The countdown is on to Sundown Festival 2016 in what is becoming renowned as the music happening to see out the last rays of the summer season.
With a third stage added at the Norwich venue for this year, there are more acts, more music and more choice.
An easy vibe, friendly crowd and variety are key in this urban, dance, pop and drum n bass mix and this year is no exception.
Warming up on Friday night is the big top campers party with Radio 1 DJ Danny Howard, best known for presenting his show Dance Anthems, which kicks off proceedings with stomping tunes until the small hours.
The festival proper begins on Saturday with a headliner classic of Chase & Status after main players including chart topper Jess Glynne, UK rapper Kano, British rap favourite Dizzee Rascal, future pop sensation Becky Hill and respected British rapper and politically motivated icon Ms Dynamite,
The Defected in the House stage includes Sonny Fodera, Sam Divine and DISKT while over in the UKF stage are mash up legend Jaguar Skills, reggae DJ pioneer David Rodigan, My Nu Leng and MC Dread.
Sunday fires off in all directions in the musical maelstrom that is Sundown with a main stage headliner of Jason Derulo. He takes to the stage after acts including Years and Years, grime duo Krept and Kronan, breakthorugh X factor star Fleur East and Sigala Live.
Over at the second tent the stage is set today by global dance brand Ministry of Sound with headliner Amine Edge and Dance, Redlight, Blonde and Low Steppa among the acts.
The third tent on Sunday becomes the drum n bass arena with crowd pleaser Wilkinson, Friction, the ever popular Goldie, Warning favourite Hazard, Dimension, Dillinja and Culture Shock.
Alongside it all throw in some fairground rides, stalls and a crowd that never feels overwhelmingly large making it both a perfect season closer for die hard festival fans or the ideal place for teenagers to cut their teeth in a safe and manageable sized festival world.
Either way, enjoy. The line up is randomly eclectic – but is sure to keep those dancing feet happy all weekend.
TICKETS: Sundown Festival 2016 is from Friday September 2 to Sunday 4. Tickets start at £46.75 for a day pass up to £121 for a weekend pass with camping at the Norfolk Showground venue.
The clock is ticking and The Future is very nearly here. With just over two weeks until Bestival 2016’s psychedelic adventures begin we give you even more amazing musical greats who will take you on wild, harmonic excursions and keep you reaching for the lasers long into the night at the greatest party on the planet this September on the Isle of Wight.
Rob da Bank says: “The Future is fast approaching and I’m super-excited about all the new explorers who will be joining us on our journey into the unknown. From dance music legend and big Sunday Best favourite Joe Smooth and sublime selector Jaguar Skills, to hot tips Ashworth, Kid Canaveral and Nimmo there’s a little bit of something for everyone, just the way we like it!”
Ensuring dancefloor devastation of a truly futuristic kind, we are delighted to announce that super-beat ninja Jaguar Skills will be stepping up to the ones and twos at Robin Hill for a trademark tear up that is destined to take us to a new dimension in space and time. We’ll also have performances from musical polymath Ashworth, our old muckers Bugged Out with their Little Bugger, seductive sonic types Cirque Du Soul, classic house legend Joe Smooth, wigged-out wonder Justin Robertson Scottish alt-poppers Kid Canaveral, infectious disco divas Nimmo, Chicago don Roy Davis Jr, genre-skirting trio Strong Asian Mothers and vowel-phobic punks SWMRS.
Don’t miss Manchester rave legends A Man Called Adam, Canadian folk troubadour Aidan Knight, slick pop siblings Ardyn, Strobewax co-founder Bobby O’Donnell and Oxford’s own Burt Cope. And expect to be blown away by CC Smugglers, Deaf by Disco, DJ GG, Dr Sid, Ella and the Blisters, Feeling Gloomy’s Bowie Tribute, Full Nelson, Ghettospheric, Graceland, Greg’s Greats, Ian Void, Idiot Savant, Jay-L and Jules and Lisa.
Plus, there will be even more sonic marauding from the likes of Kaf-Tan, Kemback, Lucy Cait, Martin Davies, Miss Chameleon, Mojo Filter, Nick Gabriel, Noble Jacks, Not Saffron, Pete Kosanovich, Rev Milo Speedwagon, Roy Davis Jr, Stevie Wonderland, Tasty Lopez & Karistocat, The Beau Bow Belles, The Black Kat Boppers, The Caulfield Beats, The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, The Shellac Collective, The Tom Seals Band, Thomas Urv, Timo Garcia, Tom Colborn, Tony Tunes, Uncle Junior, Vote Pedro, Vula Viel and Ziriguidum Samba Band.
Booking your place at Bestival couldn’t be easier with our amazing £25 deposit scheme. For just £25 (plus booking fee) you can secure your Bestival ticket at Phase Three prices now.
Pay the balance by 1st September and join us we venture into The Future with headline sets from Major Lazer, The Cure, Sean Paul & Wiz Khalifa and even more amazing music from Bastille, Years & Years, Katy B, Hot Chip, Carl Cox, Diplo, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Craig David & so much more!
And, if you’re having trouble persuading your friends to come along to our luminous dreamworld, dial Rob da Bank’s Decision line now on 0845 388 BEST (0845 388 2378) for just 5p plus your standard rate per minute, and let the man himself twist their arms.
As the summer sun beats down on Robin Hill, the wagon train of Monsieur Bateman’s incomparable masterpiece Caravanserai has made its way to Bestival’s Stardust field and a rendezvous with The Future. An arcadia of vintage caravans, wurlitzers, object d’art and alchemy, helmed by the inimitable Continental Drifts, Caravanserai is a cocktail-fuelled carousal of curiosity filled with eye-popping delights, raucous gypsy-bathed lilts and brass-powered beats, making it an unmissable stop on your date with destiny this September 8-11 on the Isle of Wight.
Rob da Bank says: “Caravanserai is without doubt one of the most incredible things you’ll ever come across at a festival anywhere in the world. Distilling the essence of merrymaking through the ages to create something truly futuristic and astounding, all topped off with delicious cocktails, this one should be at the top of your to do list”.
In time-honoured tradition Caravanserai will be a melange of madness and music both live and deejayed, featuring fevered enchantments from Budzillus, Cut Capers, Daytoner, Dejavoodoo, DJ Chris Tofu, DJ High Daniels, DJ Kosta Kostov, DJ Penny Metal, Forest of Fools, Immigrant Swing, Lee Bruck, and Madame Electrifie.
Plus, there will be outlandish expressionism from Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, New York Brass Band, Oh My God! It's The Church, Owen Penrice, Rumpsteppers, Samuel Wulf & Lso, Seas of Mirth, The Balkanoes, The Ska Vengers, Thrill Collins, Transylvania and WBBL.
But that’s not all, adding an air of sorcery and wonder to proceedings Cirque Bijou will present Cirqueserai, an aerial, acrobatic pageant of the preposterous that is sure to blow your minds!
And don’t forget, you can book your place at Bestival with our amazing £25 deposit scheme. For just £25 plus your booking fee you can secure your Bestival ticket at Phase Three prices now.
Pay the balance by 1st September and join us we venture into The Future with headline sets from Major Lazer, The Cure, Sean Paul & Wiz Khalifa and even more amazing music from Bastille, Years & Years, Katy B, Hot Chip, Carl Cox, Diplo, Fatboy Slim, Skepta, Craig David & so much more!
Bringing festival season to a close Found Series mark the end of summer with one final blow out at Moondance Festival on Sunday 18th September 2016. Tickets are flying out for the Sunday all-dayer so dust off your raving shoes and look back over twenty years of rave culture with a likeminded, unified cross-generational crew.
A celebration of Britain's iconic rave culture, Moondance Festival will be the first of it's kind to take place in an equally iconic British setting. East London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will set the scene for a retrospective, old skool reunion as Moondance celebrates its 21st birthday. Harking back to the traditional Sunday sessions synonymous with early UK raves, Hopkins's Field in the north of the Park opens up to celebrate rave scene instigators and its musical evolution. Curated to bring dancers from all walks of life, the full line-up boasts a smorgasbord of sounds, shining a spotlight on 20 years of rave across 9 stages the best in old skool, drum and bass, garage, house, jungle and grime.
The final announcement sees Moondance Festival welcoming pioneers of the culture, adding stalwarts of the scene to the previously announced Mainstage, alongside fresh new Arena additions, which come the form of Arena 7 and Arena 8, championing urban sounds and upfront house respectively alongside House FM's VIP Arena.
Bringing over 20 years of bass music, the Mainstage welcomes breakbeat legends The Freestylers with a live performance, featuring original artists MC Sir Real, Valerie M and Navigator MC. Matt Jam Lamont also joins the bill. A firm Found Series favourite and a scene kingpin, his sets are a journey throughout the UK Dance Scene, from it's earliest inception through to its current evolution. European house comes courtesy of Italian act Livin' Joy. Famed for carving out a space in the rave scene with 90's classic 'Dreamer', Livin Joy, will be joined on the Mainstage by Luzahnn, with a live performance. Brixton born and bred, former Kiss FM host Rob Blake, will bring the club classic and old skool house vibes to the main stage of the festival.
Some other exciting news just announced, United Festival returns to co-host the main stage: Following the success at Finsbury Park and the road-block tie up for Love Rave NYE, United once again link up with Moondance to bring London's biggest celebration of rave culture.
The Relentless Arena 7 showcases the artists behind the grass-roots sounds of Grime, Garage and Bass. Acclaimed rapper Chipmunk will headline the stage performing his famed live act which saw him shoot to fame, collecting multiple awards from MOBO, Urban Music Awards and many more along the way. With over 6 years of radio shows, urban music night Jamz and label Butterz under their best East London grime duo Elijah and Skilliam bring the best of the genre to the festival. Longstanding British DJ and Producer Zed Bias, known for his pioneering delivery of UK Garage and broken beat, swaps dark club rooms for open air at Moondance. Jammz and Big Zuu will perform live, with additional actsKlose One, Amy Becker, Silas and Snare, Kruel Intentions, Liam D and Lee Freeland & Tony Parsons rounding up the bass fuelled line-up set to surge throughout Arena 7.
Arena 8, the love-child of Found's own Analog and Stush, long-standing purveyors of raves, offers dancers the space to embrace classic, no-frills house music all-day-long. Gaining recognition from BBC Radio 1, DJ Mag and Defected to name but a few, DJ SKT, will headline the collaborative stage. One for the dancers and the house heads, the headliner's set embodies his penchant for classic house, most notable through previous remix work for the likes of legendary house label Strictly Rhythm, as well as Kontor and New State.
Audio Rehab founder, Mark Radford joins DJ SKT, flexing his undeniable ability to transform a dancefloor, injecting it with an energy only made possible through years of selection and involvement in the early acid-house, rave and jungle scenes. Sam Supplier, fellow Rinse FM host will also play Arena 8, bringing true rave energy, a unique force owed to the tacit knowledge earned hosting pirate radio, parties and raves over the years.
Analog and Stush also play host to Tom Zanetti & KO Kane, Booker T, Sy Sez, DJ S, Aluku Rebels, PSR and Snoops.
With over 180 acts playing across 9 stages of music, Moondance Festival at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be London's biggest celebration of rave culture in 2016.
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FULL LINEUP:
MOONDANCE & UNITED MAIN STAGE
THE FREESTYLERS LIVE FEAT. MC SIR REAL, VALERIE M, NAVIGATOR MC TODD TERRY JOEY BELTRAM A GUY CALLED GERALD LIVE (EVOLUTION OF DANCE MUSIC) MATT JAM LAMONT ALTERN8 LIVE GENERAL LEVY LIVE LIVIN JOY FEAT. LUZAHNN LIVE ANGIE BROWN LIVE (BIZARRE INC) CHANNEL ONE SOUND SYSTEM RATPACK VS SL2 LIVE
DJ PHANTASY WITH SKIBADEE & SHABBA D ROB BLAKE TWISTA & TRIX ACID BROTHERS
ARENA 2 – GARAGE NATION (GARAGE) ELIZABETH TROY (LIVE)
VAPOUR MC (LIVE)
SPECIAL MC (LIVE)
ARTFUL DODGER VS DJ LUCK AND MC NEAT OXIDE & NEUTRINO
FOUNDATION (STICKY & SCOTT GARCIA)
MIKE DELINQUENT
DJ CARTIER
JASON KAYE
RAMSEY & FEN
JUNIOR BUZZ DJ LISTENER
MCS VIPER, CREED, B LIVE, RANKING, CKP, KIE, LOKSIBOY
ARENA 3 – BREAKIN SCIENCE (DRUM & BASS)
ED RUSH & OPTICAL
HAMILTON & FRANKEE (RAM RECORDS SHOWCASE)
MAMPI SWIFT
SUB ZERO SHADOW DEMON COALITION (SLY, TRIGGA, BASSMAN) NEW BREED CREW (MAJISTRATE, LOGAN D, EKSMAN, EVIL B, FATMAN D, HERBZIE)
U.N.C.Z (RUFFSTUFF, FUNSTA, HARRY SHOTTA & DREPS) GUV & TURNO INTER
Indie-rock, dirty pop, lo-fi garage sounds, these days it’s getting harder and harder to characterise a good band – something the guys of Get Inuit find slightly hard to do themselves. Described as dirty pop, I asked Ollie and James, two of the boys in the band, about how they would choose to label their own sound.
‘I guess we would say it’s poppy, dirty pop. People tend to shy away from that term and lean towards indie or rock, but I think our songs are quite catchy and they do quite fit the genre, we describe it as a dirty guitar pop.’
When asked about their influences, the answer was just as mismatched. ‘As a band we have a lot of different influences, which I think is good, it comes through the music and gives us our sound. We’re all fans of the American grunge rock scene, bands like Nirvana and Sonic Youth, but we also differ on a lot of bands as well, bands like the Beach Boys, and also really cheesy bubblegum pop, guilty pleasures like Katy Perry.’ The band adopta similar carefree attitude when it comes to the meaning behind the band name. 'It's kind of a joke, it came to the point where we just wanted something that was going to come up on google. I don't know how we actually settled on it. It's like a play on get into it, but it's actually in an episode of Spaced. It was Jamie's [lead singer] fault really, blame him.'
After being together for about two and a half years now (on their watch) it’s just in the past twelve months that they’ve really perfected that ‘fine-tuned fuzz’ sound they now execute so beautifully in their live shows. Riding the wave alongside bands such as Spring Kings,Vant and The Magic Gang, the band have certainly had a lot of up’s this year, which doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. They’ve just finished a tour with Spring Kings before the start of festival season, and are now tearing up the summer; stage after stage. With an electrifying, energetic show at Leefest, making myself a true convert, a Friday slot at Reading Festival, and an upcoming tour starting October with old friends Spring Kings, the boys have a lot to look forward to.
‘That will be a pretty big one [on the Spring Kings tour] much bigger than the one we just left, we’re playing much bigger venues, we’ve got KoKo in London as well as a couple of academies, so that’s going to be fun to play, plus the guys from Spring Kings are so lovely, so it should be a really good tour, we’re looking forward to it.’
Leefest itself showed the kind of hype the band is getting. Though a tiny festival tucked away in the Garden of England, it’s clear the southeast is Get Inuit’s home turf, the amount of merch floating around and buzz around their set shows the band is definitely headed in the right direction, even though they stay humble and a little surprised when asked about it.
This weekend is a big one for the band, as it sees the pre-release of ‘Teriyaki,’ their electrifying new single. Catchy, but with a rocky, distorted edge, Teriyaki is an intense track. Bursting with energy that’s reminiscent of their live shows, the guitar and drum work compliments each other perfectly, and songwriter/lead singer Jamie delivers on a lyrically mesmerising pop-chorus, that will have you singing ‘I can’t remember who I was before’ way after the song has finished. Listen to it here via Soundcloud before it’s official digital release on September 2nd.
Preorder Teriyaki now, set for release on September 2nd and limited edition 7" on September 30th via Unlabel.
With a list of dates lasting well into October, I fully recommend catching these boys live. With support from DIY, NME and Gigwise to name a few, I’m sure these lovely, joking lads are going to go from strength to strength, so see them before their shows sell out.
It’s that special last month before Autumn sets in, the high summer sun shines down on the most inappropriately weather-attired crowd of the entire year, yes, It’s Bloodstock Open Air. I will never stop being equally amused and proud that the metal community rocks black tshirts, heavy denim, sticky leather and a mass of metalware regardless of temperature, or indeed comfort.
Though this year’s Bloodstock line-up has been the topic of much forum debate and there are some rather under-represented groups (female musicians on the main stage anyone?) this year, you can’t deny there is first-class metal on offer this weekend. Friday sees a beautiful site-wide crab-athon (Crabulon) with Evil Scarecrow, and Corrosion of Conformity tear up the Ronnie James Dio stage with their gritty bluesy metal, to a decent crowd having overcome some mishaps on the route here. “In case you guys don’t know, we lost our guitars in fucking Paris… we’re kind of winging it” the guys let us know, before a calling Donald Trump a dickhead and dedicating the beautifully relevant ‘Vote With A Bullet’ to him.
Over on the Sophie Lancaster stage, the comedically named Foetal Juice hailing from Manchester, sound pretty much exactly as you’d expect – extreme but a little bit silly. Everyone in the tent seems to love them though, which is pretty good going for group of mates who started this for fun.
Heading over to the Kraken Rum garden for a spot of black ice-cream (good work guys, you know this is exactly the crowd to appreciate a gothic dessert) we take the opportunity to check out the merch stall and pop into Lemmy’s Bar to raise a glass (well, plastic cup) to the man, the legend. Back on the Sophie stage XII Boar are absolutely killing it, yelling out “You’re here! You’ve made it to the party” to us latecomers joining them mid-set. It’s a bit of a shame about the noise-pollution next door, the music on the fairground rides is offensively loud and unnecessary. No-one needs to hear Sweet Child O’Mine more than once in half an hour.
Home grown heroes Venom are a massive Friday highlight with their thrashy, wild child behaviour and obvious love of what they do. Calling out “It’s great to see the fucking UK legions” to a roaring crowd, it’s nice to see a proper homecoming. Demon-faced Behemoth are kind of a BOA staple now right? The band are over from Poland, presumably to promote Satanism and murder… *snigger* and for a band who’ve done every trick in the goth manual to seem dark and gloomy, they look like they’re having a pretty amazing time.
Last up is the final ever (yes really, EVER) UK Twisted Sister show on their ‘Forty & Fuck It’ tour, and it’s an absolute blinder. Playing 15 minutes over the curfew, with every single hit you wanted to hear, and a gigantic crowd singing alongside them – Twisted Sister go out with a bang. Like the music or not, you can’t deny they’ve got amazing showmanship and the ability to engage with a crowd on a funny and personal level. They will be hugely missed.
Saturday sees the likes of The Raven Age, off the back of their supporting role in Iron Maiden’s Book of Souls world tour, carving out a name for themselves on the Sophie stage, and Rotting Christ have the main stage under a veil of darkness with their unique melodic metal and some synchronized headbanging. Fear Factory pull in a huge crowd and those 90’s sounds are just so nostalgic it makes us want to buy some of those huge jeans again, you know the kind with safety pins all up the seam and one of those giant ball-chains attached to your wallet.
Grabbing some grub is much more difficult than we had anticipated, this festival has come a long way on the food front since it’s early days of scary burger vs. scary hotdog options. We opt for a Bi-ella (It’s not sexual, it’s just both kinds of paella – meat and veggie. Actually I take it back, that is pretty sexual.) and chilli-inna-bun, which is much less Dibbler than it sounds. Both were awesome and actually worthy of high price tag we’ve come to expect from UK festivals.
Paradise Lost playing in the late evening sun is an absolute treat, but the stunningly beautiful guitars ring out across a sleepy crowd, there are a lot more people sitting down in a post-dinner sun-drenched haze. Only the astoundingly tall Kraken diver is dancing around like a lunatic, presumably taking an in-suit bath in his own sweat.
Over on the Sophie stage One Machine are throwing down hard, their sound is interesting and fresh and there’s a pretty decent crowd in there enjoying it. In the Hobgoblin New Blood tent, Warwickshire band The Face of Ruin have In Flames vibes and we are loving their rowdy set. Let’s hope they return to BOA soon… next year even… on a bigger stage…
On the main stage it’s time for the truly incredible Gojira, and judging by the sheer size of the crowd that has turned out to see them, they could just have well bumped Mastodon from tonight’s top spot. There’s something so strangely hypnotic about Gojira, it’s hard to put your finger on it, but as the sun sets on day two of BOA it’s clear they’re one of the true highlights of the festival already, and ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ is the anthem. Shouting out “Are you having a great day at the festival? Are you drinking enough beer? Are you happy?” It’s kind of adorable that they care about our festival welfare, and everyone is more than appreciative of the brand new tracks from Magma.
In comparison it’s hard to watch Mastodon’s entrance onto the main stage, with dodgy sound and a do-the-job attitude, the magic dwindles a little. Sure, they’re musically strong but there’s less of the awe and more of the ought about them. However, as the night pulls on Mastodon appear to get comfortable and the last half an hour is considerably, thankfully better.
As the hungover masses drag their butts outta bed (well, sleeping bag) for one last day of metal mayhem, the Sunday lineup sees the likes of Satyricon, complete with forked mic stand and altogether too much white face powder – makeover the main stage with their black metal in the rather overcast afternoon. It’s sort of appropriate. On the Sophie stage, Derange deserve a bigger crowd than they’ve got – I mean, no their sound is nothing exactly new, but they execute well and vocalist Cat Pereira is commanding centre stage.
Outside after a bloody (literally, one guy had his head cut open) battle reenactment, it’s time for the final challenges of the Bloodstock’s Strongest Man competition, and get this… the trophy is Thor’s Hammer! Amazing. After a lot of grunting, sweating and swearing, a little crowd participation and some free tshirts being thrown about, a champion is crowned. It’s been a brilliant little event, hope to see it back bigger for next year.
On the main stage there’s a kicking of heels as we wait patiently for Dragonforce to appear. Technical difficulties are blamed and it’s a blistering, albeit short show from the power-metal heroes. Despite the crowd chanting ‘Herman Lee’ rather than Dragonforce before they came on, it really doesn’t seem to have phased the rest of the band, and frontman Marc Hudson yells “We are Dragonforce from London England, and it’s nice to fucking play at home for once”. ‘Cry Thunder’ and ‘Through The Fire And Flames’ have the entire crowd wailing along as crowd surfers flail overhead, which is pretty great considering that’s all we got. Five songs seems hardly enough.
Symphony X are somewhat underwhelming but New Blood’s Valous, immediately followed by amusingly named Footprints in the Custard – are anything but. Both bands are energetic and enthusiastic, an atmosphere that spills over into their rowdy crowds who are loving it.
As the many… many Judges circle the site telling you not to take photos of them, or pretending to terminate delinquents, they can only herald one band. Anthrax hit the stage with all the raw power you’d expect from a band twenty years their junior, they just make it look easy. ‘Antisocial‘ has the entire arena thrashing, and as they close out with ‘Indians’ shouting “This is the war dance, bang your fucking heads! Everyone move ok?” it’s unsurprising to see the BOA crowd comply, hard.
Following up with another of the ‘Big Four’ thrash metal bands, Slayer are here to re-conquer Bloodstock and with a stage top to bottom bathed in real actual fire (how they sustained playing in that direct heat, I have no idea) it’s almost as if they’ve come out to prove they’re children of the underworld. Last time Slayer topped the BOA bill was just after the death of Jeff Hanneman, three years later we see a fresher, stronger Slayer with a giant Hanneman tribute flag, and something to prove. With the massive and iconic riffs of ‘South of Heaven’ and ‘Raining Blood’ reverberating around Catton Park, it’s hard to imagine a better way to close Bloodstock 2016. Here’s to 2016, and wondering what the next lineup will bring…
The Future is almost upon us! With just three weeks until Bestival 2016, you've got just enough time to pull together a killer outfit, so get cracking.
Every year amazing fancy dress concoctions are on display and this year's theme 'The Future' is sure to continue the tradition. Expect to see steampunks, planets and moonpigs, aliens and astronauts, dystopian delinquents and galactic rulers… but if you've missed the creative boat, don't fret!
Check out our mini-collection of some cyborg pieces you can pick up quick online…
Ebay: Alien ring, refraction goggles, biohazard mask and light up shoes
Cyberdog: Cage dress, silver dress, holographc backpack and alien necklace
Boardmasters is undoubtably Cornwall’s biggest festival. Much like it’s partner, Nass, Boardmasters thrives off its love for music and sport. This year I had the pleasure to head down to the beautiful coastline of Newquay to soak in the sun, the surf and the music.
For anyone who has yet to go to the festival, it is located over two main beaches, Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay. Surfing competitions including Men’s and Women’s Open and Men’s and Women’s Longboard (LQS1000) located at Fistral and the music located at Watergate, with this year’s headliners being Chase & Status, Deadmau5 and James Bay. Other sports include BMX and Skateboarding which took place over the course of the weekend at Fistral as well as music ranging from Eliza & The Bear to Rat Boy at Watergate.
Walking into the festival arena on Friday, it was clear that it was something special. With the main stage to my right and the never ending sea on the horizon to my left, the atmosphere and energy was a completely different level to that of a city based festival. The air was fresh, the sun was out and the music was loud. With a buzz of people heading down from all over the country to go and embrace the popular festival, the diversity of families, students and children meant this festival was welcoming for all. One of the first acts which caught my attention was Nahko and Medicine for the People who really captured the alternative melodic music scene which is ever increasing down in Cornwall. Having played London’s KOKO in Camden a few days prior, the Oregon-native and percussion heavy artist drew a surprisingly huge crowd for such an early time slot. Another up and coming band which caught my attention were the blues rock ’n’ roll trio Smokin’ Durrys. All three bands members spent their university lives down in Cornwall and where brought together by their love of classic rock and blues music. After their performance at Boardmasters, they are hoping that because of the positive reaction from their set that they are in the hopes of securing a slot in next years Truck, Y Not and 2000 Trees Festival. As the day drew on all I could hear around the arena was the anticipation for Catfish and The Botttlemen. Having played Truck and Y Not Festival this year, they have definitely been one of my favourite acts of the summer and their crowds do not disappoint. Having been announced for Lollapalooza, Berlin as well as touring USA with Mumford & Sons, it is clear that they could easily be headlining festivals next year. Chase & Status however proved that they deserved that headline slot. Drawing the biggest crowd of the day making the perfect end to the first day of the festival by playing some of their most classic and popular tunes.
I headed down to Fistral Beach for the majority of Saturday to witness the Surfing Men’s Open competition. As you walk down to the beach the paths are crowded with stalls selling all kinds of food and surf related clothing and merchandise. The sun and the clear blue sky, the clear water and the plan trees made Newquay look like California. The beach was packed with spectators, photographers, and families, all soaking up the beautiful weather proving why Cornwall is one of my favourite places in the UK. The men’s open consisted of over 50 surfers battling it out for the grand prize. The semi-final consisted of Heat 1 between Shane Campbell and Tomas Fernandes and Heat 2 between Angelo Bonomelli and Bruce Mackie. With 0.57 difference Bonomelli managed to take lead in his heat taking him to the final alongside Campbell. However when it came to the final, an interference on Bonomelli’s second wave meant that Shane Campbell with a final score of 13.50 took the winning title of Boardmasters Men’s Open 2016. All scores from the other surfing events as well as video highlights from the 5 days at Fistral can be found on the official Boardmasters website. (http://www.boardmasters.co.uk/surfing/results)
By the evening I had made it back to the arena at Watergate to continue with the music, starting with Gabrielle Aplin. Famous for her feature in the 2012 John Lewis advert with her Frankie Goes to Hollywood cover of ‘The Power Of Love’. Her music is a lot more relaxed than the rock headliners of the Land of Saints stage, Maximo Park, but none the less her music brought a beautiful innocence and relaxation to the festival. Her voice so pure and strong for a 23 year old, drawing a huge crowd and performing songs for her first 2012 EP Home and her 2015 Album Light up the Dark. Kaiser Chiefs undoubtably had a staggering, if not bigger crowd than Chase & Status. They are a band who have been around for many years but have proven they can bounce back with strong force. Bringing all kinds of characters together to enjoy the classic Brit-pop band, they played songs such as Ruby which drove the crowd wild. Headlining on the Saturday of Boardmasters was Deadmau5. (I have never heard so many people pronounce his name incorrectly at a festival). His electronic dance music brought a beach rave element to the Newquay Festival. Having been a fan of his music for a long time, his set did not disappoint with a spectacular light show which took you into a trance with his melodic tracks. With many waiting impatiently for Craig David’s set after, it was much to his disappointment that he had to cancel his appearance due to a flight cancellation which left his fans upset. Nevertheless, Example performed his heart out to make up for this over at the Land of Saints stage.
Boardmasters had a range of different stages including Unleashed which centred around DJ and dance music, The View which turned an old metal camper into an acoustic stage and the forever famous Keg and Pasty Stage, which essentially summed up the Cornish atmosphere brilliantly. The final day of the festival had a more rock and alternative lineup with Primal Scream performing main stage and James Bay finishing the night. With the previous headliners bringing electronic music to festival, having the folk-pop style of James Bay on the final night proved to be an excellent finale. Boardmasters is one of the most beautifully located festivals in the UK, and it is definitely worth the travel to far ends of the UK to visit.
A packed arena tentatively awaits the dropping of the giant white screen across the front of the BOA stage, as we prepare to close out Bloodstock Open Air 2016 with one of the biggest metal bands of all time, the almighty Slayer.
As the curtain drops the thrash legends throw down hard, opening with titular track of their most recent album ‘Repentless’ amidst a stage almost sagging with the weight of the insane pyrotechnics they’ve rigged. Flanked by two humongous inverted crosses made from amps, which are actually there to shoot massive bursts of flame out onto the stage, it’s frankly amazing that drummer Paul Bostaph still has eyebrows.
When the flame cannons aren’t firing the back of the stage is alight with flame runners behind the band and the backdrop depicting an artistically creepy Christ image is reminder that Slayer one hundred percent do not give a fuck about offending anyone. Hell, the multiple law suits brought against the band have merely become a woven part of their society-defying history, so it’s pretty much par for course.
Kerry King, wielding his fork-headed axe and a belt of swinging chains shreds through the likes of ‘Disciple’, ‘When The Stillness Comes’ and ‘Mandatory Suicide’. Yelling out “You guys having fun today? Another year at this bloodfest!” it’s clear the guys are enjoying this one, and the thousands of windmilling heads in the crowd seem to agree.
King calls out “Thank you very much for coming today, cause we’re all here to have some fucking fun right?” before introducing ‘Die By The Sword’ with a quick quip on recent terror events around the world “The words are kinda fitting with all this crazy shit going on. I believe in karma, what comes around, goes around”. This is a band with such presence and power, you could bottle and sell it. As the Christ curtain drops to reveal the band’s famous eagle logo, an almighty roar goes up in the crowd before the band smash through ‘Seasons in the Abyss’ and they joke “You guys are here because you love music right? So we’re gonna do a love song…” for ‘Dead Skin Mask’.
After a short cut of the lights, Slayer pull out the big guns for the encore. ‘South of Heaven’ has one of the most memorable refrains of all time but it’s ‘Raining Blood’ that gets every single one of our little black hearts beating, and you just don’t know whiplash unless you’ve headbanged to Slayer.
A final banner drop shows a giant Heineken style logo with the words ‘Hanneman, still reigning’ to commemorate Slayer’s late founding member and guitarist, Jeff Hanneman who passed away in 2013. Going out with enough pyro to feel the warmth from the sound desk Slayer hit hard with ‘Angel of Death’ and it’s all over too soon. There is often much dispute over which bands could or should headline Bloodstock and to some extent it all comes down to preference, but Slayer are and have always been one of those bands you just can’t argue with. Tonight, they proved once again why they are metal royalty.
With a UK legacy of great shows already behind them and a fanbase that can be measured in the sheer number of their tshirts on display in the crowd today, Mastodon have stake their claim on Bloodstock’s Ronnie James Dio Stage as headliners.
Throwing down with moody opener ‘Tread Lightly’ Mastodon come out strong, unfortunately the sound does not. Luckily it’s quickly remedied and the melodic guitars of ‘Feast Your Eyes’, ‘Blasteroid’ and ‘Oblivion’ shine through. The crowd density of last night isn’t quite replicated tonight, you can pretty much wriggle to the front with relative ease, but Mastodon’s lighter sections seem to conjure a sort of sombre reverence where everyone is just appreciating the music.
Amusingly (albeit for those who are old enough to remember…. Sigh…) the five giant light panel installations behind the band, appear to be playing the entire Windows 98 screensaver catalogue. You know, the one with neon electricity or trippy tie-dye patterns that everyone thought they were super edgy and cool for having instead of the standard windows one your Dad used.
In a rare moment of crowd-interaction in Mastodon’s twenty-song onslaught, bassist Troy Sanders yells out “You guys are music hungry lovers, thank you” before the band swing into the harmonic vocals of ‘High Road’. However on a few of the others the words seem to be coming out so distorted you could almost swear the band are fluent in whale.
As the stage lights up in yellows and reds for ‘Ember City’ and the band call out “Are you fucking alive?” to the headbanging crowd, Mastodon seem to relax slightly into the show. Speaking of their first UK gig sixteen years ago at Camden Underworld, the band want us to know that they love us… “We knew we were going to have a special relationship with this country, you metalheads. When we’re home or on vacation… we talk about you guys! You nice British people”. Aww, isn’t that adorable?
Finishing up with ‘Megalodon’, ‘Colony of Birchmen’ and to an almighty roar of appreciation from the BOA arena, the huge ‘Blood and Thunder’ – Mastodon close the RJD stage for Saturday night with style. “Thank you for an unforgettable experience, we’re Mastodon, we love you”.
With their own unique brand of slowed down psychedelic sounds vs. hyper and heavy eardrum challenging metal, you could be forgiven for being on the fence about Mastodon, but tonight’s extremely tightly rehearsed set does everything to prove that above all else this band cares about music.
With a set that sounds almost identical to their album tracks (bar some vocal blurring from a production point of view) you almost with they’d break character a bit, interact in a less forced way. There’s a grittiness missing for sure, but Mastodon make up for it by being, well, precisely beautiful.
