Ahoy shipmates! Bestival has only gone and ruddy done it again, a stellar line-up announcement in the middle of the dreary sludge ridden grey early days of the year, just to remind you that there’s a couple of days in September that will make everything ok. Don’t forget the theme is HMS Bestival, interpret it as you wish…
Despite some e-whingery from non-Bestivalites that the headliners aren’t to their exacting (and often hipster ‘I only like bands that no-one’s heard about) tastes, you can’t deny the pure musical royalty of the acts they’ve managed to grab. Glitter-bombing, Willy-Wonka sunglasses wearing, mad croon machine, Rocket Man Sir Elton John is to be the festival’s Sunday showcase – the absolute essence of everything Bestival, flashy, sing-along and a little bit cheesy.
Sippin’ Gin and Juice, Saturday will welcome hip hop heavyweight The D-O-double-G or Snoop Lion as he prefers to be holla’d at these days… (It’s the whole Puff Daddy, Puffy, P.Diddy crap all over again right?). Not an obvious choice to run alongside Elton, but that is probably the most perfect reason and call curator Rob Da Bank and crew could have made. That is completely the point of Bestival, and if you don’t get it, you’re wrong. However, Snoop does have a tendency to cancel shows so we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Let us not forget that the bill isn’t headliner central at Bestival, oh no, the line up is rife with talent both retro and blossoming. Where else can you kick a bit of kung-fu to the Wu-Tang Clan, then pop off for a smackerel of Sinead O’Connor? Truly, I kid thee not. Joined by the likes of M.I.A., Franz Ferdinand, The Flaming Lips (hopefully with their crowd-walking zorbing ball which looks far too fun for one man to have), Bombay Bicycle Club and Bastille, there’s enough here to keep pretty much anyone happy. Even a hardcore black metal find would find a smile in there somewhere.
Bestival stalwarts and purveyors of inappropriateness The Cuban Brothers, will be there to help you seaworthy scallywags to ‘release the kraken’ and Belle & Sebastian’s soft tones will provide the mellow side. Comically, there will also be Fleetwood Bac and a Daft Punk tribute night, for anyone who kept an eye on the festival rumours this year you’ll know why that’s giggleworthy. With DJ’s Carl Cox, Seth Troxler and DJ Yoda, as well as Scroobius Pip bringing the Satin Lizard Lounge, and a whole host of other Bestival site things to see and do, from cinemas, to roller disco, to crafts, there is always far too much to do. Head over to the Bestival website to check it all out, ya scurvy dogs! Arrr!
http://www.bestival.net/