On Saturday, the teenage production duo Bondax headline the stage alongside performances from Karma Kid, Seb Wildblood, Farrow, Night Flowers, Blessa, Joel Culpepper, Phildel and The Gorgeous Chans.
Sunday sees Manchester producer TCTS headline with GhostChant, Mella Dee, TRU Concept, Nai Harvest, Go Swim, Lake Komo, Brooklyn. and Raphaella also appearing on the stage.
These acts join our already gargantuan line-up featuring performances from the likes of Outkast and Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Beck, Disclosure, Foals, London Grammar plus many more.
This year, BBC Radio 6 Music hosts Bestival’s Big Top which will feature artists including Beck, Jenny Lewis, Caribou and Basement Jaxx. And on the Friday (7-10pm) Tom Ravenscroft will be broadcasting his show from our festival site on the Isle of Wight. His guests include pop experimentalist Tune-Yards, Chicago's finest Ezra Furman, Welsh songstress Cate Le Bon, and electropop queen, Elly Jackson – alias La Roux – ahead of her Big Top performance. He will also be checking out the weird and wonderful entertainment on offer in the peripheries. And Tom Ravenscroft, along with fellow 6 Music presenters Mary Anne Hobbs and Nemome, will be playing DJ sets over the weekend!
Performances from the BBC Introducing Stage at Bestival will be filmed and videos of the performances will be available online on the BBC Introducing website (www.bbc.co.uk/introducing).
With over 250,000 tracks uploaded to the BBC Introducing website and 100,000 artists registered, BBC Introducing provides a network dedicated to supporting the best emerging talent from across the UK and a platform to propel them onto the national stage through Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, 6 Music and the Asian Network. Big name artists including Florence and The Machine, Jake Bugg, Rizzle Kicks, Wretch 32 and George Ezra all received BBC Introducing support at the start of their careers. The stage at Bestival is part of BBC Introducing’s commitment to offering the best new artists unrivalled opportunities to be seen and heard.
Boardmasters has confirmed all ticket holders will be refunded the face value of their Sunday ticket after the event on Sunday 10 August was cancelled because of extreme winds caused by ex-Hurricane Bertha.
As Boardmasters operates a tiered ticketing system, refunds will be remunerated accordingly to the ticket purchased. The value of refunds is listed on the website here:http://www.boardmasters.co.uk/tickets/your-sunday-will-be-refunded/
All card payments made via See Tickets will be refunded automatically within the next 14 days. Cash buyers are to advised to get in touch with See Tickets directly on 01158 960074 from 10am tomorrow, Thursday 14th with their ticket as proof of purchase. Those who purchased from a different ticket agent should contact that agent directly for details of how to arrange their refund. Any Tipi or pre-erected tent ticket holders are to email [email protected]
Boardmasters 2014 is already being hailed as the best year to date despite Sunday’s cancellation. Those that can’t wait to get back to Cornwall for more explosive live music, world-class surfing and thrilling BMX and Skating action can purchase Dawn Patrol earlybird tickets for Boardmasters 2015 from the website now, available at the 2014 price of £109 for a full 4-day ticket.
It’s now two o’clock on Monday morning. My feet are numb, my ears are ringing and my tent is full of water and STILL this has been the best weekend I’ve had BY FAR since I sat in almost exactly the same spot this time last year.
Beacons festival is now in it’s third year and long may it continue. Aswell as being tucked away between some of the most perfect countryside I have seen and boasting lineups which have consistently excited me like a child on Christmas morning, the festival has another certain magic about it that is difficult to put into words until you experience it for yourself. It boasts an eclectic mixture of hipsters, underground music fans, families and artsy types, bringing in people from all walks of life and yet keeping focus on enjoying beautiful music and art. The Yorkshire Dales allow a wonderful setting to nurse a hangover and an excellent excuse to chomp on a succulent locally sourced hog roast.
Thursday was all about getting reaquainted with Beacons festival. Our first stop was for food, which took us on three laps of the arena before finally deciding on a fantastic little street food stall called Fish& for some delicious sweet chilli battered fish and chips. After this, we wandered into the ‘Impossible Lecture’ tent and caught the end of the previous performance. We were greeted by a naked, purple-haired lady, crowd surfing her way out of the tent. Welcome back!
Our Friday began to the washing ambient sounds of backwards facing ‘British Sea Power’ inside the main stage, which was hosted by ‘Loud & Quiet’ and ‘Last.fm’. This was certainly not a case for starting as we mean to go on though, as the next artist we saw was the person I was most looking forward to from the whole weekend. The much anticipated Dan Snaith (aka- Daphni) entered the Resident Advisor stage at 6.00pm to an eager crowd. Luckily for us, the tent was designed with blacked out windows, making it feel almost like the middle of the night. The green strobe lighting was mesmerizing and the atmosphere was certainly not negatively affected by Daphni’s early set time. A wave of excitement passed through the crowd as Snaith dropped his latest Caribou release, ‘Can't do without you’ from under the guise of his alter-ego. It was a noticeable turning point for the resident advisor tent, which went on to host blistering sets from first Daniel Avery, straight off the back of Drone Logic and finally the techno/house inspired Roman Flugel. Friday’s headliners over on the main stage were Daughter, who seemed a little uninspiring after the electric atmosphere within the Resident advisor tent. Although they sounded beautiful, with their haunting minimalist sound and the raw emotion portrayed through Elena Tonra’s vocals, it was a slight downer on the fun I had experienced in the Resident Advisor tent earlier. I am sure on another day, perhaps at a different festival, Daughter would have blown me away with exactly the same set.
Saturday catered for the house lovers over at the Red Bull Tent. The party started with Pariah, an R&S labelman from London, who would get any electronic underground fan nodding their head with his approach in the current wave of British dance music. The DJ entered the part-open stage at 6:00pm – allowing festival goers to ease themselves into Saturday evening whilst the glorious sunshine brought warm party moods well into the sunset hours. The critically acclaimed ‘Huxley’ kept the beats going into the night, leaving the crowd screaming in excitement with the much unexpected addition of ‘Space Cowboy’ by ‘Jamiroqui’ emerging through his heavy house beats. Joy Orbison continued where Huxley left off and finished the night in style.
Saturday’s headliner was Jon Hopkins and once again, he did not disappoint. Blowing the crowd away with his explosive and bass heavy, kaoss pad inspired soundscapes. His set was an unsettling, yet completely soothing experience. A master of his art, Hopkins is known for his intriguing aesthetic performances. Halfway through this particular set, an unexpected sea of colourful giant bouncy balls sailed through the crowd as excited fans punched them into the air creating a colourful explosion of orbs floating over the stage. After the initial excitement of feeling like you are a big kid in a ball pit (and of course the fantastic visuals) the excitement wore off and we realized that being banged in the head by those things actually quite hurt…
Sunday came and the heavens opened. The rain was torrential and so our day was planned around keeping dry, as well as who we would like to see. Tall Ships were the first band on our list and they played one of my favourite performances of the entire festival. T=0 being a highlight and it’s guitar hook has been stuck in my head ever since. After this we took position inside the Resident Advisor for Mano le Tough and then Dixon. Both of whom played quite similar sounding sets. Tough bordered more on house and modern disco, with Innervision’s founder Dixon edging towards progressive house and techno at times. The weather had put a downer on the day for me and although some people I had spoken rated Dixon as their highlight of the festival, I was not in the same mindset. The DJ seemed a little too similar to the artist previous which wasn’t his fault, but I found myself glad to move on from this tent by the time we needed to leave.
Once we had walked over to the final headline act, we were freezing and soaked to the bone. The rain was pouring and spirits were low. Darkside were make or break.
The guitar/electronica duo of Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington have some amazing tracks and there was a lot of hype around this performance, with Nicolas Jaar’s live set being one of the best around at the moment. The stage plunged into darkness for their entrance, before Jaar & Harrington took to the stage, which was a cloud of smoke. Spotlights set behind the stage made the two visible only as silhouettes, as they treated the rain-soaked crowd to a show that they will not forget in any hurry. Harrington’s live guitar added complimentary ambient textures to Jaar’s driving analogue synth sounds. A clued-up individual standing near me noted his use of max/msp for drum programming, which went completely over my head but sounded very impressive indeed.
I was completely blown away by Darkside. They were well worth persevering through the cold and rain; their expert shifts in tempo throughout their set shadowing the rollercoaster of a weekend we had experienced. ‘Paper Trails’ was magnificent and Jaar’s live vocals were such a refreshing thing to see and hear.
The fact that Beacons festival still kept it’s magic, even after one of the worst downpours I have experienced at a festival, speaks volumes for the place. Looking back now, as I sit in my little tent with my freezing toes, the past four days have been completely mind-blowing.
Thanks again Beacons festival…. see you next year.
The sun has set on last weekend’s sold out Kendal Calling festival and the From The Fields promoters are already hatching plans for their eagerly anticipated 10th birthday party next year. The quest is on to bring festival lovers the best Kendal Calling yet and a limited number of tickets are available at 2014 prices.
Customers must sign up with their email address and they will then be sent a unique code to purchase their 2015 tickets. Once signed up, customers will receive an email on Thursday 14th August with their unique pre-sale code and details on how to purchase your pre-sale tickets.
To sign up for tickets please register at – https://kendalcalling.ticketline.co.uk/kc-2015-registration/index.php
Kendal Calling have also confirmed the extremely popular monthly payment scheme will take place again and customers will be able to secure their ticket for the 10th birthday celebrations for only £12.11 per month.
“I never want to see another f**king hill again,” one BoomTown goer moaned as they left the festival early Sunday evening for the wind-protected respite of home. And so BoomTown came to an end for many in that fashion; drips and drabs of goers relenting after three days of hazardous rain and wind, tired limbs aching from raving up and down the hilliest festival in existence.
But it was certainly not a waste. Boasting one of the finest, most eclectic line-ups this summer, BoomTown Fair offered up a fair distraction from the beating rain.
Thursday and Friday afternoon, before the downpour, the likes of reggae punks Dirty Revolution, The Wailers and the dub-rap stylings of Soom T soothed many underneath the atmospheric awnings of the pop-up city; a veritable testament to themed festival architecture that rivals Glastonbury itself.
In fact, if one pictures BoomTown as Glastonbury’s South East Corner – yet boasting less dystopian anti-capitalist allegories – then one would hold an accurate drawing of the entirety of BoomTown Fair; all stages are a-flow with ornamental arrays and add-ons that belie the fact that they’re stages at all. Certainly it’s a feat Glastonbury could not manage given its size, but BoomTown manages just fine.
Unfortunately for the festival, some of the most coveted acts are outside in the would-be sunshine; halfway through The Skints’ 5.30pm set, the rain begins and seems to never stop. “We’re going to keep playing until they literally force us to stop,” jokes singer and guitarist Josh Rudge, but it appears their equipment may never recover from the storm. Moreover, the heavy rain dampens later sets from Easy Star All Stars, Russkaja, Afro Celt Sound System and Bellowhead; while all take the limited numbers and cheer in their stride as such impeccable musicians do, it begs the question; how bloody amazing would they have been inside, or in better conditions? Perhaps the organisers will find it in their hearts to give them another chance at next year’s BoomTown.
While the continuing rain drives festival goers to their tents, or to the inside late-night venues in hope of better fare, at least Saturday is all sunny sides up; save for the fact that Dunkelbunt were unceremoniously moved earlier, leaving many angry and confused when electro-swing pioneers Tape 5 take to their stage in their later slot. Luckily, Black Star Dub Collective prefaced the disappointment with an inspired set within the woodland retreat, while anarcho-punks Autonomads woke up the masses, as The Filaments with ‘Bastard Coppers’ were to later.
If only it could have lasted; the rain drives down once again during Slamboree’s Soundystem show at the towering Arcadia, carrying on through Dreadnought’s late-night ballsy set and until 11am the next day; many tents that were not flooded Friday, flooded that night.
Moreover, the Town Centre stage the following day proved to be a wash-out, as its cancellation added an extra fist-shake curse to the skies. Despite the day’s better weather, The Urban Folk Quartet’s fantastic triangle solo and Macka B’s ensuing good-vibe guide, Sunday proved too much for many as a chaotic miasma of abandoned tents blew over the site. While BoomTown, which sells out every year, certainly offers up first class entertainment and artwork second to none – accompanied by a scene-focused and professionally-picked line-up – it can’t hold off the weather. Despite this, the festival is one that all should flock to at each once; long may it reign.
With the full programme for both festival and After Party now revealed Found presents: Ceremony explores 360 degrees of underground dance culture, looking to the past, present and future to present a stellar multi-arena celebration at Finsbury Park on the 13th September. Featuring the early influencers, the new school and the future vanguards of electronic sound, expert party starters FOUND will deliver an ideal way to round off the summer season with the likes of Inner City LIVE, Louie Vega, Lil Louis, DJ Sneak, Richy Ahmed, Claptone, DJ W!ld, Roy Davis Jr, Route 94, Nick Curly, Simon Baker, Todd Terry and many more…
Continuing the party over at Egg London, Ceremony’s after party will run for a colossal twelve hours running between 10pm – 10am, across five rooms of music. A refined cut of the Ceremony line up, the marathon party will feature the firm FOUND favourite DJ Sneak, much loved for his gangster induced Chicago house that’s a sure fire winner on the dance floor. Also representing the US are the legendary Todd Terry and Roy Davis Jr, who will both serve up their unique take on house that seemingly paved the way for its predecessors. Crosstown Rebels mainstay Fur Coat will also feature, whilst Citizen, Simon Baker, Applebottom and The Menendez Brothers complete the line up. With very limited £13.50 tickets on sale now, the after party promises to be particularly special for those who like it longer, with Egg’s new outdoor garden terrace providing a stylish and unique party setting.
Building on FOUND’s reputation for hosting unforgettable parties, Ceremony has been expertly crafted to deliver the very best musical experience for its partygoers. Featuring a total of 7 arenas, line-ups for a further two stages of music have now been revealed with red hot west London promoters, So Fresh So Clean set to make their festival debut. After launching in 2013, close members of the FOUND family, So Fresh So Clean have rejuvenated the West London clubbing scene with their classic hip-hop and RnB jams from the 90s and double-ohs. Headlining the stage is Todd Terry, who will grace the turntables with his ground breaking underground sound that originally hit big in the UK before his native home of the US. A bastion of true, fresh house music, the Grammy nominated producer will play an exclusive old school hip-hop set that excellently personifies the So Fresh So Clean ethos, and is a must-see for those hoping to get that house party feeling. Having already amassed a fun loving fan base, the So Fresh So Clean residents The Menendez Brothers, Rollo and Remi, will get the gin and juice flowing and ensure the vibe never falters. Supporting acts include Dan Hills, Alex Crescent, Nite Sleaze, Hutch and Get Dippy, all offering a slice of London’s most cutting edge 90s infused beats.
The seventh and final arena will be hosted by legendary record label and promotion outfit Groove Odyssey. With deeply rooted ties tracing back to seminal figures of house such as Kerri Chandler, Joey Negro and Kenny Dope, Groove Odyssey are perfectly placed to complete Ceremony’s journey through sonic history and beyond. One of the most prolific house vocalists of all time, Robert Owens tops the bill for some throwback Chicago classics for what will undoubtedly be a memorable session. A FOUND boiler room set with the late visionary Frankie Knuckles last year proved he is a deft hand at conjuring groove inducing sets, and his performance for Groove Odyssey will be no exception. East end twins Bobby & Steve accompany the Groove Odyssey line up, famed for their soulful Garage sounding ‘Zoo Experience’. Next up is Paul Trouble Anderson, a mainstay of the London soulful house music scene for well over 25 years and renowned for his disco-infused, funky house that has rocked many a warehouse party. Fellow Londoner’s Phil Asher and Jazzy M will bring a hefty helping of vintage house music, whilst duo’s DJ Leo&Funky Smith and Joel S & Panther will take the musical journey through to the late 90s. Continuing to incorporate each sub genre of house is Kev Chase, with Randy Peterson & Yooks and David Bailey & Ted Lawrence completing Groove Odyssey’s legendary line up.
Found have also revealed fun-filled theme for their VIP arena which will be transformed into a jungle for the day. VIP tickets offer an extra stage of music, additional bars, seating area, luxury facilities and fast-track entry.
EVENT DETAILS.
Ceremony Festival
Date: Saturday 13th September 2014 – 11am-10pm
Venue: Finsbury Park, London
Line-up:
CEREMONY MAIN STAGE
Louie Vega / Lil Louis
Claptone
Richy Ahmed
Route 94
Adana Twins
Kidnap Kid
Flashmob
Droog
Chasing Kurt LIVE
51ST STATE
Inner City LIVE
DJ Sneak
Todd Terry
Kevin Saunderson
Roy Davis Jr.
Grant Nelson
URBAN NERDS
Tropical: Skepta, Jme, Preditah, Logan Sama and Plastician
The countdown to Tennent’s Vital2014 is now well and truly on, and with this summer’s hottest festival now only weeks away, Tennent’s NI and organisers MCD have added some top dance acts to the bill for Sunday 24th August. Klangkarusselland Robin Schulz will appear alongside headliner David Guetta and Steve Angello on what promises to be an incredible night of EDM this August bank holiday weekend.
After the global success of their massive breakthrough hit Sonnentanz, Klangkarussell are getting ready to release their hotly anticipated debut album Netzwerk next month. The Austrian production duo’s debut single was a massive hit across Europe, and the vocal version of the track, Sun Don’t Shine feat. Will Heard reached no. 3 in the UK charts. With more than 22 million YouTube views under their belt and a rapidly growing fanbase, their Tennent’s Vital debut is sure to be unmissable.
DJ, producer and label owner Robin Schulz has risen from the underground club scene of his native Germany, to achieve huge breakthrough success with his remixes ofWaves by Mr. Probz, and Lilly Wood & The Prick’s Prayer in C, which topped charts across Europe. One of the most exciting new EDM talents around, he’s hugely in demand across the global club and festival scene, and is sure to get the party well and truly started at Boucher Road Playing Fields on Sunday 24th August.
Sarah Shimmons, Beer Marketing Manager for Tennent’s NI, said:“With only a few weeks to go until Tennent’s Vital 2014, excitement is really beginning to build, and we’re thrilled to add two more fantastic acts to the bill today. This year’s festival takes place on the August Bank Holiday weekend, and our dance night on Sunday 24thAugust is the perfect way to make the most of the long weekend. We can’t wait to welcome the Tennent’s Vital fans, as well as some of the greatest artists in the world, to Boucher Road Playing Fields later this month!”
BerlinFestival is relocating to Kreuzberg, a cultural hotspot in the beating heart of this vibrant city, heading to its new home at ArenaPark, the area around Club der Visionäre and Arena Berlin, Hoppetosse and White Trash. Taking over ArenaPark for one marathon 48-hour party on September 5-7,BerlinFestival promises to be one unforgettable weekend, soundtracked by only the most diverse, promising and talked-about acts from around the globe.
Although Berlin Festival's night program has taken place at Arena Park for the last few years, the move to the new location marks the start of a new era for the festival. Berlin Festival is very happy this move worked out in time for the 2014 event as the area offers more than one could expect: Badeschiff with its beachfront and pool-atmosphere, the vintage rock 'n roll kitchen White Trash, the stunning open-air locations Club der Visionäre and Ipse, alongside Glashaus, Hoppetosse and the Arena itself will ensure that Berlin Festival will be more colourful, diverse and even more surprising.
As well as relocating to a more central cultural hub, Berlin Festival becomes the first ever to offer a 48-hour program in one place, where revellers can party without needing to move between venues representing Berlin's prized sub-culture and its spirit in the best open-air location in the city. An outdoor stage will be added to the event, while the popular side events are being expanded. Catch Woodkid, Moderat, Editors, SvenVäth, DARKSIDE, Warpaint, JessieWare, Kid Ink, BombayBicycleClub, Trentmøller (live), DJKoze, ChaseandStatus (DJ set), CrystalFighters, Digitalism, Neneh Cherry & Rocketnumbernine, EllenAllien, Mount Kimbie, HudsonMohawke, Foreign Beggars, Rustie, JimmyEdgar and many more for the weekend’s festivities.
And in addition to the well-established Art-Village, Berlin Festival will be host to a Food Village that will include typical Berlin themed food stalls in and around the festival site.
Berlin Festival was the first open-air event to prove the great possibilities of Tempelhof airport as an event location, and now this unique event heads to a new authentic site that boasts of historical Berlin flair. The festival organisers had planned a move to Arena Park since the end of the 2013 edition of the event, and now the time is right for Berlin Festival to relocate to the middle of this vibrant area which has become a focal point of Berlin's night life in recent years.
This year’s all-weekend event allows revellers to party throughout an entire 48-hour period; boasting more acts, art installations, colour and craziness than ever before, this year's Berlin Festival guarantees a melting pot of creativity true to the city.
An integral partner of the annual Berlin Music Week (September 3-7 / www.berlin-music-week.de), Berlin Festival celebrates the German capital’s diverse and eclectic culture through music and arts programming. Pulling together some of the finest names in international music – the Berlin Festival soundtrack reflects the city itself: innovative, creative and inspirational.
“Make sure you pack your sun cream…it’s going to be a scorcher next weekend!”
These words did not end up ringing wholly true. In fact, this was one of the wettest, muddiest festivals I have ever experienced…and I've been to at least 20. If you are going to have your festival in the Lake District, who knows what weather you are going to get, but this was a Northern festival, with proper double-hard Northern people who were ready for anything.
…then this little guy turned up and showed us all how it was done…
We arrived early on Thursday, this being the first year to allow entry the day before the main festival. After finally getting up our beast of a tent, we caught the first half of Craig Charles’ thumping set in the Glow tent, before some Yorkshire Ska in Chai Wallah, courtesy of The Talks.
Friday started out in the real ale tent, and not even for beer (this time!), but instead to avoid the first heavy downpour of the weekend. Samba bands were a feature across the site, and kept everyone entertained until the stages started. By the early afternoon the rain had stopped, giving way to sack races and plenty of activities to keep families busy in the Ladybird Kids area. Teenagers got their dancing shoes dirty early on at the Jägermeister stage and in the House Party tent. The first big crowd of the day was for The Dub Pistols, a band who just seem to be made for festivals, getting everyone stomping those wet weather blues away.
There was disappointment for some as the next act Ella Eyre was unable to attend due to illness, but fear not…The Sunshine Underground served up an extremely last minute indie dance set that kept everyone happy while they refuelled in anticipation of De La Soul…
Unfortunately, owing to an accident on the M6, their set was cut short, but the enthusiasm they provided more than made up for it. “Me, myself and I” put lots of smiles on faces. With as many years of experience as they have they worked the crowd as you would expect.
Just enough time to grab some food. There was plenty on offer, ranging from exotic burgers (Llama; wild boar and wagyu beef) to delicious momos from the Tibetan Kitchen (my photographer is now completely hooked on these badboys).
Suede headlined Friday night and began with a quiet opener “The Next life” from their first album. They had won the crowd over by the third song “Trash”, followed by “Animal Nitrate” giving everyone a chance to sing, and Brett Anderson to strut his stuff like the mid 90’s were here again. Mid set we were given a new song “Tightrope” which the crowd were not really sure about, and their set finished with “Beautiful Ones”.They closed the main stage with an encore of “She’s in Fashion”, and a wonderful rendition of “Stay Together”.
After hours there was plenty to do with particular highlights being the Britpop set in the Tim Peaks Diner and the jazzy breaks of Mr Scruff.
As morning broke on Saturday, the site was turning to a liquid red thanks to the Cumbrian mud and morning rain. That didn’t stop large numbers of aliens, and sci-fi characters emerging from their tents to lighten up the gloom. The Glow Tent hosted a mass moonwalk to the song “Billie Jean”, as hundreds of MJ’s strutted their stuff.
Mid-afternoon, as the sun peeked out, Newton Faulkner played to a background of bubbles drifting across the field, “Teardrop”, and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I love you baby” bringing the crowds in. Athlete continued the summer vibe, and the sunglasses were out by the time Razorlight took to the stage. Sporting a lovely beard (trust me, I know about beards!) Johnny Borrell and the boys played a high energy, hit filled set.
Then, it was ALL about Madchester, with bucket hats and Lennon glasses being the necessary uniform. The Happy Mondays began with Bez informing us of his political intentions, which is either genius, or the most bonkers thing you’ve ever heard. The majority of this crowd would definitely vote for him. Shaun planned to keep it a PG performance, and entertained the crowd by never being quite sure which songs were coming next. Rowetta looked fantastic in her cowboy hat and tassels, and people were literally climbing the trees to get a good view. The sound was great and the whole arena was rocking to party classics from “Loose Fit”, to “24 Hour Party People”.
Frank Turner started his set with a smaller crowd, hampered by the rain, but that crowd grew and got to enjoy a very special headline slot. This being his third time at the festival, he’s definitely earned his Kendal stripes, and when he announced how honoured he was to play, you really knew he meant it. His band, The Sleeping Souls, threw themselves around the stage and really stepped up the volume, with stomping tunes like “Photosynthesis” getting the crowd all clapping and singing along. He dedicated his new song “Angel Islington” to all the Northerners. Despite a re-tune mid song and a broken string, nothing could faze Frank tonight!
Sunday, originally predicted to be the best day for weather, was the worst, with frequent showers turning the main arena into a mud bath. Children and adults kept their spirits up by sliding down the hillside, and one of the great moments of the weekend was the chap in neon and a flat cap, cruising round a pool of mud in his electric wheelchair, chasing people. The Lancashire Hotpots played at lunchtime and won the award for most costume changes, and as they said, it was like a Lady Gaga gig! Conga lines, beach balls and songs including “We Love the North”, and “Chippy tea”, were just what was needed to keep everyone from flagging.
Reel Big Fish were the afternoon high point, Masters of styles they gave us the Ska Punk we all expected, but also a touch of Disco, and even a bit of Square-dancing. With choreographed kicks they finished with “Take on Me”, and as the dancing increased, the mud was flying. Tom Odell didn’t go in for quite the same level of onstage action, but instead let his music do the talking. It only took him to point to the girls at the front to get them all screaming, as he hammered away at the piano. A new song “Jealousy” from his upcoming album was particularly well received.
Miles Kane was taking no prisoners with a straight up rock and roll show. Dressed in a psychedelic shirt, his strutted around owing the stage, scissor kicking as he went. By the time he played “Don’t Forget Who You Are”, he had the audience joining in from the front to all the way up the hill.
The final act on the main stage was Example, the biggest crowd of the weekend, and everyone wanted to be at the front. The sound from the stage was massive, with filthy bass lines shaking the sodden ground. Dressed in black he electrified the entire field, with lasers and a completely awesome neon drum kit. “One more day (Stay with me)” “Changed the way you kiss me” and “Kickstarts” were by far the biggest sing-a-longs of the weekend. As the set finished with air cannons and ticker tape, the epic firework display was a worthy end to a sometimes challenging but ultimately celebratory weekend.
After the main events, we headed back to Tim Peaks Diner for some energetic table dancing and a storming funk and soul set from Tim Burgess. Just time to pop back to the real ale tent, this time for a well-deserved pint, we’d all survived!
Words by Reuben Crowther Photographs by Andy Sawyer
