Leeds Festival 2016 Review

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Leeds Festival 2016.

Leeds Festival is personally my favourite festival of the year. Having one of the greatest lineups covering every single aspect of music, Reading & Leeds always delivers and still holds the title in my books as the best live music event. This year we had headliners and co. headliners, Fall Out Boy with Biffy Clyro, Foals with Disclosure, with the final day being an American rock classic, Red Hot Chili Peppers.

After the down pour of rain which occurred on the Thursday it meant that the arena could almost have been mistaken for Download Festival. Rivers upon lakes of mud and dirt meant that unless you had wellies then it was likely that your feet would not last the weekend. Still, the weather did very little to less then mood of the people as a majority if them, despite the lack of sunshine still paraded in shorts, vests and occasionally the odd pair of flip flops.

FRIDAY:

To start the day main stage opened with the American Pop Punk band, State Champs who came all the way from Albany, New York to play for their first time at Reading and Leeds. With their most recent album ‘Around The World and Back’ being released in 2015, and their huge growing fanbase, meant that their set drew a relatively large crowd for an opening act. Playing some of their top hits such as ‘Secrets’ and ‘All you are is history’, the loud and energetic music meant that the crowd were on their feet dancing and jumping from the start.

(Above: State Champs)

Another pop rock band which was an act not to miss this Friday at Leeds were Waterparks who again were another band from America, this time Austin Texas. With their quirky charm and sweet talking lead singer, they were definitely a bunch of characters who like to have fun. Having recently finished Warped Tour in America, their popularity has also been on the increase with their frequent media coverage in a lot of the most popular music magazines such as Kerrang and Rock Sound. These guys will definitely be an act to catch, but with no tour dates as of yet in the UK, if you happen to be from American they will be touring with the bands Sleeping with Sirens, Tonight Alive and State Champs, who all played Reading and Leeds this weekend in the End of Madness tour this November in America.

Leading on to Tonight Alive who were noticeably higher on the bill this year on the NME/Radio 1 Stage. Also having been on Warped Tour and recently realising their album ‘Limitless’ earlier this year, the Australian rock band produced an outstanding performance. Their lead singer Jenna McDougall who I had the pleasure of meeting briefly in the press area shortly after their set said it was “amazing to be back” since their previous performance on main stage back in 2014.

 

(Above: Tonight Alive)

As it got to later in the day, the mud was still  holding strong and but luckily the weather was clearing up. One act who has been hugely gaining popularity in the British music scene, known for his huge impact on the Grime scene who I have worked with and become friends with was Big Narstie. Originally known for his comedy and Youtube sketches, Narstie grew in the Grime industry and now with the huge collaboration with Craig David on his single ‘When the Bassline Drops’, it was definitely going to be a huge act.

One of the most anticipated acts of the evening, other than the co headliners, Fall Out Boy and Biffy Clyro, The 1975 were the next biggest band playing that evening. And undoubtably the did not disappoint. With their huge stage presence and beautiful stage setup with digital cityscapes, the band were not one to miss. Performing from their new album ‘I like it when you sleep…’ as well as their 2013 self titled album, the Manchester based band enticed the crowd who were on their feet singing along and dancing like crazy to the overly energetic and charismatic lead singer Matt Healy.

 

(Above: The 1975)

Then it was time for the huge co headlining acts, which personally were my favourite headliners out of the weekend. Fall Out Boy had been on the verge of a split back in 2010 and took a break for several years until their surprise reformation back in 2013 with their album “Save Rock and Roll’. Since then they have produced another huge selling album which meant that they thoroughly deserved that top headliner spot. I could see the love and the energy in the crowd as they performed some of their true classics such as ‘This ain’t a scene, it’s an arms race’ as well as new songs such as ‘Uma Thurman’. I have never seen a crowd be brought closer together by a love for a huge and somewhat nostalgic performance. With some people describing their performance as a resemblance to a ‘Motley Crüe’ set their wild use of dancers and firework displays could be the reasoning behind that. After a number of energetic songs, Patrick Stump chose to use the middle of his set to take it back to some of their slower songs, whilst also using their single ‘Save Rock and Roll’ which originally featured the vocals of Elton John was used to pay tribute to the death of David Bowie.

For the final act of the night, I can honestly say that I have never been moved by such an outstanding and emotionally provoking set from witnessing Biffy Clyro. Whilst I can say I was perviously apprehensive about their performance, I was hugely mistaken to believe there was any hint of doubt as they were one of the best acts I have seen live in my entire life. With their recent release of their new album ‘Ellipsis’ back in July, it was no doubt why they were given the headline slot. With their aggressive and reckless stage presence they played songs from their 2009 album, ‘Only Revolutions’ such as ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Captain’ it was ‘Many Of Horror’ which brought me as well as many of the crowd to tears as their music brought chills. Unbeatably the best act to finish a perfect first day at Leeds Festival.

SATURDAY:

To begin the second day of the festival, main stage opened up to Frank Turner. Now being his 10th consecutive year at Reading and Leeds Festival, it is almost like his second family. Bringing me and a lot of my recently found festival friends who include other photographers, journalists and radio presenters, Frank Turner was a very special act for me to watch. HIs energy and motivation to wake up the crowd with is rock and alternative music meant that it was the perfect way to start the second day at Leeds.

With more acts covering across all genres of the festival, we had comedy from the Russell Howard, dance music from Hannah Wants, the heavier rock music of Asking Alexandria and Crossfaith as well as electronic synth music of acts Crystal Castles, Chvrches and headliner, Disclosure.

 

(Above: Crystal Castles)

Following Frank Turner, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes were next to play the main stage. Considering their angsty reputation and crazy crowds even Frank had himself saying “they probably won’t let [him] play main stage again”. With attempts to create a circle pit around the sound desk and throwing a GoPro into the crowd to film their fans, the Rattlesnakes definitely woke up and quickly removed the lingering hangover everyone had from the night before.
If they weren’t crazy enough, nothing compared to the set of Die Antwoord. If you haven’t head of this crazy duo, they recently appeared in the film Chappie and also accused the new Suicide Squad film for stealing their image. Ninja and Yolandi Visser definitely had the crowd questioning their performance as they had one of the weirdest and strangest sets of the weekend.

 

(Above: Die Antwoord)

Saturday was definitely the day for the more obscure and wacky acts. Heading over to The Pit stage I managed to catch Crossfaith, a Japanese heavy rock act whose heaving bass and eccentric guitar playing meant that mud was being kicked around by the crowd left right and centre in the many mosh pits.

One of the most anticipated acts which were performing on the NME/Radio 1 Stage on Saturday were the multiple chart holders Twenty One Pilots. The american duo have been around for a few years in the alternative rock music scene but recently drew huge popularity by featuring on the new Suicide Squad soundtrack with their song ‘Heathens’. Their performance didn’t fail to impress with their seemingly dark stage presence and heavy bass and drums. There have bee rumours that the dark duo will be returning to the UK soon which will be a gig you do not want to miss.

To follow this already excellent act we had the duo Diplo and Skrillex who performed in their collaborative stage Jack Ü. Never have I seen the tent so full. The crowd were bursting out the sides of the already huge tent desperate to hear the popular act. Performing many of their own individual songs such as ‘Cinema’ by Skrillex, they also played covers as well as hit tracks ‘Where Are you Now’ featuring Justin Bieber, and a new song which will be released soon.

 

Headliners on the Saturday were Foals and Disclosure. Foals brought the rock element to the relatively electronic lineup, once again drawing a huge crowd which only grew bigger for Disclosure. The electronic duo have been playing their fair share of festivals across the world have flown up the bill to reach the headlining spot after gaining increasing popularity over the last few years.

SUNDAY

With the festival on it’s last legs with the amount of mud reaching far above the ankles, the crowds still had high spirits which only grew as the clouds started to disappear and the sun started to shine. Starting off the day with Fatherson, the folk rock band was a warming wake up.

Just like Y Not Festival, if there was one band which I had to see, it was HECK*. Since I reviewed Y Not, Matt Reynolds leg is now fully healed which means their set was ten times as crazy. Scaling the scaffolding, kicking over amps and throwing just about everything that could be found on stage they once again did not disappoint.

After this there was a mysteriously long gap between Heck and the following act Milk Teeth, and this could only mean one thing, a secret set. It was unsure who was going to fill this slot from the start of the weekend but since the news was let out the previous day at Reading Festival, it was announced that the set will be filled by the British rock band, You Me At Six. After just releasing their new single ‘Night People’ only a few days ago, it was a surprise that no one could guess this before. After photographing and watching acts such as Milk Teeth and Vant, to which Vant have been announced to support You Me At Six on their upcoming tour, it was clear that even though the festival was drawing to a close on its last day that spirits were still high.

 

The next act which really stood out was Jack Garratt. The solo artist had the stage presence of twenty men, with his huge drum setup and almost spider-like lighting setup surrounding him, he performed with huge confidence and drew a crowd which echoed his songs almost just as loud right back to him. You could see by the look on his face that it was an incredible experience for him as well as the crowd which stood in front of him.

Headlining on the final day of Leeds festival was the classic rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Whilst their setlist seemed to be more of a great ‘Californiacation’ and ‘By The Way’.

With an amazing end to the weekend, Red Hot Chili Peppers definitely energised the crowd. However, i’m sure Reading Festival had an even crazier Sunday with the closing set of Biffy Clyro. The Chili Peppers were an act which every generation could enjoy. We had teenagers climbing the ice cream van to get a better view of the miraculous stage design and the slightly older generation rocking out. It has definitely been an incredible weekend which a lot of people will remember, and the memories and stories from the weekend will be taken back home with them along with copious amounts of mud stains on just about every item of clothing they own. 

Photos and review by Jade Hill.

 

 

Line-up for Jagerhaus Announced for Bestival

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We’re delighted to announce that the Jägerhaus is destined to return to Bestival 2016. One of the most futuristic designs you’ll encounter on your festival travels, this year’s line-up is a thirst-quenching smorgasbord of advanced sonic sorcery taking in earth-quaking bass, skanking beats and mellifluous marvels.

A much anticipated live set from genre-resistant duo Maribou State tops the Jägerhaus’s Magic Meadow-based manoeuvres, plus they will have DJ sets from liquid DnB wizards Fred V & Grafix and Hacienda legend Greg Wilson, plus live reggae action from Stylo G x Jacob Plant.

Keeping you refreshed through the weekend there will be more live music from the likes of Theme Park, Boxed In, Trim, Elderbrook, Postaal, Raye, Bad Sounds, Pictish Trail, Virus Syndicate, Aldous RH, Loose Meat, NYTCLUB and 808INK.

And don’t miss DJ sets from Lemmy Ashton, M.A.X, Dirty Freud, Data 3, The Sultan presents JägerHaus Closing Party, Paolo Di Liberto, Ton Dis Up!, Simon Singleton, Deja Bruh, Pepper, JägerHaus Sunday Sessions, Top Rankin' Sound System and the Haus DJs who will be tearing it up long into the night.

V Festival 2016 Review

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This summer has been something of a festival adventure for me. From the Valencian coast to the Garden of England, I’ve experienced a whole mixture of music, workshops, performers, and events, but V Festival is by far the biggest festival yet, and definitely the most commercial. The style of the festival has definitely changed since it’s conception 21 years ago. Although Kaiser Chiefs took the MTV stage, and Jake Bugg played a beautifully executed set of Country Rock and Roll on Sunday, the presence of typical rock, indie bands or simple singer-songwriters seemed almost banished from the premises, different from the days when Kasabian, Paul Weller and the Courteeners would take the stage. The festival this year boasted iconic pop headliners instead, with Justin Bieber taking the Saturday slot in Hylands park and Rihanna closing the Chelmsford site on Sunday, their 90,000 people capacity can definitely be seen packed across the various stages.

 

 

V Festival is one of the main chapters of the British festival season. It’s increasingly popular, features a lot of various stalls from sponsors, and a tonne of fairground rides. For a festival this size there are only two campsites, which though both incredibly large, are meticulously separated at ticket purchasing. When buying a V festival ticket You can choose to camp in either red or yellow, and if you have friends in another campsite or make some there who happen to have chosen differently, too bad, the security will probably bite your head off for suggesting you pay them a visit. This being said, the campsites themselves are pretty well organised, lit and have their own food vendors to satisfy their chosen ones, not to mention your fellow neighbours are friendly enough. Contrary to many rumours of tent burning, I saw absolutely no mindless violence or foul behaviour, but maybe that's because they were all in yellow camp, so I guess I’ll never know.

 

V is technically only a two-day festival, but with the vast majority of punters arriving on the Friday, the Arena is open, which at this point fairly clean, and the Radio 1/MTV stage showcased the likes of the incredible DJ EZ and Eric Prydz, who although had an incredible light show, played a set perhaps a bit too house inspired, and the silent disco is open until 1am to subdue the crowds and simultaneously adhere to the residential sound level of the Chelmsford area.

Smirnoff House

Saturday rolled around, and boasted a whole load of dance acts, such as the Smirnoff house stage, where Tinie Tempah’s DJ (if you could call him that) somehow wowed the crowds with his repetitive mix of hits. On the live music front, however, Rick Astley made a comeback with an incredible live performance. A big turnout and lots of fun, he threw in a cover of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk before ending his set with his beloved classic Never Gonna Give You Up, he certainly didn’t let us down. Also on the MTV stage, John Newman blew away expectations with new track Olé, as well as some classics and his Rudimental beginnings, also throwing in a surprising lone acoustic song written only a week previous, and performed for the first time on that stage. Emotional messages for loved ones graced the lyrics of the song, and although widely unexpected, it was a touching moment in an otherwise jam-packed show. Saturday also saw the likes of pop princesses Jess Glynne and Zara Larsson play, as well as the actual Tinie Tempah, and the elusive Sia’s strangely captivating stage show, which although fifteen minutes late was incredibly entertaining.

Performers at Sia

But really we need to talk about Justin. Rumours about a cancelled set were floating around on the Friday, and when he took the stage Saturday evening it was clear to see why. Looking desperately hungover, and clinging onto signs of life in his various backup dancers, any energy was almost non-existent and he’s half-hearted miming to about half the set was not fully appreciated by the crowd. This, paired with the fact he kept treating the whole show as another stop on the Purpose world tour; and calling the crowd ‘London’ over and over again, made for a pretty disappointing set, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, advise him to take an Alka-Seltzer next time and put it down to illness.

Justin Bieber

One thing that V festival has upped it’s game on is the food vendors around and inside the arena. After some freshly ground coffee, a chicken Caesar Salad with soft poached eggs and (my favourite) a four-cheese Mac N Cheese topped with Jerk Chicken, I can safely conclude you will be able to find something amazing to eat, which you’re going to need to keep you going as you power walking through the absolutely massive festival site.

Sunday came around even quicker than expected and brought with it a lot of more guilty pleasures. All Saints made their reunion on the main stage, and my childhood was made in the few minutes it took them to perform Never Ever and Pure Shores. Following on the Girl Band theme of the day, Little Mix also took the main stage, though opening with Salute and rocking khaki leotards, took a very Destiny’s Child turn, which, alongside a bubbly, high energy stage presence, worked for them massively, as well as bringing Lethal Bizzle on stage with them, driving their fans wild. The main stage also saw the likes of Travis, which though nostalgically fun, didn’t really fit with the other artists, and Example, who seemed to be experiencing some technological issues around his sound, but was fun to watch all the same.

All Saints

Little Mix

 

Over on the MTV stage, Big Sean brought the fire and got the crowd going, ending with his signature ‘I don’t F**k with you’ – a big favourite among the Adidas, flower garland-wearing crowd. Katy B also hit the MTV stage, performing a few of her old tracks, as well as some new ones. Jake Bugg played the MTV stage shortly after, which although backed up by only a band, some simple lights and a colourful backdrop, blew the smaller crowd away with his faultless voice and mesmerising lyrics. David Guetta was the second to last act on the mainstage, just before Bad Gal RiRi herself closed the festival, taking inspiration from the art deco style of the 80’s with her stage show, and seemingly channelling Michael Jackson from beyond the grave, she gave a show-stopping performance. A set which combined the Dirty Diana/ Billie Jean styled tunes of ANTI – Desperado and Love on the Brain amongst my favourites, alongside a lot of fan favourites, including a medley of Run This Town, Live Your Life, and Love The Way You Lie. Although the mass amount of crowd around us were rather uninteresting and seemed content at watching the show through a smartphone, her voice, performance and crowd-pleasing setlist was enough to make us move and put the biggest, guiltiest smile on my face.

 

Big Sean

The crowd and general atmosphere of the whole festival was pretty boring, a lot of the festival goers seemed a lot more interested in their image than the acts, which was a bit of a first for me. Because the Lineup at V is so commercial, you don’t really get to stumble across many new bands or acts, as I’ve been lucky enough to do at other, smaller festivals. The smaller stages boost either DJs, already established artists or other acts such as comedy – which although enjoyable – doesn’t scream the festival atmosphere I enjoy. Where I appreciate that  V is one of the most expensive of the British festivals and therefore needs to pack in a crowd-pleasing list, it's lineup is actually pretty small, and doesn’t hold nearly as many artists as one of its main rivals, say Reading + Leeds, who still manage to support and showcase new bands.

I knew from the get-go that V wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, and with this in mind, I did still have a great time. It’s sheer size and sponsorship means that they get some big names, and they know how to accommodate them, the stage show for each performance fairly mesmerising and well planned. There’s also a fair amount of things to see and do (provided you’re willing to pay) but if as long as you like the music, walking, camping, and are adamant that you want to be surrounded by like-minded Instagram happy crowds, then V is the one for you, and you will definitely have fun.

Sundown Festival 2016 Preview

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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. 

Even more acts announced for Bestival!

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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.

Bestival announces Caravanserai lineup

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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!

Moondance Festival full lineup announced

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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
SLB & BOYLAN 
TERRY M & KEZMAN 

MCS EKSMAN, EVIL B, SKIBADEE, GQ, IC3, HARRY SHOTTA, BASSMAN, TRIGGA, FUNSTA, STORMIN, FATMAN D, HERBZIE, DREPS, GRIMA, AZZA, DEEFA, FUNKTION

ARENA 4 – EPIDEMIK (OLD SKOOL & JUNGLE)
FABIO & GROOVERIDER WITH MC MC
SHUT UP & DANCE SHOWCASE FEAT. RAGGA TWINS & PETER BOUNCER 
DJ SY
SLIPMATT
BILLY DANIEL BUNTER
UNCLE DUGS & NICKY BLACKMARKET 
DJ SENSE
MR X & VINYL VERA
DAN REWIND & GENETIC
LISA DIZZY BLONDE & BONNIE BLAZE
JOHNNY B & SOCIAL LOGIC 
PARKER & REMIXX
 
MCS MC MC, RAGGA TWINS, CHARLIE B, SKIBADEE, WHIZZKID, SHABBA D, FIVE ALIVE, FEARLESS, BLACKA, CUTTER, EXPRESS, RIBS
ARNEA 5 – JUNGLE MANIA x ROAST (JUNGLE)
CONGO NATTY FEAT. CONGO DUBZ
DILLINJA & RANDALL 
GROOVERIDER
MICKY FINN
DJ RON 
KENNY KEN
BROCKIE 
BRYAN G & JUMPIN JACK FROST
SHIMON (CLASSICS SET)
 DR S GACHET & ASHATACK
 REDLOCK
 MCS GQ, SKIBADEE, FEARLESS, IC3, DET, RAGGA TWINS, MOOSE, FLUX, EXPRESS
 
ARENA 6 – PROMISED LAND (CLASSIC HOUSE)
 FAST EDDIE (LIVE PA & DJ SET)
ALISON LIMERICK LIVE
 MARSHALL JEFFERSON
 NICKY HOLLOWAY
 TERRY FARLEY
 BRANDON BLOCK & ALEX P
 HUCK FINN
 PHILGOOD & RAM
 ARKOSS
 EZM
 
ARENA 7 – RELENTLESS (GRIME, GARAGE & BASS)
CHIPMUNK LIVE
ELIJAH & SKILLIAM
ZED BIAS
JAMMZ LIVE
BIG ZUU LIVE
KLOSE ONE
AMY BECKER
SILAS & SNARE
KRUEL INTENTIONS
LIAM D
LEE FREELAND & TONY PARSONS
ARENA 8 – ANALOG & STUSH (Upfront House)
DJ S.K.T
MARK RADFORD
SAM SUPPLIER
TOM ZANETTI & KO KANE
BOOKER T
SY SEZ
DJ S
ALUKU REBELS
PSR
SNOOPS
 
VIP ARENA – HOSTED BY HOUSE FM
 
Over 70% tickets sold. Final remaining tickets available at: moondancefestival.co.uk

Talking Teriyaki, Musical Influences and Googleability at Leefest with Get Inuit.

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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 adopt a 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.

 

AUG

26  Reading – Reading Festival

27  Brighton – 234 Festival

 

SEP

3   Hertfordshire – Wilkestock

4   Portmeirion – Festival No 6

10  Guildford – Always The Sun Festival

23  Canterbury – Penny Theatre

 

OCT

1   Southsea – Southsea Fest

10  Edinburgh – Electric Circus **

11  Glasgow – Stereo **

12  Newcastle – O2 Academy 2 **

14  Manchester – Academy 2 **

15  Sheffield – Plug **

16  Leeds – Wardrobe **

17  Lincoln – Platform (Headline show)

18  Birmingham – Institute 3 **

20  Stoke – Sugarmill *

21  Coventry – Kasbah (Headline Show)

22  Nottingham – Rescue Rooms *

23  Oxford – O2 Academy 2 *

26  Bristol – Thekla ***

27  Brighton – Concorde 2 ***

28  London – Koko ***

 

Follow, Get Inuit:

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetInuit

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GetInuit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/get_inuit/

YouTube: http://bit.ly/GetInuitYT

Vevo: http://bit.ly/GetInuitVevo

 

Words: Ella Guthrie.

 

Bloodstock Open Air 2016 – Full Review

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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.

Read our full Twisted Sister review HERE

 

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.

Read our full Mastodon review HERE

 

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…

Read our full Slayer review HERE

Check out our full photo gallery HERE

All photos © A. Hyams 2016. Do not use without permission.

All the cyborg-ladies… What to wear to Bestival 2016

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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

Breo: Tron-style watch

Primark: Metallic nail polish

Amazon: Star Trek tshirt

 

See you in the future, cosmic cuties!