Hurricane Festival 2018 – Full Review!

Friday

Hurricane Festival is in the north of Germany, set in some fields in Scheeβel between Hamburg and Bremen. The current version of Hurricane Festival has been going since 1997, though there were two previous attempts of festivals in the area in 1973 and 1977. Hurricane sells itself as a mainstream/alternative festival, however, in recent years there has been more emphasis on the mainstream and less on the alternative. This year’s line-up is what I would describe as mainstream, however there are a few acts here and there that are showing the alternative past of Hurricane.

Friday started off wet and windy, as is the trend with most festivals at the moment, and was opened by the Hurricane Swim Team on the Green Stage early afternoon. The Hurricane Swim Team was created in 2016 when the festival was a total wash out, and is essentially a hype team that get the crowd grooving in even the most abysmal weather. Luckily, by the time they’d left the stage the weather had in fact improved and we were able to enjoy the sun for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening.

We got to the second stage – blue stage – to see George Ezra perform in the afternoon light. Ezra has a stunning voice and it he proved that it was not just the studio doing all the work in post processing. He was chatty onstage, and (like a lot of the British and American bands) tried his hand a bit of German, to the glee of the audience. The cherry on the Ezra-shaped cake was definitely the small brass section he’d brought with him, it really added that extra depth to the performance.

 

Experienced punk rock band The Offspring took centre stage on the Green stage (main stage) on Saturday evening. They know how to keep tantalise the audience, saving their three most well-known songs until the end, including Pretty Fly for a White Guy and ending on Self-Esteemed to an audience that was easily two decades younger than them, if not more, which is a pretty good achievement for four shouty guys from California.

The blue stage was again graced with a talented vocalist, this time in the form of Hannah Reid of London Grammar. A far cry away from The Offspring, London Grammar definitely calmed the audience down rather than psyched them up. The mosh pits of Green Stage were replaced with gentle arm waving and head nodding.

Keeping in the UK-indie theme that the blue stage seemingly has had all day, the following band are none other than Two Door Cinema Club, who arrive onstage to a rambunctious welcome. Two Door Cinema Club are the first band that have brought an impressive set on stage, a set of LED squares with bright strobing lights behind, all of which is made more impressive in the dying light of the evening. The crowd happily bopped along to the music, enjoying the show in the dying light.

The green stage was again keeping its theme of emo-punk and rock, with the headline of the night Billy Talent.  The band appeared on stage as the audience cheered and wooped, bassist Jonathan Gallant and guitarist Ian D’Sa started playing the introduction to ‘This is how it goes’ as Benjamin Kowalewicz burst on to stage to rapturous applause and started singing. He had so much energy on stage, dressed like an emo from the late noughties with his skinny tie, skinny black jeans and his converses. In fact, the whole band looked as if they were 15 year olds trapped in the bodies of middle aged men. They acted like it too. Jumping up and down and across the stage, swearing jovially at the audience ‘Welcome to Hurricane 2018 motherfuckers!’ shouted Benjamin after the first song, before launching in to ‘Devil in Midnight Mass’. The whole performance took me back to those angst filled days in high school, where we felt the world was ending and beginning at the same time, and that every song ever written about and specifically for, us. The nostalgia that came with watching Billy Talent was only amplified by the crowd, singing (and in some cases, screaming) along with the songs, as the band ricocheted from one song to the next. About halfway through the set Benjamin mentioned that their drummer – Aaron Solowoniuk – had been struggling with MS, and has been on hiatus since 2016. While Benjamin was telling the crowd this, he also mentioned that the band have been together for 25 years this summer, which is unbelievable. Arron was then introduced onstage as he made his way to the drums, and played with the band for the rest of the show. It was really great to see him playing again, and so obvious that he was thoroughly enjoying being back on stage after two years away. Aaron coming back on stage really gave the band more energy, and they turned it up to 100 for the rest of the show.

After Billy Talent’s finale, it seemed as if the entire crowd moved to Blue Stage, for final act of the night, German hip-hop artist Marteria. Now, I know those words don’t run together naturally, but stick with me here. My level of German is extremely basic (as I found out during a press-pass mix up that caused no end of trouble) but Marteria’s catchy lyrics and playful beats. As well as his skills on the mic he also brought to stage some of the most impressive and playful visuals of the evening. Later in the show he brought on his alter-ego Marismoto who delighted the audience with his high-pitch voiced and his more experimental music, straying from hip-hop and entering the realms of dubstep, reggae and EDM.  With the first night of the festival finished everyone headed back to their tents ready to do the same thing all over again.


Saturday

The campsite was up and bustling by about ten on Saturday, helped by the festival workers driving around on quadbikes using their megaphones to shout ‘time to wake up’ across the campsite. I’m not sure if it was part of their job description but it certainly worked in getting the campsite awake and running. Pretty soon there were queues to the toilet and every other tent was playing flunkyball across the pathways. The campsite radio (provided by Delta Radio) was on blast throughout the campsite, via speakers and radios campers had brought with them, meaning wherever we went we had a surround sound experience of the camp radio. There seemed to be an endless game put on the by the radio hosts, which was to play the Cantina Theme from Star Wars, (or at least an excerpt of it) and, once it had finished someone – either one of the hosts or a punter who had been accosted somewhere on the campsite – would say ‘play that same song again’ and so on and so on. So much so it became the unofficial anthem of the campsite, and probably the weekend.     

Hurricane festival is a lot smaller than most medium UK festivals, with only three stages all relatively close to each other. It means minimal walking between stages and the way that the stages have been positioned has been done with great care, as there is no overlap of sound when each stage has an artist.

Indie-pop act The Kooks took to the Green Stage on Saturday evening for a fun set. They’re still fresh from their ‘Best Of’ album tour, with Hurricane being their first festival of the season. Though they’re no strangers playing to big crowds – they’ve been around since 2004 – they have recently been touring as a warm-up act for The Rolling Stones. This hasn’t diminished their ability to get the crowd dancing, whatever the size. Though I was impressed that even a relatively light band such as The Kooks could get the crowd moshing. Lead singer Luke Pritchard danced around on stage with his tan-and-checked blazer and his skinny scarf, the embodiment of indie-brit-pop. The crowd were loving it and singing along to almost every track, which was pretty magical to listen to. The Kooks do have a new album out but didn’t fall into the age old pitfall of playing only their new stuff, they littered the set with classics as well as slipping the odd new song in now and then. They ended with two classics, Seaside and Naïve to the absolute delight of the audience.

Next up was Hamburg rapper Dendemann, who had a beat-filled set and had the whole crowd moshing along to his music. His music was good, though I’m sure I would have got more enjoyment out of it had I understood the lyrics – he uses a lot of wordplay so for a non-native speaker of German it can be a bit of a struggle to understand. I did understand when he said hello to the crowd and called them a town that certainly wasn’t Hurricane or Scheeβel. His drummer corrected him though and the crowd didn’t seem to care.

Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro have a solid fan-base in Germany and started off their European tour in Berlin early last month. Having last played Hurricane in 2010 they were due for a comeback. And the crowd were ready for it. Mosh pits left right and centre, the whole crowd was there for them. As per usual, all three members were shirtless, though frontman Simon Neil has got rid of the Jesus locks and gone for a cleaner, shorter cut, which if it wasn’t for the mass of tattoos and his roaring vocals he could be mistaken for a graphic designer, or someone equally ordinary. As always with Biffy, the show was intense and the hard rockers had all come out of the woodwork to head-bang their way through the set, as well as all the casual fans that sang along to their hits and mumbled along to the songs that had less radio-play.

Saturday was the first day we ventured to the Red Stage, to see Portugal. The Man. Now, I’m not sure what we expected but it certainly wasn’t what happened. They had a seven minute guitar heavy intro song played before they even came on stage. Once they were on stage the show really began. There had a projector projecting some spacey shapes and colours on the screen behind them. However, unlike most bands, Portugal. The Man had decided to put the projector in front of the stage, so each band member cast shadows throughout the set, changing shape and size as they moved around the stage. They started by playing a cover of ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ by Pink Floyd, which was an odd one to start with, however it really set the stage for the rest of their show, a spacey, guitar heavy extravaganza. After their first song some huge lettering came down on the screen behind them, declaring “We are not very good at stage banter so please enjoy these messages from the management, thank you for understanding”. Now, they certainly get points for ingenuity here, although it would have been nice to have a little bit of crowd interaction.  As promised, periodically through the show more writing would appear behind them, such as “that is some bad-ass guitar playing” through a particularly gnarly piece. One thing I particularly enjoyed from Portugal. The Man was the fact that they had a very varied set-list. Starting with that Pink Floyd cover to get the crowd in the mood, before playing and older, spacey track that was guitar heavy and a wee bit light on the lyrics going straight through to ‘Purple Yellow Red and Blue’ (2013) and ‘Live in the Moment’ (2017), two more recent songs that have had more radio play. The audience were a bit muted compared to the other acts of the night, I mean, it is hard to mosh to electro-guitar solos played over light keys and drums.

Going from the Portugal. The Man to The Prodigy was a bit of a jolt. As ever, the Prodigy had a stunning set, fantastic lasers, the crowd was already hopping by the time we got there. The band has been touring for almost three decades and know their stuff. They haven’t played in Germany since 2015, so it was high-time they came back. The set was littered with classics and the crowd went absolutely wild during voodoo people. I mean, it’s The Prodigy, it’s hard not to dance like a maniac with those beats and the amount of pure, raw energy coming off the stage. After the show most people were danced-out and made their way to their tents, the younger and drunker punters also went back to the campsite, but only to enjoy the Motorbooty rave that was going on until 4am the next morning.


Sunday

Security has been amped up to 130%, we were frisked each time we entered the main field, and no bags were allowed unless they were see-through and all pockets had to be emptied and checked. This meant more than anything that there were queues caused by this bottle neck. The crowd spent most of the time in the queues singing various songs which either went in rounds or sped up as they went along. It was amusing the first few times, but when someone in the crowd yelled the first line for the sixth time in a row I did groan inwardly. Fortunately, by that point I was almost through the gates, so didn’t have to listen to a half-hearted rendition of eisgekühlter bommerlunder again.

Once through we headed to the blue stage to kick off the afternoon with a bit of Mighty Oaks. Their folk rock was forgetting everyone off to the right start, despite the persistent cold and rain. Lead-singer Ian Hooper switched from German and English throughout the set, which is unsurprising as the very international band – members from US, UK and Italy – are currently based in Berlin. They had the whole crowd swaying in unison, and at one point encouraged everyone to get on someone’s shoulders and the crowd suddenly got half as wide and twice as tall, as almost everyone in the crowd was on someone’s shoulders or holding someone and singing along. It was such a nice, inclusive atmosphere and a great start to the third and final day of the festival.

Late noughties indie-rock Franz Ferdinand bounced onto the main stage as the afternoon was slowly becoming the evening. Full of energy and full of hits, frontman Alex Kapranos jumped cross the stage as he belted out the lyrics. The audience were bouncy along happily, and singing along, smiling in spite of the rain.

One of the most lively shows of the evening was brought by second to last act on Sunday – Kraftklub. In the last five years Kraftklub have risen from unknown band to the next chart-topping must-see band throughout Germany. The show starts with four red smoke //bombs// going off within the crowd. We can’t see exactly how they’ve been planted but they’ve been concealed for who knows how long. Kraftklub then appear on stage as the banner that has been covering the stage has been pulled down, and as they start their opening number (Karl-Mark-Straβe) the crowd goes absolutely wild. Now, I knew it was going to kick off. Sometimes you can just feel it. Through the first half of the show I was stuck between two mosh pits, by the second half I had decided I was fighting a losing battle, and joined them full force. The moshing continued for the full show, and Kraftklub left to cries of ‘one more song’ as they left the stage. They had twenty minutes left of their set, so we naturally all expected them to come back on stage. They did come back. Just not on stage. They had what can only be describe as a mobile stage, about two meters wide and four meters long, on wheels and being pushed through the crowd. They sang ‘ich will nicht nach Berlin’ before telling the audience they needed to get back to the main stage. The most sensible way to do this was obviously to crowd surf. On top of this, it had to be a race. They prepped the crowd in front of them, and after the third blast from the airhorn, they dived in. They were all scrambling to get to the stage as fast as possible and one of the stage hands was waving a giant checked racing flag as they got to the stage and he announced the winner.  

Headliners of the evening, Arctic Monkeys took to the stage under dark, moody lighting. Alex Turner’s slick-backed hair shining in the lights paired with the leather jackets gave the band a 50s vibe. The beat came in as ‘four stars out of five’ started playing and the start of the end of the festival had begun.  

The set was dotted with shout outs to the audience, mainly ‘vielen danke’ (thanks very much – for the non-German speakers) and the dulcet tones of Tuner briefly introducing the odd song. However, audience interaction was minimal, this grown-up band a far cry from their ‘crying lighting’ and ‘fluorescent adolescent’ days. The set-list was a good mix of songs, but focused heavily on AM and Tranquillity Base Hotel + Casino. Which makes sense, especially if they’re trying to move away from their young, almost post-punk rock of the early days and centre their attention on the more polished sound that the more recent albums have encompassed. If I was to sum up their performance I would have to use that word again, polished. Technically, it was a fantastic set, the sound was amazing, the band were in-sync with each other, though I felt like there could have been a bit more (one-sided, as ever) conversation from the band, but this performance, like the two most recent albums seems to have matured from cocky rock to sophisticated, interesting space-pop, but keeping some of that same cheekiness the Monkeys are famed for.

This year Hurricane had an eclectic mix of bands, which, in a weird way seemed to complement each other. If you were not into the headliners you would always find something that would satisfy your wants. However, it would have been nice to see a few more female artists on the mainstages over the three days, though this is something that all festivals could work on, and not just an issue with Hurricane. Personally, I am looking forward to the announcements for the bands next year, and I, like most of the punters, am ready to do the whole thing again next year.

 

Eminem set to headline Reading and Leeds 2017!

Reading and Leeds have confirmed Eminem as the final headliner for this year’s festivals, taking place on 25 – 27 August 2017 at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds. Tickets are available here.
 
Consistently seen as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Eminem is not only a titan in hip-hop but in modern culture itself. One of the biggest selling artists of the 21st century, his razor-sharp wit and impeccable larger than life anthems continue to defy boundaries, with the likes of ‘Lose Yourself’, ‘My Name Is’, ’Not Afraid' and ‘The Monster’ all storming charts and record collections around the world. His return to Reading and Leeds marks an extremely rare opportunity to witness an icon in the flesh, with a set that’ll add another legendary chapter to the story of Eminem.
Melvin Benn commented: “Eminem returning to Reading and Leeds is beyond exciting. His 2013 headline performance was incredible and I can’t wait to have him back. In addition to our third and final headliner (joining Kasabian and Muse) we’ve announced over 70 additional acts to this year’s line up – it’s looking stronger than ever.”
 
‘Bad and Boujee’ hip-hop superstars Migos will return to the UK this summer, with a huge appearance lined up at Reading & Leeds. One of the most talked-about groups of the year; the trio have become global symbols of a new wave of modern rap following the release of their latest album C U L T U R E. Expect a swagger-filled performance as Migos make their way to Reading & Leeds.
South London rapper Giggs will continue his march to the top with an unparalleled set at this year’s festivals, bringing the gritty sounds of latest album Landlord to the fields, in a crowning moment for one of the genre’s most defiant voices.
One of the most hotly anticipated returns of the year, HAIM are set to land at Reading and Leeds this summer with a sun-soaked guitar-pop filled performance. Delving into classics from their 2013 debut Days Are Gone and sure-to-be hits from their upcoming new record, it’ll be unforgettable set as rock’s beloved sensations take to the Reading and Leeds stage.
 
British arena-rock kings You Me At Six will continue their rich history at Reading and Leeds, packing in anthems from their career along with the heavy kicks of latest album Night People. A band born for the biggest stages, Reading and Leeds is set to bear witness to a landmark step from a band that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
 
A standout success story of 2016, Blossoms have established themselves as national treasures with the release of their self-titled debut, storming to number 1 in the charts and leading to sold-out venues and huge stages wherever they go. Stockport’s finest are set to bring their pop-laden anthems to Reading and Leeds this summer in a performance that marks the next generation of arena-sized icons.
 
Stand-out alternative pop performances will reign supreme at Reading and Leeds this summer, with Halsey set to bring her powerful electro-tinged hits to the festivals, marking a rise that has seen her become a vital voice for an entire generation. Pop will be in abundance as the voices behind many of the biggest club anthems in the past year, Becky Hill and Charli XCX, head to Reading and Leeds, delivering in-your-face performances that blend cutting-edge electro beats with singalong favourites.
 
One of the most indisputable voices in British rock, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will continue their incredible rise with another festival-stealing slot at Reading and Leeds this summer. After turning the Main Stage into a crowd-surfing punk masterclass at last year’s festivals, Frank Carter arrives loaded with the runaway success of latest album Modern Ruin, packing even more stadium-sized moments into the Bank Holiday weekend.
 
Lead by the unmistakable voice of Taylor Momsen, The Pretty Reckless will return to the festivals this year, armed with heavy blues-laden anthems of latest album Who You Selling For. Joining them in triggering mass singalongs at Reading and Leeds this summer are Blush emo-soarers Moose Blood, melodic-rock five-piece Mallory Knox, and punk smashers Marmozets who are set to unveil their invigorating new era after the riotous success of debut album The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets.
 
The always-seismic presence of explosive Canadians Billy Talent will leave their mark on this year’s festivals, bringing an acclaimed live show that has seen them remain at the top of their game for nearly 25 years. Blistering punk risers Counterfeit will perform at Reading and Leeds this summer, fresh from the release of their hotly anticipated debut album Together We Are Stronger, which sees frontman Jamie Campbell Bower in full voice. They’ll be joined by London trio Puppy, who are set for a true standout moment at this year’s festivals.
 
Joining them at Reading and Leeds 2017, and set to define an entire summer with anthems are Mancunian art-rockers Everything Everything who will deliver a captivating set of electronic ground-shakers from across their stunning career. Reading hometown heroes Sundara Karma will be bringing indie tales of youthful abandon to the festivals this summer, with Oh Wonder geared to stun the Reading and Leeds crowds with tracks from their mesmerising self-titled debut album. Sheffield’s finest indie upstarts The Sherlocks will continue their journey from packed stage to packed stage with a huge set at Reading and Leeds this summer. Watford squad The Hunna will heat things up on their return to the festivals, and riotous Cabbage will deliver another onslaught that confirms why they’re seen as one of the most exciting new bands in the country. Mesmeric indie-pop groovers Fickle Friends will return to the festivals with their sun-laden anthems, with breakthrough festival moments to come when genre-morphers Inheaven, German ‘Stolen Dance’ songwriters Milky Chance, Ed Nash of Bombay Bicycle Club’s new project Toothless, and stripped-bare electro wizard Tom Misch all take to the Reading and Leeds stage across the weekend.
 
The explosion of grime and hip-hop will continue to flow through Reading and Leeds, as the festivals once again play host to legendary favourites and the ground breaking voices of the future. Brooklyn’s Flatbush Zombies channel the best of the 90’s East Coast rap era and are set to take on the festival this summer, with hits from last year’s debut album A Laced Odyssey. ‘Pow’ don Lethal Bizzle is set to send festival-goers into a rapturous spin with an explosive set of London grime, while the chilled vibes of Rejjie Snow and BBC Sound Of winner Ray BLK will be dousing the crowds with electric and soulful R&B.
 
From the down-to-earth freestyle sounds of Dave to the home grown swagger of MIST, the vibrant voices and future favourites in grime, rap and hip-hop can all be found at Reading and Leeds this summer. Avelino, Cadet, MoStack,
J Hus, Angel, Mic Righteous, Geovarn, The Manor, Young T & Bugsey and The Heatwave will all make their unforgettable appearances at the festivals over the Bank Holiday weekend.
 
Punchy and gritty in everything they do, Black Lips are set to deliver their distinct brand of punk for a stage show that has to be seen to be believed whilst folk-rock duo Bear’s Den promise panoramic-sized grooves from last year’s Red, Earth & Pouring Rain along with classic favourites from their wistful debut Islands. Ferocious live shows will also come from Tom Grennan, Shame, Phantogram, The Amazons, Louis Berry, Grouplove, King Nun, IDLES, Yonaka, Eden, Prose and Picture This, as they all leave their own stamp on the weekend.
 
The most talked-about names in current electronic dance music will be heading to Reading and Leeds this summer. International sensation Marshmello, who’s huge remixes of Jack Ü and Zedd, along with sun-kissed anthem ‘Summer’ will make for an electrifying performance. Unmissable beats and sets are also guaranteed from drum ‘n’ bass titan High Contrast, masked heavyweight Jaguar Skills, London jungle king Shy FX with Stamina MC and Katy B who’ll be delivering a storming DJ set. Dillon Francis, Sam Divine, Majestic, Claptone, CamelPhat, TOKiMONSTA, James Organ, Chris Lorenzo, Mullally, Klose One and Star.One will all bring big room DJ sets, alongside a very special performance from acclaimed Dutch trio Noisia and their Outer Edges concept show also confirmed, the latest and greatest are set to take Reading and Leeds as their own this summer.
 
These names join a stellar bill already confirmed for Reading and Leeds 2017, joining previously announced headliners Muse and Kasabian, with Major Lazer, Bastille, Two Door Cinema Club, Flume, Fatboy Slim, Wiley, At The Drive In, Architects, Korn, While She Sleeps, Tory Lanez, Glass Animals, Circa Waves, Against The Current, Danny Brown and many more set for a weekend that brings together the most exciting sounds and artists from across the musical spectrum, capturing a year in music like no other.
 
 
CONFIRMED TODAY
Angel
Avelino
Bear’s Den
Becky Hill
Billy Talent
Black Lips
Blossoms
Cabbage
Cadet
CamelPhat
Charli XCX
Chris Lorenzo
Claptone
Counterfeit
Dave
Dillon Francis
Eden
Eminem
Everything Everything
Fickle Friends
Flatbush Zombies
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Geovarn
Giggs
Grouplove
HAIM
Halsey
High Contrast
IDLES
Inheaven
J Hus
Jaguar Skills
James Organ
Katy B (DJ Set)
King Nun
Klose One
Lethal Bizzle
Louis Berry
Majestic
Mallory Knox
Marmozets
Marshmello
Mic Righteous
Migos
Milky Chance
MIST
Moose Blood
MoStack
Mullally
Noisia ‘Outer Edges’
Oh Wonder
Phantogram
Picture This
Prose
Puppy
Ray BLK
Rejjie Snow
Rex Orange County
Sam Divine
Shame
Shy FX
Star.One
Sundara Karma
The Amazons
The Heatwave
The Hunna
The Manor
The Pretty Reckless
The Sherlocks
TOKiMONSTA
Tom Grennan
Tom Misch
Toothless
Yonaka
You Me At Six
Young T & Bugsey
 
PREVIOUSLY CONFIRMED
Against The Current
Andy C
Architects
At The Drive In
Bastille
Circa Waves
Danny Brown
Fatboy Slim
Flume
Glass Animals
Jimmy Eat World
Kasabian
Korn
Major Lazer
Muse
Rat Boy
The Amity Affliction
Torey Lanez
Two Door Cinema Club
While She Sleeps
Wiley

Bilbao BBK Live adds The Klaxons, Soulwax and 14 more acts

Twin Shadow, Spector, Little Boots, Benjamin Biolaywith special guest Carl BaratCharles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Gary Clark Jr, The Weeks, Arcane Roots, Hacktivist, The Bots, Birdy Nam Nam and local hero Fermin Muguruza.

The Klaxons

A total of 16 new acts join headliners Depeche ModeKings of Leon and Green Day, plus Biffy Clyro,The Hives and Fatboy Slim amongst others. Day Tickets go onsale today from as little as £42.50 plus booking fee and Three Day tickets, including camping, are still available for just £85 plus booking fee on See Tickets and Ticketweb.

More acts will be announced soon, so stay tuned to our website, Twitter and Facebook page.

Bilbao BBK Live is a three-day event that takes place on top of a hill surrounded by mountains offering spectacular views over the city of Bilbao. The privileged location of the site, its proximity to the city and beach and a late start of bands, allow festivalgoers to make the most of this event and unique setting. Bilbao is a modern city famous for its architecture, museums and gastronomy, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from some of the best waves in Europe.

Bilbao BBK Live is above all a fuss free festival; with an uncomplicated layout, easy access from the city and airport it has proven to be a huge success with national and international festival goers.

Hurts, Billy Talent and more for Volt Festival

 

The announcement of new names for VOLT Festival was timed for Valentine’s Day, starting –stylishly- with Bullet for my Valentine. Since the appearance of the band we know that heavy metal exists in Wales and this genre is still among the most popular ones. They know everything about heavy metal that they adopt perfectly in their music by mixing styles of their ancestors and adding aggressive and fast beats with melodic chorus.

Hurts

The biggest name in this current list is probably Hurts. The romantic and melancholic British synthpop duo has been popular from the very start. Their new album, Exile, will be out 11th March, so in Sopron the duo can test the fanbase live with their new songs.

Canadian punk rock band, Billy Talent, is on the stage for 20 years now being continuously successful for playing massive rock with a hint of punk pop. This year they are not only touring the world with their big hits but playing new songs from their album ‘Dead Silence’ released last autumn.

Papa Roach are true icons of nu metal and this time they will show the crowd in Sopron why they belong to rock history. Their gig is probably one of the most awaited events at this year’s VOLT, where the biggest hits of a generation will be heard.

French DJ Martin Solveig is an outstanding representative of his nation all around the world by making easy-going, sensual and witty dance music. And he’s ready to say Hello to the crowd at Sopron this July.

Dub Fx is not coming to prove anything. He has already shown his unique and outstanding production two years ago at a full-house gig, so it was high time for him to re-visit.

Godfather of techno, Sven Väth, not only makes the audience crazy at underground venues and trendy clubs but this year promises a huge party for VOLT Festival as well.

Fritz Kalkbrenner follows the steps of his techno icon brother by performing at VOLT this summer. The audience and the industry not only knows the German DJ for being the brother of Paul, but for breaking downloading records in online stores and for being a well-known name in the party scene.

Drum’n’bass is back and its most popular name is DJ Fresh who came out with his album Nextlevelism two years ago. The British DJ is not new in clubs. He knows everything about this genre, so we will see what he brings to VOLT: a huge drum’n’bass party or a more danceable night with his well-known tracks.

The Australian Parkway Drive is familiar not only among HC fans but also teen skaters for being heavy and aggressive. It has to be seen and heard with the possible chance of the volume blowing your mind.

Music that comes from Iceland in 2013 is cool. Representing this new trend, Gus Gus will play their sophisticated pop hits this year at VOLT. Their melancholic and frozen-romantic style will probably be very refreshing in the July heat, creating a unique atmosphere at the festival.

Besides the big names, many are interested in the exact location of the 21st VOLT Festival, starting in 4 and half months. The main organizers did not reveal any new information but have confirmed that VOLT will be held in Sopron in 2013 for sure.

For now, check the video for the new names: http://youtu.be/HcrtG0vP4Ls