up over 25 million record sales and selling out venues across the world, the masters of synth punk, The Prodigy are back doing what they do best and bringing their mind-blowing set to Donington for 2012. Expect plenty of classics from their incredible catalogue alongside some new tracks fresh from the studio. This will be the third time the band has played Download and the first time they’ll play the main stage. The Prodigy will join headliners Metallica (Saturday 9 June) and Black Sabbath (Sunday 10 June) for one of the biggest Download Festivals EVER.

Andy Copping, VP of Promotions at Live Nation said, “We’re very excited to welcome The Prodigy back to Donington, it’s great to have them here for the third time and this time headlining the main stage. The crowdsalways go mental when The Prodigy are in town. The band never fail to impress, and it’s going to be one hell of a weekend.”

Weekend tickets for Download 2012 go on general sale 9am Friday 18th November 2011 from www.downloadfestival.co.uk – subject to availability.  Weekend ticket prices for Download 2012 will remain the same as the prices for Download 2011 until midday Monday 30th January 2012 when all ticket types will go off sale. All tickets will go back on sale at 5pm Monday 30th January 2012 withWeekend tickets increased to 2012 prices. Festival organisers encourage fans to take advantage of this offer while it lasts.

Black Sabbath return to headline Download Festival 2012

by

Answering the prayers of millions of music fans worldwide who have been anticipating their highly speculated comeback, the legendary rock band’s appearance at next year’s Download Festival – which takes place at 8-10 June 2012 at Donington Park, less than an hour’s drive from the birthplace of Black Sabbath – will mark the 10th anniversary of the festival, which launched in the summer of 2003.  It will also be Black Sabbath’s only UK festival appearance next year.

Black Sabbath certainly need no introduction, no explanation. Widely regarded as creators of heavy metal, the hugely influential band from Aston, Birmingham, have sold in excess of 70 million records worldwide and are responsible for all time classic rock anthems such as ‘Paranoid’, ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man’ – which won a Grammy in 2000.  The band was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and theU.S. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Andy Copping, VP of Promotions at Live Nation said, “The reunion of the original line up of Black Sabbath has been one of the most talked about stories of the year. I am thrilled that the band will return to Donington Park next year to help us mark 10 years of the Download Festival.”

Weekend tickets for Download 2012 go on general sale 9am Friday 18th November 2011 from www.downloadfestival.co.uk – subject to availability.  Weekend ticket prices for Download 2012 will remain the same as the prices for Download 2011 until midday Monday 30th January 2012 when all ticket types will go off sale. All tickets will go back on sale at 5pm Monday 30th January 2012 withWeekend tickets increased to 2012 prices. Festival organisers encourage fans to take advantage of this offer while it lasts.

Metallica confirmed to headline Download Festival 2012

by

Co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich says “Six years is way toooo long to be away from the hallowed grounds of Donington Park. We are beyond psyched and feel privileged to come back once again to soak up the energy and vibe of the most legendary of festival sites.”

The multi million selling, Grammy award winning act will visit Donington for the EIGHTH time in their career, having played both Monsters of Rock and Download Festivals – including their first Monsters of Rock festival in 1985 up through their most recent Download appearance in 2006, where they headlined.

"The Black Album" was #1 in over 25 countries and spawned an incredible five hits: ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘Sad But True’, ‘Wherever I May Roam’, ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and ‘The Unforgiven’. The album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.  Metallica is one of the most successful acts in music history, selling over 100 million albums.

Metallica

Andy Copping, VP of Promotions at Live Nation commented, “I am absolutely bowled over that Metallica will be playing ‘The Black Album’ at the 10th anniversary of Download. The album is up there as one of the greatest albums of all time, everyone knows the songs. The Download festival has come a long way since we first started in 2003 and to have Metallica back to help us celebrate this milestone is just fantastic.”

Download 2012 takes place at Donington Park from 8-10 June and this year celebrates its 10th anniversary. Weekend with camping tickets go on sale 9am Friday 18 Novemberfromwww.downloadfestival.co.uk

Vodafone customers can buy tickets 48 hours before they go on general sale: 9am, Wednesday 16 November at vodafone.co.uk/vip

Download RIP ticket packages are on sale now and can be purchased via www.livenationexperience.co.uk or by phoning 0207 009 3484.

Earlybird tickets for Green Man Festival on sale next Tuesday

by

Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2012, you can expect big things for last years winner of the Best Medium Size Festival Award.

No one throws a party quite like Green Man, so the 10th anniversary of Britain’s friendliest festival is guaranteed to go with one almighty bang…
 
“Earlybird” tickets for Green Man 2012 go on sale from 9am next Tuesday (November 15th), and once again we’re offering you the chance to join in all the fun at specially discounted prices! 
 
·         Adult ticket = £130
·         Student ticket = £115
·         Teen ticket (13-17) = £60
·         Children (5-12) = £5
·         Holiday ticket = £40
·         Live-in vehicle ticket = £50
·         Car parking ticket £5
  
But hurry, this exclusive offer is available for a limited period only and WILL sell out very quickly!
 
Please note that due to the huge popularity of Green Man’s family-friendly ethos, we’ve had to introduce a small charge of £5 for 12s & under this year to keep all other ticket prices as low as possible.
 
And to minimise traffic congestion, any vehicle using any of the three main car parks (General, Family and Holiday Camping) at Green Man 2012 will need a £5 parking ticket. Be warned, there are a very limited number of tickets available for the Family Camping car park, so make sure you get yours soon.
 
We’re still buzzing from the spellbinding success of this year’s festival, but rest assured that Green Man has plenty of exciting plans up his sleeve to make sure his 10th annual summer shindig is truly the stuff of legend!

So consider yourself invited to the (birthday) party of the year, and keep your eyes peeled for more exciting Green Man 2012 news coming soon… 

BJÖRK confirmed as first headline act for Heineken Open’er Festival 2012

by

Her appearance at Open’er is the first festival performance to be announced for 2012 anywhere in the world and is sure to be another very special moment for the festival. Taking place from the 4th to the 7th July 2012 at Kosakowo Airfield, Gdynia, Björk will perform to over 60,000 festival goers and will be a highlight of what promises to be a stellar year for Open’er.  

BjorkOn her new album, Icelandic singer-composer-producer-sound-fetishist Björk moves deeper into the sonic abyss of her own creation, a so-called secret place that with each passing release seems to crystallize her aesthetic even further. An hourlong work that twinkles and shimmers, “Biophilia,” her seventh release, continues to explore a universe she's built from scratch. If you're even vaguely familiar with the singer over the last two decades, you know what you'll be getting in a new Björk full-length — at least musically: expansive electronic/acoustic structures that move in Frank Gehry-esque swoops as digital shards of rhythms and pretty sounds fly through your ears.

Mikolaj Ziolkowski, Alter Art commented: “We are starting a new decade of Open’er Festival and we have started it just as we dreamed it – with a performance from an artist that is exquisite, unique and truly one-of-a-kind. An artist that uncloses and transgresses searches and inspires.  An artist that is charismatic and daring. We are proud and honoured to be the first to announce an artist that is going to be a major feature of the 2012 global festival scene.  An artist, a revolutionnaire – Björk to headline Open’er 2012!”

Ticket Information

Early bird tickets for Klub Alter Art Members available until 30th of November 11:59 pm:

4 Day ticket (4.07-7.07.2012) – 340 PLN / £66

4 Day ticket  w/camping – 380 PLN / £74

2 Day ticket (6.07-7.07.2012) – 260 PLN / £50

2 Day ticket w/camping – 300 PLN / £58

1 Day ticket (any day) – 165 PLN / £32                                   

General release tickets go on sale from 1st December and are priced as follows:

4 Day ticket (4.07-7.07.2012) – 370 PLN  / £72

4 Day ticket w/camping – 410 PLN / £80

2 Day ticket (6.07-7.07.2012) – 290 PLN / £56

2 Day Ticket w/campsite – 330 PLN / £64

1 Day ticket (any day) – 165 PLN / £32

Surcharge for camping – 80 PLN / £16

Campers / caravan (trailers) – 400 PLN / £76

Alice Cooper to headline Bloodstock 2012

by

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last five decades, the godfather of theatrical rock needs no introduction, and needless to say, organisers are delighted to have such a prolific and legendary artist join the BLOODSTOCK line up. Festival booker Vicky Gregory comments:

Alice Cooper"As Bloodstock organisers but more importantly Huge fans of Alice Cooper, we are thrilled to have such an iconic artist close proceedings on the Sunday night! We have been after Alice for a number of years and are extremely excited to see him grace the Ronnie James Dio stage and guarantee this will be a performance not to be missed"

An ALICE COOPER concert is always a memorable event, and there are few artists out there capable of putting on such a thrillingly entertaining show. BLOODSTOCK attendees are in for quite a treat if the recent shows are anything to go by. From the moment he takes to the stage as a giant spider your senses are assaulted with fireworks, mock executions, simulated sex (with the dead of course), snakes, monsters and zombies, asALICE delivers hit after hit from his decades long career. 
 
With a back catalogue that includes timeless classic such as “Schools’s Out”, “No More Mr Nice Guy”, “Welcome To My Nightmare”, “Hey Stoopid”, “Feed My Frankenstein” and recent single “I’ll Bite Your Face Off”, ALICE’s set at BLOODSTOCK will be impossible to not enjoy, and will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the festival’s history for many years to come.
 
With a world class headliner already in place and two more to be announced – as well as over 100 bands from across the world of hard rock and metal – there is no festival offering better value, with four day weekend camping tickets available at just £90 if booked before 15th December.

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Four day camping tickets for next year’s event are available now at bloodstock.uk.com  for just £90 (plus booking fee) until 15th December.