HECK! TO JOIN BUTSERFEST 2015

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SECOND WAVE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR BUTSERFEST 2015

East Hampshire District Council are delighted to announce the final bands to complete the line up for this year's Butserfest, the UK's biggest alcohol free youth live music festival.

Joining an already explosive lineup are South Wales' post hardcore GIANTS Funeral for a Friend, who make their return to our hallowed field, Nottingham scoundrels HECK* (formerly known as Baby Godzilla) – who will headline our alternative road stage sponsored by Crossroads, and who make a very welcome return having aptly lain waste to the same stage in 2014, those loveable ladies The Lounge Kittens, who will be entertaining our crowds on the main stage between our later acts, the delightfully ferocious SHVPES, Southampton boys Our Hollow, Our Home, also making their return to our event having smashed our second stage last year, pop punkers Boston Manor, who recently toured the UK with As It Is, and Londoners Vanity Draws Blood.

Complete lineup:

Don Broco, Funeral for a Friend, Hacktivist, HECK*, The Xcerts, The Qemists, The Lounge Kittens, Fathoms, The One Hundred, Carcer City, Zoax, Our Hollow Our Home, Lock & Key, Create to Inspire, Shields, SHVPES, Prolong the Agony, Dirt, Boston Manor, Networks, Lost Atlanta, Cardinal Bay, Vanity Draws Blood, Wars and Waking Angel.

INTRODUCING STAGE (in no particular running order):

Deference, Elements, Daniel Eagle, Flashfires, Zenthetix, Jack Howson, Forever in Depths, Eight 28, Just Millie, These Septic Stars, Forgotten Shores, Ella Davidson, Breathe in the Silence.

Tickets are on sale now priced at just £24.90 (and no booking fee)  from www.butserfest.co.uk/tickets

Every ticket bought in July & August will be entered into a draw to win VIP packages. More info on website

Noisily Festival 2015 review

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Miles away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in the rolling hills of the secluded Leicestershire countryside, the ground was once again shaking as Noisily returned for its forth year. With a tantalising line up for any electronic dance music fan, this festival brings you the best acts from the UK and abroad, including MC Xander and Whyt Noyz  both from the UK, Stephan Bodzin (DE), Grouch (NZ), Parasense (Russia) and The Outsiders (Israel) as well as Brazilian techno giant Victor Ruiz. From Psytrance to techno and glitch-hop to house, Noisily enlightens you on a journey of music.

 

In Orbit did the décor for the tree house stage, where MC Xander, ODJBox and Specimen A headlined. Most of the décor throughout the festival was done by Liquid Fairies who are highly recognised in the psychedelic festival scene, their attention to detail is second to none including the golden kite bird décor on the crown of the Liquid stage as a nod to the birds which surrounded them during the build.
Within an hour of the festival opening, everyone was exploring their new wooden playground that they would call home for the next 3 days – the hammocks in the shaded woodlands area were a popular addition, providing a chilled out vibe.
 

The main stages are Liquid (from Glade/Liquid records )(Psytrance), Noisily (Techno), and Treehouse (from Glitch & NeuroHop, Mid Tempo to Bassline House and Electro through to Drum and Bass, Dub and other genres).  As well as having 3 main stages Noisily also has several sub stages: Nicholas Cage, Yeti Tent and Bassport Gazebo (Bassport takeover the Treehouse stage at 9pm Sunday with Drum and Bass). There are 3 main bars close to the main stages, apart from the cocktail bar which overlooked the festival from the hill.

Psychedelic dream temple was here this year on the first leg of its European tour showcasing 18 international artists, and headed up the list of performance and circus artists.

With what started as a gathering of 500 people back in 2012, has now grown and expanded into Noisily festival as we see it today – which welcomed just under 3000 festival-goers in 2015.

With its high production values, diverse line-up and unique atmosphere, Noisily has already put itself on the map for small festivals.

 

T In The Park 2015 Review

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Although the ground was soggy, the air stayed clear for the majority of T in the Park, Scotland's biggest music festival. There had been a lot of anticipation with the change in venue from the usual Balado sight in Kinross. However it seems with a few “teething problems” set aside, Strathallan did not disappoint. With a promising line up of artists from Avicii to Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds set to headline, there was a very diverse weekend of music in store for Scotalnd’s festival goers. 

The Cribs and The Wombats were the first to take to the main stage on Friday, offering a punk-rock vibe to get the crowd warmed up with their infectious energy. Tord Øverland Knudsen from the Wombats living up to his usual playful, crowd pleasing self. Meanwhile acts such as Blossoms and Indiana were pulling out all the stops in the BBC introducing and T Break stage.

Later on Annie Mac took to the Main Stage and had everyone up dancing for her first of two performances over the weekend. After her followed Hozier, performing his debut Album with hit song Take Me To Church amongst the set.

As Rudimental hit the main stage the crowd multiplied. Well known for their high energy live performances, drum and base group Rudimental put on a spectacular show, opening with Not Giving In. DJ Locksmith could not stop moving and his infection energy really rubbed off on the crowd. The DJ also pulled on the crowds heart-strings by dedicating a song to his son. Waiting All Night was a huge crowd pleaser and had everyone dancing and singing along. 

When Sam Smith took to the main stage, you could hear a pin drop over at the BBC introducing stage. The crowd were hung on his every word. He delivered a very sincere performance and stated how happy he is now he creates music true to himself. He thanked the crowd for helping this happen. Some reckon they even seen Sam Smith shed a tear during his performance.

Kasabian wrapped things up on Friday night headlining the main stage. As the countdown clock displayed on stage got lower and lower the energy in the crowd lifted higher and higher. With Bumblebee and Underdog being amongst the opening songs the atmosphere was electric from the beginning of the set right through to the end. Songs from Kasabian’s No.1 UK album Empire went down a treat and it was clear to see both the crowd and the band were having a great time. People headed back to their tents with Kasabian's bass line resinating in their bones.

There were a number of early risers on Saturday morning who turned out to see acts such as The Lafontaines and The Strypes play. Later on pop-rock group Lawson took to the stage, getting the whole crowd singing along to songs such as When She Was Mine.

Jungle were a real crowd pleaser in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent. A young boy took to the stage mid set and break danced which had the crowd going wild. Also performing in King Tut’s was St Vincent who delivered an intense and captivating performances. The set was accompanied by some spectacular lighting to add to the intensity of the performance. After St Vincent came Scotland’s pride and joy, The Proclaimers who attracted the widest age range. Delivering hits such as Letter From America and 500 Miles the Tent was full of good vibes and nostalgia.

A lot of young excited festival goers gathered to watch The Script on the Main Stage on Saturday Night. Well known for his tendency to leave the stage and come down to the crowd, Danny O'Donoghue did not disappoint the die hard front row spectators. Girls were screaming and crying and doing everything they could just to touch the Irishman’s leather coat. Danny stated he loved to play gigs in Scotland as it was close to home and had the Celts in the audience raise their hand. Performing all of the classics alongside the more recent hits, The Script attracted an enthusiastic crowd.

The Libertines, the first of the headliners to be announced when T in The Park released 2015’s line up, took over the main stage. The Libertines attracted a slightly different crowd, many excited to see the band play for the first time after their reformation. The band opened with hits such as Time For Heroes and Can’t Stand Me Now and played an encore including Up the Bracket and closing with Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. There seemed to be a great relationship between Pete Doherty and Carl Barât throughout the set which pleased the crowd.

Some of Scotland’s finest talent was on display throughout the weekend with acts like The Proclaimers, Admiral Fallow and headliners Twin Atlantic playing across the stages. Many people faced a tough decision on Saturday with Avicii and Twin Atlantic playing at the same time on separate stages. However it was safe to say whichever act was chosen would not have disappointed. Both acts offered an energetic, all singing, all dancing performance that not even the rain could hinder. The Swedish DJ, Avicii, offered a visually captivating performance with smoke, streamers and a spectacular lighting display. There was a rave taking place in Strathallan with people dancing and singing along to hit songs Hey Brother and Wake Me Up.

On the Radio One Stage, Twin Atlantic were offering heart filled seventh T in the Park performance. Amongst speaking of the honour and emotion the band were feeling to be headlining on a Saturday night, lead vocalist sam McTrusty also had the crowd sit on the ground and on his count stand up and go wild. With a wide range of new and old songs from what What is Light? Where is Laughter? to I Am An Animal, Twin Atlantic invested their hear and soul in the performance and had the audience captivated from start to finish.

The third and final day of T in the Park was kicked off by acts such as Saint Raymond, The Parsonage Choir and Ella Eyre. The View followed James Bay, whose good looks and great tunes both attracted many goey eyed females. It was great to see the amount of people out to see the opening acts on the final morning of the festival.

The Main Stage and Radio 1 Stage were both displaying tough competition on Sunday evening. Catfish And The Bottlemen, Kodaline and Jamie T all offered an indie/alternative rock performance Radio 1 Stage. In tandem on the Main Stage there was a slightly different vibe, with the soul singing group Alabama Shakes giving a spectacular performance and had people in the crowed shouting ‘We love you Brittany!’.

The crowd were extatic to watch Paloma Faith perform. She played a variety of songs, from her first ever single, Stone Cold Sober to the more recent chart topping single Changing. Although there was much controversy over Paloma’s revealing outfit, the singer-songwriter put on a great visual performance with her quirky stage set up, opposed to the black back drop the crowd had gotten used to across the weekend. This performance was not the first time the crowd has got a glimpse of Paloma. The brit appeared at the front of the stage the previous day to watch her “idol” Labrinth play and later stated he made her cry “actual tears”.

 
0S7A5519 - summerfestivalguide - Flickr

Stereophonics opened with Catacomb and a small flame display and continued to wow the crowd with all-time favourites such as Graffiti On The Train, Mr Writer and Maybe Tomorrow. Stereophonic are no strangers to T in the Park and have developed a reputation that is certain to attract a large crowd every time. Just when it seemed the energy could not be elevated any higher, Stereophonic kicked it up a notch and played finished the set with 2005 No.1 hit, Dakota.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were the grand finale on Sunday night. The band’s own songs got the crowd going, however it was the old Oasis classics that got the crowd going wild. People of all ages showed up to absorb the atmosphere and sing their hearts out. There was many an emotional Oasis T-shirt wearer when they played songs such as Champagne Supernova and The Masterplan. Noel communicated with the audience throughout the set and offered a more sincere performance many may be used to. The band closed with Don’t Look Back in Anger. A very fitting end to both the set and T in The Park, 2015.

Bloodstock Open Air – Three weeks to go!

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BLOODSTOCK HQ is a-buzz with activity with just over three weeks to go!   There’s still more bands to announce and we also welcome the return of the brutal-yet-amazing ‘Battle Of The Nations UK’ historical fighting team!

 

The New Blood stage on Friday sees a brace of additions; Hertfordshire melodic death metal outfit and Luton ‘Metal 2 The Masses’ finals winner, COUNTLESS SKIES (www.facebook.com/countlessskies) and Gothenburg, Sweden’s WE ARE THE CATALYST (www.facebook.com/WATCofficial) – who also won DELAIN’s competition with Metal Hammer magazine to win a support slot on the Dutch symphonic rockers’ UK tour.  Joining the New Blood bill on Saturday are Midlands-based prog metallers, MARTYR DE MONA (www.facebook.com/martyrdemona, groove metal outfit and Norwich M2TM winners, SOULBORN (www.facebook.com/soulborn) and self-proclaimed ‘hobo sludge’ gang and Reading’s M2TM winners, VICTORIAN WHORE DOGS (www.facebook.com/VWDBAND).  Sunday welcomes London death metallers SKARTHIA (www.facebook.com/skarthia), hard rock funk/schplunk metal men and London final M2TM winners, WRETCHED TOAD (www.facebook.com/wretchedtoad) and lastly, the winners of the ‘Metal To The Masses’ Hobgoblin online video upload competition, Newcastle groove metal beasts, TOMBSTONE CROW (www.facebook.com/tombstonecrowofficial).

 

Over on the Jagermeister Stage on Friday, hard rock four-piece CITY OF THIEVES (www.facebook.com/cityofthievesuk) join the fray.  On Saturday, the blues-based rockers PIG IRON (www.facebook.com/pigironmc) grab a slot, as well as stoner/sludge squad, MORASS OF MOLLASSES (www.facebook.com/MorassOfMolasses) and straight out of Valhalla, the truest of true cover bands, HANOWAR (www.facebook.com/Hanowartruemetal); a bit like Manowar, but…well, you do the math!  Lastly for this announcement, Sunday sees horror-metal punksters, THE HELL PUPPETS (www.facebook.com/hellpuppets) join the Jager bill.  Final additions to all stages will be announced next week!!

 

There’s plenty more on site to see and do besides watching the awesome bill!  Returning this year for Friday-Sunday are the very popular BATTLE OF THE NATIONS UK historical fighting team!  These guys have to be seen to be believed.  Catch their regular ‘demonstrations’ (read: ‘full-on’, no-holds-barred fighting with broadswords, maces and plenty of other historical weaponry) in their designated pen in the main arena.

 

All these stellar bands are on the bill!  Friday’s headliner TRIVIUM and special guests SABATON, Saturday’s headliner WITHIN TEMPTATION and special guests OPETH, Sunday’s headliner ROB ZOMBIE and special guests BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, plus CANNIBAL CORPSE, IHSAHN, SEPULTURA, ORANGE GOBLIN, DEATH D.T.A, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, 1349, NAPALM DEATH, DARK ANGEL, ARMORED SAINT, BELPHEGOR, OVERKILL, ENSIFERUM, AGALLOCH, KORPIKLAANI, PRO-PAIN, ENSLAVED, RAGING SPEEDHORN, XERATH and WOLF.  Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, there’s headliners DELAIN, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, GODFLESH and ARNOCORPS, LAWNMOWER DETH, MORDRED, ETHEREAL, ONSLAUGHT, OAF, CONAN, PLANET OF ZEUS, GODSIZED, plus many many more.

Heart And Soul Of T In The Park – Twin Atlantic Review

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No strangers to T in the Park, Twin Atlantic took to the stage for the seventh time on Saturday night. It is a well established fact that the band will never disappoint with their performance.However, Twin Atlantic take it in their stride to up their game every time. From BBC introducing, to the Main Stage, the band have grown with T in the Park and now represent everything the festival stands for. With Avicii on the main stage as a tough competitor, it was incredible to see the sheer mass of people that turned up in the pouring rain to watch Sam, Barry, Ross and Craig. The band started with a bang, firing canons of confetti into the crowd and opened with Edit Me.

Being local Glasgow lads, Twin Atlantic could empathise with the crowd enduring the heavy rain. Lead vocalist Sam McTrusty expressed his gratitude that so many people had showed up to watch the band play and shouted to the crowd "We’re from Scotland, the rain doesn’t faze us, bring on the snow!" 

Sam then decided, whilst performing I Am An Animal, that given everybody was already wet with the rain and dirty with mud he encouraged the crowd to sit on the ground and on his count, stand up and ‘go wild’. When this happened more confetti and streamers were blasted into the arena and the atmosphere in the crowd was one like no other.

After an energetic start with songs such as Make A Beast of Myself, Fall into the Party and Free, Twin Atlantic slowed tempo. Addressing the crowd, Sam spoke of the "honour” it was to headline the Radio 1 Stage on a Saturday night at T in the Park. He told the crowd he felt “so emotional” and thanked everyone for making the band feel as though they belong and for making T in the Park a “second home”. Tears were streaming in the crowd as they begun to play Crash Land.

The band then picked up the pace playing old classics such as What Is Light? Where Is Laughter? – a song they performed for the first time at T in the park. The energy carried on to the end of the set and the atmosphere was electric. The band finished on the recent hit, Heart and Soul. It would be fair to say that the heart and soul of both Twin Atlantic and the Saturday night crowd was invested in the performance from start to finish.

The Specials, Samba and Skiffle – what to expect at Splendour 2015 this Saturday

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This Saturday 18th of July, Wollaton hall (of Batman fame) opens its park doors to festival goers for the annual Splendour festival. Splendour will be bursting with all sorts of family friendly entertainment this weekend including circus cabaret, samba drumming, magic and vaudeville. 

All of the set times have now been announced which you can catch at the bottom of this article and on their website. The festival opens at 11.30am with the music kicking off on the Acoustic Stage at 12pm and on the main stage with Future Sound of Nottingham winners Suspect Alibi at 12.30pm.

Splendour's official radio partner GEM 106 is bringing its award winning breakfast show Sam & Amy to soak up the atmosphere and do a special show live from Splendour between 2pm and 6pm. Listen in, to catch all the latest gossip. They'll have a free photobooth to capture lots of fun on the day, and a chill out area. 

Festival-goers will be kept on their toes by the Fun Police, out in force to make sure all are enjoying themselves responsibly. With megaphones, banner and cordons, the 'officers' will be creating silly scenarios of safety and generally being a delightful nuisance. Created especially for Splendour by Nonsuch Theatre, the roaming performers will be part of the fringe walkabout.

The Nottingham School of Samba will be taking their beats around the Wollaton Park site with drumming performances of Brazilian songs in the styles of Afro-Brasil, samba reggae and Rio samba sure to get the party started. 

Also new this year are DIY Poets, a Nottingham based poetry collective who will be bringing their dynamic brand of performance poetry to the Splendour setting for the first time. And for something completely different, check out the full kazoo orchestra brought by the DH Lawrence and the Vaudeville Skiffle Show.

As well as more walkabout entertainments this year, the fringe stage will have lots going on throughout the day. The showstopping Notts Circus will once again be thrilling the audience throughout the afternoon with three dazzling mini-cabaret performances, complete with aerial acts on its impressive eight metre rig. Marvel at the acrobatics, and enjoy free-play activities including diabolo, stilt walking, juggling and more between shows.

Swing dancers will be encouraging everyone to get involved as Swing Nouveau play modern songs performed in a retro style while detective of magic Inspector Hemslo will be discovering the most intimate secrets of those he meets.

New for kids this year is the mini big top hosted by Big Top Mania, featuring circus skills workshops including low tightrope wire, hula-hooping, diablos, juggling & unicycles. They’ll be bringing giant bubbles and crazy inflatables along too, as well as closing proceedings in the Children’s Area with Big Bear’s Big Balloon Disco.

Area Inbetween will be offering exciting workshops for young people. Alongside LP record painting on Dizzy The Bike, face painting, and recycled materials workshops, there will be games and chill-out space for socialising and hanging out, including Giant Jenga, Ten Pin Bowling and Twister. All activities are free except for a spin on Dizzy charged at 50p per vinyl.

Tickets for Splendour start at just £22 To get the latest line-up announcements and festival updates go towww.splendourfestival.com or like www.facebook.com/splendourfestivalUK or follow @splendourfest

Set Times
MAIN STAGE
21:00 – 22:30         THE SPECIALS     
19:15 – 20:15         JAMES 
17:45 – 18:45         LAWSON
16:30 – 17:15         INDIANA 
15:30 – 16:00         ROOTS MANUVA 
14:30 – 15:00         AMBER RUN 
13:30 – 14:00         TO KILL A KING 

12:30 – 13:00         SUSPECT ALIBI 

CONFETTI STAGE
19:45 – 21:00         BANANARAMA
18:15 – 19:15         THE TWANG 
17:15 – 17:45         FEROCIOUS DOG 
16:00 – 16:30         IRIS GOLD 
15:00 – 15:30         KETO 
14:00 – 14:30         THE SWIINES 
13:00 – 13:30         GEORGIE 

ACOUSTIC ROOMS STAGE
20:30 – 21:00         HHYMN
19:30 – 20:00         JOY MUMFORD 
18:30 – 19:00         EYRE LLEW 
17:30 – 18:00         PIERCE BROTHERS 
16:30 – 17:00         JAMIE LAWSON 
15:30 – 16:00         MARTIN LUKE BROWN 
14:30 – 15:00         DAUDI MATSIKO 
13:30 – 14:00         MOLLY AND JACK 
12:45 – 13:15         RJMARKS 
12:00 – 12:30         CEDRIC PETERS 

COMEDY STAGE
18:00 – 18:30         JOLLYBOAT 
17:00 – 17:30         JOHN ROBERTSON
16:00 – 16:30         ELLIE TAYLOR 
15:00 – 15:30         CHRISTIAN REILLY 
14:00 – 14:30         IAN D. MONTFORT

FRINGE STAGE 
17:15 – 17:45         DANIEL DORE.. MAGICIAN 
16:00 – 16:30         DIY POETS PRESENT.. SPLENDID POETRY 
15:00 – 15:30         SWING NOUVEAU
14:00 – 14:30         DH LAWRENCE & THE VAUDEVILLE SKIFFLE SHOW 
13:00 – 13:30         SWING NOUVEAU
12:00 – 12:30         NOTTINGHAM SCHOOL OF SAMBA

Electric Daisy Carnival UK 2015 Review

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The world renowned Electric Daisy Carnival returned to the UK on 11 July for its 3rd edition. 

One week before the festival excitement on social media was reaching its peak.  Around this time I stumbled across a group on Facebook for people going solo to EDC.  By the day of the festival there were over a 100 people in this group from not only all corners of the UK but from further afield too.

A number of us decided to meet up at Lake Furzton, Milton Keynes, close to the festival site, the morning of a festival.  The sun was shining and we were all in good spirits.  A short while after the gates opened we made the short walk over to the north entrance of the National Bowl where entry was dealt with quickly and efficiently. 

I soon hit the KineticFIELD, a lush green and wooded area which is set in a gigantic bowl meaning no matter where you stood in the arena you had a great view of the stunning KineticCATHEDRAL main stage.  With a glowing neon pipe organ bookended by gigantic, 45 foot tall twin owls, the stage played host to a full stage show incorporating dozens of performers, and of course DJs including Steve Aoki and Hardwell, that unfolded throughout the day.  The 90 feet high and 240 feet wide structure weighs more than 200 tons.  It featured 20 multi-coloured lasers and multiple massive LED screens, giving the illusion of detailed stained-glass windows to match the cathedral theme.  

I took a break from the KineticFIELD to check out the rest of the site.  It was a very hot day but at the chill tent the wellbeing crew were on hand giving out water and sun cream to festivalgoers (or Headliners as EDC prefers to call us).  This was a nice touch. 

Around the back of the main arena I came across the NeonGARDEN.  The stand out set here came from  headliner Jamie Jones. 

I walked a little further and hit the CircuitGROUNDS, a playground for lovers of bass heavy beats.  This large tent was very busy all day and Pendulum and Sub Focus went down a storm. 

My favourite of the smaller arenas was the CosmicMEADOW where the sweet sounds of trance and electronic rang out.  Cosmic Gate put in an awesome performance in the afternoon.  Later in the evening trance legend Ferry Corsten showcased his new track Anahera under his alias Gouryella.  Paul Van Dyk headlined this stage to a smaller than usual crowd due to his clash with Tiesto in the KineticFIELD.

At 9.30pm most of the 35,000+ ravers descended on the KineticFIELD to see the aforementioned legend that is Tiesto close the show.  He was accompanied by a full on stage show including fireworks, waterfalls and streamers.  It was a sight to behold from up on the hill.  His set included my personal favourite, his iconic remix of Adagio for Strings.    

Photo courtesy of Insomniac

EDC UK is a very well organised festival in a wonderland setting.  It has excellent production values not only on the main stage but in all four arenas.  EDC UK has established itself as a festival big boy so the others had better watch out!

Cocoon in the Park 2015 Review

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Hidden in the depths of a 500 year old mansion, Cocoon in the Park is a complete techno playground which draws in thousands of house-hungry revellers year after year. With an intense lineup dripping with talent, the festival is a small yet uniquely incredible, never failing to entice a crowd. 6 DJs, one stage, and a whole lot of music fans – this is the beauty of Cocoon in the Park. And we could barely wait for it to begin.

The faint sound of heavy house beats could be heard from miles away as we walked with a parade of techno-ready souls in procession to the event. Upon arrival, Enzo Siragusa and Seb Zito were nicely warming up the crowd, with powerhouse Dixon following shortly after. All three were lively, exciting and intense, and the atmosphere of the crowd was well and truly ready for the day ahead.

‘Carl Cox’, a name recognised by music fanatics, and simply any DJ with high aspirations. Cox’s hardcore and rave roots provided the basis for his own musical evolution, never losing his unique style and etiquette that has made him a living legend today, and why so many still swarm to see him at every possibility. He has undoubtedly honed his natural talent over his years in the industry – and that is building pure, dance-inducing parties. The drizzling rain began to fall on King Cox’s set; but that didn’t stop anyone. Rain macs at the ready, we partied on, following his every move, every beat, with every reveller so lost in the music that the consideration of a bit of rain was almost refreshing. Cox is renowned for filling the place up with his residency at Space in Ibiza, so to see him in full-force in an outdoor venue such as this is something I’d never witnessed before, and something that made a superb change. With an array of scantily clad women holding up the letters to spell out ‘Cocoon’, we were well and truly in the full swing of the festival.

It’s always been known that Ricardo Villalobos is somewhat of an acquired taste, but his time at Cocoon has seen what can only be described as a mass backlash from fans claiming it was a ‘car crash’ of a set. The comparison between the lively, fun and exhilarating set just witnessed by King Cox is definitely almost the polar opposite of what we saw with Villalobos – it was dark, minimalist, at times quite weird, and seem to feel quite slow. It would almost definitely been better had he been scheduled earlier in the day, but the vibe from major highs to deep, dark lows just didn’t connect with the crowd, and we welcomed the entrance of Sven Väth with open arms.

Until Cocoon, I’d never had the opportunity to experience a Sven Väth set live; I’d heard nothing but good things about the German legend from friends who’ve seen him previously, but this was truly something else. Many refer to him as ‘Papa Sven’, a man who guides his children into a euphoric trance with just two decks and a mixer at his forefront. The crowd were literally pulsating as soon as he entered the stage, a man in front of me fist-pumping his beer in the air with an almighty roar of excitement; Papa Sven had certainly arrived, and his children were ready for a night of blazing techno to begin.

The almighty Sven layed down nothing but pure, solid techno beats to a perfectly filled field, with revellers making the most of having so much space to fist pump, twirl and do whatever the hell you like at such an event. The expert veteran continued to blend between intense melodies to the clearly impressed crowd, with confetti guns and a Sven impersonator blasting us with a smoke gun on stage only adding to the euphoria. This guy is literally an enigma, knowing precisely what to play at every turn, much to the ostensible ecstasy of the crowd. Villalobos’ minimalism long forgotten, we see what we came to see; a world class DJ play a world class set. Unforgettable.

As the night drew to an end, many chose to go on and see the likes of Richie Hawtin play at the afterparty nearby – with a line-up just as fantastic as the main event, Cocoon in the Park never fails for those who never want the euphoria to end. But for us, for once, we found we’d been defeated – but with a festival as phenomenal as this, we know it won’t be the last time we grace the land of Temple Newsam. Bravo, Cocoon.

2000Trees 2015 – Full Review

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If I was going to tell you that I knew anything about the 2000Trees festival as I was stuck on a hellish drive down from London on Thursday, it would be an outright lie- the small festival on the outskirts of Chelt enham has managed to evade my personal radar for 8 years since it’s inception and having learnt about it last year, I can count myself lucky enough to have attended this year. Still, besides all of the hype from previous years’ attendants, I had not entirely decided on what I should expect.

The modest capacity festival is hidden deep in the Gloucestershire countryside, complete with rolling hills, bleating flocks of sheep, and and an idyllic river running around the edge of the site, and even though we were lucky with the weather (A welcome change from the usual rain of the UK festival scene) the scenery would have stood up and still looked beautiful regardless.

Unfortunately arriving later than anticipated, and due to the lack of advertising for Thursday’s acts, we missed some of the earlier performances. However, Thursday night saw the Indie rock and rollers, THE SUBWAYS draw close to the day’s music with their explosively energetic performance at ‘The Cave’ while ANDREW O’NEIL headed up ‘The Croft’ with his Schadenfreude style of comedy, somewhat appropriately referencing to the late Bill Hicks in his set, to warm reception.

FRIDAY

I kicked off Friday’s music with a punt on a completely new band to me – BITE THE BUFFALO, and how glad I was that I did. Comparing the 2 piece from Bath, England; to Royal Blood would be short sighted, as the Blues outfit brought filthy riffs, bluesy overdrive, and confident ballsy attitude and stagemanship, yet an honest humility that cemented them as my favourite act of the weekend.  ALLUSONDRUGS treated a modest crowd to their blend of Indie rock and acid infused prog, switching seamlessly from one to the other.  Heading up to ‘The Croft’ I had planned to catch some of SAM RUSSO’s set whilst escaping the peaking sun- the Singer-songwriter providing a nice contrast from Allusondrugs, allowing those who chose to get respite from the sweltering sun with a calm background of songs about love, friendship and moving on. Having only intended to catch a bit of his set, I ended up staying for the whole thing. Back on the main stage, TAX ON HEAT continued the stage’s bluesfest with sweaty and groovy 70’s era licks, with a stage presence that wouldn’t be out of place on a bigger stage, with a bigger crowd. Catching a bit of DEAD HARTS set over lunch at the Cave Stage, a welcomed heavy and tight performance was only dampened by the Sheffield rockers insistence on perpetually insulting the crowd, and trying to goad them into movement. NOTHING BUT THIEVES brought a massive crowd to ‘The Axiom’, the first act of the day to pack out the tent, fans sprawling around outside singing along to their set.

The main convenience of 2000trees scheduling is that most of the line up is staggered over the stages, meaning you only ever have to choose between 2 acts to see or easily catch half of both sets enabling whole days of tent hopping and the potential to (talking in extremes here) see every act (or if you realise that you are in the wrong place entirely, to avoid every act.) I spent a bit of time in the hidden ‘Room No.7’ to sit down and chill out on a sofa, with the sounds of ACOLLECTIVE bouncing across the site.

Back to the Main Stage, and YOUNG GUNS had already seized control of their crowd, with frontman Gustav Wood commanding their crowd with professional bravado that one would expect of a band of this caliber, while the band behind ran a tight ship, as the stadium filling hits kept coming. Headliners DEAF HAVANA, making a welcome return after a self realised absence kicked off their set with ‘The Past 6 Years’, before packing out their set with most of their more recent hits, with the whole crowd throwing back the lyrics right back at them. Humbled by the crowd’s staggering response, an emotional James Veck-Gilodi apologised for their recent absence and with the promise of a new album, a headline tour and new drive and enthusiasm for Deaf Havana, before closing off their night with nostalgic anthem, Hunstanton Pier.

The night didn’t end there for the people of 2000Trees, however. Silent discos then kicked off across the site at the Main Stage and The Cave, whilst The Axiom provided silent cinema until 3am, and acoustic sets around the site on the various busk stops and down at The Forest kept those who missed out on headphones for the silent activities entertained until around 1am, or until they staggered off into the night.

SATURDAY

Saturday’s music kicked off with an unusual act on the Main Stage, HUMAN PYRAMIDS. Described as Neo-Classical meets Post-Punk, Axe’s Paul Russell’s brainchild soothingly eased everyone into the day’s music, starting with a melodic introduction from their String quartet and horns section, before gradually coming to a crescendo with roaring guitars and heavy bass. Opening up ‘The Cave’ at 12:25 were Blackpool’s BOSTON MANOR (check out the interview HERE), who didn’t see fit to spare audiences hangovers, and bust straight into a flurry of fast paced punk hits from the go, not relenting until their time was up, having been a fan of BOSTON MANOR for a while, I am glad to have caught their set, before interviewing them later in the day.

Through other people’s suggestion, I headed over to check out MILK TEETH (on ‘The Axiom’), but was unable to get closer than the side of the tent, due to their massive pull for their time slot. The Stroud based group cranked out grungy punk, often showing their very heavy Nirvana influence, but unfortunately failed to capture my attention for all that long, as their (maybe purposefully, and fitting with the grunge genre) set sounded unpolished and loose. I caught a bit of BOY JUMPS SHIP’s set back on ‘The Axiom’, which keeping in the ‘Pop-Punk’ theme of the stage going, managed to play their faster, more intricate set than the preceding band with a lot more technical proficiency and enthusiasm, creating a more enjoyable experience for the casual music fans loitered in between stages for their lunch.

On the subject of lunch, 2000trees has a modest selection of food vendors dotted around the site, by each of the 3 main stages. Festival food for me seems like it has a bad rep, but the team at 2000trees only seem to have booked vendors who would offer a fair service for non-extortionate prices. Grilled Halloumi burgers and sweet potato fries kept me sustained throughout Friday, while a chunky bacon butty and fresh scotch eggs kept me alive Saturday. Monmouth Coffee being served as well was a really big surprise, and you’d get change from a tenner for a meal, which when coming from London is a rarity.

After lunch, songstress ALICE PHEOBE LOU dazzled the crowd with her beautiful voice, serenading the crowd with angelic highs with a bit of Sia-esque grit hidden behind. Forgetting lyrics aside, as she bonded with the crowd over the weather, and treated us all to a chilled, eerie set. As the day edged to an end, and after an outstanding genre spanning set from THE SKINTS, I found myself back up at ‘The Croft’ for THE BIG SIXES, only due to the fact they had spent the day attaching terrible posters to everything across the site advertising their set, and not knowing what to expect initially, my doubts were swept away by a tide of harmonies, expertly crafted songwriting, and top notch inter-song conversation, before their encore consisting of a couple of songs in the crowd, surrounded by a mass of singing fans. THE BIG SIXES managed to work up a predominantly neutral audience into a hyped crowd, a feat that would be natural for an established fast paced Pop-Punk band, but not for a slow and groovy act such as The Big Sixes.

Saturday’s headliners ALKALINE TRIO took to the stage at 21:45 just as the clouds began to burst, having held out -threatening rain- for the latter half of the day. The initial swell of excitement quickly died out, as those who were not diehard fans were let down by what was a lethargic performance, frontman Matt Skiba giving an uncomfortable appearance, whilst he murmured out lyrics to songs with little emotion. Bassist Dan Andriano however was giving a lot more to the crowd, interacting well with drummer Derek Grant and moving around the stage between swapping vocal priorities with Matt. Unfortunately for ALKALINE TRIO, and what may have be exacerbated by a disappointing lack of crowd compared to their stateside presence, or what Matt Skiba may now be used to playing for Blink 182, a more instant degree of stagemanship is necessary to win over a crowd that may not only be there to see you, as not to fade into the background.

So what would I say about my first experience at 2000Trees?

I’m going to be bold with this statement, the attitude at 2000Trees reminds me of that at Glastonbury, albeit on a tiny scale. You get the real feeling that the people around you haven’t just come to see their favourite band, and will spend the rest of their time getting into as much trouble as possible, but more that it’s an annual tradition for them. The nine year old festival caters for everyone, and whilst running about the site this weekend, the amount of friendly faces I would bump into at each act astounded me, only to bump into them 20 minutes later at a different tent.

The site itself is relatively tiny, but not cramped. Even those arriving half way through Friday were finding spots to camp up with ease, with enough room for stoves, barbecues or extra gazebos to sleep under when their tents got too hot.

I’m not sure what my favourite part of this weekend has been- whether it’s the terrific atmosphere from the punters in the know and relish the intimacy of this little festival, the picturesque surroundings that the festival is lucky enough to have, the fantastically located Forest stage or what has been a fantastic line up, bringing some names such as Deaf Havana, We Are The Ocean, MClusky* and Alkaline Trio, and providing emerging and underground UK music a proving ground on the UK festival scene. This weekend at 2000Trees has been one that shall be remembered, relished, and hopefully repeated in the coming years.

Tickets for 2000Trees 10th year are now on Sale, and can be picked up on their site.

Boston Manor Interview at 2000Trees

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Having caught Boston Manor at 2000Trees opening 'The Cave' on Saturday, I caught up with Henry and Jordan for a chat about their plans, past 10 months, and what is upcoming for one of 2015's rising 'Pop-Punk' stars.

Hi guys. First of all, how has your 2000Trees experience been? 

Henry: Yeah, really good- we've never been to this festival before and we're really enjoying it. 

Jordan: As we're up in Blackpool, we've never come down here, we usually go to places like Leeds, Kendal Calling, but I was expecting it to be a lot smal ler than it is- I was really surprised at the size of the arena, and we've been having a great time. 

Have you had enough time to see anyone?

Henry: Here and there, I didn't get here until yesterday.

Jordan: The rest of us have been here since Thursday, we watched CREEPER, on The Cave- where we played, and saw DEAF HAVANA last night and THRILL COLLINS- they were great, they're a cover band, and everyone was loving it. 

Since your Driftwood E.P came out, (Available on Failure By Design Records) you've had a pretty non-stop schedule- What have the highlights of the last 10 months been?

Henry:  The last two tours we've been on (with Moose Blood and As It Is/This Wildlife Co-headline) that was awesome, they're both really great bands and they were fantastic tours to be on, a lot of people were checking us out for the first time but it was just a really great opportunity for us.

Jordan: It was a massive step up for us as we were playing larger rooms that were selling out- that's new for us, it's such a difference compared to last year, where we would be playing to 3 guys in a pub basement. 

Henry: It's been quite a quick transition, really. Today is our first outdoor festival, so that in itself has been a new experience for us- it's definitely different, it's a whole different animal. 

What has been your main influences in your songwriting process and have they changed while being on the road? 

Jordan: I think when we're on tour we mainly focus on that, as when you're on the road you want to be concentrating on playing well and what you are doing each night. A bit of writing may happen on tour, and we know band who do that a lot; but when we come home, that's when we focus on writing.

Henry: Everyone thinks that touring is just having a laugh with your mates, it's great, but it is hard work- so you're busy with that. We're writing at the moment, but we haven't had to write on tour yet. In terms of inspiration, and not to sound generic, but it is just lots of stuff- it's constantly changing, When we write, we never set on exacting a sound, we just write what we want to hear, play how we want to play and let it evolve from there.

In a genre that can be so vicariously therapeutic for your audience and fans, and for fan loyalty and inclusion, what is your opinion on paying for meet and greet with bands?

Henry: It's fucking bullshit, anyone who does that is a dickhead- you're only able to be doing what you're doing because of the people who want to meet you, and you don't deserve to get paid just to grace someone with your presence, It's arrogant and I don't agree with it at all.

Jordan: Yeah, we're all human beings at the end of the day, and should be equal.

Henry: I know Avril Lavigne does it, and you have to stand two feet away from her, it's ridiculous.

The UK is having a bit of a moment for 'Pop-Punk' currently, and giving that you have had such a great year, what advice would you give younger musicians who are starting on their own musical journey? 

Henry: Never aim to emulate another band, listen to as much as you can, and play how you want to. I see so many bands just trying to mimic other bands, from everything- their music, their aesthetic and their branding. You have as a person so many facets to your own creativity and your life, channel that into what your band is, instead of echoing it into what other bands have done. You'll feel more creatively fulfilled, and it'll stand you in better stead.

Saying that, what would you go back in time and avoid?

Henry: Get breakdown cover when you go to Europe. We were there for a long time.

Jordan: Stuck in a tent, on concrete.

Henry: For three days, the fourth in a hotel, but we were there for a while. It was stupid. Apart from that, nothing. It sounds cliched but I think of the mistakes we've made, we've learnt so much from them that it was worth making them in the first place. 

Jordan: I kind of do believe that everything happens for a reason, and if it's got us to where we are now, then fair enough.

Henry:  If you're going to start a band, you're going to make a billion mistakes -and that's important- learn from them, we're still making mistakes every day. 

How do you spend your days off on tour?

Henry: They are a rarity, you have to make the most of them. On the last tour, we had two days off- The first we spent swimming, playing 3 on 3 American Football, watched American History X, and then went to bed. The next one was in Manchester, and we went to a trampoline park.

Jordan: It was a massive warehouse full of trampolines, you just jump around- it sounds a lot more fun than it is.

Henry:  Your reckon? I loved it! 

Jordan: After 5 minutes, you're absolutely knackered, and you just want to sit down, but you cant, because there's trampolines everywhere!

Henry: Yeah, we did that then had a Wagamamas, we try not to just sit around, but sometimes you're just knackered and want to play xBox all day.

What are we looking forward to for the rest of the year- can fans expect new music soon? 

Jordan: There is a new E.P recorded that we want to get out.

Henry:  Im going to say Autumn, that it will hopefully come out- that's what we're aiming for. We're really excited about it, and we're actually writing an album which we're taking a lot of time to do that. We have some show throughout the summer, and some other festivals. Hopefully there will be a tour in the late Autumn/early Winter time.

Jordan:  That could be in line with the E.P release

Henry: Yeah, there will be some shows for that, and then hopefully another tour- but that's all up in the air at the moment.

You can check out Boston Manor Here