Reviews

Wireless Festival 2014 Review: The Bruno Mars Storm!

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Summer Festival Guide parties alongside Salt-N-Pepa, Outkast, Sean Paul, Clean Bandit, Bruno Mars and over 50,000 people at Wireless Festival last Sunday. It is probably one of the biggest festivals in London and the UK in July 2014. Each year the line-up never disappoints. Summer Festival Guide headed to Finsbury Park to check out over 30 acts across three stages including Ellie Goulding, Naughty Boy, Rixton, Clean Bandit, Outkast or the headline for Sunday Bruno Mars.

Created in 2005, set across three days in two different locations (Birmingham and Finsbury Park), the Wireless festival organized and managed by Livenation attracts HUGE names, different genres and all sorts of audience. One stage you’re jumping along with Raileigh Christie, and the next you’re skaking and waving with Salt-n-pepa. The choice is great and yours.

I start my journey from the Pepsimax Stage looking forward to Raleigh Ritchie. DJ Westwood is doing an amazing job with the warm up. Raleigh Ritchie arrives like a storm directing at the audience “Today, we’re gonna do a lot of jumping” and we do. I left after the crowd pleaser track “Stronger than ever”.  Raleigh Ritchie has lots of energy and great interaction with the audience, mainly due to his acting career (Acting name: Jacob Anderson). I meet him later for a chat in the Wireless VIP office. Leaving the Pepsimax Stage, I noticed one of the grossest things|: the urinals are next to the stage as if guys need to hear live music to pee. This is very unpractical, gross and quite disgusting as long as the day progresses. I can’t understand why Livenation agreed to have two major spots of urinals near stages as families walk around and young girls walk around to navigate from stage to stage. Stopping by the Main Stage, Alexa Goddard is singing “Marilyn” The singer signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation record later earlier this year.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Andrew Whitton

In the VIP area, Rixton, John Newman, Neon Jungle and Dominique Young Unique were interviewed and photographed in the dedicated Wireless area. The place is quite buzzing with new and fresh acts.

Heading back to the Main Stage, Salt-N-Pepa is now performing and what a performance. If the American hip hop trio from New York is in the UK every 10 years, please let me sign right now. The sun is shining in Finsbury but they definitely bring the heat! They are engaging, sexy, funny and very happy to be there. They start thanking their 70s babies, 90s babies and the ladies singing a cover Arrested Development “Everyday People”. Everyone is bouncing, waving and singing. Next, it is a tribute to old school hip hop mixing new tunes like Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”, “Shoop” and “Shake your thang”. They continue with the Ultimate classic “Let’s talk about”. Cheryl James a.k.a Salt is wearing a clear skater skirt and a Salt-n-Pepa T-shirt with a gold belt whereas Sandra Denton a.k.a Pepa is wearing sexy black trousers withSalt-n-Pepa t-shirt with a tight ponytail. Deidra Roper or DJ Spinderella is in the back all in black.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Fesitval – Jenna Foxton

DJ Spinderella is in da house and is working the next dance session tracks starting with Montell Jordan “This is how we do it”. The two dancers on stage with Salt-N-Pepa are amazing: wearing red caps, Adidas tracksuits and Salt-n-Pepa t-shirts, they really interact the audience and show us some great moves. Asking all the ladies to “Shake their booties” on Sugarhill Gang Apache’s “Jump On It”. The next track starts with old school hard rock songs like: “Smells like a teen spirit” by Nirvana, “Sweet Child of Mine” of Guns N’ Roses with everyone going crazy on air guitar! “What a Man” is next for all the good men in the world. The last song had Beyonce’s “Run the World” as an intro but as soon as Salt-N-Pepa put their American Football jacket on, the crowd knew it was time for “Push It”.

After a really great time dancing and bouncing with Salt, Pepa and DJ Spinderella, I am heading back to the food section for a late lunch. Once again there is a great choice, from Lebanese Street food to Hot Chocolate station: Everything is set for to please all pallets and wallets. The Fresh Lemonade stand is having amazing success. My advice is to follow the queue! Water points are also available and in abundance. There is 2 tobacco shops with rainbow benches and a Medicine man truck where you can find sun cream, Anadin, paracetamol, cough medicine, sunglasses and even condoms.

By the time I am the VIP section to meet with Clean Bandit, John Newman is singing, “Love me again”.  The Cirque du Soir entertainment is in full swing and the fire pizza stall has great success. It also smells Churros and Ben and Jerries’ van is popular as well. Heading to the Boombox Stage for Rixton: They are performing “Make out” and the crowd is very excited with lots of girl fans screaming. After Jake Roche wished a Happy Birthday to a fan they finished the show with their star main song “Me and my Broken Heart” – the ultimate crowd pleaser. The four-member Mancunian band is charming, cheeky and full of energy on stage.

On the way to Pepsi Max Stage, J. Cole is rapping “Crooked Smile” on the Main Stage. Dj Westwood is entertaining the crowd and asks to “scream for Clean Bandit”. Everyone is waiting for Clean Bandit now: Grace Chatto, all dressed in white is coming first playing cello. Followed by Milan Neil Amin-Smith playing the Violin and Luke and Jack Patterson on the drums and keyboard. Jess Glyne arrives first for “A+E” joined soon by guest Elisabeth Troy for “Heart on fire”. Another guest, Florence Rawlings comes on stage for “Extraordinary”. I had to leave before they performed by favourite track “Rather Be” but I really don’t want to miss Ellie Goulding concert. I arrive just in time for the last song of her show “Burn”. She is playing the guitar, wearing a flowery short and a crop top. Her performance is sincere, emotional and strong.

Going back to the VIP section, Le Cirque du Soir is still there entertaining the crowd and the food stalls are busy. John Newman and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule from Rizzle Kicks are chatting. I am now getting ready for Sean Paul back in the Pepsimax Stage. In front row, a group of ladies are waving Jamaican flags and DJ Westwoodis getting everyone hysterical. The show starts with two dancers wearing ethnic print latex jumpsuits. Followed by Diplo and Major Lazers, the tone is set. Sean Paul, proud with his Mohawk hairstyle,starts the show with “Temperature” and “Get Busy”. Bouncing, Jumping and dancing with a towel flying in the air, he gets the crowd crazy. After 30mns: direction the Boombox Stage to catch the end ofIndiana’s performance. The twenty five year old singer-songwriter Indiana has a very fragile and emotional voice, with interesting arrangements and lyrics. Unfortunately, It is quite quiet and the venue is nearly empty because people are gathering around the Main Stage for Outkast. They are reuniting to celebrate their 20th anniversary and they have not performed in the UK since 2002 and fans have been waiting for the gig! Andre 3000 is wearing a white wig beany, a black t-shirt with “I’ve never been to Africa” and Big Boi is wearing a cap, a gold chain and a black tracksuit. They performed their biggest hits like “Roses”, Mrs Jackson” and “Hey Ya”. One of the main disappointments is the lack or organization and aggression from Livenation security team. They seem to be more obsessed about the badge color to get to VIP areas rather than the actual safety of people. A group of young people notices a gap in the barriers and manages to get in the premises without passes. Security paid attention to the issue after 30 minutes. In the “In Da Zone” section, some celebrities like Tristan Wilds get the access denied and watch the show with the rest of us. Jade Thirwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix snubbed fans to get their own seats in the pitch area as they only have “in da zone” passes.

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Rachael Wright

On my way to Pepsimax stage, I stopped by the main Wireless Bar, the entire staff is singing and dancing on “Hey Ya” and really enjoying the show.The gig is disturbed by the heavy rain so everyone tries to find shelter and umbrellas. Before Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke is playing the piano for bluesy version of “Too Little, too late” inPepsiMax Stage. After each song, he is claiming his love to his wife Paula Patton, which is quite boring and intense. The next song is “Lock the door” showing his powerful and amazing vocal range.Robin Thicke is a great surprise as most of the crowd appreciates his talents as a songwriter, musician and singer. The blues and soul band behind him and the two back up singers really bring his songs to live giving a new dimension to the lyrics. The last song “Get her back” is dedicated, with no surprise, to his wife.

Passing by the tobacco shop near Boombox Stage, Naughty Boy is playing their last track “La La La”. By that time the rain just stops for Bruno Mars amazing performance. What a performer! He just does not disappoint. He even gets better with time! Arriving on stage wearing a white hat with a red flower, ethnic shirt and tight black trousers, he is followed by the Hooligans.

Phillip Lawrence from the Hooligans is next. Wearing round glasses, a black hat and red animal print shirt and black trousers.The Hooligans, they just mean business and start with the “Lazy song” with a ska twist. We are here for a great show. Bruno Mars starts talking to the impatient audience “London how you feel? London can we see your dance?” They sing, “Treasure” encouraging people to clap and bounce while displaying some serious foot action and choreography. We are on our feet!! Bruno definitely brings back the sun in London. Playing now the guitar for a “Money Medley”, he is singing “Money, that’s what I want” which brings us back to the cool 50s rock years for a few moments before switching to “I want to be a billionaire” with a reggae edge mixed up with “I need a dollar” of Aloe Blacc. At the end of the song, he finishes acapella twisting the lyrics with an English accent “I want to be a billionaire, so bloody bad” which the crowd absolutely loved. 

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Danny North

Asking the audience to move our bodies side to side slowly on “Out first time”. His vocal range reminds us of Michael Jackson. A beautiful rainbow is surrounding the Main Stage, which adds to the performance and mood. It is the calm before the storm as the crowd scream on the first notes of “Marry you” followed a cover of “Walk with you” of Michael Jackson before an emotional and genuine interpretation of “When I was your man”.  After a long and amazing piano intro from Phredley Brown, Bruno Mars sings a rock version of “Grenade” followed by “Just the way you are”. Bruno Mars is now playing drums before “ Locked out of Heaven” which put an end with fireworks to the show. Bruno Mars is always praised for his retro showman and generosity on stage. With the help of the Hooligans and choreographed dancing arrangements, mellow and soft interludes, fantastic, fancy and slick footwork inspired by James Brown, we had a fantastic time. What an end of this three-day festival. See you next year Wireless!

Sonisphere Review 2014

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Sonisphere made a triumphant return after being cancelled for the past two years, due to a mix of financial problems, getting the right line up and bad luck. So this year it was time for Sonisphere to pick back up and the people of Sonisphere to finally reunite. A weekend of The Prodigy, Iron Maiden, Metallica from fist pumping to moshing, circle pits to expensive beer, dam good burritos, disgusting toilets and pretty good weather these past few days have been incredible. 

The layout of this years main arena was a fantastic and cleaver set up with the two main stages (Apollo stage and Saturn stage) opposite each other, being such a small festival fans could easily move from one to another within a few minutes. If stood in between the two stages there were some spots which you could see both stages from a reasonable distance. I believed this helped promote the bands on the second stage (Saturn stage) more as it wasn't any effort to switch between the two stages. To walk around the whole festival aswell has having a cheeky look into some of the market stalls it would take around ten minutes. 

The market and food stalls have an excellent selection to choose from. The market stalls include festival clothes, festival gear, temporary tattoos, face paint, shoe stalls, as well as tones more. Food wise, Sonisphere went a little on the gourmet/ bohemian style food, with the desert bar, the Hippy chippy, I <3 Ostrich and Milkshake bars. However there has been an uproar on the expense of the beer. Being at £4.90 a pint and allowing no alcohol of your own into the main area this proved to be a disappointment to the people of Sonisphere. 

Friday
Tents up and the sun shining Defiled kicking off this years main stage, this wasn't there only slot, they also performed Nivarna covers on the Bohemia stage later on in the weekend. Next up Anti Flag, who enticed the audience by making them sing back, clap their hands, and of course start circle pits. Without a doubt Anti Flags audience participation was defiantly there. As well as getting the crowd involved witty banter from lead singer Chris Baker shouts "the mother fucking pink power ranger wasn't singing, don't you dare fuck this up for the rest of us." Their last song 'Power to the Peaceful' was performed with Chris surrounded by the crowd. HIM singing behind their signature brand image, I believe there could of been more enthusiasm from the band it's self as there was very little audience participation which let there performance down. Limp Bizkit started out by saying "Now you know what time it really fucking is? Limp Bizkit in the house, you ready for this" 'Rollin' starting their set everyone stood up and began moshing and head banging. A lot of toilet roll was thrown around the crowd, was this a sign of a bad performance or just typical festival discourse? Awkwardly saying it was Saturday when in fact it was Friday, there were a few other blips throughout the set. "You guys ready to get you're Saturday night on?" Left the crowd a little silent and confused. But this was styled out with a cover of George Michael's Faith. To finish was the first headliner of the weekend, The Prodigy. Lights and smoke filled the stage, building the suspense for the fans. The atmosphere was electrifying, hands were in the air, everyone was dancing, and when it begin to rain during the second song this was a massive relief (especially to the sunburnt people) after the insanely hot weather that whole day. Thunder was slowed down and changed to fit the crowd which was good as it was a metal festival but made Prodigy loose abit of its originality.  

Saturday 
Alestorm took the Saturn stage early this morning and with pirate metal being such a niche market the turn out was pretty big. Fans embraced the music and danced to fit the genre. Alestorms advice to the crowd was "Let's drink a lot of shit." Baby Metal blew everyone away at this years festival, if they were to receive a on award from the crowds feedback, it would defiantly be most upcoming band of the year. The three sweet Japanese young looking trio contrasted with the hard metal instrumental but it worked and was a fantastic performance that everyone couldn't stop talking about and was singing the whole weekend. The bands visuals spoke of no bullying and not hurting one another this may have been contradictory after the trio then told the crowd to do the wall of death. Ghost gave out a passionate performance and excelled on there on stage presence which the band is recognised for. Lead singer Papa Emeritus mimics the Roman Catholic Pope although the greatest difference is the anti Christ symbol on his head piece, the image representing the worship of Satan. The guitarist were also dressed mimicking Priest. Anthrax turn out was pretty much the same as an a headliner maybe this is a hint for Sonisphere in the future, but this wasn't there only set, on Friday they played their 'Playing Among the Living' on the Bohemia Stage but the tent was packed full the security had to monitor people going in and out of the tent. Their main stage performance, the crowd was really going for it. Sonisphere sure did love Anthrax. Deftones and Slayer both had similar audience engagement, everyone was moshing, circle pits were forming and head banging was taken place which concluded these two bands really pulled it off. If you weren't in an Iron Maiden top for today then you would stick out like a saw thumb because literally everyone had them on. Overhearing a lot of people talking about Bruce Dickinson and were jokes going round that every plane that flew past, it was Bruce flying it, (even if it was an easy jet plane.) To end the day of this crazy line up, Iron Maiden took the stage and completely ripped it apart. The visuals were continuously changed throughout the set, with Eddie in his few forms. "It's you that's makes it real" Bruce proposes to the crowd. Lights, fire, sparks, everything and more in a performance you could wish for, this was by far the performance that completely owned this years Sonisphere.
 
Sunday
Sadly the last day of Sonisphere, but the wait for Metallica tonight was sure to hold the crowd up from their hangovers. After Gojira noticed the crowds half hearted dancing (as this was an early set,) they soon got the crowd back up, by shouting, "Still a little sleepy, let's makes some noise," which woke the crowd up and circle pits started appearing and more fist pumping was taking place. Devin Townsend Project was all about the love at this years Sonisphere as he told the crowd, "Group hug everybody, it's all about the love." Devin pulled off a fantastic performance and even hinted he may be back next year. "Maybe see you next year, love you all, see you and have a good night." Airbourne hitting the stage next and we all know this is going to be an exciting performance after the expectations of Joel O'Keefee goings on, on stage. Airbourne completely took the stage and had everyone gripped. "Even though the toilets are leaking, you lot still having a good time…You lot look great, you are rock and roll." As of tradition Joel did start climbing the scaffolding of the main stage and began to swing his guitar about whilst up in the air. At the end of the set Joel kindly threw a few beers into the crowd. Reel Big Fish on next, the crowd did experience about a minute worth of sound missing from the main speakers but the bands humour and charm pulled this off. The song 'Fuck You', resulted in "47 fucks in a row." Everyone was soon up singing and dancing when they played a cover of Ah Ha's Take On Me. Alice in Chains on before the final headliner of Soniphere was another kickass performance. "How you doing Knebworth?" got the crowd buzzing and was a consistent performance from start to finish. Wrapping up this years Sonisphere Metallica held the fans waiting a eager 15 minutes after their scheduled time. This really built up the climax to the final big performance. Typically some great facial expressions from James Hetfield as they played fans request for the set list. The bands classics were played along with their new songs Lords of Summer which seems a little strange that this was requested, but the bands performance was truly astonishing. The visuals and props were a little disappointing at the beginning but this got better as balloons and lasers appeared later on in the set. 

This years Sonisphere was a thrilling return and a complete success. Lets hope Sonisphere lives up to its amazing weekends like this one for the future. 

Blissfields 2014 festival review

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If you’re more into smaller festivals than the larger, more commercial events then Blissfields festival, set in the heart of rural Hampshire is a definite a must-visit. This year’s festival took place on 3rd July to the 5th and it certainly didn’t disappoint, with a line-up including headline acts from American pop-punk band Sleigh bells and hit-spinning brothers 2manydjs.

With only 4,000 people attending, the atmosphere at the festival was extremely chilled out and family-friendly. When we arrived, we were impressed with the laid-back, hippy atmosphere and how much was on offer, especially considering how tiny the festival was. Wandering around the small site, we soon realised that the festival wasn’t completely all about the music, although the line-up was pretty impressive for such a small get-up. There was so much to do and even if you wanted to come for the day and didn’t end up watching any music at all, you still wouldn’t get bored. Whilst exploring over the weekend we managed to fit in playing a free game of golf, staring in wonder at the several birds of prey that were on display (you could pay a few quid to hold them), watched a mesmerizing fire-show, sat in the audience of a wood-sawing show (the end product ended up being a carefully carved owl) and wandered through the many tiny vintage shops that were selling a large variety of trinkets and embroidered goods.

On Friday afternoon, whilst we munched on Jamaican jerk chicken from one of the many small food stalls available, we sat and enjoyed the soothing vocals from singer-song writer Nick Mulvey on the main stage. He finished off his enjoyable set with a warm, grateful departure, bidding to the audience ‘See you soon, see you at another festival!’. Next up was a vibrant performance from Tune-Yards who impressed with their drummy, electric-bass fuelled set.

Nick Mulvey

As the afternoon rolled into evening, we enjoyed a performance from British singer-song writer Dan Croll whose relaxing vocals were perfect for the chilled-out crowd who were by now swaying in time to the music in the early evening. One song that stood out particularly was the soothing ‘Maway’ from his debut album ‘Sweet Disarray’.

Next up on the main stage was indie quartet band Spector who livened up the crowd with hits from their first album ‘Enjoy it while it lasts’ including ‘Twenty-nothing’ and finished off with an emotional performance of their single ‘Never fade away’, prompting synchronised clapping and swaying from the audience.

By the time Sleigh bells were headlining the main stage, the earlier sunny weather had turned into drizzly rain. This however, didn’t appear to bother the crowds, and the noise-pop duo brought in a sizeable crowd who danced their way throughout the energetic set. Vocalist Alexis Krauss was most humble, exclaiming several times what a great audience the crowd were, and how they had no idea what to expect. They gave a great performance mingling and interacting with the crowd, with Alexis even joining an ecstatic audience in the crowd, putting on a fantastic show and proving their worthy title as Friday’s headline act.

Sleigh bells

With music from the main stage finished for the evening, we decided to explore many of the other stages. We enjoyed the electric atmosphere and performances in several tents that were open late-night, such as The Hustle Den and the Hidden Hedge, which was open to 4am for the party animals out there. However the artists that really impressed from the smaller venues was the exceptionally quirky Electric Swing Circus in The Larch, an intimate tent venue slightly more closed off from the rest of the festival. The six-piece electric swing band excited the crowd with their lively set, encouraging pretty much every person in the tent to dance along, many even attempting to swing-dance with both friends and strangers alike. When they played childhood classic ‘Everybody wants to be a cat’ featured in Disney’s aristocrats, the crowd really let loose, with many singing along to the old classic.  

Feeling slightly worse for wear on the Saturday, we headed straight to the main stage to listen to an early set from DJ Little Chief as we sat on the grass lining our stomachs for the day with bacon rolls from a quirky café stall. Next we enjoyed a set from London-based band Famy who kicked start the afternoon, impressing with their hammering rock tunes.

Famy

The rest of the day was spent more fairly laid back than the Friday, soaking up the hippy atmosphere, people watching and getting involved in many of the daytime activities on offer. However, there was one act we were sure not to miss and that was 2manydjs incredible headline set on the main stage. Brothers David and Stephen Dewaele set the place alight, mixing up hits from the likes of MGMT, causing the huge crowd to go absolutely mental, and finishing off our experience at Blissfields on a fantastic high.

2manydjs

Written by Ellie Swain

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Photos by Heather Berrisford

Hideout Festival 2014 Croatia Review

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Hideout Festival; a sun-drizzled Croatian exploit that welcomes an influx of avid music lovers to its beaches annually, the promise of sun, boat parties and beats enticing a plethora of clubbers and DJs alike. Croatia is now home to an abundance of festivals, including both Dimensions and Outlook, yet Hideout is one of the first to see the strobe lights, decks and welcome ravers to the country. Held over Zcre beach, the four day festival promises an unforgettable time – and this year? It couldn’t have got any better.

Now in its 4th year, 2014 played host to over 60 world class DJs, providing a fantastic line-up for any raver; from Maceo Plex to MK to David Rodigan, there was a different vibe at every set. The huge stages of Papaya, Calypso and Aquarius provided immense pool parties in the day, to deep and exotic raves during the night, playing right up until sunrise – and even then, the crowd would keep chanting for one more song, never once wanting the night to end; this is Hideout Festival, after all.

Monday:

From wherever you leave from in the UK, it’s a long distance to travel – be it by coach or plane, it’s a bit of a tricky location, and everyone we spoke to seemed to have had a similar problem. However, arriving on the Thursday in Zagreb gave us a little time to really explore the beauty of Croatia, and with pre-parties in abundance, we were never short on things to do. We headed to the Doorly boat party Sunday evening, who blasted track after track on a four hour boat ride; if this was anything to go by, then the rest of the week was bound to be spectacular.

Opening day saw a realm of acts ready to build up the festival; the likes of Cassy and Apollonia provided a chasm of deep house interludes, alongside an atmospherically rich display of beats that certainly got fists pumping throughout the day. A surprising highlight came from Berlin based duo Tale of Us; the pair eased the crowd into their day-closing set, playing a mix of slow, deep tech that paved the way for a more up-tempo sound. We stood at the front of the pool, the sun beaming down in an incredible atmosphere that validated the duo as a superb and intense pair that evoked the crowd into a truly euphoric wave. As they entailed Josh Winks ‘Are you there’ within their set, their versatile range and combination of tech house and pure techno worked wonderfully, and the crowd was certainly warmed up and ready for the evening ahead.

As night fell, it was London based quartet Rudimental that were first to take the headline spot. You couldn’t help but feel they were the odd ones out at this festival; their mainstream, chart-topping genre ranges from soft drum and bass to garage – much different in contrast to many of the other tech/house acts present. There were whispers of disappointment amidst the crowd that this was a DJ set rather than a live performance, but as soon as they stormed onto the heaving stage of Aquarius at a peak time of 3am, this was all forgotten. From a previously solemn crowd, it was incredible to see the transformation the arena had undergone; an atmospheric buzz of hysteria and excitement drove the crowd into a frenzy as classics such as ‘Not Giving In’ and ‘Waiting all night’ were performed, with a sudden blend of jungle breakbeats and even a hint of motown validating them as one of the UK’s greatest breakthrough acts of recent years. Their stage presence and energy was automatically intense from the word go, and they showed a real passion for their music throughout the set. The climax of the event was when ‘Feel the love’ began to play, and a saxophone player hit the stage to play to the revel of waiting and enthusiastic fans simply lapping up every minute; Rudimental had certainly put on a hard act to follow, and I highly recommend anyone to see them if they get the chance.

Tuesday:

After a stuffy and rowdy shuttle bus, we arrived at Zcre beach early to take in most acts of the day. Hot Creation’s wAFF was one of the first to open Papaya; only in his early 20’s, he certainly proved to have talent beyond his years as he played track after track of up-tempo beats that kept a clearly hung-over crowd alive and excited. I stood alone at the front of the stage, and was amazed to see within minutes that crowds began to surplus forward and join me in excitement, ultimately awakening as Infinity Ink hit the stage. The duo put on a fantastic performance, the sunlight and visuals surrounding the stage being perfectly in sync with the beats, adding yet another dimension to an experience you can’t get anywhere else but a festival like Hideout.  Guti and tINI similarly put on a flawless performance over at the Aquarius pool, which is nothing unexpected from the Desolat artists. They thoroughly dominated the stage, providing a non-stop combination of Guti’s Latin tech side with tINI’s deep indulging sounds, both making use of vinyls in a dynamic, exciting and fluid set that most DJs strive to achieve.

As day became night, and another sterling appearance from Tale of Us, It was Maceo Plex who closed the Papaya stage at an ideal 4am slot. Maceo immediately launched into lavishly layered beats as his main synth developed slowly, experimenting into a more tribal style that echoed intensely throughout the coliseum-like stage. Known for his dark material, the audience certainly lapped up the set with ease. There was a slight air of disappointment that like many DJs present, Maceo chose not to play any of his own productions within his set, to which I overheard a few mumbles of frustration. However, with a stellar and liberating set such as this, it wasn’t too much of an issue for the Ellum Audio boss, and the focus on the quality of the set was certainly not lost.

Wednesday:

As day 3 of the festival arrived, we chose to go on a boat party; as many party-goers said to us, this is certainly the best way to see your favourite artists in such a close proximity. We opted to go on the Digital Soundboy boat. Shy FX, Stamina MC / B-Traits and Dismantle all played back to back, playing an absolutely brilliant and colourful drum and bass set with favourites such as Golddust, Somebody New and My Bassline, and finishing off with Celebration by Kool and the Gang – not something you’d expect from Digital Soundboy, but the masses absolutely lapped it up and it was ultimately one of the highlights of the week.  

Back on the beach, and the pioneer of ska, reggae and dancehall sounds took to the Aquarius Pool to show the crowd that even after four decades, he still knows how it’s done; this was David Rodigan MBE, an icon in his own right. He unleashed his long-anticipated reggae magic to an awaiting crowd, with songs such as Toots & They Maytals ’54-56 was my number’ echoing in the arena, Rodigan stopping swiftly to say: “GIMME SOME SIGNAL!’ to a crowd that most definitely responded. It was a bizzare change of pace to the festival, but the crowd were simply amalgamated by Rodigan’s pure passion, extenuating why he is such a figurehead within the reggae scene today.

After a swift and exciting ride on a jet ski – just one of the great activities available on Zcre beach – we saw a plethora of artists that certainly secured their place on the lineup. Justin Martin and Waifs and Strays delivered a delicious house set at Kalypso, with Dense and Pika nicely closing the Papaya pool for the day. But as night came, it certainly belonged to one man. As Loco Dice took to the Papaya stage at 3am, the Desolat guru proved to be the highlight of the evening. With a warm progression of deep beats bellowing through the crowd, the German maesto blended an abundance of deep and dark sounds, including Radio Slave ‘The Clone Wars’ and Jimmy Edgars ‘Strike’ to perfection. The set staggered primarily between tech house and pure techno, with impressive and ambitious build-ups that are unparalleled by any DJ that I’ve witnessed throughout the week.

Thursday:

The final day of the festival saw a sea of hangovers attempting one last final push as the sunny week drew to a close; house giant MK took to the Papaya stage at 5pm, Hideout being one of many on his list of festivals through the year. Ever the crowd pleaser, MK made sure to mix his own songs such as Burning and Look Right Through to a screaming, wild and absolutely heaving crowd. It was a certainly a different scene at the pool today; underwear was thrown. A home made banner was held up. Screams could be heard for miles. MK was certainly making his mark on the festival, in a much different way than anyone else had this week. But oddly enough, the set made for an incredible time, and everyone I spoke to said it was one of the best they’d seen all week.

After a plethora of fantastic acts, it was time for Surrey dance duo Disclosure to take the main stage at Papaya. The queue reached far beyond the arena, with hundreds of moaning and disgruntled fans having to turn away and opt for another venue. But inside, the towering projections of the glorious Disclosure signature were morphing into animation, as the pairs set effortlessly took off, much to the pleasure of the fans that had queued for so long to see them. Across the previous year, Disclosure have cemented their name firmly within the charts, and it’s easy to appreciate why; effortless songs such as ‘Latch’ and ‘You and Me’ are pure lyrical gems, and when played cause an eclipse of singing voices hitting a hollow of incomparable intensity. The crowd were full of smiles as hit after hit was played, blended with upbeat dancefloor hits that proved the pinnacle of Disclosure’s success; the boys certainly put on a fantastic show, and one that was certainly worth the wait.

Berlin based DJ Scuba played the final set of the weekend at Kalypso, a much darker contrast to previous acts across the day. With deep emphatic songs such as Dense and Pika’s ‘Black Deep’ and Pele & Shawnecy  ‘You And Me’ mixed with ease, Scuba certainly bid the crowd a good morning as the sun began to rise in the distance in an irresistible environment of a rave. Scuba’s distinctive vibes combined with drum sounds was almost euphoric, and the sunrise revealing the realities of everyone’s weird faces around us was almost brushed aside. He was certainly leading the pack, and closing down what had been one of the most unforgettable, intense and impressive festivals we had the pleasure of attending.

All in all, it’s certainly been a prosperous journey for Hideout; celebrating its 4th anniversary, this year’s line-up was essentially a who’s who of the most relevant house and bass acts all over the world. With a bungee jump, a clear sea, a revel of party goers and DJ’s to match, it certainly delivered an experience above and beyond my expectations, and one that has proved to be absolutely unforgettable. 

Metallica Review Sonisphere 2014

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After the incredible performance from Iron Maiden last night, can Metallica generate the same results?  With the crowds pouring towards the Apollo Stage and people packed tightly together, this long weekend was tiring but everyone was so ready for this grande finale of Metallica By Request. Part of their 'By Request' tour allowed fans to vote the set.

Starting the set with "Battery" this got the crowd going wild. "Are you alive, tell me what it's like to be alive?" Screamed lead singer James Hetfield making the crowd roar with excitement. The visuals included three different screens showing the band live as they play. This was a little disappointing, however this was only the start and it sure kicked off in the end with giant inflatable beach balls filling the main stage, lasers hitting the night sky, fireworks and the whole shabang. "You've saved all your best fun for tonight right?" James shouts, getting the crowd revved up again.

James called someone up on stage which was pretty exciting and asked them to present the next song. Up came a bohemian looking chic Kate from London who introduced the next song but the crowd had a different idea and she did get a few boos. This happened a second time with a gentleman called Craig also from London, but again this didn't go down too well with the crowd.

Photo courtesy of Sonisphere

But of course Metallica being Metallica easily pulled this off and got the crowd back on track. Most of the favourites songs were played such as "Enter Sandman", "Master of Puppets", "Nothing Else Matters", and strangely "Lords of Summer", one of the bands new songs, which was pretty surprising that it got requested.  

After a short encore and the crowd crying out for more they returned on stage and ended with "Seek and Destroy". Hanging about the stage for quite a while with Union Jack flags the band was messing about abit but then disappeared. Metallica and Iron Maiden are clearly equally as talented but in terms of performance, the visuals and effort but in of the presentation of the performance it has to be Iron Maiden trumps as headliner of the weekend at Sonisphere.

Open’er Festival Review 2014

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Set in a military airfield base Open’er Festival is spread across 4 days hosting an array of international artists along with some renowned Polish bands. Uniquely set up, the festival has everything laid out on the edges of the site, leaving plenty of space to relax and explore. Taking full advantage of it’s airfield location, the festival showcases all sorts of entertainment from fashion shows to the silent disco in the elusive bunkers, and if bunkers don’t appeal to you then you can choose between the festivals five stages to listen to your favourite bands. 

The best thing about most European festivals is that they don’t start until later in the day, so if (like me) you’re a tourist from another land, you’ve got time to explore what the city has to offer. The free shuttle bus service runs every few minutes, so no long waits to get you to and from the site! The journey into Gdynia city centre takes around 15 minutes and once in town it’s a 10 minute walk to the beach from where you can explore the town or simply relax on the beach.

Arriving on site I was greeted by a number of food and drinks outlets along with an official merchandise outlet. Sponsored by Heineken the festival has plenty of beer on tap, but if Heineken isn’t your chosen tipple then there are other options including Desperados and Guinness, both on tap along with a wine stall. The downside is that you can’t drink alcohol near the stages. Restricted to the food and drinks court, you can sip on a pint whilst listening to your favourite band from a distance. It’s not all bad as it not only keeps the site clean but also invites you to spend time in other areas of the site.

The main stage, also known as the Open’er stage is where the headliners perform, and to kicks things off on day one was Interpol. Playing to an energetic audience they started things off with Say Hello To The Angels, followed by Evil, C’Mere and finishing their set with Slow Hands. And whilst Interpol were finishing up their set Metronomy were taking to the tent stage. Making my way to the tent I was greeted by I’m Aquarius, followed by Reservoir and The Upsetter. 

Next up on the Open’er stage were The Black Keys who played a stellar set of songs from all of their albums including their earlier hits Strange Times, The Next Girl, to their latest track Fever. And if that wasn’t enough they came back on stage for an encore and finished with Little Black Submarines and I Got Mine. Closing day one was Haim on the tent stage and Foster the People on Open’er. It wasn’t long into Haim’s set when members of the crowd began shouting out ‘Marry Me’ to which the band members responded with ‘yes, we’ll come to Poland to find our husbands’. Playing all the hits from their debut album they ended with The Wire and Let Me Go. And as the sun settled over the airfield Foster the People ended day one with an hour and a half performance including Best Friend, Coming of Age, Ask Yourself and the much loved summer track Pumped Up Kicks. 

Photo courtesy of Opener.pl

Day two saw the likes of MGMT, The Afghan Whigs, Jaguar Ma, Rudimental and headliners Pearl Jam take to the stages. Paying tribute to the late Bobby Womack The Afghan Whigs covered the classic Across 110th Street. 

Pearl Jam were by far the highlight of the night with a 23 strong song set list starting with Better Man followed by Even Flow, Jeremy and Alive. Pulling in the biggest crowd Eddie Vedder did not disappoint leaving the crowd hyped up and wanting more.

A tough headliner to follow, the penultimate day saw Jack White headline, but not before Foals played an impressive set which provoked an equally impressive mosh pit. Buzzing from their electric performance I headed straight to the Alter stage to check out newcomers Royal Blood. The duo, aided with just a drum kit and guitar sent the crowd into a frenzy, and if their show is anything to go by then these guys are the ones to watch out for. 

Playing songs from his new album Lazaretto, Jack White kicked off his set with High Ball Stepper, and for anyone wanting to hear some track from The White Stripes then you were in luck as he rocked out to Icky Thump along with Seven Nation Army. The night came to an end when Lykke Li entertained the crowd. Unfortunately her set was suddenly cut short, but not before playing hit single Gunshot and I Never Learn.

Photo courtesy of Opener.pl

The fourth and final day at Open’er did not disappoint. Saving the best headliner to last – Faith No More. But before they took to the stage The Horrors opened the main stage, pulling in the smallest crowd. Unimpressed with their set, revellers flocked to the Here and Now stage to check out Hip Hop artist Pusha T, who delivered a much more energetic performance to a small but content crowd.

Debuting two new songs on a white stage filled with flowers, Faith No More were victorious in their headline set, returning for an encore that included Failing To Pieces, Matador and We Care A Lot. And whilst the rockers had pulled in the largest crowd for the whole weekend Bastille entertained an equally modest crowd on the Here and Now Stage covering TLC’s No Scrubs and ending with Pompeii. 

And for those that could pull themselves away from Bastille and head to the tent were greeted with an extra long set from Warpaint. Rounding off this years Open’er festival was Phoenix who played an electric set including hits Lasso and Rome.

I left Open’er feeling very content that I’d witnessed some of the most amazing acts, consumed enough Heineken to last a life time. This festival is all about quality music and it shows, here’s hoping thats next years line up will be just as good!

Iron Maiden Review at Sonisphere 2014

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Stamping his mark early today Bruce Dickinson flew his WW1 plane around the festival which hypnotized the crowd, this surly got Sonisphere ready for Iron Maiden's two hour set. Different to the spitfire flying across at last years Download although this year Bruce flew himself. Iron Maiden tops worn by every other person today proved the people of Sonisphere were very excited about this set. The bands opening started with the screens showing ice burgs which had a link to there wintery stage set visuals. "Start Moon Child" kicked off the set and kicked off the crowd as well. Backdrops were different to each song and signature Eddie appeared in his few different forms. One being with his head blow off and fire coming out to top off Iron Maiden's, Iron Maiden. A few other of their hits kept the crowd engaged from the start to finish of the set; 'Can I Play With Madness', 'Aces High', 'Seven Sun of the Seven Suns' and lastly but certainly not least, 'Sanctuary'. Fire, bright lights, sparks and fireworks fled the stage all the way though the set making it even more spectacular than it was. The bands image was interesting as they wore there own merchandise tops so they pretty much matched the crowd. Nearly everyone was singing along, even children which proves Iron Maiden's legacy to carry on this timeless, classic band to even noughties / teenies kids. This by far was he best performance seen at Sonisphere so far, can anyone else pull this off on Sunday?

Photo courtesy of Sonisphere

Sonisphere 2014 Saturday brings a mix of acts to Knebworth

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Sonisphere wasn't shy to mix up the line up they had in store today. Starting with Ale Storm from 11.35am, an early start for an incredible turn out. Many pirate dance moves later "Lets drink a lot of drink." Shouts LEAD. Followed by sound checks in Japanese ready for Baby Metal to hit the stage for their first UK tour, the performance surly had a complete different feel compared to what is usually played. Baby Metal kicked off there set with a star war themed visuals with a narrator telling a fictional story about the band. Next up was Chas and Dave, then Ghost with Antherax and Frank Turner following behind. Although Frank Turner claimed "This music is what I fucking come from" after him mentioning he grew up listening to Iron Maiden. None of these bands even touch on a similar genre type but I guess the one thing they all have in common was there invitation to perform here. So, was this the weirdest binary of sets Sonisphere has ever had?

Photo courtesy of Sonisphere

Rudimental and Kanye West review at Wireless 2014 – Saturday

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As Saturday rolls around, its been raining overnight in London but as the afternoon hits, the clouds slowly make way for sun as we hit Finsbury Park for Wireless Festival again.  As Drake cancelled, Kanye West will once again headline the London leg of Wireless and after yesterdays performance, we were hoping he might take note of the negative reviews and change things up today.

Running slightly late, a jewel encrusted mask wearing Kanye West kicks off with “Black Skinhead” and then into “I Don’t Like”.  Kanye changes things up to pay tribute to Drake who can’t be here and his deejay spins out a few Drake hits which go down really well with the public of whom most are disappointed is not here.  Kanye continues hit performance and his set is almost a replica of Friday night and we await the moment he begins his daily rant.  As “Clique” kicks in, Kanye once again pauses for a moment before telling the crowd about his issues with the media and how they portray him.  He then proceed’s to tell the crowd that they are “his clique”, and the music thunders back in as Yezzy finishes up this “Clique” verse.  There was a pattern occurring as Kanye belts through “Can’t tell me nothing”, “New Slaves”, “Power”, “Stronger” & “Runaway”.  Its at this point on Friday night Kanye kicked off his rant and the crowd was praying that he didn’t.  However this is Kanye West and he does what he wants, regardless of the boos which can surely be heard up on the stage.  As I stand by, numerous crowd goers begin to filter out stating, “I can’t believe he is doing it again”.

For me personally, the festival stage is not made for Kanye West, his sets belong in an arena.  At a time when thousands have paid to hear good music, the last thing they want to deal with is a 10 minute rant.

Rant over Kanye West, he smashes through hits, “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, “Jesus Walks”, “Touch the Sky”, “All of the Lights” & “Bound 2”.

Overall minus the rant, you can’t knock the performance that Kanye gives, its energetic and the crowd join in to rap and sing on all his songs.

The rest of the Wireless day is packed full of massive artists and we managed to catch Rudimental, Wiz Khalifa, Labrinth, Azealia Banks and more.

London’s own Rudimental brought their full stage production to the Wireless main stage and as the sun shone down on London, the lads from London trawled through their hits “Give You Up”, “Right Here”, “Free” and their massive smash hit “Feel the love”.  Special guests John Newman and Ella Eyre joined the Rudimental boys on stage for “Not Giving In” and “Waiting All Nite” respectively.

Photo courtesty of Wireless Festival – Andrew Whitton

Wiz Khalifa brought his typical cool stage presence to the main stage and had heads bopping for the hour long set as he entertained the crowd with “Bout Me”, “Man of the Year”, “”GangBang”, “Roll Up”, “We Own It”, “Young Wild and Free” and crowd hitter “Black and Yellow”.

Another local London lad, Labrinth always knows how to work the crowd and he did just that at Finsbury Park.  Always dressed to impress, Lab’s biggest tracks of the day are “Let the Sun Shine”, “Earthquake” and “Beneath Your Beautiful”.

Over in the Pepsi Max stage, the likes of Knife Party and Pretty Lights bring draw the electronic dance music fans to the tent.  The Boombox stage also hosts D&B artist Wilkinson, as well as All About She, and girl group M.O.

So another day at Wireless Festival is over, and with Bruno Mars and Outkast to headline tomorrow there is still a hell of a lot to look forward to.  See you in the park tomorrow!

Photo courtesy of Wireless Festival – Rachael Wright

Sonisphere 2014 Friday Review – Prodigy

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Limp Bizkits' fail of the night.

"Now you know what time it really fucking is. Limp Bizkit in the house, you ready for this." Screams lead singer Fred Durst after three lovely ladies harmoniously sang Rolling, introducing the band to the stage. Enticing the audience with Faith, the crowd enthusiasm rose. The excitement from fans came to a slight stop after a little hiccup from Durst, completely messing up what day it is. "You guys to get your Saturday night on?" Confusion, and a short moment of silence from the crowd the singer quickly styled out a response of "Well it's Saturday night in my book." This wasn't the only blip the Durst randomly shouted 'Oh, Shit' in the middle of his set. Whether these mistakes were a result of one too many, or just a lack of communication from the bands media side we will never know. I have to admit these were soon forgotten after the bands incredible stage presence and claiming thing such as "What a pretty fucking crazy crowd tonight." Anthrax over lapping their time slot with Limp Bizbit and performing on the Bohemia tent which was proving to be pretty dam popular after the tent was so full security was stopping people from entering, surely Anthrax needed a bigger stage.

Friday's Headliner: Prodigy.
The band everyone has been anxiously waiting for all day, 21.20 finally arrived and the fans loudly welcomed tonight's first headliner Prodigy. Entering the stage with a epic entrance, creating suspense after emerging from the smoke covering the stage the crowd were ecstatic to see and hear the first glimpse of the band. 'I can't fucking hear you!'  Sending the crowd into euphoria with "Breathe", the rain starts to lightly fall as Prodigy head into "Jetfighter".  This did not put a downer on the crowd epically after seeing all of the burnt faces in the crowd. Forcing the crowd to go crazier than they already were, it was fair to say the people of Soniphere did not stop moshing, dancing, jumping, fist pumping, air guitaring, which could of been to do the metal cover the band slightly adjusted a few of their own songs to fit with the genre of Sonisphere. The band defiantly pulled this off after slowing down "Thunder" giving it a deeper bass, Prodigy defiantly get points for these adjustments. Finishing their set with the massive anthem "Smack My Bitch Up", Prodigy return with the crowd still buzzing with an encore of 'Take me to the Hospital', "Hyperspeed", "New Beats", "Their Law".  Keith Flint is forever engaging the crowd with phases like "I know you know what to fucking do and All you people at Sonisphere where the fuck are my prodigy people, A little more music, turn the fucker up". The stage presence of the band as a whole were truly incredible; the visual topped it off. With little stage art but the way the band was shown on the screen was edited in a surreal kind of way. Showing the band live in different effect such as negative, black and white and mirroring, which made it look as if this was pre recorded as a short art film. The array of coloured lights reaching the night sky gave the band greater performance. This band lived up to its name, and was for sure the best performance  of the night.