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January 6th to 11th 2022Web: https://ocasofestival.com / IG:@ocasofestival Adriatique, Hot Since 82, Seth Troxler, Amelie Lens, Andreas Henneberg, Colyn, Doc Martin, Eelke Kleijn, Magdalena, Farrago, La Fleur, Lauren Lane, Magit Cocoon, Oostil, Space Motion and Worthy Iconic sets that soundtrack a flame-red sun as it rises from the horizon. Intimate parties in a steamy jungle amphitheatre surrounded by deep greens and hanging vines. Afternoon dances around a glistening pool in the hot sun… Welcome to Ocaso, one of the most revered and soul-enriching festivals in the world. Having worked closely with the Ministerio De Salud in Costa Rica to meet all possible health and safety regulations, this stunning festival will mark its fifth anniversary with a series of extra special surprises from January 6th to 11th 2022, across indoor and outdoor venues like nothing you have ever experienced before. Ocaso is proud to be the most affordable festival in Costa Rica and tickets go on sale on October 5th. A full six-day festival pass starts at just $109 for residents of Latin America and $159 for international guests.
The expanded 6 day event will take place 6th – 11th of January, so visitors can maximise their time in Tamarindo, a true Central American paradise. Of course, its usual dedication to classy and cultured sounds remains with headliners including Amelie Lens, Adriatique, Hot Since 82, Seth Troxler, Samá Abdulhadi, Lauren Lane, Doc Martin, Magdalena, Eelke Klein, Colyn, Space Motion, La Fleur, Magit Cacoon, Andrea’s Henneberg, Farrago, Øostil, Qrion, Worthy, and many more to be announced in phase 2. Word of mouth from those lucky enough to have attended this idyllic festival has made Ocaso one of the most cherished underground events in the world. It brings together a world class mix of DJs with friendly locals and music loving heads from around the globe, all in a paradise-found setting. With a focus on intimate dancing experiences, Ocaso is celebrated for its special sunrise and sunset sessions, sets on the beach, in a magnificent jungle amphitheatre surrounded by lush flora and fauna, gatherings by the pool and for the unique energy the whole event has. The natural beauty of Costa Rica never fails to provide a stunning backdrop and immersive setting for this most natural and escapist of adventures. Say the team, “Ocaso does not support or believe in exclusion of any type. This is not what we believe the underground is about and it does not respect the roots of this movement. Ocaso does not have a VIP area, does not have a VIP pass, does not have bottle service or anything that is not to be enjoyed by every single attendee. We belieev we are all the same and no walls should be placed between us.”
In this anniversary year expect many upgrades as well as several surprises that will not be revealed until the nights of the festival, major upgrades to projectors for a serious increase in the visual experience and changes to the shape and layout of the jungle venue to increase the flat dance space and accessibility to a larger amphitheater. Importantly, as well as offering a platform for the next wave of amazing talents coming up through the ranks around the world, Ocaso prides itself on being a safe, diverse and welcoming space for all genders, sexualities and races. Recognising that this is where dance music culture started, Ocaso is a place where freedom of expression is embraced as a defining characteristic. Everyone is welcome, and costumes are encouraged…. Says festival director Devin Ellis, “At our last show, Maceo Plex came back out and played with Doc Martin for one of our trademark sunrise sessions until almost 9am. There were still 4000 people dancing when they finished. Magdalena also had an amazing extended set on Sunday playing over four hours and it was one of the best sets anyone had ever witnessed. There will be even more magic in the air for this special event in 2022, so we do hope you can join in the family.”
Ocaso is a “leave no trace” event in a country that aims to be carbon neutral by the end of 2021. Attendees clean up the beach in Tamarindo before and after the festival every year and are constantly looking for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our festival. While in Costa Rica everyone is mindful of water conservation, wildlife, and the trash they create while visiting. These things are very important to Costa Ricans, and to everyone involved with Ocaso.
After the biggest and most successful BLOODSTOCK to date this year, a certified triumph in the face of adversity, BLOODSTOCK’s 2022 event is off to a flying start with all VIP, discounted early bird tickets and campervan passes sold out in record time! Standard tickets are in the ticket store now ready to find their homes, so don’t snooze on ‘22’s epic line up, as at this rate, it’s sure to sell out in advance. Without further ado, here’s another splash of bands who’ll be gracing Catton Park’s hallowed turf in August 2022.
Grabbing a Ronnie James Dio main stage slot on Saturday are JINJER! After being foiled at the last moment this year with visa and travel issues, BLOODSTOCKers will be thrilled to see them finally join us for ‘22. As one of our most requested bands, we’re looking forward to seeing tracks from their epic ‘Wallflowers’ album released only last month. If you’re not yet familiar, check out the video for ‘Vortex’, taken from that same release. We also welcome LORNA SHORE to Saturday’s main stage bill. The New Jersey deathcore squad have been generating a huge buzz, so BLOODSTOCK is excited to welcome them to Catton Park! Check out the video for ‘To The Hellfire’ from their ‘…And I Return To Nothingness’ EP that came out last month via Century Media.
Also snatching a main stage spot on Saturday, are Finnish metal squad LOST SOCIETY who recently re-signed to Nuclear Blast with the promise of new music on the way! While you wait, check out their 2019 video for ‘No Absolution’.
Consider yourself a Misfits fan? Then you won’t want to miss Friday’s main stage addition of Misfits OG, DOYLE. Every fest needs some spooktacular entertainment and DOYLE’s our man in ‘22. Not familiar with his solo project? Have a peep at the video for ‘Run For Your Life’ and warm up your necks!
Landing the Sophie Lancaster stage headline slot on Saturday are circle pit kings and BLOODSTOCK favourites, HATEBREED! Will the big top tent still be standing once they’ve played their ferocious set? Come along and find out! The band recently released their ‘Weight Of The False Self’ album and just wrapped up a US tour with our ‘22 headliners LAMB OF GOD!
Friday’s Sophie Lancaster stage headliner are the phenomenal, anonymous collective SLEEP TOKEN. What’s all the fuss about? Head over to YouTube for the playlist of their brand new album, ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’, released last Friday by Spinefarm.
Snagging a Friday slot on the Sophie stage are New Orleans sludge kings, EYEHATEGOD. Their long awaited new album, ‘A History of Nomadic Behavior’ came out in March this year and we’re looking forward to welcoming Mike IX Williams and his cohorts at Catton Park next year. Check out ‘High Risk Trigger’ taken from that album and remind yourself of their NOLA groove.
BLOODSTOCK’s thrilled to announce that legendary punk squad DISCHARGE join Friday’s Sophie stage affray. The band dropped their ‘End of Days’ album via Nuclear Blast a few years back, so maybe a new album is on the cards?! In the interim, watch the video for ‘The Broken Law’ and start a pit in your living room! Hailing from Richmond, VA (just like LAMB OF GOD and GWAR), Century Media’s ENFORCED bring their brand of crossover death/thrash to Friday’s Sophie tent. Check out their hefty, latest album ‘Kill Grid’, via their single ‘Malignance’. One for the crowd-surfers, perhaps?
For those sad that PARTY CANNONcouldn’t join us this summer, you’ll no doubt be delighted that the ‘party slam defenders’ are reconfirmed for 2022, as part of Sunday’s Sophie stage fun. Grab your Cannon merch here, we all love that logo!
Swedish prog metal supergroup SOEN are added to the Sophie line-up on Sunday. Their fifth album, ‘Imperial’, was released in January. If they haven’t made it on your radar yet, watch the official video for lead single ‘Illusion’, perhaps they’ll be your perfect Sunday band. Helping get the party going at the Sophie stage on Thursday night, are everyone’s favourite goblin-fronted band, NEKROGOBLIKON. Rumours the goblin eats naughty mini-moshers are unconfirmed, but we’ve faith in their hint of a new song coming on Halloween… Just don’t tell the Hobgoblin Beer goblin, he’s not the only goblin at BLOODSTOCK!
2022’s confirmed Ronnie James Dio main stage headliners to date are LAMB OF GOD and MERCYFUL FATE, with the third headliner yet to come!! Also landing main stage slots across the weekend are DIMMU BORGIR, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS playing their Pantera set, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GWAR (in a UK festival exclusive), BURY TOMORROW, SACRED REICH, LIFE OF AGONY, BUTCHER BABIES, VIO-LENCE, and BLOODYWOOD. Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage expect to see STATIC X, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and HEATHEN, as well as tons more yet to be revealed. Stay tuned for more band announcements soon and check out the first 2022 trailer here. With tickets selling faster than ever, all VIP packages, early birds, and campervan tickets are already sold out. Weekend camping tickets & child tickets are on sale now at the ticket store. BLOODSTOCK will take place at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2022.
We are so thrilled to welcome back our queen to the label after her acclaimed first EP that landed the #1 overall spot on Beatport Deep House. She is continuing to raise the bar high with 2 sublime afro-influenced deep and energetic numbers that will set the dancefloor on fire! As the Franco-Algerian says herself, “I am a mix” ! And this is how she transcribed the fusion of her origins by writing those two powerful tracks: Tropicao and Dreamy Rhodes.
Bustin Nutz opens up and brings the off-grid goodness with a nice loose lead synth, spoken word vocals that bring the attitude and a warped, fat bottomed bassline that will pump any party. Prick of Japan is then a bustling jack track with spiky hits and raw drums. Sleazy vocal samples and frazzled synths bring the late night vibes while a low slung and unrelenting baseline worms away below. This is a super EP once again from Demuir and the on form Plump Records label.
South London sensation Skepsis is to release his Faith In Chaos album on October 1st via the mighty Crucast label. Across 15 tracks the self-taught producer lays out his genre-busting vision for dance music and takes things to a whole new level in the process. A special launch party featuring the likes of DJ Q, Jamie Duggan, Window Kid, Royal_T and more is set for October 16th Ministry of Sound with two singles to come before that event.
Skepsis doesn’t ever disappoint. He crafts high-power tunes that blow up clubs and festivals around the world. He has played most of them himself from Glastonbury and Amnesia Ibiza to Coachella and Leeds Festival. Since being named winner of “Best Bass DJ” at the Bass Music Awards in 2018, Skepsis hasn’t looked back. His high-energy tunes, bootlegs and remixes have lit up the scene and picked up millions of streams and views across the planet. This year alone he has dropped a remixes of DJ Fresh and Jauz, collaborated with My Nu Leng on Hot Flush (ft. Duskee), released Sun Go Down on Spinnin and much more. Now, the vibrant artist breaks new ground across the 15 high-impact tunes on Faith In Chaos.
This dynamite new album features dark and dirty skanks like Affiliation Part 2 with Bru-C, saw tooth synth bangers like Lose My Mind with Window Kid, fresh takes on deep, garage-tinged house like Used To and brain-melting bass bombs like Acid. Further collaborations with Jammz, Cajama, Cadence and more all make this a brilliantly diverse collection of red hot and super contemporary club cuts.
Faith In Chaos shows just how far Skepsis has come in a short period of time.
Release Schedule here:
OUT NOW – FIRST SINGLE / WINDOW KID
24TH SEP – 2ND SINGLE / KANINE
1ST OCT – ALBUM DROPS
16TH SEP – ALBUM LAUNCH AT MINISTRY OF SOUND LONDON
Pavel Petrov announces the release of his debut album, Youth, on 1st October via his EXE Audio label. The stunning album is a genre-bending electronic journey that takes in chill out, deep house, tech, techno and more across 11 tracks, three of which are bonus tunes.
Bulgarian Petrov has long been crafting vital electronic sounds for labels like Jannowitz Records, Jaw Dropping, Afine and his own EXE. He has had high profile support from tastemakers like Pan-Pot, Carl Cox and Hot Since 82 and is always evolving his richly layered sounds. Recent months since the world reopened have been some of the most successful in his career so far. They have been filled with plenty of chart-topping new releases and DJ sets at plenty of crowded parties which have sent shockwaves in all directions.
Says the artist, “I was inspired to create this album at the New Year’s after-party and started it on January 1st. Creating this album was an outlet in a time of uncertainty during the pandemic. It holds a message of hope, the power of music, and the desire to be reunited on the dance-floor.:
Youth is the most versatile set of Petrov productions to date. It features the likes of Astro feat Kamalimani with its slick electro grooves and atmospheric vocals, standout single ‘Independence,‘ which has been spun in many DJ sets around the world over the past year, and new single ‘In Existence,’ which was released with a video earlier this month. Further highlights on this great album include the playful ‘Society’ with its chunky drum funk and futuristic synths, and the beautifully melodic ‘Molanda’ with its spoken word vocals and epic chords.
From pulsing club bangers with rolling bass-lines and roaring synths, to chill-out sonic journeys, Youth is a most accomplished artistic statement from Pavel Petrov.
San José Del Cabo boasts rich local culture and will host day and night parties in various unique locations
Unbøund Baja is an escapist festival paradise that connects people through music, wellness and cultural immersion. It arrives in San José Del Cabo from October 7-11th 2021. The stunning resort will become a center to explore yourself, heal yourself and dance away the nights and days with music from Sabo & Goldcap, Sainte Vie (Live), YokoO, Gab Rhome, Hoj, Kora, Parallells, The Scumfrog, Baham, Holder, Isaac Soto (Live), Itai (Live), Just Emma and Yøu&I. Head to weareunbound.com for further information.
Unbøund is a festival from the acclaimed Unbøund Events, a group of creators and curators connecting people through up-scale gatherings in the world’s most beautiful and secluded sites. The first of many intimate gatherings to come is in San José Del Cabo, Mexico for four days and nights this October. The festival offers a chance to immerse yourself in an endless adventure. Where the blue waters of the Sea of Cortez meet the sunset-tainted colors of the desert, in breathtaking open-air locations, on the boutique grounds of Hotel El Ganzo.
Music will run day into night, with 65 hours of programming, world-class production, wellness and immersion into local cultures. There will be exclusive DJ sets and live performances, temazcal sweat lodge experiences, cold plunges, a cacao ceremony, morning breathwork, sunset dinners, sunrise dancing, live entertainment and much more to make this an unforgettable getaway in a real paradise.
The location is San José del Cabo on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. It boasts long sandy beaches, palm trees, ocean views, stunning private beach bars, and breathtaking sunsets. There is a wealth of colonial buildings in the local historic district with nearby art galleries exhibiting work by local artists and a nature reserve brimming with hummingbirds, ibis and herons.
Says the team behind Unbøund Mexico, “One of the key pillars of Unbøund is service and humanitarian efforts. Without the beautiful landscape of Baja California and the generosity of it’s local community, this event would not be possible. We want to ensure that we create an equal energy exchange by giving back to this incredible community and especially to its less fortunate. Unbøund Events is proud to partner with the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation.Their mission is to promote, strengthen and advance programs that have a focus on health and wellness for children in Baja California Sur, Mexico. We will be matching all donations dollar for dollar (up to $5,000) with the intention to raise $10,000 for our first event.”
An Unbøund Baja pass includes: 4 nights stay at Hotel El Ganzo, daily breakfast, access to all events at all four of the weekend’s venues, access to all private after hours and sunrise experiences (reserved exclusively for hotel guests), luxury ground transportation to and from the airport, a Baja Dinner Experience, all the wellness activities (facilitated yoga, breathwork, temazcal sweat lodge, cold plunge and a cacao ceremony) and lastly COVID-19 tests at check-in and check-out are also included.
This is an all in one lifestyle, culture, music and travel experience in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Make sure you are one of the lucky few to soak up this luxury escape.
Part 1 of 3 part video series to further detail the making of the album in Jonas’ own words which is here
Jonas Saalbach’s prolific career in electronic music has seen more than a few milestones. From youthful beginnings as a live-only performer over dozens of eps on premier labels to the release of three studio albums and the inception of his own imprint Radikon in 2018, the Berlin producer has pursued his musical vision with uncompromising fervour. ‘Headlights’, an 11-track album set for release on his own imprint, feels like the summit of a decade-long climb to the highest echelons of electronic dance music.
With ‘Headlights’, Jonas has created his most personal and mature work to date, free of the criteria of producing for an external label. His newest coup is a no-frills translation from mind to melody that showcases the inner workings of Jonas’ auditory universe in the most honest way possible. Nostalgic, longing, introspective and wildly emotional, ‘Headlights’ strips away all distractions; a pure love for dance music is all that remains.
Once a young producer who hypnotized stages around the globe with his energy and joie de vivre, Jonas today has crafted a platform that takes his art to the next level. After a decade in dance music, ‘Headlights’ is the pinnacle of a musical journey and perhaps the most powerful achievement in a storied career.
The much anticipated new edition of MOGA Festival will feature world-class DJs Behrouz, Birds Of Mind, Cc:Disco!, Daox, DJ Tennis, Gusta-vo, Gescu B2B Maher Daniel, Matthew Dekay, Mr. Id and more from the 6th to the 10th of October 2021. This year it takes place in Costa da Caparica, Portugal rather than the usual location of Essaouira, but still allows all dreamers and dancers to be reunited under another Atlantic skyline with endless wellness and music to make for an immersive experience. Since its creation in Essaouira in 2016, the spirit of MOGA Festival has been deeply inked by nomadism, curiosity, and discoveries. As a matter of fact, Essaouira was once named Mogador by the Portuguese and as a reminder of this ancient history, Morocco and Portugal decided that the cities of Essaouira and Caparica in Almada would become sister-lands. It was obvious that this year that connection had to be explored.
Marked by old traditional villages, endless sand beaches, incredible sunsets and seagulls watching the return of the fishermen, Caparica feels like a home away from home for MOGA and so will make a very special location for this year’s 4th edition. Over the past years, MOGA Festival has united people from all over the world and backgrounds into a community – self-proclaimed the #mogatribe. Wellness is genuinely central to the festival’s identity and so this year again the boutique event will focus on the union of body and soul, designing an à la carte experience that is a fusion of electronic music and a myriad of extra goings-on. These include three special beach parties, yoga events, surfing, biking, hiking, food, talks, free events and many more surprises to come.
The festival will take place in various locations along the waterfront with venues and full line-up to be announced soon. The first wave includes Behrouz, Birds Of Mind, Cc:Disco!, Daox, DJ Tennis, Gusta-vo, Gescu B2B Maher Daniel, Matthew Dekay, Mr. Id and more .
Line-up (a-z)
BEHROUZ
BIRDS OF MIND
CC:DISCO!
DAOX
DJ TENNIS
GUSTA-VO
GESCU B2B MAHER DANIEL
MATTHEW DEKAYMR. ID& more.
Special thanks to the Camara Municipal de Almada for their unwavering support.
From Thursday 9th September 2021, Bedford town welcomed back event goers to it’s well known Bedford Park Concerts! As we are all very much aware the last year or so has been somewhat of a struggle to everyone, both personally and professionally. And of course, we all know why. During these trying times, many industries have been hit pretty hard, especially the entertainment industry. Sadly due to national restrictions in 2020 the main Bedford Park Concert event was unfortunately cancelled. However, after a lot of hard work and the easing of government restrictions it meant that this year’s event was able to take place as planned.
Unfortunately, this year I was only able to attend on the Friday night of this four day event. But, I will do a mini breakdown of the event’s full line up and entertainment.
So Bedford Park Concerts (put on by LPH Concerts and Events), kicked off it’s 2021 by providing everyone with a sense of nostalgia with a trip back to the 90s with performances by bands Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene. Dodgy performed familiar tracks including the very catchy “Good Enough”. Ocean Colour Scene also gave everyone the 90s feels with songs including “Riverboat Song” and probably one of their most memorable hits “Day We Caught The Train”. There were also sets from Marquis Drive (a seven piece indie group from Staffordshire) and local lads, The Wholls. The Wholls have played at this event before and were very well recieved so it was nice to see them make a return, especially as they have not played a live gig since 2018.
Friday night attracted a very different crowd. The evening’s kicked off with support act Katie Kittermaster. A singer songwriter that already has a huge following with her music already, particulalrly on the well known social media platform TikTok where she has over 1.5 million followers and with her videos and gas gained over 500,000 likes on her uploads! Some of her most popular hits include “The Problem” and “Lukewarm Lover”. People seemed to really love her! After her set, she walked around the park greeting fans who were eager to take selfies with her and asking for autographs.
Of course in between sets music would play into the park to keep everyone entetained and feeling great! At one point I’m sure that my 6 year old son and I were singing along to Kool & The Gang hit “Celebration”, which in all honesty yes was super cheesy, but very much needed after everyone being stuck at home for months and not being able to go to events such as this one. So it really was something to celebrate. There was also a diverse range of stalls for food and beverages from pimms, to vegan cusine to bags of sweets!
Friday night’s special guests were pop band Scouting For Girls. When the band originally formed and started to release music, I had instantly become a fan of their catchy sounds. Bringing something a little different to the sterotypical pop scene at the time their music gave this band the chance to become a fast growing success! This earned them number one singles, a triple platiunum debut album, and even brit award norminations. Band members Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard showed that they still know how to put on an excellent show. They performed songs including “Elvis Isn’t Dead”, the brilliant ballad “This Ain’t A Love Song”, “James Bond”, the very popular track “Heartbeat” and their most well known single “She’s So Lovely”, the final song of their energetic set that had everyone singing and dancing along with excitement.
Friday night’s main act was the fantastic Olly Murs! Olly shot to fame after appearing on The X Factor back in 2009. And in my opinion is one of the best contstants the show has ever seen. The singer songwriter is currently on a busy UK tour and kindly stopped by the town of Bedford for this event. I have actually seen Olly perform previously at The O2, so I can confidently say he is just one of those performers that really does give everything he has to offer into his shows. The singer has recently undergone surgery on his knee after causing an injury to himself while performing in a previous live performance and is still experiencing a lot of physical pain post surgery. Because of this, while standing in the audience of people waiting for him to take to the stage, I had heard people expressing concerns for the star’s physical well being while performing live that evening. But honestly, he still put on one amazing show! When I say amazing, I mean it really wasn’t obvious that he was performing with an injury (until he mentioned it himself on stage). Olly explained to his audience that he was in a huge amount of pain, but there was no way he was going to let it get the better of him and encouraged everyone to just keep smiling. His set was still full energy, charisma and cheeky antics.
Murs, who stood out in a bright blue tailored suit, performed many of his huge hits including “Wrapped Up”, “My Heart Skips A Beat”, “You Don’t Know Love” and “Trouble Maker”. However the singer had a few extra tricks up those blue sleeves. We we lucky enough to be treated to an absolute classic Earth Wind & Fire Medley featuring the songs “September”, “Let’s Groove” and “Boogie Wonderland”. Oh the cheesy, funky musical goodness in all it’s glory! Later in the evening Olly took the tempo down for a break to rest his poor injured knee. He sat down at the front of the stage to perform one of his biggest hits, the heartfelt “Dear Darlin”. Speaking of heartfelt, probably most poignant part of his show was something that really tugged on the heartstrings of many many people. Olly has decided that during this tour he wanted to dedicate a section of his shows to the late Caroline Flack. It is no secret that Olly and Caroline had an amazing relationship and were extremely close. So of course when the news broke of the television presenter’s sudden and tragic passing last year in February 2020, it was only natural for Olly to feel heartbroken, as many of us also were. He made the most beautiful speeches and spoke of their times together and explained that despite what the media’s harsh portrayal of her, Caroline was a very sweet person indeed. This gave Olly the perfect song choice to perform and dedicate to her. Of course this trIbute song was none other than his version of the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline”. The song alone gives out fun and bubbly vibes as people of all generations know it’s catchy lyrics. Olly was able to perform this amazing song with the true fun we know it to have, but also such emotion too as he sang to the sky. Simple, but absolutely beautiful.
The show then picked up it’s pace once more, we also got to see him perform a duet of his single “Up” which was originally recorded and released with singer Demi Lovato. Olly brought to the stage one of his backing performers to sing Demi’s sections of the track. This singer (Kirsten, I believe her name is), has only just begun to tour with Olly and his band with only one show previous to this one at Bedford Park and oh my goodness did she have such a beautiful voice and one that harmonised with and complimented Olly’s perfectly.
Having Olly Murs perform at Bedford Park Concerts really was one of the best decisions that the teams behind the event has ever made! It was such an amazing and fun night for myself, my son and my partner. We loved every moment and every act.
Let’s talk about what else Bedford Park Concerts had to offer for the rest of it’s 2021 shows! Saturday night gave the town of Bedford Cafe Mambo Ibiza! The evening was jam packed with fire dancers, laser light shows and DJ sets to give everyone the ultimate Ibiza music scene experience right on our doorstep! DJ sets saw live performances from Faithless, most well known for their hits “Insomnia”, “We Come 1” and “God Is A DJ”. Also Danny Howard who has been identified as ‘the tastemaker of his generation’ and a product for the UK dance scene, a DJ known for hosting his popular radio shows The Friday Night Show and Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1. Danny also heads his own record label. There were also performances from Hannah Wants and Bedford’s own Mark Russel. The night’s headline act was none other than legendary DJ icon Pete Tong! A name that is known all over the world in the dance music industry. He has gained recognition as the ambassador of dance music with a hugely successful career that has spanned over two decades! This really was a night to remember.
Sunday saw the final day of performances at Bedford Park for 2021. The last day of this epic four day event is always reserved for The Bedford Park Proms. The perfect occasion for all of the family to enjoy together. I love the Proms! It’s a day of classical and operatic performances by both singers and instrumentalists while we as the audience gaze in wonder while sitting on blankets eating delectable finger foods (I’m not kidding I’ve seen ticket holders preparing and enjoing lobster here before) and relaxing by a candelabra while sparkling bubbles flow nicely.
Acts during the day of the proms included Forever Tenors, a new classical pop duo who describe themselves as “full of class, elegance and vocal perfection”. Also local singer-songwriter, Joe Bygraves who made a return to the proms. He is definitely an act to keep an eye out for, I saw him perform at the proms a couple of years ago and loved his performance! The 2021 proms also got to see the return of the well loved Bedford Rock Choir. I also can’t forget to mention a performance from the talented Soprano, Victoria Joyce.
The headline act for The Bedford Park Proms was Welsh Opera singer Wynne Evans. Do you recognise that name? Wynn has had over 25 years experience as a trained Opera singer and has featured in musicals including Andrew LLoyd Webber’s The Phantom Of The Opera. Although most know him as the infamous spoof character The Go Compare Man. Yes this is the singer that kept those catchy operatic tones in our minds as we browsed the internet for car insurance. And in true traditional patriotic fashion, the proms closed with an amazing laser display and a firework spectacular. I absolutely love the Bedford Park event each year, it’s always one that I look forward to no matter who is performing. The atmosphere is both relaxed and energetic at the same time. And it really is so nice to be able to see people getting back to some sort or normality after a challenging 18 months or so. Seeing so many smiling faces is something that we have all needed to see. LPH Concerts and Events have made that happen with this fantastic weekend of joy and entertainment.
You can book your tickets for next years dates via the Bedford Park Concerts website, to get yours just head over to www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk
If you like gigs like this then the LPH Concerts and Events team are also putting on an amazing halloween event “Halloween Town Festival” which is said to the biggest halloween show in the UK. This event will be taking place at The Great Meadow in Bedford. Acts will include Craig David presents TS5 on the 29th October, Andy C on Saturday the 30th and lastly to close the halloween shows on Sunday 31st there will be performances from The Levellers plus special guests. There are still some tickets available for this awesome halloween weekend, you can purchase yours from https://halloweentownfestival.com/
