Exit Festival 2014 Friday Review

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The morning was filled with the soft sound of rain on tent covers. The almost open air tin showers, which the day before had been filled with sweaty travellers washing lay empty and the open air pool seemed slightly desolate under the grey sky.

People sat and chatted and drank beer under the two large gazebo areas, now and again a cheer would rise up but nothing too raucous. The site was muddy and the rain incessant. But the mood was relaxed and comradely.  At 8 o’clock as Horchester took to the main stage they were greeted by sporadically spaced plastic poncho covered people.

However in true EXIT style as the moon began to rise and Serbian soft rock  outfit Van Gogh began their performance slowly and surely the fortress became swollen with people. Van Gogh are known as one of the biggest bands in Serbia, having started their career in the 80’s when the country was still known as Yugoslavia. There were a lot of people singing along and by the end of the set the front section of the crowd were raising their hands and pumping them in time to the beat.

As they finished up and the crowd moved away in different directions to ready themselves for Gloria Gaynor “A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong came on while the roadies set up. It was a lovely little soft moment in the rain, people were singing along or dancing slowly with each other cheek to cheek.

Gloria Gaynor kept the good mood going despite the moistness with a casually nuanced performance only an old hand at the game could give. She paced the stage hitting every note easily with a voice still soft like honey, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. People boogied along to the disco beat and sang up the words they knew back at her.

Friday night was arguably the biggest of the weekend, and it seemed as if the entire festival was decanted into the Main Stage area as the lights went up for Rudimental. Their live show didn’t disappoint, even if the squish factor went from medium to high, (both around and on the ground) the mood was electric and every song was a belter. Vocalists Anne Marie Nicholson and Bridgette Amofah brought the noise working their way between them through the whole Rudimenatal’s debut EP with style and panache, while DJ Locksmith kept the crowd upbeat and on their feet throughout the entire set.  The musical collective were as tight as a tiger and it was a pleasure to watch such talented performers have a party on stage to which everyone was invited..

At roughly the same time across at Huawei Fusion Stage, Asian Dub Foundation were also bringing down a banging set, with enthusiastically dancing crow. Ghetto Priest was a beast, and obviously enjoyed getting to use his commanding presence on stage.

 There was a point when the speakers blew, which is fair enough considering the amount of noise that was being pumped through them. Someone threw a beer and Chandrasonic gave them an intelligent dressing down, in a softly softly quick fire rap tinged with melancholy about how shit we are to each other. The feel good factor could not be dampened, and when the sound came back on the party started back up in earnest.

Even at 3am with the festival site now a sticky sloppy mess every stage was packed with muddy shoed happy smiling people, the festivities went on till the wee hours with the MTS Dance Arena packed out until 6 am when the sun finally decided to break through the clouds and the die harders making their way back, with raised voices, to the campsite.

EXIT Festival had pulled of another banging evening in the rain.

Boomtown Fair 2014 SOLD OUT

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BoomTown Fair has sold out for the sixth year in a row! Even after increasing the capacity by over 20% to 38,000, this ever popular event has shifted all of the tickets to the annual Fair and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down! With an astonishing array of musical genres covered by the headliners alone; The Cat Empire, NOFX, Jimmy Cliff, The Wailers, Shaggy, The Skatalites, Tinariwen, Bellowhead, New Model Army, Alabama 3, Lady Saw, Raggasonic, Afro Celt Sound System alongside 400 more artists, this juggernaut of a festival truly does deliver across the board!

BoomTown Fair isn’t your average UK festival, offering its attendees or ‘residents’ a fully interactive pop-up city with boulevards of buildings to explore and various venues to get thoroughly stuck into. The fair has a hugely theatrical feel and delves into the attendee’s psyche to unlock the feelings of childlike wonderment and fantasy, and with the increased revenue from ticket sales being directly reinvested into the artistic and theatrical elements, BoomTown has further built upon its boundary pushing creative environment!! With hundreds of walkabout and sideshow performers, intricate and engaging sets as well as an ethical ethos and a disregard for the norm, over the past six years BoomTown Fair has established itself as one the UKs most spectacular events and unlike any other on the scene at the moment!

With the Fair a few days away it’s time to sum up what to expect at this year’s event, all the new areas, the old favourites and the stealthy shenanigans! New areas to keep an eye open for this year include the Wild West Street, which comes fully stocked with two watering holes, the Crazy Calamities and the Rusty Spur, a rogue Sherriff and some Hill-Billy Bluegrass bands on hand to provide the perfect soundtrack! Across the way in the OldTown district, the ginormous Pirate Ship, The Jolly Dodger has landed and will be the host of many a Pirate band including a full on Pirate Takeover on the Sunday of the festival. The Old Mines will be presiding over the wholesome Whistlers Green District with world class folk artists such as Bellowhead, Tinariwen and Afro Celt Sound System. As you might expect from BoomTown, nothing is totally traditional, much like the festival itself, the acts picked are known for pushing the boundaries and adding their own twist on things!!

BoomTown Fair will return to Matterley Estate from 7th – 10th August with a theme of Outrageous Carnival connecting the nine individual districts, the streets of BoomTown are once again going to be awash with amazing sets, colourful characters and creative communities!

Rhythms of the World Review 2014

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Ablaze in colour, sun, world music, art and local talent, the annual Rhythms of the World festival in Hitchin stuck true to its slogan, showering visitors with “music from around the world and round the corner”. The two-day event which begun in 1992 regularly sees up to 30,000 festival-goers over the weekend and, after a year off, 2014’s Rhythms was set to be enjoyed by all.

Heading toward the main stage at opening on Saturday with the sun blazing down, anticipation is seeping out of every passer-by. With first act Sir Walter J Wallis Band already on stage, a crowd had started to descend, setting up picnic blankets and camping chairs in prime positions for the day. With the stage being set for the next act, Kev Maher entertains the growing audience with his acoustic covers, playing hits by The Killers, Jonny Cash and Erasure, all met with cheers and claps to which he gleefully responds “Are you getting drunk?!” Next up is Nadeem Leigh and Dubious Luxury, fresh from last years BBC’s The Voice, whose eclectic mix of jazz and blues with hip-hop is the ideal scene setter for the beer-in-hand weather of the first day. Leigh’s cover of Tinie Tempah’s Pass Out as a jazz/funk remix was a standout track of the set, taking the crowd by surprise and loudly followed by enthusiastic woops and cheers.

Taking over the stage with americana, CC Smugglers encouraged the first mass dance of the day, joining the two boho ladies who hadn’t stopped hipshaking since opening. Between bouts of wild west music and harmonica blues, frontman Richie Prynne gave a shout out to his mum which he quickly followed up with asking if there were any drunk girls in the audience, dedicating song ‘Whiskey in the Morning’ to the delighted responders.

Over at the BBC Introducing Stage, Kumara opened with a longer than average 40 minute set to a younger audience, swimming in flower-garland headdresses, denim, and fringe. On the return for Spacepope, a band with a classic American rock sound and vocals with a Kings of Leon edge, the crowd make up had grown to include many pierced and black clad individuals, with a kaleidoscope of hair colours, eagerly awaiting metal band Kill Confirmed.

Later in the day, the Priory Park Stage – weekend home of the DJ’s, was the place to be for some euphoric dancing in the sunshine. Reggaematic brought a purpose to the pleasure, pleading for justice for Leon Briggs, a local Luton man who died in hospital after being in police custody last November, before bringing the tone back up and dropping more beats.

As the torrent of rain began its assault on the festival, Soma in the St. Mary’s stage tent was everyone’s first choice as they sheltered from the rain, to which the world music performers joked “This rain is very good for business!”. With the weather continuing to drive people toward the tent, the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana played to a packed crowd after a few technical difficulties, subtly covered up by a lesson on how to pronounce the bands name (Ka-ka-chi-chi, if you were wondering). The drummers, who played at Glastonbury last year, soon got into their rhythm and chant, increasing their tempo, with one member impressively using both his feet and hands to bang the drum.

The sun came back out for Toque Tambor on the Main Stage who, adorned in colourful Carnival costumes and dancing girls, brought the spirit of Brazil to Hertfordshire. On the way over to the BBC Introducing stage, Indi and the Vegas,- as well as half the crowd – could be heard covering the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song, followed up by their own upbeat sound and funky bass putting everyone in the mood to party. Dancing about, bopping the occasional beach ball, or lying chilled out in the sun, Indi’s high-school summer ambiance was soaked up, all topped off with explosions of rainbow-hued confetti. Far from over, the festival continued with Tides picking up where Indi and the Vegas left off, the audience blissfully unaware of the dark storm cloud looming ever closer, and despite the fat raindrops beginning to slowly fall, the crowd continued to dance and shimmy to the local band.

After procuring some noodles from a Thai food stand, Ryddim Kings ft. Kareem were next on the list at the Arcadeclectic Stage, where the Kings surprisingly consisted of two Queens providing vocals, as well as male guitar, bass and keyboard players. The combination of the ladies and Kareem’s voices created soothing tones, enticing a growing crowd hipshaking in the woodland setting, peering into the bohemian dressed Arcadeclectic tent.

Behind the Introducing Stage, the dipping sun bled across the darkening sky while Atlas vocalist Flo Kirton aptly crooned “the light might be fading but the sunset’s not the end”, with the haunting siren calls of track ‘Summer Jams’ still resounding in listener’s ears days later. Inviting hip-hop duo Phili’N’Dotz onstage, Atlas combined rap and bassy beats with Flo’s melodies, turning day into night before Phili’N’Dotz took over the stage for their own set. Unleashing newfound energy into the bouncing crowd, the duo rapped “put your motherfucking hands up” to which an 8-year old boy on his dad’s shoulders dutifully pumped his fists in the air.

Headlining the first night of the Introducing Stage were Josephine and the Artizans with their unique blend of hip-hopera. Classical instruments opened track ‘Dies Irae’, closely followed by Josephine’s operatic vocals, the crowd reacting by looking at each other in stunned silence, until the rap kicked in and the crowd started jumping, hands in the air, with onlookers surging to join them. Whilst Josephine and the Artizans' opening song didn’t stop drawing a bemused crowd, Main Stage headliners Freshlyground maintained a dense, dancing crowd with their plucky guitar strings, feel good beats and girlish vocals from Zolani Mahola. The South African pop band left festival-goers twirling round in circles long after the main stage closed for the night, providing the perfect music for sipping beers in a park with mates.

Camping not included at this festival, we entered the arena on Sunday fresh after a nights sleep in a bed followed by a shower, etiquette previously unheard of at a festival to see  Garden City Samba already in full swing outside the Icehouse, greeting new arrivals with the sweet sound of samba. Scattered about, families picnic and watch the performers of all ages playing drums and twirling ribbons, with the gentle breeze carrying over the rhythmic sound of Alex Bay on the main stage. Bay’s smooth soul accompanied by his full band of guitar, bass, keyboard and drums set the scene for day two as the arena begins to fill. More family based this morning, the air is rife with the smell of suncream, the fierce sun creating the illusion of holidays. Chilled vibes thrive with Nathan Watson and the Freakanomics onstage next, playing their funky electric soul, the crowd cheering when hearing they still have another two songs left.

Over at the Arcadeclectic Stage, a crowd has gathered in the dapple shade of the trees, taking in Laura Victoria’s playful acoustic verses. Meanwhile on the BBC Introducing Stage, Herts Music Service present The Prophecy, covering recent hits including Paramore’s ‘Still Into You’, with confidence and a strong stage presence, the lead singer shimmy and shaking across the platform, interacting with both her band and the crowd. Later, male traditional heavy metal band Neverworld, bedecked with long hair and dreads, are met with a crowd of cheers and metal horns to their Jack Black ‘Tribute’ styled guitar, drums and high pitched screams. Vocalist Ben Colton remarked at the crowd changing atmosphere with, “Nice to see people standing up now, I’ve never played a gig with people sitting down!”, whilst somehow managing to sound like he’d be a top gentleman offstage, metal band aside.

Next up on the Introducing Stage was Electronic/Dance act One Bit, who were an instant hit between their techno and echoey vocals. With poppy beats to get your body in motion, track ‘Daydream’ was something for everyone at Rhythms whether chilling or dancing. Met with loud cheers and applause, the crowd “fell into a daydream”, thriving off One Bit’s stage presence and club music vibe, with haunting cover of Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’ only recognisable by the lyrics.

After a brief respite from the sun, taking in the artsy vibe in the shady Holistic Garden and watching some wood sculpture carving in action, it was back to the main stage for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. His chilled out vibes and crowd sing-alongs made for idyllic summer day music, before heading back to Introducing for girly pop band Delora, whose whimsical nature had us falling head over heels to catch the wristbands thrown into the crowd, and feeling light-headed after spinning in dizzy circles to Whirlwind’s chorus.

Then it was a quick bite to eat backstage, and a re-energising under the Quiz In The Tree before the headline acts, soaking up the atmosphere and attempting to guess as many artist names as possible from the paintings swinging in the branches. Whilst hearing artists from the Icehouse and Arcadeclectic stages either side, battling it out to be the loudest.

Headling the BBC Introducing Stage were Childhood, whose indie summer beats had the crowd non-stop dancing, including a 50 odd year old man going absolutely mental for them on his own, whilst Ben Romans Hopcraft played his guitar in the air next to his head, completely owning the stage. Meanwhile over on the Main Stage, the steel pan drums of Courtney Pine were being enjoyed by all as the last act of the weekend, gathering a huge, dynamic crowd, with the finale of the set including a cover of The Lion King’s ‘In The Jungle’, the audience a sea of bobbing heads, hands in the air and inflatable giraffes.

Pleasantly surprised as a first-timer to Rhythms of the World, this festival holds the excitement of hearing local up-and-coming bands, dancing to your hearts content at the DJ stages, and experiencing the wonder of world music, I will definitely be returning for future years.

Eastern Electrics Festival 2014

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It was certainly an intriguing decision when cutting-edge electronics festival Eastern Electrics announced a one day event at ‘Hatfield House’. Now in its third year as a festival, it began in 2012 as an unassuming one day affair, which expanded greatly to the behemoth of a three day event in 2013 with an unforgettable line-up boasting a plethora of world class DJs. You’d only assume it would do the same again, considering its vast popularity as one of the most spoken of electronic festival in the UK. But it returned with fewer large names in a quaint yet stunning backdrop of a mansion, reverting to just one day again. But did this take away from the experience? Absolutely not.

Considering a last minute rampage to get cagoules galore in preparation for the rain, it was scorching as we entered the festival and headed straight to the Art of Dark tent for Dyed Soundorom. After taking over Ibiza with DJ outfit Apollonia alongside Shonky and Dan Ghenacia, the Parisian DJ returned alone playing a to crowd that were lapping up the set, putting on an impressive display that most certainly testified the idea that you can’t get people dance at such an early time. The atmosphere within the tent however was an unbearable sweaty pit of sighing bodies that had to relinquish to the outdoors to be able to breathe, which somewhat ruined what could have been an incredible set.

Over in the Rinse FM tent were duo Dense and Pika. After favouring their remix of Paul Woolford’s Erotic Discourse, I was excited to see the gritty and glorious sounds of the techno pair as they played to a somewhat empty tent. But empty or not, they certainly received an energetic reception from those who attended, with songs such as Alden Tyrell  ‘Wurk it’ and Josh Winks ‘Are you there’ solidifying their stance as DJs that certainly the ones to watch at this event. The same tent played host to London DJ Route 94; admittedly, we were only passing through the tent as his set played, but we halted to a stop as the commercially well-known hit ‘My Love’ began to play, and the echoes of a singing crowd erupted into a guilty pleasure performance that we couldn’t seem to stay away from.

It was tINI who was inevitably the highlight of the festival. The characteristic deep blow of her selections were both intense and electric, igniting the crowd to full attention as she commenced tracks such as Cid Inc & Victor Hugo’s ‘Made in Brazil’ and transforming the outdoor Switchyard venue into a sea of adrenaline fuelled fist-pumping. As she unleashed Floorplan’s Never grow old, goosebumps appeared as the crowd were divulged in a euphoric state that only the Desolat master was responsible for. It only took a few years for tINI to make a name for herself, and it only took a few moments for her to create an incredible and unparalleled atmosphere at Eastern Electrics. At a climactic moment in the set, a torrential pouring of rain began, and a huge rampage of waterproof handing out activated; no one left their post, however, and a sea of umbrellas and awkward plastic cagoules continued to dance regardless of the showers falling over us.

What was frustrating about the festival was the queue for drinks tokens; having to wait to purchase non-refundable pieces of card to use as currency, to then wait again for a drink seemed somewhat pointless, and many I spoke to were agitated that they had to waste time doing this instead of seeing the acts they wanted. After a swift wait however, we were back and ready for the exciting duo Serge Santiago and Firas Waez, also known as Waze and Odyssey. They were playing at the Red Bull tent – a gloriously compact outdoor venue that played host to an array of exciting acts that day, including Catching Flies and Ali Love. Waze and Odyssey’s set made for a refreshing change from the deep and bellowing techno that seemed to be echoing throughout the rest of the festival, incorporating faster-paced beats, plenty of energy and a steady fuel of bass incorporated into their distinctive house/garage sound. The atmosphere was further lifted as the smooth elements of jazz began to play as Lil Louis ‘Why’d u fall’ was blasting through the tent, much to the delight of the revelling crowd who seemed truly captivated by the duo.

Onto the main stage, and Canadian techno heroes and headliners Art Department began their extraordinary set to a field of fans ready to be driven into a whirlpool of synth-driven house and techno. Comprising of Johnny White and Kenny Glasgow, the duo’s alias ‘Art Department’ have long established a distinctive and pioneering sound, consistently pushing the boundaries when it comes to their music. It was certainly an incredible experience to finally be able to see the pair in action, as their unique elements seem to captivate the crowd and infuse a sense of energy with the bridging together of each track, which was done so in an artistic way. The final act of the night to close the festival was the soulful house pioneer himself, Kerri Chandler. With an abundant body of work behind him, his renown bass-lines create instant excitement, intrinsically hooking between catchy choruses and impressive kick drums, marking him a true legend and ‘King Kerri’ to some. However, tonight’s set was much mellower from the usually up-beat soul DJ, and although the crowd were content, it failed to consume and amaze like his predecessors had done this day.

Eastern Electrics, although downgrading in size, has still managed to pull of an incredible, memorable and equally exciting display of DJs. I’ve attended all three years of the festival; although it doesn’t compare to last years, the atmosphere, acts and overall experience certainly didn’t fail to impress, and thousands of revellers would absolutely agree with me. 

Beacons Festival 2014 Preview

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This weekend will see the return of Beacons Festival which takes place in the Yorkshire Dales.

Having started out in 2011 this music festival has gone from strengh to strengh pulling together a top lineup of artists from all around the world and this years lineup is no different.

Topping the bill for 2014 are electronic musican collaborators Darkside, UK indie folk band Daughter, american rapper Action Bronson and English producer Jon Hopkins.

Other acts joining in on the action include the likes of Erol Alkan, Jackmaster, Carli XCX, Joy Orbison, Nightmares on Wax, Neneh Cherry, Dusky and a whole bunch more.

Our picks and must sees for this weekend are:

Action Bronson: This upcoming hip hop artist has been billed as the "next" Ghostface Killa and his legendary stage antics include recently eating someone's burger in front of the audience he was performing for and rapping from a porta-loo mid performance.  This larger than life rapper is bound to put on a show that the Beacons Festival crowd will not want to miss.

Submotion Orchestra: Formed back in 2009 in Leeds, UK, this seven piece band plau a fusion of jazz, soul and dub and have been the favourites of the likes of Trevor Nelson, Jo Whiley and others.  Their live stage shows are full of energy and they are bound to get you bouncing around as they take to the Beacons stage on Friday nite.

Dusky: Saturday at Beacons will see London electronic music duo Dusky hit the crowd with a set of producions so diverse its hard to classify them.  Influnced by many genres, expect a fusion of house and techno and everything in between.

Darkside: Hailing from New York, Darkside are electronic music duo Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington.  Having recently released a remix of Daft Punk's 2013 entire album Random Access Memories to high praise this duo has blown up playing festivals and events all around the world.  Their latest album Psychic delivers a wide range of genre music and their live set is something not to be missed.  Be sure to catch them at Beacons Festival closing out Sunday night.

The Klaxons to headline OxfordOxford plus more!

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Futuristic three-piece, Klaxons, are now confirmed as the headliner of OxfordOxford in one of many new confirmations for the event’s debut line-up spanning the weekend of 26th-28thSeptember in South Park. Tickets for the film and music days, plus weekend passes are now available to purchase from http://www.oxfordoxford.co.uk/, Sunday’s community themed day remains free entry.

Plaudits for their third album have been high and Klaxons are gearing up for live dates that now include a headline set at OxfordOxford, the band’s only gig in the city for 2014. The crowning act for the event’s music-focused day on Saturday 27th September, Klaxons come to South Park armed with tunes which charge between dance and post-punk sounds. Also confirmed is Katy B, a vocalist who is firm favourite of dance floors nationwide. Katy B has leant talents to a whole host of recent club smash hits not to mention her two solo records of electronic, urban, pop perfection. In support of home-grown talent OxfordOxford will play host to three local acts by teaming up with BBC Introducing in Oxford show to present space-pop quintet, Flights of Helios, indie outfit Balloon Ascents and lo-fi pop trio Robot Swans.

OxfordOxford will kick off with a cinematic spectacular on Friday 26th September, additions to the big screen’s billing include a special ‘dance-a—long’ version of 80’s guilty pleasure, Dirty Dancing. Similar cult classics on offer will be the action-packed Top Gun and family-favourite, The Goonies. As already announced features will also include ‘sing-a-long’ Grease and Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland.

 
The event will culminate in a vibrant and varied collection of Oxford’s many different community groups and activities, access to which will be free all-day on Sunday 28th September. Dance, local history, sports and local industry will all feature across the day in numerous forms. Local retailers wishing to take part are welcome to contact OxfordOxford via [email protected]. Specific details of Sunday’s offering will be announced shortly.   
 
Eleven 11 Events Director, Owen Kent comments:

“Friday’s specially curated Film line up includes a number of the most entertaining cult films making for a fun-filled day out for all. The Kids Area will also bring some magic to the experience for families."

“Klaxons, as an Oxford exclusive for 2014, will surely bring all the energy, passion and hits to their headline show, it will be a real spectacle to close Saturday’s music event.  I am also delighted to confirm Katy B as main support, another very talented live performer, and consistently a festival highlight."

“Most importantly for me, as one of the organisers of the event, OxfordOxford is supporting homegrown talent from the city, and is giving different performers the opportunity to share the stage with international artists, gain experience and promote their music. We are particularly pleased to have BBC Introducing in Oxford on board presenting Flights of Helios, Balloon Ascents and Robot Swans. It is great to be working with them as we share similar views on bringing up and coming talent to a local audience."

"OxfordOxford is proud to be working in partnership with Oxford City Council"

Reading and Leeds BBC Introducing Stage lineup announced

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With less than a month to go until the gates open, the countdown is now well and truly on for Reading & Leeds 2014. Returning this year will be the one stop home of the best in up and coming talent, the BBC Introducing Stage. With BBC Introducing forever championing the finest in new music from the UK and beyond, the stage is part of BBC Introducing’s commitment to offering the best new artists unrivalled opportunities to be seen and heard. As a powerful launching platform for emerging talent, the stage has previously been home to this year’s Main Stage success story Jake Bugg as well as Catfish And The Bottlemen, Spector, Clock Opera and many more.
 
Topping the bill on Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds will be the extremely exciting BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra championed London soul singer Moko. Joining her will be alternative punk project The Bulletproof Bomb, Kent experimental rock group Broken Hands, the ambient neo-soul singing collectiveLyves, 19-year-old folk-pop singer Rebecca Clements, the blues tinged and Tom Waits influenced sounds ofJohn J Presley, the fiercely executed rap and powerfully emotive, catchy vocal melodies of Judge and The Jury, melancholic indie quintet Dancing Years, Buckinghamshire singer/songwriter Natasha North and fierce Scottish post hardcore band Shambles In A Husk.
 
Heading up the lineup on Saturday at Reading and Sunday at Leeds is the delicate vocal of Bombay Bicycle Club collaborator Rae Morris. The thrilling and hotly tipped London slacker rock trio Happyness will join her alongside York band Hello Operator, ex-General Fiasco brothers Owen and Enda Strathern’s new band Oh Volcano, three piece Leicester music makers Juniors, upcoming songwriter and Enigma Dubz collaboratorLippi, the melodious pop of Liverpool’s Guardian championed trio All We Are, France formed Aussie and Brit four piece indie rockers Sunset Sons and the horror-influenced skate-punk of Cambridge four piece Bloody Knees.
 
Sunday at Reading and Friday at Leeds sees the stage headlined by Scottish synth-pop trio and Island signeesPrides who will come to the festival fresh from playing the Blink 182 Reading & Leeds warm-up shows at Brixton Academy. Joining them are unsigned indie rock band Crystal Seagulls, promising and ever hard working singer-songwriter Adam French, the live spectacle of Swansea based Cramps-esque punkers Heavy Petting Zoo, fiercely talented alternative songwriter Jack Garratt, Manchester’s future stars Man Made, Hull-based garage/punk band Mother, the BBC Radio 1Xtra playlisted talent of Esco Williams, the hauntingly beautiful music of Billie Marten and the raw.
 
This year saw the return of the prestigious Futuresound Competition, offering the winner the chance to perform on the Festival Republic Stage and five runners up the chance to open over on the BBC Introducing Stage. Leeds’ piano bashing, rock ‘n’ roll five piece Carnabells came in on top for what is sure to be the opportunity of a lifetime over on the Festival Republic Stage.
 
The Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds sees self-proclaimed ‘Black Keys meets Nancy Sinatra’ trio Crybabycry open the stage. Saturday at Reading and Sunday at Leeds bills the post punk and pop of Tabloids and Forever Cult’s slow burning grunge kicking off festivities. Sunday at Reading and Friday at Leeds, West Yorkshire alternative five piece Allusondrugs and the mod sounds of Leeds’ Vendettas will be opening the stage.
 
Centre Stage 2014 winners GirlsOnDrugs have also been added to the bill. A collaboration between a boy and girl, the band have deep bass synths and dream-laced chords enlivened by the beautiful, sultry, vocal talents of Kat McHugh, whose voice dances from pure expression to melancholic yearning.
 
The BBC Introducing Stage is truly the best place at the Festival to see the best emerging talent from across the UK. All this and a few very special, secret guests can be expected during what promises to be the biggest weekend in this summer’s festival calendar!
 
Jason Carter, Head of Live Music & Events, BBC Popular Music says: “BBC Introducing are delighted to be bringing our stage to the Festival for another year. Over the past few years it has been fantastic to see bands that have been completely unknown move up the stage at the Festival, right up to the main stage, this is another phenomenal new band line-up”.

Secret Garden Party 2014 Review

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“The longest yard”

Wow, where to start? Secret Garden Party blew my mind. After spending seven hours on a coach to get there, which was inevitably delayed, I got into the festival just in the nick of time and met up with my photographer. We’ve done a dozen festivals together and he took me on the short walk to the campsite where I was reacquainted with our trusty festival tent, the nickname of which I probably shouldn’t share, but nonetheless, this sagging, red mess was our dishevelled but not unloved HQ of the next three days and for its part, it did the job.

So bag down, party gear on, we headed into the festival proper. Our first port of call was the Fox, a giant, hay-filled canid used several times thereafter as a meeting point for lost friends. Atop its tail, during several conversations with excited randomers, I got my first real inclination of the scale and atmosphere and it was impressive, but at that point I had seen nothing.

Our first taste of action was Little Dragon on the Great Stage where thousands were crammed in to take in the surreal sounds of the Swedish synth-pop veterans. It was here that we met our extended group and after we made our way back towards the main area of the festival to take in more of the mise en scene: all kinds of different bars and hang-outs, food vans, huts, shacks, bars, art installations and of course people; lots of people.

“Are those people hanging from the ceiling?”

The next two acts we saw took us by great surprise as they were two of our favourites and yet we hadn’t even realised they were on the lineup. We noticed the familiar gait of Skream silhouetted against a constantly pulsing, fractal visualisation behind him. Then straight off the back of that the MC announced the arrival on stage of none other than DJ EZ who eased us in with some UKG classics before showcasing his flair on the ones and twos, bringing dirtier, grimier sounds to a packed crowd of willing skankers at the Drop, plus a gratuitous three minutes of ‘Deep Inside’. 

I rated SGP highly already. I came to the festival with a head full of names, my top DJs and artists and everyone who I’d planned to see but what I hadn’t bargained for was the rest of the festival experience being so fun. I could have stayed there for a week. Under the dark, expansive sky, bright lights shone and big beats rumbled; a different vibe around every corner. I got my first taste of the Drop coming from the back end and the way the wooden overhangs looked over the arena – like the wall around a fort – meant that the excitement of what I had in store over the next couple of days was growing with every moment. 

As the house beats rolled and the visuals evolved, surrounded by trees, lakes and these wooden platforms, the revelry atmosphere was almost spiritual. Gas canisters lined the floor, we danced on hay bales as night turned into day and the sun came up to techno rhythms. I got to see the festival in a completely new light and it was from this point that I got to fully appreciate the size and effort SGP had put into every single detail. Friends that had been before told me that in fact this year had been scaled back slightly and there were a few things missing and I remember thinking there wasn’t really anything I could imagine being better.

“This is the first festival where I’ve seen a dog shit”

Then came Saturday. All the days blurred into each other, so much overlap – the hallmark of any good festival – but there are distinct parts of each day which makes it impossible to pick a favourite. Saturday started with a walk to the lake where we sat by a cloud on the shaded banks. I could’ve stayed there all day, it was idyllic. We had a picnic, of sorts, and drank happily in the summer heat, the sound of Spitfires swooping above and balloons here there and everywhere.

Most of our group were SGP veterans, unlike my photographer and I who were straight up virgins to the Huntingdon festival, so I was happy to take their lead and they assured that the next stop was the Pagoda. The queue was huge and I couldn’t really see what all the fuss was about. Then our time came and on we got in, a floating stage on the edge of the lake in full sun with banging, hypnotic house and techno. The Pagoda was unbelievable, packed full of likeminded ravers, intermittent squirts of Super-Soakers and scantily clad, golden goddesses. We raved there for hours before heading back to campsite in the evening to recharge our batteries. This where my lack of sleep caught up with me. 

“Make sure you see the fireworks, you’ve gotta see the fireworks, the fireworks are the best bit, are you coming to the fireworks?”
“Yeah I’m coming, sounds sick, can’t wait!”
“Did you go to the fireworks?”
“Nah I fell asleep.”

Yeah I flopped on the fireworks which I was naturally wounded about. I sat down for a rest about 9pm and came-to in a tent around 1am. What I was playing at I don’t know, but I can tell you what everyone told me and that was I was an idiot for missing them and to be fair, the photos looked incredible; and I have it on good authority that Public Enemy smashed it shortly after, just like they had at Parklife when I saw them earlier in the year.

When I woke up, alone at the campsite, with a phone with no battery I set forth into the festival to find someone, anyone. Our group was led by the high leader Larry whose bright, yellow face you could pick out of a crowd from any distance; Larry was a flag. But after two hours of looking for my compadres – while simultaneously dancing ruts into the ground as I circled the Drop, Temple of Boom and everywhere in between – I decided probably just to make some new ones; and so I did. A bold claim maybe, but I think SGP had the best crowd I’ve ever seen (aside from one or two goblins and Technicolor madmen) and even the brief but fierce rainstorm couldn’t dampen my spirits.

I managed to find the crew just in time to see Route 94 at the Drop and when he brought in ‘My Love’ just as the sun was rising up, followed by his remix of ‘Fly 4 Life’, it was going off; that was until the technician told him to pack it in and (light-hearted?) boos rang round the venue.

“We’re a travelling rebetiko band”

After that I found myself on my own again, in a peculiar little tent in the early hours with fiddlers three and all kinds of mad ukuleles and mad, eccentric instruments being strummed, plucked and banged. I sat on a bench and a man in a fez carrying a violin pulled apart the curtains that formed the wall and sat down next to me. We sipped (“proper”) cognac and chatted at length about all sorts, then all of a sudden he popped up and said “oh I’ve gotta play now,” and off he went onto the stage.

SGP is the first festival I’ve been to where the place itself was more impressive than the music. There were bars hidden in secret wooded paths. You could go through a wardrobe in a fence and into Narnia, with snow-covered paths and its own ice rink and a toilet cubicle through which was a field of six-foot sunflowers and various specimens of wristband-wearing flora and fauna. Hay bales stacked 20 feet high with hologrammatic faces singed into them, fire pits, rolling fields, soft hillsides and ponds and lakes surround you; believe me I’m going back next year.

“It’s going off in these glasses”

Sunday came and it was a dream. Off we went again to the cloud by the lake and lay in the sun, swigging Kopparbergs like they were going out of fashion. We got to the Great Stage to see the Correspondents tear it up – another hot tip from the regulars – then we had the paint fight. If you’ve never been in a paint fight with tens of thousands of people, I’m inclined to say you’ve never been to a proper festival, but then again that wouldn’t be fair. 

Cannons of dry paint, fireworks cracking in the sky, grenades of powdered blue and red tossed back and forth between the two sides and no one left unscathed. Everyone was covered in dry paint, gold glitter and all kinds of festival wear and tear as ‘Jump Around’ blasted out across the heavily populated fields and hills. David Rodigan was next to do his thing, with sweet reggae music pumped loud from the Funktion Ones, followed by more bass-heavy sounds from Fat Freddy’s Drop in probably the most chilled environ possible.

The rest of Sunday was spent exclusively at the Drop with b2b sets from the likes of Joy Orbison, Optimo and Jackmaster. In between pounding four-four beats and intangible vocal whirls came classics like ‘Sugar is Sweeter’, timed to perfection – this was heaven for me. There’s something about house music that never ceases to amaze me and I found myself in awe at times wondering how the DJ was gonna play himself out of this tune or that tune, but they always did. 

“Chaise-Lloyd”

Rather than go out with a bang however, the music fizzled out around midnight and we were left to collect ourselves and head back to the campsite. Somewhere in the distance lightening filled the sky, like one final goodbye, and that for me was the end of Secret Garden Party.

Review by Lloyd Wall

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Photos by Paul Taylor

Tramlines Festival 2014 Review

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Tramlines Festival has become one of the biggest events on the inner city festival calendar. From its early days as a free-to-enter event subsidised by the local council and corporate sponsors, the festival now attracts visitors to Sheffield from all over the country due to the fantastic value of £28 for a full weekend pass to see some of the biggest names in a wide range of music genres including Katy B, Sister Sledge, The Cribs and Public Enemy.

Last year saw over 100,000 music lovers attend the festival, and although this year’s statistics are yet to be announced, attendance had been forecasted to be even higher, which is feasible judging from just how packed the city centre was over the weekend.

Tramlines brought a carnival atmosphere to Sheffield. The city had a palpable buzz, with bars and pubs full to the brim, revellers spilling onto the streets and people of all ages and music tastes enjoying the wide variety of artists on the bill.

Walking around the city, it felt like bands were playing everywhere they could be squeezed in. From car parks to beer gardens, to squares, libraries, museums and even double decker buses, music could be heard. If it wasn’t a band, it was a DJ or an acoustic singer/songwriter. The city was host to a three-day long party, fantastic for the profile of Sheffield and the local economy.

Tramlines has been described as an ‘Urban Glastonbury’ by its organisers. Big boots to fill for a festival only in its sixth year. How did it stack up against its contemporaries and does it deserve such lavish acclaim? We tried to find out.

 

Friday

When the first song by the first band you see at the festival makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, you know you’re in for a special weekend. That’s exactly what happened during Post War Glamour Girls who opened proceedings at City Hall. Roaring single ‘Little Lands’ from the talented Leeds four-piece kicked off a 25-minute set mainly showcasing material from their upcoming second album. Due to being scheduled to play Deer Shed festival at 11am the following day, their relatively early starting time meant they were missed by many, but they fully deserve to be back headlining one of the venues next year.

Bathed in purple light, Sheffield Blessa played in the hugely impressive Cathedral. With parallels drawn to The XX, the dream-pop act drew a crowd of around 300. They couldn’t have suited the venue any better, with vocalist Olivia wearing a nun-style robe and her soaring vocals accentuated by the reverberations of the Cathedral’s acoustics.

A hot, sticky and packed Leadmill was headlined on Friday night by The Wedding Present, an indie-rock band whose success spans a period of almost 30 years and 8 studio albums. Inexplicably starting at 9.30pm rather than 10pm as billed, a constant theme running through the festival, their hits ‘My Favourite Dress’, ‘Corduroy’ and ‘Brassneck’ got a rousing reception from the crowd.

Saturday

Day two kicked off with the masked and feathered post-rock duo Nordic Giants, who drew a near-capacity crowd to the City Hall. The band played soundtracks to five short, surreal and disturbing films designed to provoke an emotional response from the crowd. Right at the start of the unforgettable set a member of the audience asked, “What the hell is this?” but the originality and compelling showmanship unequivocally won the crowd over.

Next up in City Hall were instrumentalists Brontide, delayed around 10 minutes due to guitarist Tim’s broken looper pedal. Luckily, Talons who played earlier donated theirs to save the day – and it’s a good job they did – the trio are all about complex, multi-layered riffs backed up with hard-hitting drums. The short set of five songs was one of the highlights of the weekend; Brontide’s technical intricacy is softened and made accessible by catchy bass hooks and Tim’s fist-pumping and infectious enthusiasm.

“If you added our ages together, we’d probably be over a thousand years old,” joked Chuck D of Public Enemy. Although his comment was tongue-in-cheek, the experience and calibre of the group showed through in their fantastic hour long headline performance. Many fans were left disappointed as they were unable to get into the full to capacity Devonshire Green. Those lucky enough to gain entry were treated to DJs spinning old-school hip hop tunes which got the crowd in a party mood before Flavor Flav in his trademark clock pendant and Chuck D exploded onto the stage blasting out classics including "Bring the Noise" and "Fight the Power”. Their hour long set finished off with "Harder than you Think" before Flavor Flav declared in a final parting rally cry for peace and unity, "The only race is the human race."

Psychedelic indie rock sextet Neon Waltz drew a crowd of around 150 to the Leadmill. Their set was characterised by slow-tempo tracks breaking out into feverish jams. Although the young Scotsmen rarely showed signs of originality, they ended on a high point with ‘Perfect Frame’.

Leicester instrumental outfit Maybeshewill played a captivating 45 minute slot back at the City Hall. Deviating from a typical post-rock formula, the band relies on keyboard and samples, in addition to having a guest cellist and violinist for Tramlines. No surprise that there was a grand, orchestral feel to the gig, which climaxed in a spine-tingling version of ‘He Films the Clouds Pt. 2’, with the vocal sample sung by the crowd.

Headlining a rammed City Hall were Future of the Left, who provided a contrast to the mainly instrumental bands so far in the venue. But FOTL were distinguished by more than just Falco’s vocals; the star of the show was Jimmy, not only a fantastic guitarist, but whose antics included taping a bottle of beer to the head of one of the crowd members, lifting him up and using him as a drink dispenser. All in all a thrilling and memorable end to the day by the Welsh quartet.

Sunday

A sparse Sunday afternoon calendar was livened up by Physics House Band at Corporation. The experimental trio from Brighton at first glance seem like a band aimed at other musicians, with mathy riffs and complex time signatures, but their tracks are definitely ‘noddable’ by the crowd, who appreciated the quiet/loud dynamic. Despite the bass being a touch too loud, Physics House Band were one of the top performers of the festival.

Also in the nearly pitch black Corporation were Rolo Tomassi. This is certainly a band to keep in mind the mantra, “appearances can be deceiving”. Softly-spoken vocalist Eva welcomes the crowd and mentions that Sheffield is her hometown. But she’s not softly-spoken for long – once the track starts, she’s growling and hurling blood-curdling screams down the microphone, making for an utterly spellbinding 30 minutes whether or not you like mathcore.

Back to Devonshire Green, The Rifles kicked off a snoozefest on the main stage. Another victim of cranking up the bass volume, there’s frankly more life in roadkill than the Chingford quartet and this reflected in the bored-looking crowd.

Luckily the main stage finale was spectacular with a rousing performance by The Cribs. One of the UK’s top live bands, the Yorkshire trio launched into a crowd-pleasing set heavy on tracks from the album ‘Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever’, ending with the explosive ‘City of Bugs’.

Tempted for one more band before the trip home, Bo Ningen appeared to be an intriguing option for Sunday night. The official programme, describing them as ‘Psychedelic art-rock’, didn’t hint at what was to be the most thrilling and unique set of the weekend. Bo Ningen are a quartet of absolutely insane Japanese guys with waist-length hair, wearing dresses and catsuits. With Queen’s Social Club so rammed that the crowd spilled out into the corridor, the group made the air fizz with their hypercharged brand of glam rock. In an electrifying finale, lead singer Taigen jumped off the stage onto a table at the front of the room and whipped the onlookers into a frenzy, miming stabbing himself with his bass guitar, all the while playing it with sublime technique.

It’s clear that musically the festival was an absolute success, but what about the organisation? A common theme over the weekend was inaccuracy of the printed schedule guide. The Wedding Present, Brontide and The Beat suffered from either having conflicting times published in the programme or being moved without proper communication. Yes, the unexpected usually does happen and bands have to be rescheduled. But how about having an app to send push notifications to attendees when things change? Or even just clearer social media communication. On Facebook, the organisers had announced High Hazels would take Catfish and the Bottlemen’s slot on the main stage. In fact, they took The Beat’s place. We were left having to check various bands' twitter/Facebook accounts directly to determine what time they were due to play.

Another theme of the festival was overcrowding. It’s understandable that world famous acts such as Public Enemy have a pull larger than the capacity of Devonshire Green, but one example of avoidable disappointment was Slow Club on Sunday evening; a homecoming for the successful Sheffield duo and the Leadmill was one-in-one-out, with a queue right down the road and round the corner. Surely O2 Academy, Devonshire Green or another sizable venue would have been a more sensible choice, especially as the festival was winding down and there were so few gig choices at this point.

But even with these minor gripes, the atmosphere in Sheffield was electric over the weekend. It may not be Glastonbury in terms of scale and organisation, but Tramlines is definitely up there with the most enjoyable of the inner city festivals and a bargain for £28 for the whole weekend's entertainment.

Stereosonic announces lineup for 2014 feat Calvin Harris, Tiesto and more!

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Calvin Harris, Tiësto, Diplo, Disclosure, W&W and DJ Snake will headline the first of the two artist groups with: Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki, Showtek, Dash Berlin and special guest Carl Cox leading the charge for the second group of Stereosonic artists. In a year of domination of world festival stages and charts we are very proud of our Australian acts returning from global shows this year to Stereosonic.
 
Calvin Harris, one of the world’s most biggest artists is thrilled to be returning to the region’s favourite electronic music festival: “I love Stereosonic! I’m looking forward to getting back out and playing in Australia.” 

 

Several much loved and respected music brands will be partnering with Stereosonic this year indicating the level of respect Stereosonic has on the world stage within the industry. LA’s HARD, known for its Holy Ship! and HARD LA parties, will be taking charge of Main Stage 2 on one day. The highly respected Dutch brand ‘Awakenings,’ will be throwing down deep house and techno sounds, whilst Ferry Corsten will return with his iconic ‘FULL ON’ arena. Legendary record labels and electronic brands: Armada, OWSLA and Beatport will all make their arena debuts at an Australian festival, for Stereosonic. 
 
Held over two weekends in five cities, Stereosonic continues to create an incredible experience for patrons, with breathtaking production and immaculate festival grounds, complimenting the world class line-up. 

Stereosonic 2014 Artist Line-up: 

Calvin Harris, Tiësto
Diplo, Disclosure (DJ Set), W&W, DJ Snake
Duke Dumont, Will Sparks, RL Grime, Peking Duk
NERVO, Cedric Gervais, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Rayel
Tale Of Us, Destructo, Ørjan Nilsen, Nina Kraviz
Oliver Heldens, Wilkinson, Scuba, Cash Cash, 
Kölsch, MaRLo, Mano Le Tough, Shogun, Uberjak’d
Mark Sixma, Nina Las Vegas, Timmy Trumpet
M4SONIC, Tigerlily, Generik and L D R U & Yahtzel
 
Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki
Showtek, Dash Berlin, Carl Cox
Porter Robinson (Live) Laidback Luke, New World Punx
TJR, Ferry Corsten, Noisia, Deorro, Headhunterz, MK
DVBBS, Booka Shade (Live), Markus Schulz, What So Not
Joel Fletcher, John O’Callaghan, Foreign Beggars
Hot Since 82, Alison Wonderland, Crookers, Jack Beats
The Aston Shuffle, Route 94, Simon Patterson, Alex Metric
Deetron, Kaz James, Ilan Bluestone, Acid Jacks and Nick Thayer
 
MCs: MC Stretch and MC Losty
 
Arenas: HARD, FULL ON, Awakenings, OWSLA, Armada and Beatport

Sydney – Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Sydney Showgrounds
Perth – Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Claremont Showground *
Adelaide – Friday December 5th and Saturday December 6th, Adelaide Showground
Melbourne – Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Melbourne Showgrounds
Brisbane – Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Brisbane Showgrounds