Delphic, Ed Harcourt and more added to Summercamp Festival lineup

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Liverpool’s newest urban festival of food, music and art is proud to announce the latest additions to its programme with more tasty morsels added to both the food and music line-ups of Summercamp, which takes place on August Bank Holiday weekend, and is part of the Liverpool International Music Festival. Delphic, Ed Harcourt, Wave Machines and more take to the stage while the food festival will feature feasts for all. Tickets start at £20 and are available to buy from the official Summercamp website.

Indie-electronic trio Delphic, who recently returned to the airwaves with a bang following the release of seductive single ‘Baiya’, have added a foot-stomping date at Summercamp to their summer touring schedule. Also confirmed is the Mercury Prize-nominated Ed Harcourt, a singer who recently released an album recorded in just one night at the legendary Abbey Road studios. Home-grown talent stepping up to the mic includes the synth-guitar, indie-poppers Wave Machines, while folk, haunting acoustics and soulful vocals are also in store for the Summercamp crowds with the additions of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Josef Salvat and Marika Hackman.

Away from the sound systems, the ovens and grills of Camp and Furnace will be producing similarly cheer-inducing performances. Families can enjoy a ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ including children’s cookery classes, milkshake and Doughnut stands. Encouraging a ‘sensuous connection to the food’ the ‘No Knives or Forks’ midday lunch on both Saturday and Sunday boasts venison, langoustines, suckling pig, warm triple chocolate brownie and much more. Sunday night-owls need not go hungry with ‘Fridgeraiders’, quite literally as it sounds where tea smoked salmon, Lancashire cheese, ‘leftover curry’ and more are all for the taking via numerous fridges in a special late-night setting. A vegetarian 10-course banquet cheekily named ‘Tree Huggers’ may even tempt carnivores with slow roasted garlic, goat’s curd and duck egg or beetroot macarons, an even fussier vegan option can also be arranged. And the out-of this world ‘Gothic Midnight Feast’ promises to push boundaries with edible candlesticks, explosive foods and hidden woodland treasures. Last but by no means least, in the melting pot are numerous ‘Food Slams’ set to take place several times daily on Saturday and Sunday showcasing the outlandish skills of Summercamp’s chefs. Tickets for the dinning experiences must be purchased in addition to entry tickets and advance booking is highly recommended – full details on how to buy available soon.

Chic ft Nile Rodgers added to Jersey Live Festival lineup

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Joining a Saturday (31st August) Main Stage line up that already includes Fatboy Slim, The Cribs and Clean Bandit are disco legends and one of the most talked-about groups of 2013, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. One of the defining artists of the 1970s disco explosion, New Yorkers Chic are true icons of pop music, with some of the most instantly recognisable disco classics of the 20th Century including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘I Want Your Love’ and ‘Good Times’. Cited as an influence by such a diverse range of artists as Queen, Blondie, Daft Punk, Duran Duran and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Chic’s legacy is very much secured and the band were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Guitarist Nile Rodgers, who founded the band in 1976, went on to become one of the world’s most successful producers, producing Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’, David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’, to name just a few, and this year added his magic, as guitarist, to the biggest hit single of 2013, Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ – a collaboration that has exposed Rodgers and Chic to a whole new generation of fans. We’re ecstatic to have Rodgers and Chic bringing a touch of New York disco glamour to the Jersey Live Main Stage.

Nile Rodgers
 

Another addition to the Main Stage’s Saturday line up is folk singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, who made her Jersey Live debut at last year’s festival. The 18 year-old Scottish musician has enjoyed a huge year subsequently, embarking on her second UK headline tour last winter and releasing three EPs with Island Records, leading to her biggest chart success to date, her second single ‘Stay Out’ which reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart in April this year. Having been catapulted to national attention after supporting Ed Sheeran and Example (who discovered her acoustic version of his track ‘Stay Awake’ on Youtube), on tours in 2011 and 2012, Nina has this year truly come into her own as an artist and performer. Her heartfelt lyrics, pure voice and breezy, infectious melodies are sure to be given a warm welcome to Jersey Live again this year, and we’re certainly delighted to have her back.
 
Set in the lush countryside surrounds of the Parish of Trinity, Jersey Live is the UK’s southernmost festival and with more sunshine than any other part of the British Isles, and one of the warmest, friendliest festival audiences you could hope to encounter, it’s the perfect festival destination.
 
Keep your eyes peeled for more line up announcements across the seven stages, to be made in the coming weeks! For more information, please visit www.jerseylive.org.uk

FULL INTERNATIONAL LINE UP TO DATE:
FATBOY SLIM / EXAMPLE
CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BASTILLE / THE CRIBS
THE ENEMY / PETE TONG / TOM ODELL / GABRIELLE APLIN / THE 1975
DEAP VALLY / NETSKY & MC DYNAMITE / JOHN COOPER CLARKE
NINA NESBITT / NEVILLE STAPLE BAND / HOWARD MARKS / SHLOMO
ZEDS DEAD / DOCTOR P / DUSKY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
HOT SINCE 82 / CLEAN BANDIT / WAZE & ODYSSEY / LEWIS WATSON / WOLF PEOPLE
RUSS CHIMES / SKIP & DIE / SIMON EVANS / CRAIG CHARLES / KANKA / COUNT SIZZLE / MANY MORE TBA

Maceo Plex, Oneman and John Talabot added to Unknown Festival lineup

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Since the unveiling of Unknown at the start of 2013, it has proven to be one of the most dominant forces on the Croatian horizon. Already equipped with a healthy programme of cutting edge live and electronic artists such as Jessie Ware, Disclosure, Richie Hawtin, The Horrors and Henrik Schwartz, the founders of Unknown now announce an additional five heavyweight artists to the bill and launch a brand new website. DJ acts Maceo Plex, Oneman and John Talabot will join live performances from London Grammar and Dutch Uncles in one of the most diverse and impressive line-ups of the summer. A new website complete with improved booking system is live today at unknowncroatia.com to facilitate purchases of all accommodation at the debut Unknown event.

Global techno star Maceo Plex tops the bill. Never before has an artist coined a sound as successfully and the past three years have seen Eric Estornel AKA Maceo Plex become one of the most in demand DJs on the circuit, with his Ellum Audio label providing an anthemic soundtrack for many dancefloors across the world.

John Talabot is a prominent Spanish luminary. His 2012 album has awarded him a deserved revival in the public eye and this special DJ show promises to be one of the highlights of Unknown’s debut event. Also on the DJ side of the proceedings, the dexterous Oneman will be onside to perform his genre breaking tactics. Infamous for his Rinse FM show and fabric 64, Oneman is a truly unique artist that continues to bend the rules.
 
Playing live will be the new cinematic pop trio London Grammar, tipped as the next big acts to blow by BBC Introducing and garnering comparisons with Florence & The Machine and The XX. Dutch Uncles will also perform fresh from the release of their debut album. Both artists join Unknown ahead of major tours this winter and offer a unique opportunity to witness raw and trailblazing artists riding the early waves of their success. Yet more live artists are set to be announced soon for Unknown.
 
The Unknown website relaunched today with an improved booking system to facilitate all accommodation requirements. Everything from camping to five star luxury apartments is available on the inclusive site in Rovinj, Croatia, where you can expect to find secluded forest areas, strung hammocks and secret stages.

As the debut Unknown event draws closer and curiosity grows on the unique and new North Croatia location the organisers exclusively reveal this video to give a hint of what’s in store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnS-po65OqQ

 
Unknown is a new event from the experienced teams behind Hideout Festival, The Warehouse Project and Field Day. With over seventy-five artists and over twenty club and brand partners in total performing between 10th-14th September 2013, they have successfully co-created an inspiring and diverse event concept in the utopian setting of Croatia that continues to stimulate educated music lovers worldwide. 

Listen to one of the founders Tom Baker (Field Day) discuss Unknown on Rinse FM https://soundcloud.com/field-day-festival/field-days-tom-baker-on-rinse

PROGRAMME
LIVE:
Actress / Clean Bandit / Disclosure / Django Django / Dutch Uncles / East India Youth / Factory Floor / Four Tet / Henrik Schwarz / Jagwar Ma / Jessie Ware / John Talabot / Lindstrom / London Grammar / Lulu James / Moderat / The Horrors / Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

DJ:
Ame / Craig Richards / Cyril Hahn / Daniel Avery / Daniele Baldelli / Dixon / DJ Koze / Erol Alkan / Floating Points / Geddes / George Fitzgerald / Giles Smith / Jackmaster / James Holden / James Priestley / Jamie XX / Joy Orbison / Julio Bashmore / Justin Robertson / Kerri Chandler / Maceo Plex / Michael Mayer / Nina Kraviz / Oneman / Optimo / PBR Streetgang / Prins Thomas / Richy Ahmed / Richie Hawtin / SBTRKT / Scuba / Subb-an / Tale of Us / Tiga / Tim Sweeney / Todd Terje / Trevor Jackson / Waze & Odyssey

Bad Passion Project / Bill Brewster / Chida / Coyote / Domenic Capello & Harri / Hardway Brothers / Eskimo Twins / Joe Hart / Last Waltz / Lock Tavern DJs / Lovefingers / Mike Jones / People Get Real / Renato / Scott Fraser / Shacklewell Arms DJs / Timothy J Fairplay / The Backwoods AKA DJ Kent / Toby Tobias / Tom Grainger / Youandewan

 + More to be announced

 

Jersey live Festival granted Camping License!

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For an island festival to not just survive, but thrive, for a decade without the ability to offer camping to its visitors is a unique achievement, and the news that we are now able to offer camping marks a monumental paradigm shift for Jersey Live – whereas previously Jersey Live could perhaps have been described as a weekend of concerts, we are unspeakably proud that we can now call ourselves a music festival in the truest sense. The new addition of a campsite means that festivalgoers will be able to live and breathe the festival atmosphere all throughout the weekend, experiencing the fun of waking up in tents next to their best friends and making many new ones, before heading to enjoy the action across the festival’s seven stages.
 
The importance of this development to Jersey Live and to Jersey’s tourism industry as a whole cannot be understated; the addition of festival camping brings Jersey Live closer to being in line with the majority of other UK festivals and makes a trip to the island for the event considerably more affordable for festivalgoers from mainland UK and Europe. The festival currently welcomes around a quarter of its visitors from overseas, but the hope is that with the success of a safely operated campsite, Jersey Live can attract more and more off-island visitors than ever before.

The Jersey Bailiff’s Entertainment License Panel and the St Helier Connetable, Deputy Simon Crowcroft, were sufficiently satisfied by organisers Warren Holt and Warren Le Sueur’s application to grant Jersey Live Festival a license to operate a camping facility along La Route de Trinite on the border of the parishes of Trinity and St Helier – around a mile from the festival site. The campsite, based on a private field owned by Dee Taylor-Cox, will open its doors on Friday 30th August and minibuses will ferry visiting campers to the festival site. As well as the option to bring their own tent and camping equipment, there will also be a ‘Boutique Camping’ area with a number of luxurious yurts and tipis to choose from, as well as private showers and toilets. The campsite will also feature a brasserie-style eatery and bar. The campsite will operate under the same policies as Jersey Live, whereby those aged 15 or under must be accompanied by a ticket holding adult aged 18 or over.
 
With a line up that this year includes the likes of Fatboy Slim, Example, Chic feat Nile Rodgers, Bastille, The Cribs, The 1975, Tom Odell, John Cooper Clarke and Pete Tong, amongst many others still to be announced, the news that the festival has been granted a camping license for the very first time suggests that our tenth anniversary party really could be our biggest and best festival yet.
 
Set in the lush countryside surrounds of the Parish of Trinity, the 10,000-capacity Jersey Live is the UK’s southernmost festival and with more sunshine than any other part of the British Isles, and one of the warmest, friendliest festival audiences you could hope to encounter, it’s the perfect festival destination.

Fatboy Slim
FULL INTERNATIONAL LINE UP TO DATE: 
FATBOY SLIM / EXAMPLE
CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BASTILLE / THE CRIBS
THE ENEMY / PETE TONG / TOM ODELL / GABRIELLE APLIN / THE 1975
DEAP VALLY / NETSKY & MC DYNAMITE / JOHN COOPER CLARKE
NINA NESBITT / NEVILLE STAPLE BAND / HOWARD MARKS / SHLOMO
ZEDS DEAD / DOCTOR P / DUSKY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING 
HOT SINCE 82 / CLEAN BANDIT / WAZE & ODYSSEY / LEWIS WATSON
WOLF PEOPLE / RUSS CHIMES / SKIP & DIE / SIMON EVANS / CRAIG CHARLES
KANKA / COUNT SIZZLE / MANY MORE TBA
 
Organisers Warren Holt & Warren Le Sueur:
 
“This is absolutely huge for Jersey Live and naturally we’re delighted that the Bailiff’s Entertainment Panel and the St Helier Connétable Simon Crowcroft have made the decision to support our application to operate a campsite. It’s something we’ve strived for years to get and now that we have it, we’re focusing fully on ensuring that the campsite is set up and run in a safe and secure way, in which campers can enjoy themselves in an environment that causes the absolute minimal disruption to our neighbours. We hope that the island’s public can be as pleased about this decision as we are, as it potentially means a great deal to Jersey’s tourism industry and economy. We hope that we’ll see many more attendees from the UK and Europe, and that we can really put Jersey on the map as a vibrant cultural scene that young people want to come and enjoy. Of course the campsite is very much open to locals too, who we look forward to welcoming to Jersey Live.”
 
St Helier Connétable, Deputy Simon Crowcroft:
 
"Jersey Live is a major cultural event for islanders of all ages, and for a decade has been bringing some of the world's most important live acts within reach of music fans for whom most festivals involve additional travel expenses, which puts them at something of a disadvantage to festivalgoers in mainland UK. Jersey Live's achievements in bringing A-list artists to the doorstep of local music fans is to be applauded, as is the support that the festival brings to the island's tourism industry.
I was delighted to be able to facilitate the inclusion of a campsite as I know from my own children's experiences how important a camping element is for creating a fun and vibrant atmosphere at a music festival. St Helier prides itself on having a forward-thinking 'can do' approach to such requests as we recognise the importance of these events for diversifying the island's economy. It's important that Jersey is recognised internationally for its cultural achievements and not merely for its offshore finance industry. Although we do that very well, of course, it's exciting to know that events like Jersey Live are putting the island on the map for other reasons."

Tamara O’Brien, Head of Marketing, Brand and Distribution at headline sponsors JT:
 
‘’We’re thrilled for the organisers to be able to offer camping at the festival. Year-on-Year we’ve seen more and more visitors from the UK and all over Europe come to the Island and it’s great that they can now offer the full festival experience."
 
"As always, to help as many of our customers as possible to enjoy the weekend, we will soon be offering a number of promotional tickets in order to provide JT customers with the opportunity to attend Jersey Live for FREE.  In addition, we are excited to be able to tell you that JT will shortly be announcing an exclusive festival package that will enable their Guernsey customers to enjoy the Jersey Live anniversary weekend too!  The package will include their weekend festival ticket, camping and boat travel, but further to this just for being loyal JT customers, we’ll also be offering additional extras too.  So keep your eyes peeled and watch this space for further details! "
 
"As JT are also the only official ticket reseller for Jersey Live, we will be selling the camping tickets in store alongside festival tickets, in both our JT Jersey and JT Guernsey stores.  So, come down to your local JT shop to make sure you secure your festival experience for what once again promises to be the event of the year."

 

SummerTyne Americana Festival announces ‘ A Celebration of Women in Country Music’

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SummerTyne Americana Festival is pleased to announce ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 20th July – a concert celebrating the rise of women in country music.

Named after the hit song by vintage country queen Kitty Wells, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ is a special project created for SummerTyne. Fronted by Nashville country queen Elizabeth Cook, with Jan Howard as special guest – a long time member of the Grand Old Opry – and along with singers Brennen Leigh, Yolanda Quartey, Lou Dalgleish and Hannah Rickard; the group will celebrate the songs and lives of key country singers.

Festival Programmer, Tamsin Austin says, “With the critically acclaimed ‘Nashville’ on the television, compilation albums such as Soul Jazz Record’s recent ‘Country Soul Sisters’ and with more female artists than ever dominating the pop charts, I was inspired to commission this special concert for SummerTyne and bring together some really powerful female voices to celebrate the lives and music of the legions of successful women in country music.”

Since the 1950’s women have broken down the walls of what was initially a male-dominated music scene and shown female icons like Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn rise, often from rural poverty, to dominate the country music charts and achieve huge critical and financial success. With songs often tackling challenging topics from sexual exploitation, domestic violence, abortion and prostitution, these singers were the voice of an early and wide-spread feminist movement.

The concert also focuses on the development of the country music sound itself, with a five piece band line up of special guests from the UK and US with Tim Carroll on guitar, Bones Hillman on upright bass, Liam Grundy on piano, Alan Cook on pedal steel and Neil Bullock on drums and brings the audience on a journey from its humble beginnings to the present day.

Produced by Sage Gateshead with generous support from MBM, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ promises to be an exciting evening of country classics, rare gems and amusing anecdotes from the heyday of country music.

Other Nashville alumni announced for the festival include Gospel legends The McCrary Sisters, for their first ever visit to the UK. As a Gateshead special, The McCrary Sisters will lead and perform with the SummerTyne Community Gospel Choir for a special gospel brunch earlier in the day at 11am. There will also be an exclusive exhibition of artwork by Jon Langford of The Waco Brothers entitled ‘Nashville Radio’.

Other treats on offer throughout the festival include musical boat trips up the River Tyne, a come-and-sing community gospel choir, and supporting acts such Polly & The Billets Doux and Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys. Taking place at the iconic music venue Sage Gateshead, SummerTyne Americana Festival promises a selection of the best Americana music in one of the most stunning city locations in the world – is there any place you’d rather be this summer?

SummerTyne Americana Festival is delighted to be endorsed by the Americana Music Association, Nashville, the leading organisation for the promotion of Americana music around the world.

 

Download Festival 2013 Review – Sunday – Rammstein

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With a stage-wide curtain keeping the set secret, and Sunday’s sunshine dwindling into the night, the excitement in the air is almost palpable for final headliner Rammstein. The Berlin industrial metal heavyweights have been long awaited by Download-goers and tonight the arena is Ramm-packed with eager fans.

The screens turn to black, the curtain drops and Rammstein explode onto the stage, with frontman Till Lindemann being ceremoniously lowered on a firework wreathed platform from the ceiling. Whilst Lindemann’s menacing grin is enough to spark fear in the hearts of many, his pink fluffy jacket (which sort of looks like a bloody Wampa skin…) is just giggle-worthy, but the massive cobweb-like stage set and enormous drum-lights behind make for an impressive backdrop.

Without further ado the band get right down to business, ‘Keine Lust’ and ‘Sehnsucht’ get the crowd warmed up, with the enigmatic frontman maniacally wielding flaming poi, but it’s ‘Feuer Frei!’ that pushes the circle-pits into overdrive with raw firepower, quite literally as the stage lights up with fire cannons. Keyboard-jockey Christian "Flake" Lorenz, in a bejewelled suit, marches along on a rotating treadmill as he plays – which whilst mildly entertaining just doesn’t cut the mustard when you’ve seen *that* OKGO video, but the night is young…

Drawn from real-life events ‘Mein Teil’ (The Meiwes Case) and ‘Wiener Blut’ (The Fritzl case) are peppered with sadomasochistic overtones, and later ‘Buch Dich’ sees Lindemann don S&M gear to roleplay anal sex with an assless-chaps-wearing bondage Lorenze, on a rising platform. From the platform, Lindemann proceeds to spray the crowd with ‘ejaculate’ (clever/gross hose attached to inside of trousers, activated through the platform), screaming girls seen rubbing it into their hair and chests: shame on you – your mothers could see this on tv, *wink*.

A giant cauldron containing Lorenze, set alight by a bloodied-chef-costumed, flamethrower brandishing Lindemann, Bane-esque face cages which also shoot fire, guitars that shoot fire, fire cannons, flaming-spinning fire bow, a man on fire… it’s safe to say the German metallers just bloody love fire, and so do the crowd. ‘2, 3, 4 Links’ and ‘Du Hast’ are yelled simultaneously by the entire arena, with fireworks travelling along cables across the crowd to the sound tent and back to an explosive finale and the stage lighting up in a cloud of sparks. ‘Ich Will’ is the real show-stopper with every hand in the air and Lindemann’s trademark low-growl calling out “Thank you very very, very much. Danke schön, we are RAMMSTEIN” before leaving the stage.

After a brief break and a rather pretty acoustic ‘Mein Herz Brennt’ it’s back into heavy for the epic ‘Sonne’ and the band close out this extraordinary show with the comedic ‘Pussy’. As Lindemann rocks up with a giant penis-shaped foam cannon and sprays it into the crowd, completely covering the front facing security staff (who were doing a sterling job of looking like they weren’t at all bothered about being ceremoniously covered in fake spunk…) the ticker tape bombs detonate, covering the entire stage. Kneeling superman-style, the band show their appreciation for the rowdy Download crowd with a final “You are amazing, we love you, thank you very much”, and it’s over. Rammstein at Download 2013 were definitely a crowning moment in the festival’s history, and it has been more than worth the wait.

Rammstein

Isle of Wight 2013 Review

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After last years terrible weather this year was set to be different, lets face it… It had to be. A couple of heavy nights of rain meant the campsites started to get soggy and the ground was starting to churn. Fortunately for campers, the areas mostly plagued by damp and muddy environments had temporary road surfaces and plenty of hay to soak but moisture in the ground.

Despite broken and mud-logged trolleys, multiple trips to the car and a little huffing and puffing, we finally managed to get the tent set up and consulted the IOW Festival app to find out where to get our kicks (though, as expected this did indeed rinse the phone battery…). A welcome sunny afternoon broke out so we decided to head into the dance tent… inside… er, well regardless of the lack of sun indoors the lineup had more than enough clout for us to forsake the fresh air. With the likes of Ms Dynamite, GrandMaster Flash and A-Trax pumping out the hits (although Ms Dynamite was extraordinarily late, people were queuing to get in for her set) to a tent full of writhing bodies and beat-matching strobe lights, the old school mixes really went down a treat. Elsewhere, pint-sized popster Ellie Goulding belted out the chart-toppers with a crowd-a-oke of ‘Your Song’ and Delilah’s set started out with a microphone malfunction but eventually settled into a decent set.

Ellie GouldingA-TraxDeliah

Firday headliners The Stone Roses where coming hot off London shows in Finsbury park and showed no sign of slowing down as they headed onto stage to the beat of ‘Stoned Love’.  Ian Brown in his bright yellow jacket got the crowd singing the massive hits ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Made of Stone’.  It was the perfect end of a long and tiring but exciting first day at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Saturday saw strong winds tipping the balance of fun to annoyance, with tents and bins taking off like the Poppins all over the place, but at least it wasn’t raining. After a quick trip to the festival supermarket (brilliant idea thank you IOW organisers), we set off into the arena for The Killers. Crowd-pleasers ‘Mr Brightside’ and ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ went down a storm, with one enthusiastic bod even holding a lit flare out in the crowd. Confetti cannons with red and yellow ticker tape covered wild fans as they screamed for more, closing out with super-anthem ‘When We Were Young’ this was an exceptional show.

After heading to the Eco-Charge for a phone-bump (or a Kinetic bicycle charge if we were feeling fresher on Sunday) and another dousing of rain alongside periods of actual sunburn, we caught the Bedlam Take Over in the BT Infinite Tent where the likes of Zane Lowe, Andy C and SubFocus were absolutely lighting up the night with massive hits and huge helpings of chest pounding bass to a bursting-at-the-seams arena.

Closing out this years festival on the main stage was the hugely popular Bon Jovi.  As the sun began to fall on the majestic Isle of Wight, Jon Bon Jovi took the crowd on a whirlwind journey through the extensive back catalogue and tracks from their new album including ‘Thats What the Water Made Me’, sing-a-long favourite, ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ and more!  The crowd interaction was impossible to miss and it displayed the continued popularity of the band in the UK.  Saving the best for last was number one hit ‘Living On a Prayer’ which has the entire main stage audience in full vocal swing.  Accompanied by a massive fireworks displayed it brought to the end another fantastic weekend at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Check out the Isle of Wight Festival 2013 photos here

Download Festival 2013 – Iron Maiden Review

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If you weren't previously assured of Iron Maiden's God status in the world of metal, there's absolutely no denying it now. Saturday night at Download, we're standing in a soggy field, shoulder to shoulder, shivering in anticipation… as a Spitfire – yes, a SPITFIRE, soars up from behind the main stage. As the metal horns are thrust up to the sky, the aircraft banks and continues the flyby over a stunned crowd, and the band burst on stage for 'Moonchild'. Now THAT's an entrance.

Their ice-berg styled gangways make for Bruce's personal runway as he races about during 'Can I Play With Madness', wearing a sparkly clockwork-covered tailcoat. It's definitely a step up from the swamp-thing outfit we witnessed last time. Despite a bit of wavering sound, 'The Prisoner' (complete with a clip from the 1967 tv series) warmed up for the arena-shaking '2 Minutes To Midnight', with extreme crowd participation.

The driving wind in the first half of the set was  fairly irritating, and probably worse behind the sound tent, definitely nowhere near as unfortunate as befallen by Metallica in 2012 – but did pick up for 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' and 'The Trooper' with Bruce donning his traditional red 'Light Brigade' uniform and giant Union Flag. Bruce jokes "Welcome to Monsters of Rock '88" to which the five guys standing next to us yell "We were there!!" and certainly, Maiden are a band that people come back time and time again for. Giggling "…back then we couldn't blow things up, or use fire… Or a Battle of Britain Memorial Spitfire…" Bruce thanks RAF Coningsby for the loan, and takes a swig of signature Trooper Beer.

'The Number of The Beast' (with giant fire canons and a flame-eyed Beast) and 'Run To The Hills' (including frontier Eddie wielding a sword at band-members) are screamed at deafening levels by the crowd around us… Ok ok, it was us too… and a giant grimacing Eddie looming over the stage is revealed for 'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'.

After a huge instrumental and some well-timed fireworks, the iconic refrain of 'Fear of the Dark' is played out to a chorus of 'woooaaahhh-ing' fans. Yes it's traditional, Yes we've seen it before. Does it mean that hearing ninety thousand people locked in song with a single string of notes is any less impressive? No. Nothing makes your breath catch like looking back at the sea of lighters waving in the dark, it's the stuff ambitions are forged from, and as Bruce drops "a little anxious, in Donington Park" the young lad in front of us turns to his mum and says "This is the best thing I've ever heard" it brings me right back to the time I first saw Maiden.

An enormous Eddie holding a writhing heart-type-beast for 'Iron Maiden' has his head lit on fire before the band depart for a short break for the encore, where we finally get to hear 'Aces High', 'The Evil That Men Do' and 'Running Free', though Bruce was less 'running-free' than 'skipping-like-a-spring-lamb-free'…

The band thank everyone for a great night, and having tantalised us with the announcement of an O2 show later in the year, it's clear they're leaving everyone on a high. As the glassy eyes of people who've just witnessed something special, turn toward the exits, we are happily singing along with 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life', as only British festival-goers – who've spent two days being sunburnt and rained on, can truly appreciate. Iron Maiden were everything they should be and more, gaining a whole new generation of fans in one night.

Iron Maiden

Download Festival 2013 Friday Review

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After a confused (yet bloody typical) day of showers, blazing sunshine, bare bodies, full waterproofs and teeth-chattering cold, the rain abated for the start of my choice of headliner – Zippo Encore stage's American rock'n'roll heroes, Black Stone Cherry.

As self-proclaimed Download Darlings, this is a fourth return but their first go at a headline slot here at Donington, as requested by the forum-going public. It's a proper Cinderella story, despite not having a new album out or any tours planned (prerequisites for booking festival slots generally) BSC are here on the back of some serious fan-fare. Hailing from the not-so-deep south (read: Kentucky) these good country boys are Lynyrd Skynyrd with better riffs, and less blue-collar/redneck jokes.

With three already stellar albums greedily devoured by UK fans over the last few years, it was inevitable that the bustling arena was going to be a good testing ground for new material and a fun soundboard for old, and as BSC drop right into 'Maybe Someday' the crowd yells right along as if the main stage (and Slipknot) don't even exist. The apt refrain "But for now I've got to rock and roll" sets the tone for the rest of the set, with fan favourite 'Blind Man' and brand-spanking-new (seriously, this is it's first ever outing from the studio) 'Me and Mary Jane' which is an immediate ear-worm.

The unfortunate opening line of 'Rain Wizard' "Here comes the rain" does indeed seem to open the heavens, but a heartfelt 'Things My Father Said', with the crowd singing the entire first verse back to homesick frontman Chris Robertson, who is for the first time away from his baby son, brings a tear to his eye.

'White Trash Millionaire' and 'Soul Creek' go down a storm, almost literally as by now it is widdling it down most ungraciously. Drummer John Fred Young's unruly mane is flapping wildly as he smashes about in a manner not unlike Animal of The Muppets, but his quick solo is a reminder that he's a technical whizz as well as a solid rock beat, and Robertson tells us how they may be four guys from Kentucky, but the heart of this band is in the UK, because "nowhere else in the world would people stand for an hour in the pissing rain to see [them]". No-one had the heart to tell him standing in the pissing rain is practically a national passtime of ours, but we certainly appreciated the compliment.

After a raucous 'Blame it on the Boom Boom', they close out with first album hit 'Lonely Train' and leave the crowd yelling for more. As the stage lights die, the sound of Slipknot on the main stage floods back into our ears but they could have been a million miles away during Black Stone Cherry's extraordinary set.

Good music with a good view. RockNess day 3 review.

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Waking up and starting off Sunday at RockNess like many others – with a handful of after sun. Although, looking around most people could probably do with a few paracetamol and a pint of water.

Fatherson, a Scottish Alt Rock band kicked everything off on the main stage with a slightly smaller but committed crowd. Soothing vocals from Ross Leighton causing girls in the front row to fan girl (actual fanning movements of the hand were seen and squealing was heard). My personal attention was split between the music and the beards but the music eventually prevailed. If you’re interested, their music can be heard via their Bandcamp page here (without the distractions of well groomed beards) http://fathersonuk.bandcamp.com/album/fatherson my personal favourite is “43”but for a more upbeat feel give “Hometown” a listen.

Having been nominated for the BBC’s “sound of 2012” poll and her debut album awarded “iTunes Album of The Year 2012”, Lianne La Havas has been very busy since she came on to the commercial music scene in 2011, and it’s no wonder why. Lianne has such a captivating, gentle voice she was able to tame a tent full of rowdy drunken Scots. When performing she seems to loose herself in the lyrics which only draws the crowd in more. With thought provoking lyrics, spine tingling vocals and a quirky wardrobe, Lianne La Havas is definitely one to keep your eye on this year.

Walking in to the tent Ben Howard was playing in, I was positive I had walked in to a tent of hyperventilating One Direction fans. Filled to the brim of teary eyed, fidgeting females of all ages, actions that were magnified when he came on stage. Ben Howard had a haunting stage set up, hiding amongst shadows on stage, showing everyone he can hold a show with his voice alone and doesn’t need a fancy light show or backing dancers.

Coming out of the tent of Ben Howard and wandering around the main arena the crowd has almost tripled in size since Friday and I have a rough idea as to why. I’ve seen Madness live before and they put on a better show to artists to half their age and yes, there is the whole “experience over age” argument but WHERE do they get their energy from? They know exactly how to please a crowd, using the whole stage, not only interacting with the crowd but interacting with one another for the crowds amusement. They definitely haven’t lost anything over the years (they even still have hairlines to be proud of!). The perfect band for a sunny day at a festival, providing sing along opportunities with their hits such as “Our House” and “Baggy Trousers” suitable for all ages present at the festival, Madness were a joy to photograph and watch live.

It’s now where I get rather emotional and start to evaluate my life choices. At the age of 19 and only a mere month younger than me Madeon took to the stage, blew everyone away while mixing AND controlling his own light show. Having played at major music festivals in New York, California and Miami, playing at Radio 1’s Big Weekend AND supporting Swedish House Mafia, I feel like I need to get off my bum and join him in world domination. Now don’t think because of his age you should expect less from his live sets than other DJ’s on the scene at the moment, if anything, he’s exceeding a lot of them.

Plan B @ Rockness

The headlining act and final act of Sunday was Plan B, someone I wouldn’t personally go see live in concert but someone I definitely would pay money to see again. The soulful voice you hear on his songs is just as good as live but sang with so much more character. Plan B put so much energy in to his performance, shifting his voice from soft and soothing to painfully aggressive, he brings something to his live music which I haven’t seen in any of the other acts over the weekend. I was so surprised with this live performance, nothing was half hearted, the band, vocals, lights, the entire energy of the show has definitely left an impression on me. Plan B unquestionably finished RockNess 2013 with a bang.

Buy your tickets for RockNess 2014 now and don’t miss out on the most beautiful festival in the world.

Check out the Rockness 2013 Sunday photos here