Calvin Harris, Tiësto, Diplo, Disclosure, W&W and DJ Snake will headline the first of the two artist groups with: Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki, Showtek, Dash Berlin and special guest Carl Cox leading the charge for the second group of Stereosonic artists. In a year of domination of world festival stages and charts we are very proud of our Australian acts returning from global shows this year to Stereosonic.
Calvin Harris, one of the world’s most biggest artists is thrilled to be returning to the region’s favourite electronic music festival: “I love Stereosonic! I’m looking forward to getting back out and playing in Australia.”
Several much loved and respected music brands will be partnering with Stereosonic this year indicating the level of respect Stereosonic has on the world stage within the industry. LA’s HARD, known for its Holy Ship! and HARD LA parties, will be taking charge of Main Stage 2 on one day. The highly respected Dutch brand ‘Awakenings,’ will be throwing down deep house and techno sounds, whilst Ferry Corsten will return with his iconic ‘FULL ON’ arena. Legendary record labels and electronic brands: Armada, OWSLA and Beatport will all make their arena debuts at an Australian festival, for Stereosonic.
Held over two weekends in five cities, Stereosonic continues to create an incredible experience for patrons, with breathtaking production and immaculate festival grounds, complimenting the world class line-up.
Stereosonic 2014 Artist Line-up:
Calvin Harris, Tiësto Diplo, Disclosure (DJ Set), W&W, DJ Snake Duke Dumont, Will Sparks, RL Grime, Peking Duk NERVO, Cedric Gervais, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Rayel Tale Of Us, Destructo, Ørjan Nilsen, Nina Kraviz Oliver Heldens, Wilkinson, Scuba, Cash Cash, Kölsch, MaRLo, Mano Le Tough, Shogun, Uberjak’d Mark Sixma, Nina Las Vegas, Timmy Trumpet M4SONIC, Tigerlily, Generik and L D R U & Yahtzel
Skrillex, Alesso, Steve Aoki Showtek, Dash Berlin, Carl Cox Porter Robinson (Live) Laidback Luke, New World Punx TJR, Ferry Corsten, Noisia, Deorro, Headhunterz, MK DVBBS, Booka Shade (Live), Markus Schulz, What So Not Joel Fletcher, John O’Callaghan, Foreign Beggars Hot Since 82, Alison Wonderland, Crookers, Jack Beats The Aston Shuffle, Route 94, Simon Patterson, Alex Metric Deetron, Kaz James, Ilan Bluestone, Acid Jacks and Nick Thayer
MCs: MC Stretch and MC Losty
Arenas: HARD, FULL ON, Awakenings, OWSLA, Armada and Beatport
Sydney – Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Sydney Showgrounds Perth – Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, Claremont Showground * Adelaide – Friday December 5th and Saturday December 6th, Adelaide Showground Melbourne – Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Melbourne Showgrounds Brisbane – Saturday December 6th & Sunday December 7th, Brisbane Showgrounds
Global Gathering the festival that sets the benchmark for Top Dance festivals in the UK is back this year at the prestigious long maston airfield in Stratford Upon Avon. This festival goes back 14th year and has won many previous awards for Best Dance Festival. DJ mag were responsible for naming this baby giant and it has always lived up to the name year after year.
2014’s headliners are set to be big with the likes of Prodigy heading up the main stage on Saturday evening and Chase & Status on Friday . Global is set on Long Maston Airfield giving it a post apocalyptic and industrial feel. The stages here are of true brilliance and are by far one of the best parts of the festival, with unique simplicity stages like The Global Freight Depot and the Bunker always turn a DJs set to stun. 2014 at Global Gathering brought a number of tents such as the returning BBC 1XTRA stage , the futuristic GodsKitchen , UKF Stage , The mighty new Hanger arena and Defected in the House along with many more smaller stages dotted around the landing strip.
Taking the main stage just before sunset, the 25 year old Belgian known as NetSky took the crowd by storm to give them the injection of pure energy, while the hot orange glow of the afternoon sun dropped into the hills around the airfield gearing up the masses ready for the headliners that evening. Playing some of his new material like ‘ Running Low’ due to be released inside a new album sometime this year and available to listen to via the official Youtube channel for NetSky.
Dusk is here and its time for the ever powerful electronic sounds of Chase & Status. Production and stage precedence this year made for an incredible set from the two British Producers Saul Milton (Chase) and Mr Will Kennard (Status) playing all the big tracks such as ‘Time’ Feat Delilah as well as ‘Take me away’ To fit in with all the base and hands in the air what finale would be complete without lasers and fireworks. Exploding to the sounds of ‘Fool yourself’ lighting the crowd for the final time that day and completing what was a truly perfect hot summers day.
Clearing the main stage theres still plenty going on and depending on your music palette you can head to a range of different artists and stages. Heading up the Hanger stage in the after hours the chart topping David Guetta performs at the top of the towering wall of light situated in this oversized super tent. This stage would rival many main stages and despite its size was full to the edges. If Guetta isn't for you though don't worry you've got visual delight of Subfocus sitting proud amongst the giant rings of light over at the 1Xtra Stage. Happening all around the top DJs like Aly & Fila , Hot Since 82 , James Zabiela, Alesso and so many more converge for 1.5 days worth of pure magic.
Waking up to yet more sun beating down on the masses the day was off to a great start. Global is an action packed weekend with little down time. Acts are on from 12 mid-day and go all the way into the wee hours of Sunday morning. The main stage started to fill out early afternoon with the masked DJ Jaguar Skills. Next to entice the masses was the RAM Records Heavy weight Andy C & MC 2SHY, seeing Andy perform in sunlight was a strange experience as normally confined to the early hours of a set list. Never the less a set filled with all the right tracks including the Andy C Remix ‘Get Free’ with all the heat and pumping base the security were constantly handing out a good supply of water to the crowd and making sure anyone who needed fluids got a drink of water.
Leading on to the penultimate act of the day Knife party were set to get the crowds ready for the headline act. Sitting behind a pretty impressive LED Bank located centre stage Knife party originally formed of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen which you might remember from The Drum & Bass superstars Pendulum, Knife party was a side project that went main stream.
To Headline this year Global Gathering pulled out the stops for one of the biggest most widely known electronica big beat acts around. Prodigy are a phenomenal act to witness and had great little surprises through the set. Red flares lit at certain points within songs like Fire Starter and ‘ Smack your bitch up’ illuminating the crowds hands and a sea of iPhones and mobile phones taking video could be seen. Keith Flint lead for Prodigy got the crowds running in circles at 3 points within the main area creating a tornado of people all under his control. The stage consisted of a semi circle of tribal symbols and lights, flickering stage lights to imitate fire and plenty of disorienting strobes to give it that truly cereal experience! All the original hits previous mentioned as well as ‘ Their Law’ including the new creations from Invaders Must Die, singing along to OMEN the atmosphere and energy was relentless. Global Gathering as a festival is truly a one off masterpiece and to its credit has survived and battled its way through the financial crisis and out the other side its 14 incredible years are a testament to its amazing DJs, stages and organisation.
Early bird tickets avaliable now for Secret Garden Party!
Following a sold out weekend the Secret Garden Party puts a limited number of Early Bird tickets on sale, from Monday 28th July, for next year’s event, which takes place 23rd-26th July 2015.
With its theme of ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ revellers enjoyed a hot and sunny weekend with a range of music including Public Enemy, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Little Dragon, Foxes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and secret dj sets from the likes of Chase & Status and Nero.
The Saturday Spectacular, which included water holograms, a huge firework display and flames of fire, also featured new technology never before used in the UK. The ‘Falling Stars’ section had 5,000 papers helicopters, each carrying flashing red and blue flashing LED, dropped from c.350ft by a single paramotor pilot spinning gently to the ground, some had free tickts for Secret Garden Party 2015. Other spectaculars included the ‘Make A Rainbow’ paint gathering, a Spitfire flypast and this specially grown sunflower field accessed via an ‘out of order’ portaloo.
This was my second year shooting Ashford’s Create Festival, although my first year shooting for the Summer Festival Guide. This is also my first written review!
So, what can I say?
For a start, it’s free to gain entry – anyone and everyone can attend. It is promoted as a family day out and it is exactly that! With a great range of entertainment for the kinds, ranging from a giant inflatable slide, so water-zorbing and a beer tent for the adults, it’s fun for all!
Create is held in Ashford’s Victoria Park and is easily accessible by car and train networks. It boasts four stages; Main stage, the Right Track Music Stage (which is sponsored by a local music business called… you guessed it, Right Track Music), the Revelation Stage (which houses acoustic acts and this year, poetry) and the Create @ Canterbury College DJ Stage. Supporting local bands, acts and artists, it actively gets the public involved in the music culture that surrounds Kent which they may not have otherwise seen and has BBC Radio Kent turn up to help introduce the acts, provide radio interviews and a little Dj set.
This year, Create celebrated it’s nineteenth birthday and had an expected turn out of 13,000 people, which is impressive by any means. The weather was perfect, for about an hour. Then the clouds rushed to the main stage and let loose their contents for a solid five to six hours. Although this put some people off, an estimated 2,500 people stayed at the main stage during the torrential down pour, which has absolutely no protection. The other three stages housed around 100 people all in all and no one could quite believe that people would hang out in the rain, for free, just to help support local acts. It was breath taking. We are all used to seeing images from Glastonbury of people covered in mud from head to toe without a care in the world, but those festival-goers have payed hundreds of pounds to see international artists. So for a free festival which is mostly populated with local artists is heart warming and touching. It provides hope and support to those acts.
Besides, let’s be honest. It’s not really a festival if it doesn’t rain, right?
For eight hours, Victoria park [in which it is situated] is the epicentre for local talent – right down to the stalls selling clothes, or raising money by cycling on static bikes. There is something for everyone – acoustic to rock, a little death core metal to BBC Radio Dj’s, Create has it all.
Headlining the Right Track Music Stage were the trio known as Old Town Souls, who's blend of excellent guitar shredding and wide vocal range, provided an energetic and powerful hour-long set end to day before handing over to the Main Stage to close the day. Covering artists from AC/DC and Black Sabbath, to proving the can write music as well as they play it, but showing us some original material. The crowd where won over by the front man’s very young son, all of four years old, who kept wanting to get on stage and join in with his Dad on the microphone! Some superb talent from these guys, definitely worth keeping an eye out for!
Of course though, everyone was there to see the Main Stage’s headliner act, known other than Nizlopi! Wearing what I can only describe as very colourful, very baggy trousers and no shoes, the lead singer, Luke, brought a torrent of passion to the closing forty-five minutes of the day. Joined with his back up singer/guitarist/treble bassist, the due wowed the crowed right from the off. I lost count how many times the lead singer jumped off stage to meet the crowd, even jumping the barrier to hand out hi5’s and hugs! They of course played the song they’re probably best know for – the JCB song but actually ended their set with a song about bringing peace to all man-kind, saying that we are all fundamentally the same and how we should all stand up to the Government to defend our rights. It was also eluded that a little known artist – by the name Ed Sheeran – used to be Nizlopi’s rodeo before his career took off!
The 9th Latitude Festival in Suffolk, England drummed up great interest after winning Best Line-up at the 2013 Festival awards. Trying to live up to expectations this year, they enlisted big acts like Damon Albarn, the Black Keys, Robyn & Röyksopp, as well as up and coming bands like Jungle, Childhood, and Bondax. Aside from the comprehensive bill of musicians and bands, Latitude also had a wide variety of cultural offerings ranging from theatre, comedy, cabaret, to literature, poetry, and dance.
Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival – Marc Sethi
Day 1
The festival opened with a huge surprise last Thursday but not exactly of the good kind. Friday headliner and crowd favorites Two Door Cinema Club cancelled the very last minute leaving plenty of fans heavily disappointed. Vocalist Alex Trimble was reported to have collapsed at Seattle Airport en route to England due to stomach problems. With many traveling from as far as Japan just to see the trio, the cancellation led to an uproar and a huge pile of heatbreaks. TDCC was the first band to be announced to headline the festival– as early as December 2013. It was supposed to be their first festival headline after touring for 5 years and climbing up the ranks.
Filling up that glorious headline slot, Lily Allen agreed to step up to do the job; but not without getting loads of backlash from disappointed festival goers. One twitter user compared the change as paying to sleep with Keira Knightley and ending up with Susan Boyle. Tired of the negative reaction the change elicited from fans, Allen wrote on twitter: “If you’re going to be rude about my replacing @TDCinemaClub on here, can you just un @ me please ? I’m so exhausted by the nastiness”
Despite that, Lily Allen’s courage to still show up was commendable. She paid tribute to the trio by wearing a Two Door Cinema Club shirt and doing a cover of ‘Something Good Can Work.’ This seems to be an olive branch offering to TDCC fans and it was gracefully received. The main stage didn’t end up a disappointment and the night ended with the crowd chanting her name.
At the BBC Radio 6 Stage, festival goers were treated to some excellent show of guitar skills starting with Anna Calvi and Slowdive. Calvi treated fans with some new songs from her album ‘One Breath’ and with classics such as ‘I’ll be Your Man’ and ‘Desire’. There was a silence of deep awe during the last few songs, and the following band, Slowdive proved worthy of the momentum. The band from Berkshire had their own strong following with their announcement of a comeback this year after more than a decade of absence.
Headlining on the same stage was Scotland’s well- respected guitar band Mogwai. The set was expected to be an attack to the senses and they certainly lived up to expectations. More than an attack to the senses though, it was also an attack to the ear drums, with Stuart Braithwaite cheekily saying “I hope any children in the audience are wearing earplugs” before playing 'Master Card.'
Other acts to note on the first day was the surprise show by Rudimental on the main stage and the highly energized performance by the Editors.
Day 2
The second day provided some dilemmas to festival goers as to which stage to go to. It started early with Simon Amstell packing the Comedy stage with almost triple its capacity. The Essex local gave fans a peek of the show he will be touring this coming autumn. It was slightly peppered with some past materials but it sure didn’t leave fans short of laughter.
After that, all roads led to the BBC Radio 6 stage where the legendary duo Hall & Oates were welcomed with much gusto after almost 10 years of absence in the UK. They started with ‘Maneater’ which got the audience and even the BBC cameramen up to their feet. They followed it up with huge hits like ‘I Can’t Go For That’ which included a breathtaking 5-minute solo (forgive the pun) by saxophone player Charles "Mr. Casual” DeChant. They came back for an encore playing ‘You Make my Dreams Come True’ which prompted mass sing alongs from the old and young alike.
Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival
It was also a big day for Swedish musicians, with First Aid Kit bringing sunshine to the Oberlisk Arena with some delightful harmonies from their new album and a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’. Swedish singer Robyn & Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp also fired up a party at the BBC Radio 6 stage. The 2-hour set probably saw the most excitable crowd that day and they proved worthy of the adulation. The audience danced along to the long string of hits and went wild to ‘Dancing On My Own.’ The light show and production were far from bad too.
The night ended with some thunderstorms and with Damon Alborn capping the night by bringing Blur band mate Graham Coxon onto the stage, much to the delight of fans. They played a captivating performance of the Blur song ‘Tender’ amidst all the lightning and heavy downpour. Simply memorable.
Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival
Day 3
The thunderstorms from the previous night didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of festival goers. The last day of the festival saw the new chart-topper George Ezra croon fans at the BBC Radio 6 Tent. The 21-year old seemed to be overwhelmed by the amount of people who came to see him, but managed to meet and beat all expectations with beautiful melodies from ‘Budapest’, ‘Cassy O’, and ‘Leaving It Up To You.’
Hardcore fans of American bands Phantogram and Tycho didn’t mind the muddy trek up to the iArena stage to watch the bands from New York and San Francisco do their take on synthpop music. Sarah Brathel of Phantogram unleashed her inner beast and performed singles like ‘Falling In Love’ and crowd pleaser ‘Black Out Days.’ They were immediately followed by Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, which along with his band, brought his design works and projected them on the wall to accompany their music. To say it was a hauntingly beautiful set was to say the least.
The big responsibility of closing up the festival was left up to The Black Keys. The backdrop to this much-anticipated show was an elaborate set-up including multiple screens and painted theatre curtains. The crowd which was eager for a great send-off sang along to hits like ‘Lonely Boy’, 'Howlin' For You' and ‘Fever’. Although the set was mostly well-received, it was also noticeably lacking in energy compared to the previous nights’ headliners. One festival goer quipped, “They don’t seem to have much chemistry between the two of them tonight.”
Overall, it was a successful festival. It had minor glitches and the wellies were certainly put to use, but what would be an English music festival without those?
