Relentless NASS 2012 Review

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The action all kicked off on the Friday with loads of people arriving and not just setting up camp, but unloading their BMX bikes, skateboards and inline skates. The Razor skate park was open for public sessions for most of the weekend, letting everyone of all abilities get involved with their own kit as was the outdoor Motion ramp, until the rain started.

The Squibb Freestyle team also managed to put on a bit of a display on Friday before the rain started. Indoors at the Pro Skate Park there were lots of practice sessions going on ready for the competitions to be held over the rest of the weekend – these included skateboarding, BMX and inline. You could already tell from the practice sessions that the competitions were going to be exciting, with some real displays of talent.

Into Friday afternoon and evening, the live music started. Relentless NASS 2012 had a wide range of music across the various stages and arenas. The night featured some great acts on the main stage including Shy FX and Chiddy Bang, who built up the atmosphere before the truly energetic performance of DJ Fresh, who everyone went wild for. A great mix of DJs played sets in the UKF and Drum & Bass arenas as the crowds got bigger and more drunk. The highlights were Subscape, Cutline, Fred V & Graffix (who also did some great crowd surfing), Loadstar and Doctor P. The Front Magazine stage featured music that was definitely more of the rock variety from the likes of Set Your Sails and Marmozets.

Relentless NASS 2012

Saturday saw a lot more rain and a lot of mud. A lot of the sports events planned for the day could unfortunately not go ahead due to the weather, but indoors at the Razor Park the UK Champs took place as well as a best trick competition, while it was a very busy day in the Pro Park with the qualification rounds for all sports.

The anticipation at the Main Stage built up and up throughout Saturday evening as Pulled Apart By Horses played, followed by a bouncing show from Modestep and then perhaps the most anticipated act of the weekend – Sum 41. Many of those at the festival had grown up with Sum 41 and loved seeing them perform classics such as 'In Too Deep'. The Drum & Bass Arena and the UKF Stage were once again busy as people enjoyed great sets from the likes of Crissy Criss, Friction & Linguistics, Drumsound & Bassline Smith and DATSIK.­­­

Relentless NASS 2012

Sunday eventually saw some sun, and all the athletes were keen to make the most of it, which saw some great displays on the Relentless Street Spots course, made all the more exciting by the cash incentives offered for tricks. It was a busy day for the action sports part of the festival, as the finals of the competitions for all sports also took place in the Pro Park.

Relentless NASS

Overall, Relentless NASS 2012 was a great festival, despite the mud and rain, that perfectly combined music and action sports, and even provides the opportunity to get involved by having a go at the public skate park.

Click here to view photos from Friday @ Relentless NASS
Click here to view photos from Saturday @ Relentless NASS
Click here to view photos from Sunday @ Relentless NASS

BT London Live Update

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These events include: Have-A-Go-sports, watching every medal and all the Olympic sporting action beamed in live, courtesy of the BBC on giant, state-of-the-art screens and enjoying amazing live music performed by some of the best of Britain’s musical acts, all absolutely FREE! Hyde Park will open from 28 July – 11 August and Victoria Park from, 27 July – 12 August.

At Hyde Park: visitors will enjoy various sports participation activities (Badminton, Netball, Tennis, Modern Pentathlonamong others) as well as cultural and musical performances on the BT Vision Stage, attractions including face-painting at The Sun Bus, or moving into the Great Games Zone in Cadbury House to get a taste of what it’s like to be in the shoes of an Olympic athlete, head to head in a virtual race with Rebecca Adlington before receiving a celebratory chocolate medal. There will also be other music and retail opportunities around the Serpentine Bar and Bandstand. The Main Stage in Hyde Park will feature a host of great musical artists including: Tom Jones, Rebecca Ferguson, Alexandra Burke, Amy MacDonald, McFly,Saint Etienne, The Overtones and The Temper Trap. BT London Live is proud to announce that Ocean Colour Scene, Ren Harvieu, Cover Drive, The Enemy, Lemar and The View have all been added to the main stage line up presented by Absolute Radio (Official national radio station of BT London Live)- and Magic FM (Official London radio station of BT London Live)

In Victoria Park: visitors will be able to enjoy an amazing array of family-friendly Have-A-Go sports and cultural entertainment with a 55m high BT Observation Wheel giving views of the Olympic Park, amazing outdoor spectacles, Bungee Trampolines, Zip Lines and land and water Zorbing. On the main stage inVictoria Park, visitors will enjoy performances by top UK acts including Norman Jay and Friends, Club De Fromage, Alexandra Burke, Alyssa Reid, Jazzie B and Friends plus BT London Live is proud to announce new additions to the calendar presented by Kiss FM (Official London radio station of BT London Live)- Sway, Skepta,  Yasmin, Misha B, Conor Maynard, Soul II Soul and Brand New Heavies

For BT London Live sites book your Guaranteed Entry Ticket in advance (there is a transaction fee of £3.50 for a maximum of 4 tickets per booking) or just walk up on the day for free entry (subject to capacity).

In addition, in Hyde Park, there are also two Celebration Concerts with a ticket price of approx. £55. BT London Live will open with an Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert in Hyde Park on Friday 27 July withDuran Duran, Paolo Nutini, Stereophonics and Snow Patrol, all performing. Blur, The Specials, New Order,Bombay Bicycle Club are playing the Closing Ceremony Celebration Concert in Hyde Park on 12 August.

BT London Live’ is a partnership between the Mayor of London, The Royal Parks and The London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is a key part of the citywide programme of events being organised by the Mayor of London to celebrate theLondon 2012 Games.

Log on to www.btlondonlive.com for full details.

WHO ELSE IS PLAYING?

Youwill be able to watch some of the best acts in the UK perform free in Hyde Park and Victoria Park this summer.

Hyde Park

·       Saturday 28 July – Sir Tom Jones, Newton Faulkner

·       Sunday 29 July –, Nell Bryden, We Will Rock You

·       Monday 30 July – Ren Harvieu, The Feeling

·       Tuesday 31 July – Rebecca Ferguson, Cover Drive

·       Wednesday 1 August – The Levellers The Beat

·       Thursday 2 August – Alexandra Burke, Lawson

·       Friday 3 August – Amy MacDonald, Dodgy, Cast

·       Saturday 4 August – McFly, Saint Etienne

·       Sunday 5 August – Alyssa Reid

·       Monday 6 August – Lemar

·       Tuesday 7 August – Kenny Thomas

·       Wednesday 8 August – Nik Kershaw

·       Thursday 9 August – The Overtones, The Enemy

·       Friday 10 August – The Temper Trap, Ocean Colour Scene, Feeder

·       Saturday 11 August – Paul Carrack, The View

Victoria Park:

·       Friday 27 July – TBA

·       Saturday 28 July – Swing Patrol, John Wean, Fat 45, Norman Jay and Friends + Don Letts

·       Sunday 29 July – Halfway To New York, Busk Off Pro – Robbie Boyd Band, East London Reggae

·       Monday 30 July – Jive Aces, Club De Fromage, Scams, Rising Tide, Jangles, Bigga Fish, Tenors of Rock

·       Tuesday 1st August – Scams, Rising Tide, Bow Jangles, Bigga Fish, Theatre Tol.

·       Wednesday 1 August – Brassroots, Jazz Umbrella Presents Courtney Pine and Trevor Watkis trio and Loz Speyer Quartet, Goldheart Assembly

·       Thursday 2 August – Alexandra Burke, Eliza and the Bear, London Contemporary Orchestra, Talvin Singh, Misha B.

·       Friday 3 August – Grande Union Youth Orchestra, Hackney Colliery Band, Sounds From of the Asian Underground from Bobby Friction, Crowns.

·       Saturday 4 August – The Asps, Rising Tide, Rhythms of City Samba, Guilty Pleasures

·       Sunday 5 August – Alyssa Reid, Hudson Taylor, The Fontannas, Swing Zazou, Electro Swing Club, Sway

·       Monday 6 August – Romani Rad, Gypsy Soundclash – Trans Siberian Marching Band, Alejandro and The Magic Tombolinos, Gypsy Hill, The Thirst, Horsemeat Disco

·       Tuesday 7 August – KAV , Jive Aces, Katy Carr and The Aviators, Movimientos Sounds of Latin London Remixed – Lokkiterra, Wara, Ska Cubano, Los Chinches

·       Wednesday 8 August – Laura Steel, Bikini Beach Band, Grande Union Youth Orchestra, African Routemaster 21st Century London African Sounds

·       Thursday 9 August – I Dream In Colour, Natty Bo and Congeroos, Premises Studios and Moshi Moshi Records, The Fabulous Lounge Swingers

·       Friday 10 August – Acid Jazz Presents 25th Anniversary Special including Matt Berry and Gino Washington, Colour The Atlas.

·       Saturday 11 August – Mount Fabric,  Perhaps Contraption, Jazzie B and Friends, Skepta

·       Sunday 12 August – Cuttashine Hoedown, Kidnap Alice, Imagined Village Spectacular

For artist performance times please visit http://www.btlondonlive.com/

WHAT ATTRACTIONS ARE PLANNED?

A plethora of fun activities for everyone across both sites.

HYDE PARK:

·       Five Giant screens – BT London Live welcomes Londoners and visitors to watch the BBC's coverage of The Games beamed live into the sites and enjoy an exciting range of entertainment. BT London Live Hyde Park will show the BBC’s Olympic Games coverage on five giant screens, (the largest at 144m2) between 11:00 – 0:00hrs daily. 

·       Exclusive appearance from Team GB Medallists –The BOA (British Olympic Association) is partnering with BT to give fans an exclusive opportunity to see Team GB medallists in person during the Games. The official Team GB Fan Zone will be where British medal winners first gather to publicly celebrate their success with Team GB fans this summer. For Team GB’s Olympic medallists this will be an amazing opportunity to celebrate in front of their home crowd in the heart of the city.

·       Main Stage – The main stage screens will separate two or three times a day, dependent on the sporting schedule, to reveal top acts performing every night, with approx performance times of 5pm – 7pm and 9:30pm – 10:30pm.

·       Have-A-Go in the Sports Arena with 300-seat grandstand – The Sports Arena will operate three sessions every day from 11:00 to 14:30, 14:45 – 17:45 and 18:00 – 21:00. It will have something for all ages. Activities include: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Football, Handball, Judo, Lacrosse, Modern Pentathlon (Shooting Range and Fencing), Netball, Tennis, Volleyball and Wheelchair Basketball. Sessions all attended by sports professionals.

·       BT House and BT Vision Stage – BT House will offer people the opportunity to meet sporting legends; listen to live musicperformances on the BT Vision stage; win tickets every day to the London 2012 Games, including Closing Ceremony, Athletics and Gymnastics, by playing London 2012 – the Official Video Game of the Olympic Games; or to just relax and get online with free BT Total Broadband and BT Wi-Fi.

·       Cadbury House –Walk into the Joyville tasting zone to experience the deliciousness of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, before continuing into the Chocolatrium to take part in five Cadbury experiences The journey then moves into the Great Games Zone to get a true taste of what it’s like to be in the shoes of an Olympic athlete including the chance to go head to head in a virtual race against with Rebecca Adlington before receiving a celebratory chocolate medal.

·       Sun Bus – (The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) chill out on deck chairs and enjoy a wholehost of family fun including face painting, pose with your head through funny photo boards, watch magicians and have fun with balloonists. Plus The Sun Cheerleaders will be helping Hyde Park celebrate in style

·        The Times and Sunday Times Lounge (The Times and Sunday Times, Official Print Partners of BT London Live) will allow Times + members to relax in a hostedenvironment which includes a bar, café and garden area

·       Absolute Radio – (Official London Radio Partner of BT London Live) Every day from 5pm, Absolute Radio’s latest signing Johnny Vaughan will broadcast live from BT London Live at Hyde Park (Absolute Radio, Official London Radio Partner of BT London Live). Set to feature interviews with famous comedians, musicians, presenters and Olympians the show will reflect the big events, the obscure sports and the day’s talking points on and off the track.

·       Magic – (Official London Radio Station of BT London Live) Magic 105.4’s Breakfast Show  presenters Neil Fox and Verity Geere will be broadcasting live from BT London Live on Friday 27 July from 4-7pm in the lead up to the Opening Ceremony Celebration Concert. The show will reflect the atmosphere, artists and preview the sporting action to come. Magic will also capture the excitement from Hyde Park for the duration of the Olympic Gameswith interviews from artists appearing each day and updates of all the medalmoments.

·       Bandstand – regular music programme every day from 12noon to 10:30pm with a mixed line up from Live Connection www.live-connection.co.uk and Gigs www.molpresents.com/gigs

VICTORIA PARK

·       Giant Screens – 3 screens set up across the park to watch the BBC's coverage of The Games beamed live into the sites.

·       Multi-purpose Sports Courts: sports include Badminton, Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Handball, Judo, Volleyball, Basketball, Table Tennis, Lacrosse and Athletics.

·       Main Stage presented by KISS (official London Radio Station of BT London Live): line up includesNorman Jay and Friends, Soul  II Soul, Brand New Heavies, Yasmin, Alexandra Burke, Skepta, Sway, Misha B and Conor Maynard.

·       BT Hot Air Balloon:  free tethered flights (dependent on weather)

·       Sun Pub  -(The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) a space to have a drink and watch the Games on multiple plasma screens.

·       Sun Bus – -(The Sun, Official Print Partner of BT London Live) chill out on deck chairs and enjoy a whole host of family fun including face painting, pose with your head through funny photo boards, watch magicians and have fun with balloonists. Plus The Sun Cheerleaders will be helping Hyde Park celebrate in style

·       Kids Zone: Activities will include sporting themed craft activities for children aged 2-8 years for up to 600 young children every day from 11am – 5pm.  Activities include torch and medal-making and sports themed story -telling

·       Showtime: between 8 – 12 August a taster of some of the exciting artists taking part in Showtime, which has been commissioned by the Mayor of London and is the biggest festival of outdoor arts ever staged in the Capital . Artists range from Red Poppy (female Chinese Drum ensemble from Beijing) tocomedy & magic shows.

·       Theatre Tol: the leading outdoor arts company from Belgium will perform a late evening 45-minute cycling based aerial spectacle. Nightly performances will be staged from 27 July – 1 August.

·       Fanfare, all the best show choirs from the USA, with varied performances from three different schools every night in the Sports Arena between 3 & 7 August

·       Cirque Bijou & The Boxettes, an urban performance of parkour and dance nightly with interactive workshops through out the day on 6 & 7 August

·       In the Zone, a Wellcome Trust initiative inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, It provides a fun, free and fascinating way of using science to discover how our bodies work during sport, activity, movement and rest.

·       Big Dance will be running mass participation dance events ranging from Dirty Dancing, Bollywood, Disco Fever, Tango and many more themes in nightly performances in the Sports Arena between 28July & 2 August.

·       The World in London Project, a visual art exhibition from the Photographers Gallery, with images of Londoners from all over the world depicting London’s diverse population and illustrating that all 204 competing nations in the Olympic Games will have ‘home support’

Paid for attractions (which can be obtained via www.btlondonlive.com when booking Guaranteed Entry Tickets) include:

·       Kiss FM Zip Line, (Kiss FM, official London Radio Station of BT London Live) zip down the 320m long, 45m high, 4 wire

·       BT Observation Wheel, first class view of the Olympic Park and the London skyline

 

Comedy Tent returns to Green Man Festival

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Here are the latest fantastic funny men and women heading to Wales’ breathtaking Black Mountains from August 16-19 for Green Man 2012:
 
Tom Wrigglesworth The Yorkshire funny man is an articulate and natural raconteur with an innate ability to riff with an audience like they’re old friends.
 
Colin Hoult Talented actor who excels in comedic character transformation; marvel at his acute ability to snap in and out of a multitude of hilarious personas.
 
Jordan Brookes Cardiff-based comedian who regularly intimidates tipsy people into nervous laughter; an unnervingly stable presence with smart one-liners.
 
Josie Long Much-loved Green Man favourite returns with her obsessive and ridiculous stories that leave audiences smitten with her innocent wonder.
 
Benjamin Partridge Rising star of Welsh comedy who has an intimate knowledge of the M4 thanks to regular gigs in London and Cardiff.
 
Steve Hall One third of BBC Three sketch group We Are Klang and an acclaimed solo live performer who supported Russell Howard on his sell-out national tour.

Dan Evans Accessible but childish surrealism from a comedian who continues to delight audiences throughout the UK and Ireland a decade in to his career.
 
Tom Bell Prolific sketch star and stand-up comic with an upbeat, surreal style – one of the most unique and exciting performers on the circuit.
 
Nadia Kamil Swansea comic born to a Welsh mother and Iraqi father, an Edinburgh Festival hit as one half of the acclaimed double act The Behemoth.
 
Chris Chopping Cardiff based comedian with an engaging anecdotal style who reached the Semi Finals of the Welsh Unsigned Stand Up Award 2011.
 
PLUS Jared Hardy, Danny Deegan, James Bland and a whole host of amazing undiscovered up-and-coming comedians in the daily Green Man New Act Hour!
 
And don’t forget, Green Man 2012 gets off to a flying start on Thursday night (August 16) as Adam Buxton presents Best of BUG: The Evolution of the Music Video – a hilarious compendium of outstanding video clips, astounding online nuggets and perhaps a few homemade musical gems of his own thrown in for good measure…

Catch some of the best stand-ups from around the world live on stage from 7pm to 2am daily as part of the 24 hour merriment you'll find at Green Man this summer!

Bloodstock Open Air Fancy Dress theme

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After MACHINE HEAD’s historic set on Saturday night, it’s time to get spooky, ugly and evil, to party the night away, as well as win one of three great prizes on offer. There’s also the small matter of some serious fun-times, with the 4 DJs of The Apocalypse and the infamous metal karaoke to entertain the morbid masses til the early hours.

The first prize for the most gloriously dressed is a pair of weekend tickets for next year’s festival, as well as a £100 cash prize. Second prize is £50 cash and a BLOODSTOCK goody bag, with the bronze medal earning you a goody bag.

Whether you’re a Goblin from middle earth, Errormon, the Nibenay Basin, the Green Goblin of New York or even Wychwood’s own Hobgoblin, Abaddon, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles or some other nefarious Demon or just an ugly, hairy Troll, there’s ample opportunity to get creative and take home the grand prize.

What’s more, anyone who purchases a weekend ticket between now and the 31st July (including anyone who has already purchased a ticket), will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win one of 25 pairs of tickets for BLOODSTOCK 2013 – for which one awesome headliner has already been confirmed.

Don’t forget – headliners MACHINE HEAD are letting fans pick five songs from Burn My Eyes – head to http://www.facebook.com/Bloodstock now to cast your vote.

T in the Park 2012 – Sunday Review

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Arriving at the car park on Sunday, I was grateful it wasn't raining again, but by the time I reached the main arena, that gratitude was slowly sinking, much like the festival goers. The mud was ankle deep and if you went down to flat land, you were lucky if the pools of mucky water wasn't 12 inches high. All of this aside, the Scottish crowd seemed to be enthusiastic for the day ahead. Wandering around the arena people were, throwing mud, sliding face first in it, one guy even dived off a picnic table in to it. Safe to say, no spirits were dampened by the ground conditions.

Chase and Status were definitely one of my highlights of Sunday, the two DJ's joined on stage by their drummer Andy Gangadeen and vocalist MC Rage put on an amazing show. With special guests Maverick Sabre and Liam Bailey, Chase and Status certainly pulled out all the stops and provided a memorable performance. The crowd for Chase and Status was certainly a rowdy one, several mosh pits were started and crowd surfers had to be pulled out by security.

Elbow's crowd wasn't quite as energetic, but they were not any less committed, singing along to all of their hit songs providing a classic, chilled out festival atmosphere.

Going over to the Radio 1/ NME Stage the atmosphere changed completely, Nicki Minaj, being 55 minutes late, ran on stage, with no explanation as to why she made her fans wait so long. Scotland's crowds are well known for being enthusiastic and energetic and were complimented by bands and artists over the weekend, but when Nicki Minaj kept them waiting, they were anything but forgiving, in between tracks, you could hear heavy booing and insults being thrown at her from all directions. Cutting her set short, I doubt she'll be rushing back to Scotland anytime soon and if she does, she better at least bring an apology back with her.

Nicki Minaj

I've never really been a huge fan of Kasabian, I've always seen them as just another band, lacking anything extra special, but seeing them at T in the Park I was very wrong, delivering a lot more grit and character than I ever expected. Unlike a lot of bands, you weren't just drawn to the singer but you found yourself watching the whole band. Their song Velociraptor off their new album is definitely worth a listen.

After announcing they will be splitting after completing already confirmed gigs for this year Swedish House Mafia's set was set to be a sort of, farewell performance, and they didn't disappoint. Having preformed at T in the Park last year they had set themselves a standard barrier, which they smashed to smithereens. I can't explain it in words, you will have to watch the multiple videos on YouTube to fully understand where I'm coming from. Absolute madness.

Even if the weather was horrific this year, the Scottish crowds were still in full force and didn't let it dampen their spirits over the weekend. T in the Park is an amazing festival, with brilliant characters and a phenomenal atmosphere. I would recommend everyone get tickets for next year, as it is T in the Park's 20th anniversary and it'll be even bigger.

Check out photos from Friday @ T in the Park
Check out photos from Saturday @ T in the Park
Check out photos from Sunday @ T in the Park
 

T in the Park 2013 Early Bird Tickets

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On the back of another triumphant year, festival organisers DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager are looking ahead to 2013, when T in the Park will celebrate the significant milestone of its 20th year. Fans can ensure they’re part of this momentous occasion and secure their place in the 85,000 strong crowd daily when a limited batch of early bird tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 13th July at 2012 prices. Music lovers can also guarantee their ticket for the festival’s 20th year with an exclusive early bird offer; a £50 deposit will secure their 2013 ticket, making sure they don’t miss the hottest festival action on the planet in 2013.

T in the Park’s 20th year will bring the biggest acts and the most passionate music fans in the world together again for the weekend of a lifetime. Next year’s event will take place over Friday 12th – Sunday 14th July 2013.
 
A limited number of T in the Park 2013 tickets will be available at 2012 prices – go to www.tinthepark.com or www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call 08444 999 990.
Vodafone VIP customers can buy tickets 48 hours before they go on early bird sale from 9.00am on Wednesday 11th July, simply go to vodafone.co.uk/vip

Gold Panda & Willy Moon to headline Festibelly 2012

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Headlining Saturday, sharp suited Willy Moon fuses rock'n'roll and hip-hop; or “Bo Diddley as imagined by Timbaland” says Q Magazine. 

Gold Panda headlines Sunday, whose magnificent debut LP ‘Lucky Shiner’ scooped accolade after accolade (“a masterclass” – Dazed & Confused, “stunning” – Q Magazine, “blissful” – NME) and went onto win The Guardian’s First Album Award. 

Gold Panda

Also joining the bill is BBC Radio 1 DJ and Bestival host Rob Da Bank, rave heroes Ragga Twins, perennial ‘Belliers Man Like Me and many hotly tipped bands including Clock Opera,Bluebell and Bastille. 

Amongst those already announced are three-piece rock ’n’ roll family band sensation Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, folk group Skinny Lister, who won the title of 'Hardest Working Band in Britain' following their record number of festival appearances last year, Mr Nice aka Howard Marks, rising French band We Were Evergreen and London collective Reggae Roast. 

Festibelly, now in its fifth year, is a hidden gem on the festival calendar. Nestled among the woodland on the edge of the New Forest, there is something for the entire family. For the first time it opens its doors as a two day party, a double dose of the intimate charm it had become known for. 

As well as the usual dazzling selection of musical talent on the main stage, the Festibelly field will play host to a number of venues and attractions including Terrapin Station, Le Disco, brand new Le Roller Disco, Massive In China and Autumn Shift – together creating a kaleidoscope of psychedelic gypsy to dirty disco, wrong cabaret, circus performance, wonky gameshows, cosy cafés, poetry, painting and more. This year Festibelly flings its arms wide open to those with young Festi Critters, bringing new kids entertainment area The Owlery to site. 

As ever, Festibelly stays close to its grassroots ethos and remains brand and sponsorship free and is always guaranteed to have friendliest Festi-goers to be found. Previous artists to play Festibelly include The Big Pink, New Young Pony Club, Ghostpoet, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Rob Da Bank, Drums Of Death, Man Like Me, Hollie Cook, James Yuill, She Keeps Bees, Greco Roman Sound System, Psychemagik, Reggae Roast, Oh Ruin, Johnny Flynn, King Charles, My Tiger My Timing, Tek-One, O Children, Skinny Lister and Toy.

Festibelly also throws several warmup events this summer at London’s The Lock Tavern, Bournemouth’s 60 Million Postcards, Southampton’s The Orange Rooms and Festibelly Local events in its hometown of Lymington, Hampshire. 

15th July – Kitty Daisy & Lewis (DJ), Draper @ The Lock Tavern, Camden
21st July – Festibelly Vs Durty Sound System, Chichester
3rd August – Man Like Me @ Orange Rooms, Southampton
11th August – 60 Million Postcards, Bournemouth
12th August – Festibelly presents Terrapin Station @ The Lock Tavern, Camden

Editors Notes: 
Event: Festibelly 2012
Location: Undershore, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 5QA
Date: Saturday 25th – Sunday 26th August 2012
Times: Gates open 9am 25th August – close 2pm 27th August
Ticket Price: Weekend ticket: £55 // Sunday ticket: £38 – on sale via festibelly.com
Capacity: 3,000

15 more bands for Bloodstock

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The main RONNIE JAMES DIO stage and the SOPHIE stage boasts some of metal’s biggest names, both international and homegrown. But no less exciting is the NEW BLOOD stage, which offers emerging talent the chance to play an internationally renown festival. The METAL TO THE MASSES initiative works hard scouring the length and breadth of the country to discover the UK’s best new talent, hosting heats where bands will compete for a coveted spot at BLOODSTOCK.

This year, the quality of the unsigned bands on offer is outstanding, resulting in the NEW BLOOD stage’s most exciting line up to date. With sold out finals up and down the country in 200 – 600 capacity venues, as well as reaching over the borders to include talent from abroad – as well as rewarding homegrown talent with the opportunity to play partner festivals abroad, WACKEN andMETALCAMP, the future of UK metal has never looked so bright, and with this latest batch there may well be a futureBLOODSTOCK headliner in amongst them.

On the Friday, EXILE THE TRAITOR bring their melodic death metal to the NEW BLOOD stage, joined by Brummie death metallersKATALEPTIC, Norwich thrashers KILLER HURTS, Romanian experimentalists KRESPUSKUL, Manchester bruisers MY WOODEN PILLOW, Liverpool’s SCARE TACTICS and WALKING THEO from Selby.

Saturday sees Welsh trad-metallers APOLLYON join midlands doomsters COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM and all the way from Croatia,RATHER, while the Sunday offers Nottingham glamsters AIRSTRYKE, Cypriot death/thrash/groove combo BLYND, Welsh sludge monsters HAKIN, Nottingham Trash-Merchants INCINERY and Preston Industrialists SA – DA – KO.

Simon Hall, who has been overlooking METAL 2 THE MASSES can't help being excited by the talent on display:

This year's Metal 2 The Masses has blown me away with the diversity and talent that is turning heads within the UK underground scene. The quality of The Newblood Stage is undeniable and I can't wait to unleash these bands on Bloodstock along with some more to come in the next week or so!

Whatever you do, make sure you stick your head into the NEW BLOOD stage and support new bands – you may discover the next big thing!

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. Tickets are available from www.bloodstock.uk.com

Line Up So Far:

RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE

ALICE COOPER

MACHINE HEAD

BEHEMOTH

ANVIL – WATAIN – PARADISE LOST – DIMMU BORGIR – HATEBREED – CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – SANCTUARY – GRAND MAGUS – THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER – EVILE – NILE – MAYHEM – LOCK UP – SEPULTURA – ICED EARTH – TESTAMENT – CHTHONIC – DIO DISCIPLES – CROWBAR – BENEDICTION – I AM I – MOONSORROW – FREEDOM CALL KOBRA & THE LOTUS

SOPHIE LANCASTER STAGE in association with Last.FM

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH

ALCEST – ORANGE GOBLIN – ANAAL NATHRAKH – HEADCHARGER – WINTERFYLLETH DEMONIC RESURRECTION – EASTERN FRONT – ANCIENT ASCENDANT – SIGHT OF EMPTINESS – PRIMITAI – PYTHIA – CRIMES OF PASSION – SATURNIAN BLOODSHOT DAWN – RE-ARMED – GONOREAS – COMMANDER IN CHIEF – RISING DREAM – INFERNAL TENEBRA – NOCTEFERIA – MARIONETTE- FURYON – DERISION – BATALLION – WITCHSORROW – DRIPBACK – SAVAGE MESSIAH – FLAYED DISCIPLE – VIKING SKULL – DEATH VALLEY KNIGHTS – SWEET SAVAGE –

PRITCHARD Vs DAINTON – STEVE HUGHES

NEW BLOOD STAGE

DOOMED – GONE TIL WINTER – HURON – FALLEN FATE – REIGN OF FURY –DREAMCATCHER – REFLECTIONS IN EXILE – INFERNAL CREATION – CAMBION – WARHORSE – MERCILESS FAIL – STORMBORN – TEMPUS FUSION – WRETCHED SOUL – A THOUSAND ENEMIES – SHATTERED SKIES-  EXILE THE TRAITOR – KATALEPTIC – KILLER HURTS –  KRESPUSKUL – MY WOODEN PILLOW – SCARE TACTICS – WALKING THEO APOLLYON – COSMIC VORTEX OF DOOM – RATHER – AIRSTRYKE – BLYND HAKIN – INCINERY –  SA – DA – KO.

Wireless Festival 2012 – Saturday Review

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The day kicked-off with a bang, when X- Factor judge Tulisa took to the main stage to sing two new songs from her debut album. Launching an attack on the ex-lover behind her recent sex tape scandal, she stuck a finger up at the 60,000 strong crowd and invited them to join her in publicly mauling him. 

Professor Green followed Tulisa on the main stage, giving a confident, energetic, and crowd-pleasing performance.

He opened his set by announcing Wireless as the ‘biggest f***** audience’ he’d played to all summer.  His nerves didn’t show as he ferociously rapped his way through a number of chart friendly tracks.   Biggest cheers (and mass audience participation) came for his encore, the No.1 hit and Emeli Sande collaboration, ‘Read All About It’.

Over on the Pepsi Max stage, British singer-songwriter Delilah lived up to recent music press hype.

A striking presence in camouflage jacket and knee-hi dominatrix style boots, she captivated the audience with her soulful and haunting voice.

Heartbreak and versatility framed her set as she stunned the crowd with a track list that compassed a cross of genres such as dub- step, soul, trip- hop, and R&B.

 Her last release, ‘Breathe’,   and the debut single, ‘Go’ (which carries a heavy sample from Chakka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’), were met with astounding reception.

Labrinth did his best to outshine Delilah, and very nearly succeeded until he was let down by poor sound quality inside the Pepsi Max tent.

An exuberant performer, he carried on regardless, and got the masses bouncing along to the cheery and catchy single ‘ Express Yourself’.

The Hackney-born star turned things down a notch with a beautiful, acoustic version of his debut hit, ‘Let The Sun Shine’.

 A massive crowd hurtle ensued as he launched into the mega selling single‘‘Earthquake’, which concluded a lively but inconsistent set.

Labrinth

Proving you don’t have to sell millions of records to make an impact at a commercial festival, up- and-coming South London soul singer Josh  Osho took to the tiny Bandstand Stage and became the surprise highlight for many.

Blessed with a powerful and silky voice, he also displayed his flair for epic song writing on tracks such as ‘S.O.S’, and ‘Redemption Days’.

A cover of the Alex Clare hit ‘Too Close’, went down a storm with the younger crowd, and worked exceptionally well in acoustic format.

As the rain started to pour down, the Wireless crowd waited in anticipation for U.S. hip-hop star and female powerhouse, Nicki Minaj to take to the main stage.

Sporting a typically colourful outfit (and bright blonde wig), she was greeted with a frenzied response. The Wireless crowd just couldn’t get enough of the eccentric performer and her foul-mouthed banter. From firing a dry- ice gun into the crowd, to performing hits such as ‘Moment 4 Life’, ‘Starships’ , and ‘Superbass’, she proved to be festival gold and kept the damp punters smiling through the rain.

Nicki Minaj

Deafening screams were heard all over Hyde Park as headliner Drake took to the stage.

The charismatic rapper was completely at ease with his huge audience(who were gradually getting wetter and wetter as heavy rain set in), revealing that ‘London is like a second home’, and requesting that they chant along with his rhyme: ‘ I don’t give a f*** about the rain tonight cos I’m here to watch Drake go insane tonight’.

His adoring fans responded immediately and sang along to the short bursts of rapping at the start of the set.

Drake performed two storming collaborations- ‘Crew Love’, with The Weekend, and ‘Make Me Proud’ with Nicki Minaj.

Racing through rap numbers, ‘She Will, and Headliners and Practice, Drake’s vocals shone through on his slower, R&B tracks- sounding smooth and effortless.

The obvious encore had to be -and was, the Rihanna duet, ‘Take Care’.  The Barbadian superstar didn’t appear in person but her vocals were sampled throughout the track.

Drake

She closes the festival tomorrow and is sure to successfully round off a fierce, dance-tastic Wireless 2012.

Photos courtesy of Wireless Festival

Metronomy and more added to Green Man Festival lineup!

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Since then, The English Riviera – Metronomy’s incredible third album – has catapulted the band into the stratosphere: a gorgeous, unashamed pop record full of languid, sunset funk songs tailor-made for a balmy summer’s evening.

Featuring the already classic singles Everything Goes My Way and The Look, The English Riviera was undoubtedly one of the defining records of last year. We know you’ll join us in welcoming Metronomy back to Green Man 2012 with open arms – it should be a night to remember!

Also newly added to the line-up for this summer’s Green Man are…

Savages – all-girl four piece Savages have smashed their way on to the music scene, only playing their debut show at the beginning of the year, their intense and energetic live shows have been excited fans and critics alike, being described by many as the best new band in London.

Loney, Dear – the Swedish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanangen, released his utterly stunning latest album Hall Music at the end of 2011. His live set promises to be a real treat.

Tom Williams & The Boat – following their enchanting performance at our annual Boat Party we’ve invited the six piece to join us in the Black Mountains. Their new album Teenage Blood which was released last month via the ever-discerning Moshi Moshi label, showcases the poetic sharp wit and heartfelt tales of love lost from the six-piece “anti-folk” band.

Head over to the Walled Garden where a whole host of top DJs and our 24hr bars will keep the celebrations going well into the early hours!!

I/O (Stornoway Afrogrids DJ set) – we're welcoming Stornoway back to the Black Mountains with open arms but this year they'll be spinning some records to this special DJ set

Communion DJs (featuring Michael Kiwanuka) – founded by Ben Lovett (Mumford and Sons), musician Kevin Jones, and acclaimed producer Ian Grimble, the Communion label quickly grown into a flourishing hub of new talent, working with artists such as by Marcus Foster, Matt Corby, Johnny Flynn, Alessi's Ark, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, and many more!

Cover to Cover – the brainchild Sean Rowley (Guilty Pleasures) and Christian Laing (Buttoned Down Disco) take you on a weird and wonderful journey as they celebrate cover versions from right across the genres including oddities you will never of heard of, until now!

Adam Walton Crackling Vinyl – listen in to his Saturday night BBC Radio Wales show and you can hear the likes of Sun Ra, Fairport Convention, Big Black, War and Westlife, all rubbing shoulders with the finest new Welsh musical talent.

Jen Long – following her much talked about DJ set last year’s festival we’ve invited the new music journalist and BBC Introducing DJ back to the Walled Garden on Friday night.

And the great music doesn’t stop there:  Chai Wallahs make sure the party will continue long into the night with over 40 live bands and DJs playing the very best in reggae, rap, blues, jazz, hip hop, dub and dance!

A giant Bedouin marquee serving a feast of food and drink until 5am daily, Chai Wallahs is the perfect place for a lazy, hazy afternoon chill or a late night dancefloor freakout. Check out the latest amazing acts joining the ever-expanding line-up:

Dizraeli & The Small Gods – a 7 piece band from England, playing a folked, melodic, unashamedly heartfelt reinvention of hiphop.

Coda – live dubstep band from London, who’s sets fuse together the raw energy of a traditional band performance with the flow, excitement and hype of a DJ set.

Heymoonshaker – duo Dave Crowe and Andy BaLcon met in New Zealand, they now bring their beat box & blues to the Black Mountains!

Laid Blak – Brought together by producer DJ Bunjy and MC Joe Peng, their musical direction took a course that has led them to seek out some of Bristol’s finest musicians, and what started as a studio project evolved into this acclaimed live act…Laid Blak.

Polaroid 85 – Their soulful, piano-led compositions are infused with elements of jazz, drum’n’bass, dubstep, broken-beat, world, classical and folk music, taking the listener on a varied sonic journey.

Also joining the Chai Wallahs’ line-up this year at Green Man are: Ambassaduers, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra, Honeyfeet, Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six, Moneyshot, Nick Mulvey, Pat Dam Smyth, Rackabeat & Barlow,Sheelanagig, Syd Arthur, JFB vs Switch, Will & The People, and The Peoples String Foundation. – Check out the Chai Wallahs page for more details.