Beat-Herder Festival Review 2016

So here we are for Beat-Herder number 11. How do you follow last years’ amazing 10th Birthday celebrations I wonder, surely there can’t be more naked camel riders? With more fireworks, new venues and a cracking line up featuring huge names from across the dance spectrum Claude Vonstroke, Booka Shade, Miike Snow, Todd Terje, Jesse Rose, Justin Martin, Marshall Jefferson and Riton to name but a few. This is my sixth time at this small but perfectly formed festival in the Lancashire Dales; you could say I’m huge fan of what the brothers do. BH is different to other festivals; there’s attention to detail and creativity everywhere you look, and sixteen unique stages dotted around the site provide something for everyone.

Beat Herder 2016

Friday

Friday greeted us with all-day rain, which turned the main arena into a mud fest as soon as the gates opened. Not that little bit of mud is going to deter the Beat Herder loyal posse. They have also been coming here for years too and have a tattoo to prove it.

A quick pitch of our tent and were off to go on a tour of the new site. There're a couple of new venues to take in. Bubba Gumma is a 60s Barbarella-esque, bubblegum disco box that you enter from a long dark bunker. The DJ spins rhythmic Afro disco beats, and the party gets going. Psychedelic hippy den Sunrise boasted a thumping sound system. The Illustrious Society is home to the good, the bad and the glitterati. You can only enter if you are suitable dressed. Steampunk, monocles, and Victorian cloth to be precise.

Avoiding the soupy mud and relentless rain we hide out at the undercover venues Trash Manor, BH&DWMSC (working men's club) and Maison D’etre until the evening.

On the main stage on Friday night we catch German duo Digitalism, Swedish band Miike Snow, who drew large crowds and James. Booth enters the stage and delights the crowds with the promise of a decidedly dancy set. He shouts ‘This is dance festival isn’t it.' They performed a number of songs from their new offering ‘Girl at the End of the World’ alongside classics ‘Come home’ and ‘Laid’.

Miike Snow

James

On to Pratty’s ring and we catch A Skillz. The whole of the ring is erupting with his face-paced turntable trickery. The crowd was jumping and singing along. The rain pelted down again, and performances from Dirtybird founder Claud Vonstroke, and Radio one’s B-traits suffered smaller numbers than they should, save a few hardcore fans. We took shelter once again in the Parish Church and spent the night dancing away on the pews.   

A Skillz

 

Saturday

Salvage came on Saturday morning in the form of the sun, a welcome relief from Friday’s heavy downpours. Trudging around in what now is a soupy smelly quagmire is quite a workout. It's times like this that I remind myself that this is exactly why I like small manageable festivals and couldn't deal with the trauma of glasto. We take a bit of respite in the only bit of green grass we can see. We were swooped on by the Samaritans who are keen to talk to anyone in trouble. That certainly wasn’t us, unless they could resolve the mud, we just needed somewhere to eat our yummy cheese Raclette. It’s reassuring to know that they are there for people who needed it over the weekend.

Scottish singer, songwriter Donovan took to the main stage Saturday afternoon, an older crowd waved their arms to ‘Mellow Yellow’. Not really my cup of tea and he seems oddly placed for a predominantly dance festival, but that’s the beauty of the Beat-Herder offering. They are plenty of curveballs from folk, gypsy, indie, reggae and downright weird.

Local lad Paul Taylor brings with him an array of followers, and it is heaving inside The Fortress as fans scrambled to get on shoulders. I do like DJ, who knows how to work the crowd, and this was mightily evident in his set.

Paul Taylor

As the late afternoon cracked on, we saw the annual fancy dress come into play. This year’s theme was the letter ‘R’. We caught glimpse of Ron Burgundy’s, Ronald McDonald's, the Red Arrows, and an abundance of rodents and robots. Groups of revellers played paint powder fights in the afternoon glow, covering me and my camera. It's all good fun and warm vibes and I join in the banter. Gentleman's Dub Club and the Easy All Stars provided a particularly bouncy evening on the main stage, bringing some much needed energy to the fatigued crowd.

Beat Herder Fancy Dress

Gentleman's Dub Club

We headed up to the Toiltrees to catch one of the most anticipated sets of the weekend, house legend Marshall Jefferson.  He belted out house classics Peter Brown’s ‘Miracles’, Derrick May’s ‘Strings of Life’ and of course ‘Move your body’. He certainly didn’t disappoint and was one of my highlights of the weekend.

Firework cannons boomed before house veterans Booka Shade took to the stage. Despite playing their hit seminal hit 'Body Language’, it was a rather lack lustre set for a Saturday night headline act. Anyway onwards and upwards to Pratty’s Ring and the Fortress, which had a distinctly heavy bass and DnB feel to it. The evening sun played out and the parties across the site got dark and dirty.

Marshall Jefferson

Sunday

Sundays are for lie-ins, and we arose to the sounds of Mama Jerk and the Lady Fingers. The energy of jungle gypsy band Ushti Baba made us head to the main stage. Crowds started to gather and swing each other around to hypnotic trans-European melodies. There was an unmistakably chilled vibe to Sunday and everyone seemed smiley. 

Next up was Essex folk singer Beans on Toast who opened his main stage set with apt track called ‘2016.' “It’s got a short shelf life” he claimed. The emotional song brought unexpected tears to my eyes.  He recalled the unfathomable news that we have had to deal with this year; (Bowie, Prince, Paris, Victoria Wood, Lemmy, Turkey, Syria and the migrants, Brexit and our current state of political affairs). He jumped down into the crowd to get closer to the audience, pulling the leads behind him. He ran through an hours worth of his best from ‘Outlaws’, ‘The Chicken Song’ and ‘MDMA’. Like the 2pm slot at Glasto he drew the largest crowds. It was satirical commentary and storytelling at it’s best. Another festival highlight and surprisingly standout set that perfectly sums up the true spirit of festivals. 

Beans on Toast

In somewhat of a tradition at BH, we head up to the Toil to catch the laid-back grooves of Mr Scruff, and have one last boogie in the church. There’s a nun in the pulpit kissing her cross, as she waves and raves. It’s gone all heavy hip hop and breakbeat as they blast out Ice Cubes’ ‘You can do it’. Back to the main stage, we catch London reggae singer Kiko Bun's, before heading to the Fortress Krafty Kuts is kicking up the mud with a storming set. Taking to the stage in the Toil is the man of the moment Riton. A favourite for many, and drawing a largely youthful crowd. His mega hit ‘Rinse and Repeat’ pounds out of the Toil Trees system. 

Mr Scuff
 

It's difficult for any solo headliner to stand behind a desk of kit on their own, but Norwegian producer Todd Terje commands stage presence with ease. His set plays like one long soundtrack that undulates & bounces, with good visuals to boot. Girls get on shoulders for 'Delorean Dynamite', 'Disco Circus', 'Inspector Norse' and a superb mix of Stevie Nicks 'Stand Back' bleeds out into the night sky. At 12am dead on all the music across the site concludes and punters scurry off looking for sound systems across the camp area large enough to carry on the party. Many huddle round the fire not wanting it to end.

That’s it for another cracking Beat-Herder. Despite the mud, the organisers have done themselves proud and put on another party to remember. I hate that pang of sadness and a heavy heart that's it's all over you feel as you pull away from the site. You've had an incredible weekend, left the cares of the world at the door and entered into the spirit of abandonment. But soon enough it's back to reality, more politics and a Turkish coup. Take me back Beat Herder I don’t want to go home. See you 2017!

 
 

The Beat-Herder Festival announce more big names for 2016 inc. Booka Shade, Miike Snow, Digitalism & more

BEAT-HERDER FESTIVAL MAKE SECOND LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2016

RIBBLE VALLEY, LANCASHIRE
15TH – 17TH JULY 2016
www.beatherder.co.uk

ANNOUNCED TODAY:

BOOKA SHADE
MIIKE SNOW
DIGITALISM
GREG WILSON
MR SCRUFF

LADY WAKS | KRAFTY KUTS | MR C | CHIMPO | CHRIS COCO DEEKLINE | JON RUNDELL | HYBRID THEORY | SOLARDO | JFB APEXAPE | HAELOS | LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS

FAIREY BRASS BAND | GEORGIA | ZIBRA | NIMMO | THE VYRLL SOCIETY | THE AMAZONS | YONAKA | FRONTEERS | TOM WALKER | RATIONALE | BEANS ON TOAST | MEADOWLARK | GRINNY GRANDAD
JAMIE BERRY | CREDIT TO THE NATION | WBBL | SACHA SCHWARZ | DEXTRIC | SHAKA LOVES YOU

Joining:

PRIMAL SCREAM
CHRONIXX & ZINCFENCE REDEMPTION | DONOVAN ANDHIM | CLAUDE VONSTROKE | DERRICK CARTER CLEAN CUT KID | DUB PISTOLS | GENERAL LEVY | DOORLY | EASY STAR ALL STARS | GENTLEMAN'S DUB CLUB

FORMAT: B | KIKO BUN | A.SKILLZ | DELTA HEAVY | UTAH SAINTS JAUZ | JESS ROSE | JUSTIN MARTIN | MARSHALL JEFFERSON | RITON | SONNY FODERA

And many, many more

The jewel in the crown of Northern England's festival calendar, the beloved Beat-Herder Festival, is back with a much-anticipated cheer from the 12,000 set to attend. Following its huge 10th birthday celebrations last year and first line-up announcement last month, Beat-Herder reveal its second wave of artists for 2016.

What sets this festival apart from all the rest – in addition to its entirely hand-made site and unpretentious atmosphere – is its wealth of musical diversity. True to form, in 2016 Beat-Herder will once again celebrate all genres of music, with a genuinely diverse line up that features household names across rock, house, techno, dub, reggae, drum & bass, folk, indie – with even a spot of EDM and dubstep thrown in for good measure.

Announced today, and joining veteran Scottish psych-rockers Primal Scream, folk-pop troubadour and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Donovan, and reggae legend Chronixx (alongside his Zincfence Redemption Band) on the main stage, are Berlin electronic duo Booka Shade, Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow, German electronic music duo Digitalism, Stockport's own Fairey Brass Band, and Essex folk artist Beans on Toast.

Joining guitarist and singer Louis Berry and electro-pop duo Cash and David at The Maison D'Etre, the stage known for hosting hotly tipped musical talent in an intimate setting, include enigmatic London band Haelos, BBC introducing favourite Zibra, singer and multi-instrumentalist Rationale, dance-pop outfit NIMMO, York electro six-piece Grinny Grandad, Liverpool rock band The Vyrll Society and Brighton's Yonaka – who recently signed to Phil Taggart's Hometown Records. 

Joining headliner and LA-based dubstep superstar Jauz and living ragga legend General Levy at Beat-Herder's very own 60ft x 60ft rave Fortress – complete with its own lasers, ramparts and fire breathing turrets, are ground-breaking and Breakspoll award-winning DJ Lady Waks, breakbeat producer Krafty Kuts, DJ's Deekline, Jon Rundell and Mr C, Megadog veteran and techno stalwart DJ Templehead, producer duo Hybrid Theory and house and techno outfit Solardo.  

Beat-Herder friend and regular Mr Scruff will be lighting up the woods at the Toil Trees stage, alongside DJ, producer and tastemaker Chris Coco. They join an already impressive line up of house and techno talent, including Riton, Dirtybird co-founder Justin Martin, Andhim, Defected stalwart Sonny Fodera and a special Doorly & Friends takeover, featuring fellow Dirtybird head honcho Claude VonStroke, Derrick Carter, Will Tramp and many more.

Nicolas Jaar, Miike Snow and more added to this years Berlin Festival

 

These new acts join an explosive bill of artists that includes Grimes, Sigur Rós, Franz Ferdinand, Orbital, Little Dragon, Friendly Fires, The Killers, Metronomy, SBTRKT and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. The who's who of indie and electronic music will take to the stage at Berlin’s historic Tempelhof Airport on September 7th and 8th 2012.

Now one of the most talked about artists of his generation following the release of his crotically acclaimed album 'Space Is Only Noise', New York-based musician Nicolas Jaar will conquer the stage at Berlin Festival with one of his acclaimed live performances challenging the genre boundaries of electronic music. 

The hugely talented Stockholm-based three-piece, Miike Snow will also perform at Berlin Festival. Whether they’re working with Madonna, Kylie or Britney, it’s hard to disagree that Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg make very addictive music and they're certainly no stranger to the indie crowds. We can't wait to see them whip the crowd at Tempelhof into a dancing frenzie with tracks from their sophomore album Happy To You.

Mike Snow

The Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble will be the first act to play at Berlin Festival this year. TheBerlin-based trio will play a matinee show with a techno orchestra in tow before performing a live set at Club Xberg the same night.

Next up, Crocodiles. Massive guitar sounds the forte of the San Diego-based combo, formed by various punk band members which certainly explains the heavy noise pop influences.

Great melodies crash with ecstatic feelings when the boys from When Saints Go Machine lure the crowd with sophisticated electro pop and „avant-garde dance“. The band from Copenhagen will perform at Club Xberg.

And finally, as part of the current wave retro trend, the Brooklyn-based duo Light Asylum is one of the hottest newcomers around. With singer Shannon Funchess' unique voice and edgy synth sounds, the band will surely mesmerize the crowd on 8th September.  

All confirmed acts so far…

Friday, 7th September

Berlin Festival @ Tempelhof Airport

Brandt Brauer Frick Ensemble * Clock Opera * Daughter * Friends * Frittenbude * Grimes * The Killers * Miike Snow * Michael Kiwanuka * Nicolas Jaar * Little Dragon * Major Lazer * Kate Nash * Of Monsters And Men * Orbital * Sigur Rós * Tocotronic * We Have Band and more

Club Xberg @ Arena Berlin

Brandt Brauer Frick * Crookers * Dada Life * Dumme Jungs * Etnik * Metronomy * When Saints Go Machine and more

Saturday, 8th September

Berlin Festival @ Tempelhof Airport

Bonaparte * Jamie N Commons * Cro * Crocodiles * Django Django * First Aid Kit * Franz Ferdinand * Friendly Fires * iamamiwhoami * I Heart Sharks * Junip * Paul Kalkbrenner * Kraftklub * Morning Parade * SBTRKT (live) * Sizarr * WhoMadeWho and more

Club Xberg @ Arena Berlin

Junior Boys * Light Asylum * The Magician * Modeselektor live * Slagsmalsklubben * Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and more