Faithless announced as special guests for Secret Garden Party

The legendary British act have just confirmed they will be performing at this year’s Secret Garden Party. Maxi Jazz and Sister Bliss return with an array of dance classics including Insomnia and We Come 1. Arriving at the forefront of the mid-nineties dance movement, the group went on to win numerous accolades including Brit Awards during their reign as the UK’s leading dance pioneers.

Sister Bliss said: "Really looking forward to playing at Secret Garden Party.

As well as being a brilliant line up in a magical setting, it's also our first time playing there, so we can't wait to find out what delights are in store!

Think you may find us enjoying Rebel Bingo after the show… it’s going to be a Crazy English summer for sure!"

Faithless

They will be joining, as previously announced: –

REGINA SPEKTOR – 2MANYDJS (LIVE) – DJANGO DJANGO

BASTILLE – THE STRYPES – WILLY MASON – LONDON GRAMMAR -PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING – YOUTH LAGOON – JOHN NEWMAN – LISSIE – WOLF ALICE – CHILDHOOD – TEMPLES – THE STAVES – SHOUT OUT LOUDS – MØ – THE CORRESPONDENTS – HADOUKEN! – NATTY – LITTLE COMETS – ELIZA AND THE BEAR – FINDLAY – THE FAMILY RAIN – DAN CROLL – CLEAN BANDIT -JAMIE N COMMONS- CHERUB – RODIGAN – CONCRETE KNIVES – JOSH RECORD – CHLÖE HOWL – PHILDEL – NINA NESBITT – DEEP SEA ARCADE – FARAO – SYKUR – SAM SMITH – THE BOMBAY ROYALE

BIG DEAL – ROO PANES – THE WYTCHES – MISTY MILLER – SON OF DAVE – GOLDIE – WILKINSON & MC VISIONOBI – MISTAJAM – LOADSTAR – MODESTEP – JAMES LAVELLE (UNKLE DJ SET) –

DAS KAPITAL – DISMANTLE B2B BREAKAGE – MARIBOU STATE

THE OTHER TRIBE – FOAMO – LEE FIELDS & THE EXPRESSIONS – SNARKY PUPPY – THE RIPTIDE MOVEMENT – THE LEE THOMPSON SKA ORCHESTRA – PARLOUR FLAMES – DANNY MCNAMARA (EMBRACE) DJ SET – HE'S MY BROTHER SHE'S MY SISTER

BIG YOUTH – JOHN KENNEDY (XFM) – EDDY TEMPLE MORRIS (XFM) – PEDESTRIAN – PETE MOLINARI – BEN CAPLAN – TREETOP FLYERS  – SUNLESS 97 – VICTORIA & JACOB – GORGEOUS GEORGE – OFEI – Z-STAR – MAKING MARKS – RUEN BROTHERS – BHI BHIMAN – SKIP "LITTLE AXE" MCDONALD – WINSTON FRANCIS – BIG BOY BLOATER – KESTON COBBLERS CLUB – AVA LEIGH – WILDFLOWERS – SI CRANSTOUN –ETHAN ASH – RUARRI JOSEPH – SERAFINA STEER – SCOUNDRELS – DANNI NICHOLLS – MORE LIKE TREES – INDIANA – ANNIE EVE – BEANS ON TOAST – STRANGEFRUIT – THE LADYKILLERS – THE NIGHTINGALES – EARL OKIN – ALISON & THE EARTHQUAKES – ARCHIE SYLVESTER TRIO

STEVE HOOKER & THE STRIPPED DOWN STOMPIN' BAND – NIA – BLACKBOMBERS – WARA – JARDARES POR FUERA – GRAVEOLA – TALISMAN – VOODOO LOVE ORCHESTRA – DUCIE – BY THE RIVERS – BACKBEAT SOUND SYSTEM – RUMBA DO BODAS – THEY SAY JUMP – MAMA NOLLORA – BIG HAND – THE DROP – CHAINSKA BRASSIKA – SOLKO – RESONATORS – MAGNUS PUTO – PLANETMAN & THE INTERNATIONALZ – BABILONDON – AUDIO RAZOR – GENERAL ROOTS – THE HEMPOLICS – LOSERS – MONARCHY – EVIL NINE – PHIL KIERAN – LE CAROUSEL – PIXEL FIST – SUBSOURCE – BOBBY TANK – RECREATIONS – JOSH BUTLER – AYAH MARAR & ILAMAN – DODGE & FUSKI – THE GOOD NATURED – MOJO FILTER

JACKSUN FEAR – THE PROTOTYPES – ELITE FORCE

ANIMAL – TONI JARVIS – PHLEBAS – PHIL CLIFTON & JAY CAMILLERI – ILLAMAN – MC VNM – NEVER SAY DIE SHOWCASE – DPPLGNGRS – STEFFIE (VILLA COCO) – RORY LYONS – SIRKUS SIRKUZ – THE CAULFIELD BEATS – GAIKA – ALOOSH – TONI PHILLIPS – JO GOOD – SLIM JIM

& SECRET SPECIAL GUESTS

 

PLUS MANY, MANY MORE….

Sónar Barcelona, or The Best Festival Yet

Sónar’s 20th anniversary reads like a who’s who of electronic music new and, well, more new. From Jurassic 5’s old school hip-hop and the eternally synth-pop Pet Shop Boys, to dance anthem pedlars like 2manydjs and the impossible grace of Natasha Khan aka Bat for Lashes, this was always going to be a big weekend.

The three day festival kicks off Thursday, leaving you Sunday to recover – or carry on the party. We catch Oddisee under the SonarDôme, slick rap between brassy jazz, while outside SónarVillage has exploded with the cheesy 70s hit ‘Love is in the air’. Fun is the aim of the game.

Gold Panda is another of those non-DJ DJs. In black denim and t-shirt, I picture him nursing a book alone in a café somewhere. Today, though, he hits us with playful and animalistic beats, eyes fixed on his fingertips as he bops along to perfectly haphazard breaks. The sound is of a runaway music box, and oddly relaxing.

Beer vendors wind through the crowd under a heavy Spanish sun. I worry for all the hipsters getting hot beneath their beards – at least they have their Wayfarers on. One such beardy man holds a kaleidoscope to his mobile phone to film the set (not the Beardyman, though he plays on Saturday). Lindstroøm and Todd Terje get us to nightfall. It’s the first time I’ve heard Terje’s ‘Inspector Norse’ and I understand immediately why it’s so popular. Have a listen.

Sonar

There’s action aplenty with ‘off Sónar’ events across the city, but we save our feet for the first Sónar de Noche, held in a series of warehouses at the edge of town. Of course Bat for Lashes is wonderful, but we knew she would be. Bristolian DJ Eats Everything plays ahead of Two Door Cinema Club, a sentimental favourite who move seamlessly through their repertoire. “Maybe someday, you’ll be somewhere, talking to me, as if you knew me.”

It’s worth the rush to the outdoor SónarLab to see French DJs C2C perform ’Down the Road‘. They do a Run-DMC cover and manage to hold a sound-off in the crowd, a winner-by-applause deal without spoiling the mood. The 3D Kraftwerk set is all hype and Skrillex becomes the night’s surprise win (although I’d like my ears back, badly). I’m distracted by someone so famous wearing a shirt with his name on the back, but he’s forgiven with Benny Benassi’s ‘Cinema’. I don’t like dubstep; I just love that he’s got us all dancing.

Three hours sleep gets us by, and we’re back at Sónar de Dia for some synth-disco courtesy of US act Chromatics. I warm to their 80s edge and a convincing take on the Kate Bush classic ‘Running up that hill’. We watch AlunaGeorge from faux-grass decking, and catch TNGHT open with a cinematic rendition of Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’. The stop-start set isn’t my thing, and I leave early to give my eardrums a break.

Sonar

The closing night of Sónar is marked with a three-hour Ed Banger tribute. Justice scores easy points with his Simian Mobile Disco mashup ‘We are your friends’, and it’s good-time fare ‘til Laurent Garnier heralds the Sunday dawn. Even with a huge turnout, the warehouses have space to sit and take stock when needed. Revellers don’t seem to overdo it as much as back on the British Isles, and the international crowd adds to Sónar’s world-class festival credentials.

In 2014 Sónar hits five cities, so the next question is Barcelona, Tokyo or Mexico? Life’s tough.

@MirandaAnimated

Check out the photos from Sónar 2013 here.

Download Festival 2013 – Friday Review

Avid weather watching and ultimate festival preparation was indeed necessary for this year’s Download Festival at the legendary Donington Racetrack, as the masses were simultaneously sunburnt and soaked, we thank the grand old British climate for a mostly acceptable atmosphere in which to rock. In it’s eleventh year, Download Festival draws in the metal hordes, clad in anything black, denim, ripped and studded, for a weekend of extraordinary music and warm beer.

Heading into the arena on Friday, the familiar sights and smells wash over us (portaloos, expensive burgers, eau de camping) with one particular very obvious addition – the zipline. Even at this time people are queuing up to spend fifteen smackers for thirty seconds of extreme wedgie, it’s baffling. I suppose the view is good from up there though. At the Zippo Encore Stage nearest the arena entrance, legendary hard-rocker heroes Uriah Heep draw an absolutely massive crowd and play a storming set that would have you think you’re at the ’82 heyday Monsters of Rock, not 2013 Download. Screaming “Where were you back in nineteen seventy seven?” frontman Mick Box smiles at the blank stares of all those who weren’t born yet, and pushes on with ‘Gypsy’ and some serious shredding. Despite the very recent and death of bassist Trevor Bolder, the band put on a great show and leave the stage with an outtro of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ just to cement their homegrown status.

Over on the main stage, Yorkshire metalcore kids Asking Alexandria spin damp fans in the rain into a frenzy, whilst London based power metal heavyweights Dragonforce are beset with shoddy sound for the first few songs. Despite this they ride rambunctiously through ‘Through the Fire and Flames’ and new track ‘Cry Thunder’ is punchy enough (and almost ironic enough, in the current conditions) to gain instant earworm status. Herman Li’s frankly beautiful hair blows in the wind as he and Sam Totman shred harmoniously in their distinctive style and the crowd joins in for the chorus. Main stage emotions are running high as Papa Roach create circle-pits and drive the hits ‘… To Be Loved’ and ‘Last Resort’, and the second stage area is awash with Swedish flags for Stockholm rockers Europe. After a hugely entertaining and musically engaging set, the inevitable party-piece ‘The Final Countdown’ is final-ly rolled out, to which the crowd goes wild. It’s more comedy than it is song now, but boy do we Brits love a good cheesy anthem.

Korn, though intensely self-aware and at times quite comical, are actually rather good and manage to draw the largest crowd of the daytime. Head honcho Jonathan Davis’ looks like he’s having a fit whilst dancing/headbanging through ‘Blind’ and ‘Falling Away From Me’, but it’s ‘Coming Undone’ that really gets the audience thrashing. An unnecessary ten minute bagpipe interval (of which Davis really only plays a few notes, it’s like… if Deep Purple went highlander…) leaves a lot of confused faces, and more than a few people groan when the dubstep part hits, however, fan favourite ‘Freak On A Leash’ brings them back.

3 Doors Down do a sterling job making the afternoon light with their particular brand of American Rock, with a fun cover of Megadeth’s ‘Symphony of Destruction’ and Gypsy Punk crazies Gogol Bordello have everyone up and skanking to their weird and wonderful accordion packed sound, also rainbow stripes don’t really make a balaclava any less menacing, but we appreciate the oddity of it.

Second stage headliners Black Stone Cherry, here on merit of a forum-wide plea from fans, play an absolutely stunning set with favourites from the first three albums, and a first ever sneak peek at brand spanking new material from their studio work (see headline review for full details). Main stage masked-bandit headliners Slipknot have ditched the red boiler suits for white (much to the dismay of die hard fans who’ve spend the whole day perfecting their costumes) but other than that, not much is different from their 2009 Download appearance, except that this year they play without late bassist Paul Grey and play ‘Duality’ in tribute to him (the 2009 Download Festival show was his last appearance). Fans are fans though, and twice during the wild night, Corey Taylor called to stop the performance due to crowd surges, yelling “No-one is getting hurt on my watch, I'm not going to let that happen to my family”. Over the two hour set, hits ‘Wait and Bleed’ and ‘Psychosocial’ make for rowdy moshpits and after an extra long pause before the encore, ‘People = Shit’ and ‘Surfacing’ complete the show.

Photo courtesy of Download Festival

Introducing The Maison D’Etre, the new stage at Beat Herder Festival

Following the announcement a couple of weeks back about The Fortress, a formidable 60 ft long corrugated steel rave stronghold complete with huge turrets and a DJ booth in the loft, Beat-Herder a delighted to reveal the second new stage for 2013 – The Maison D’Etre.
Unlike The Fortress which features a huge soundsystem and an exclusively DJ led line up, The French themed Maison D’Etre will play host to Beat-Herder’s strong new bands contingent, featuring the likes of hotly tipped buzzy acts such as Public Service Broadcasting, TOY, Temples, To Kill a King, Sicknote, Roosevelt, Concrete Knives and many more.
At 15m squared and channelling rural French peasant chic, with quaint shutters and washing lines, the Maison D’Etre will provide an intimate setting to see the next big things and is a welcome addition to the festival.

Groove Armada

Full 2013 Line Up:

GROOVE ARMADA DJ SET / BURAKA SOM SISTEMA / JIMMY CLIFF / CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BOOKA SHADE LIVE / NORMAN JAY MBE / FEED ME DJ SET / JAGUAR SKILLS / KISSY SELL OUT / STANTON WARRIORS / MISTAJAM / RONI SIZE AND DYNAMITE MC / SHACKLETON LIVE / TOM STARR / BANCO DE GAIA LIVE + DJ SET / CLEAN BANDIT / KORMAC’S BIG BAND / MR SCRUFF / GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB / BONDAX / TEMPLES / TO KILL A KING / SKINNY LISTER / FEATURECAST / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING / CONCRETE KNIVES / GRINNY GRANDAD / MUMBAI SCIENCE / DUB PISTOLS DJ SET

SLAMBOREE / PRINCE FATTY FT. THE HORSEMAN / SHARAM JEY / THE OTHER TRIBE / ROOSEVELT / TOY / EDU IMBERNON / JUSTIN ROBERTSON / ELITE FORCE / JON CARTER / UTAH SAINTS / RENNIE PILGREM / SUNS OF ARQA / SHEPDOG / MR BENN / DAN CROLL / JOE DRISCOLL & SEKOU KOUYATE / CUT LA ROC / ONLY JOE / BARRY ASHWORTH / BEANS ON TOAST

IDJUT BOYS / DIZRAELI & THE SMALL GODS / DUB MAFIA / FREEFALL COLLECTIVE / PAUL TAYLOR / D.A.V.E. THE DRUMMER / EDDY TEMPLE MORRIS / JOSH WAVE / DOCTOR & THE MEDICS / KRYSKO / THE SQUATTERS / RANDOM HAND / LOW DOWN & DIRTY DJS / THE INEXPLICABLES / EXTRA LOVE / CAZAL / GIDEON CONN / USHTI BABA / SOUND ASSEMBLEY / THE DARLINGTONS / FORMBY IN DA CLUB / THE SQUIRE OF GOTHOS / DANKLE

CABLE STREET COLLECTIVE / DUB DADDA (ZION TRAIN) / FATHER FUNK / GEMMA FURBANK / GINNY KOPPENHOL / THE IMPRINTS / JOSH P (STYLUS) / MOUNTAIN OF LOVE / THE RAGAMUFFINS / ROOM FULL OF MIRRORS / SICKNOTE / THEPETEBOX / COLOUR THE ATLAS

OLIVIA FERN / DOHNUT / KARL ROSCOE / BISCUITHEAD & THE BISCUIT BADGERS / WOLFIE RAZMATAZZ / TOM JARVIS / BANE / PAUL THORNTON / CHRIS HOLT / THE 59ERS / TICKER LE PUNK / UNDERGROUND ROOTS FT. DAN MAN & BONGO CHILLI / 1ST AIDE / JOHNNY CLASH / AXIS SOUNDSYSTEM / DUB SMUGGLERS / LA LA AND THE BOO YA / TOM JARVIS / STACEY COHEN / LEWIS GARLAND / NATHAN BALL / CLAYTON BLIZZARD / THE YUYA

BENTLEY RHYTHM ACE DJ SET / CAPTAIN HOTKNIVES / RUSS CUBAN / MONSTER CEILDH BAND / MOOQEE / VELVET STREAM / GEORGE EZRA / TOO MANY T'S / CLUB SMITH / EXTRA CIRRICULAR / TONI JARVIS / THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS ACOUSTIC CONQUISTADOR / DUTTY MOONSHINE / EDDIE EARTHQUAKE & THE TREMORS / THE RESONATORS

ANGIE DA SILVA / BANANA DAVE / CHAPTER 4 / COJO / DANEJAH & RAGGA RAGGA / DR CUMBFYNSTEIN / IRIE VIBES / JAMBEATER / JAYNEY MAC / JIMI JIM BOB / MATT BUGGINS / MATTY B / MESSENGER SOUND SYSTEM / NORTHERN SCHOEY / OLD BOY / POM / PRINCE LIUIJAH / RAMON JUDAH / ROOTS LAB INT RADIO DJS / SMEGS / SPAT / STEVE BARKER / STEVE JARVIS / STRICTLY BUSINESS / THE FARMER / THE PROPER NORTH / TIM FORRESTER

WOLFIE ELECTROSWING / RUM JIG / ED STONES & THE BD3 / FOXES FAUX / CORPORATE TRAMPS / JAMES KELLY / AGE OF GLASS / ANDY CAPS FUNKY DISCO / FIRE BENEATH THE SEA / PEPPER JAM / EMMOTT & THE FOLKESTRA BUNTY  / SILVER TORTOISE / HANG PROJECT / KALIKA / THE WONDERFUL SOUND OF THE CINEMA ORGAN / RIDERS IN THE SKA / STEE BOWDEN / KING SUMMAT / WAKA / RED TIN DAVE / GLYN BAILEY / TOOLEY / LOUISE & THE RIGHTEOUS BEES / STAGGER LEE FISHER / JONNIE COMMON / ADAM & PIWI / AGE OF GLASS / WISEGOLDFISH / WOLFSON & WINTERS / JAMIE BREWER / PHIL SMITH / BLOWJANGLES / EARTH DOCTOR / ALL WE ARE / DANIELLE & COWBELL / PURPLE TURTLE / RUBBER KAZOO

 THE BAR STEWARD/ GRITTY BRITAIN / SONS OF VAL DOONICAN / WOODEN MACHINE / LOVE EM TOUCH EM SQUEEZE EM / SKINNY DJ / THE YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS / NANA MOON / BREAKBEATROOT / MISS MCQ

Delphic, Ed Harcourt and more added to Summercamp Festival lineup

Liverpool’s newest urban festival of food, music and art is proud to announce the latest additions to its programme with more tasty morsels added to both the food and music line-ups of Summercamp, which takes place on August Bank Holiday weekend, and is part of the Liverpool International Music Festival. Delphic, Ed Harcourt, Wave Machines and more take to the stage while the food festival will feature feasts for all. Tickets start at £20 and are available to buy from the official Summercamp website.

Indie-electronic trio Delphic, who recently returned to the airwaves with a bang following the release of seductive single ‘Baiya’, have added a foot-stomping date at Summercamp to their summer touring schedule. Also confirmed is the Mercury Prize-nominated Ed Harcourt, a singer who recently released an album recorded in just one night at the legendary Abbey Road studios. Home-grown talent stepping up to the mic includes the synth-guitar, indie-poppers Wave Machines, while folk, haunting acoustics and soulful vocals are also in store for the Summercamp crowds with the additions of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Josef Salvat and Marika Hackman.

Away from the sound systems, the ovens and grills of Camp and Furnace will be producing similarly cheer-inducing performances. Families can enjoy a ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ including children’s cookery classes, milkshake and Doughnut stands. Encouraging a ‘sensuous connection to the food’ the ‘No Knives or Forks’ midday lunch on both Saturday and Sunday boasts venison, langoustines, suckling pig, warm triple chocolate brownie and much more. Sunday night-owls need not go hungry with ‘Fridgeraiders’, quite literally as it sounds where tea smoked salmon, Lancashire cheese, ‘leftover curry’ and more are all for the taking via numerous fridges in a special late-night setting. A vegetarian 10-course banquet cheekily named ‘Tree Huggers’ may even tempt carnivores with slow roasted garlic, goat’s curd and duck egg or beetroot macarons, an even fussier vegan option can also be arranged. And the out-of this world ‘Gothic Midnight Feast’ promises to push boundaries with edible candlesticks, explosive foods and hidden woodland treasures. Last but by no means least, in the melting pot are numerous ‘Food Slams’ set to take place several times daily on Saturday and Sunday showcasing the outlandish skills of Summercamp’s chefs. Tickets for the dinning experiences must be purchased in addition to entry tickets and advance booking is highly recommended – full details on how to buy available soon.

Chic ft Nile Rodgers added to Jersey Live Festival lineup

Joining a Saturday (31st August) Main Stage line up that already includes Fatboy Slim, The Cribs and Clean Bandit are disco legends and one of the most talked-about groups of 2013, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. One of the defining artists of the 1970s disco explosion, New Yorkers Chic are true icons of pop music, with some of the most instantly recognisable disco classics of the 20th Century including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘I Want Your Love’ and ‘Good Times’. Cited as an influence by such a diverse range of artists as Queen, Blondie, Daft Punk, Duran Duran and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Chic’s legacy is very much secured and the band were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Guitarist Nile Rodgers, who founded the band in 1976, went on to become one of the world’s most successful producers, producing Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’, David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’, to name just a few, and this year added his magic, as guitarist, to the biggest hit single of 2013, Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ – a collaboration that has exposed Rodgers and Chic to a whole new generation of fans. We’re ecstatic to have Rodgers and Chic bringing a touch of New York disco glamour to the Jersey Live Main Stage.

Nile Rodgers
 

Another addition to the Main Stage’s Saturday line up is folk singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, who made her Jersey Live debut at last year’s festival. The 18 year-old Scottish musician has enjoyed a huge year subsequently, embarking on her second UK headline tour last winter and releasing three EPs with Island Records, leading to her biggest chart success to date, her second single ‘Stay Out’ which reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart in April this year. Having been catapulted to national attention after supporting Ed Sheeran and Example (who discovered her acoustic version of his track ‘Stay Awake’ on Youtube), on tours in 2011 and 2012, Nina has this year truly come into her own as an artist and performer. Her heartfelt lyrics, pure voice and breezy, infectious melodies are sure to be given a warm welcome to Jersey Live again this year, and we’re certainly delighted to have her back.
 
Set in the lush countryside surrounds of the Parish of Trinity, Jersey Live is the UK’s southernmost festival and with more sunshine than any other part of the British Isles, and one of the warmest, friendliest festival audiences you could hope to encounter, it’s the perfect festival destination.
 
Keep your eyes peeled for more line up announcements across the seven stages, to be made in the coming weeks! For more information, please visit www.jerseylive.org.uk

FULL INTERNATIONAL LINE UP TO DATE:
FATBOY SLIM / EXAMPLE
CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BASTILLE / THE CRIBS
THE ENEMY / PETE TONG / TOM ODELL / GABRIELLE APLIN / THE 1975
DEAP VALLY / NETSKY & MC DYNAMITE / JOHN COOPER CLARKE
NINA NESBITT / NEVILLE STAPLE BAND / HOWARD MARKS / SHLOMO
ZEDS DEAD / DOCTOR P / DUSKY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
HOT SINCE 82 / CLEAN BANDIT / WAZE & ODYSSEY / LEWIS WATSON / WOLF PEOPLE
RUSS CHIMES / SKIP & DIE / SIMON EVANS / CRAIG CHARLES / KANKA / COUNT SIZZLE / MANY MORE TBA

Maceo Plex, Oneman and John Talabot added to Unknown Festival lineup

Since the unveiling of Unknown at the start of 2013, it has proven to be one of the most dominant forces on the Croatian horizon. Already equipped with a healthy programme of cutting edge live and electronic artists such as Jessie Ware, Disclosure, Richie Hawtin, The Horrors and Henrik Schwartz, the founders of Unknown now announce an additional five heavyweight artists to the bill and launch a brand new website. DJ acts Maceo PlexOneman and John Talabot will join live performances from London Grammar and Dutch Uncles in one of the most diverse and impressive line-ups of the summer. A new website complete with improved booking system is live today at unknowncroatia.com to facilitate purchases of all accommodation at the debut Unknown event.

Global techno star Maceo Plex tops the bill. Never before has an artist coined a sound as successfully and the past three years have seen Eric Estornel AKA Maceo Plex become one of the most in demand DJs on the circuit, with his Ellum Audio label providing an anthemic soundtrack for many dancefloors across the world.

John Talabot is a prominent Spanish luminary. His 2012 album has awarded him a deserved revival in the public eye and this special DJ show promises to be one of the highlights of Unknown’s debut event. Also on the DJ side of the proceedings, the dexterous Oneman will be onside to perform his genre breaking tactics. Infamous for his Rinse FM show and fabric 64, Oneman is a truly unique artist that continues to bend the rules.
 
Playing live will be the new cinematic pop trio London Grammar, tipped as the next big acts to blow by BBC Introducing and garnering comparisons with Florence & The Machine and The XX. Dutch Uncles will also perform fresh from the release of their debut album. Both artists join Unknown ahead of major tours this winter and offer a unique opportunity to witness raw and trailblazing artists riding the early waves of their success. Yet more live artists are set to be announced soon for Unknown.
 
The Unknown website relaunched today with an improved booking system to facilitate all accommodation requirements. Everything from camping to five star luxury apartments is available on the inclusive site in Rovinj, Croatia, where you can expect to find secluded forest areas, strung hammocks and secret stages.

As the debut Unknown event draws closer and curiosity grows on the unique and new North Croatia location the organisers exclusively reveal this video to give a hint of what’s in store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnS-po65OqQ

 
Unknown is a new event from the experienced teams behind Hideout Festival, The Warehouse Project and Field Day. With over seventy-five artists and over twenty club and brand partners in total performing between 10th-14th September 2013, they have successfully co-created an inspiring and diverse event concept in the utopian setting of Croatia that continues to stimulate educated music lovers worldwide. 

Listen to one of the founders Tom Baker (Field Day) discuss Unknown on Rinse FM https://soundcloud.com/field-day-festival/field-days-tom-baker-on-rinse

PROGRAMME
LIVE:
Actress / Clean Bandit / Disclosure / Django Django / Dutch Uncles / East India Youth / Factory Floor / Four Tet / Henrik Schwarz / Jagwar Ma / Jessie Ware / John Talabot / Lindstrom / London Grammar / Lulu James / Moderat / The Horrors / Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

DJ:
Ame / Craig Richards / Cyril Hahn / Daniel Avery / Daniele Baldelli / Dixon / DJ Koze / Erol Alkan / Floating Points / Geddes / George Fitzgerald / Giles Smith / Jackmaster / James Holden / James Priestley / Jamie XX / Joy Orbison / Julio Bashmore / Justin Robertson / Kerri Chandler / Maceo Plex / Michael Mayer / Nina Kraviz / Oneman / Optimo / PBR Streetgang / Prins Thomas / Richy Ahmed / Richie Hawtin / SBTRKT / Scuba / Subb-an / Tale of Us / Tiga / Tim Sweeney / Todd Terje / Trevor Jackson / Waze & Odyssey

Bad Passion Project / Bill Brewster / Chida / Coyote / Domenic Capello & Harri / Hardway Brothers / Eskimo Twins / Joe Hart / Last Waltz / Lock Tavern DJs / Lovefingers / Mike Jones / People Get Real / Renato / Scott Fraser / Shacklewell Arms DJs / Timothy J Fairplay / The Backwoods AKA DJ Kent / Toby Tobias / Tom Grainger / Youandewan

 + More to be announced

 

Jersey live Festival granted Camping License!

For an island festival to not just survive, but thrive, for a decade without the ability to offer camping to its visitors is a unique achievement, and the news that we are now able to offer camping marks a monumental paradigm shift for Jersey Live – whereas previously Jersey Live could perhaps have been described as a weekend of concerts, we are unspeakably proud that we can now call ourselves a music festival in the truest sense. The new addition of a campsite means that festivalgoers will be able to live and breathe the festival atmosphere all throughout the weekend, experiencing the fun of waking up in tents next to their best friends and making many new ones, before heading to enjoy the action across the festival’s seven stages.
 
The importance of this development to Jersey Live and to Jersey’s tourism industry as a whole cannot be understated; the addition of festival camping brings Jersey Live closer to being in line with the majority of other UK festivals and makes a trip to the island for the event considerably more affordable for festivalgoers from mainland UK and Europe. The festival currently welcomes around a quarter of its visitors from overseas, but the hope is that with the success of a safely operated campsite, Jersey Live can attract more and more off-island visitors than ever before.

The Jersey Bailiff’s Entertainment License Panel and the St Helier Connetable, Deputy Simon Crowcroft, were sufficiently satisfied by organisers Warren Holt and Warren Le Sueur’s application to grant Jersey Live Festival a license to operate a camping facility along La Route de Trinite on the border of the parishes of Trinity and St Helier – around a mile from the festival site. The campsite, based on a private field owned by Dee Taylor-Cox, will open its doors on Friday 30th August and minibuses will ferry visiting campers to the festival site. As well as the option to bring their own tent and camping equipment, there will also be a ‘Boutique Camping’ area with a number of luxurious yurts and tipis to choose from, as well as private showers and toilets. The campsite will also feature a brasserie-style eatery and bar. The campsite will operate under the same policies as Jersey Live, whereby those aged 15 or under must be accompanied by a ticket holding adult aged 18 or over.
 
With a line up that this year includes the likes of Fatboy Slim, Example, Chic feat Nile Rodgers, Bastille, The Cribs, The 1975, Tom Odell, John Cooper Clarke and Pete Tong, amongst many others still to be announced, the news that the festival has been granted a camping license for the very first time suggests that our tenth anniversary party really could be our biggest and best festival yet.
 
Set in the lush countryside surrounds of the Parish of Trinity, the 10,000-capacity Jersey Live is the UK’s southernmost festival and with more sunshine than any other part of the British Isles, and one of the warmest, friendliest festival audiences you could hope to encounter, it’s the perfect festival destination.

Fatboy Slim
FULL INTERNATIONAL LINE UP TO DATE: 
FATBOY SLIM / EXAMPLE
CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BASTILLE / THE CRIBS
THE ENEMY / PETE TONG / TOM ODELL / GABRIELLE APLIN / THE 1975
DEAP VALLY / NETSKY & MC DYNAMITE / JOHN COOPER CLARKE
NINA NESBITT / NEVILLE STAPLE BAND / HOWARD MARKS / SHLOMO
ZEDS DEAD / DOCTOR P / DUSKY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING 
HOT SINCE 82 / CLEAN BANDIT / WAZE & ODYSSEY / LEWIS WATSON
WOLF PEOPLE / RUSS CHIMES / SKIP & DIE / SIMON EVANS / 
CRAIG CHARLES
KANKA / COUNT SIZZLE / MANY MORE TBA

 
Organisers Warren Holt & Warren Le Sueur:
 
“This is absolutely huge for Jersey Live and naturally we’re delighted that the Bailiff’s Entertainment Panel and the St Helier Connétable Simon Crowcroft have made the decision to support our application to operate a campsite. It’s something we’ve strived for years to get and now that we have it, we’re focusing fully on ensuring that the campsite is set up and run in a safe and secure way, in which campers can enjoy themselves in an environment that causes the absolute minimal disruption to our neighbours. We hope that the island’s public can be as pleased about this decision as we are, as it potentially means a great deal to Jersey’s tourism industry and economy. We hope that we’ll see many more attendees from the UK and Europe, and that we can really put Jersey on the map as a vibrant cultural scene that young people want to come and enjoy. Of course the campsite is very much open to locals too, who we look forward to welcoming to Jersey Live.”
 
St Helier Connétable, Deputy Simon Crowcroft:
 
"Jersey Live is a major cultural event for islanders of all ages, and for a decade has been bringing some of the world's most important live acts within reach of music fans for whom most festivals involve additional travel expenses, which puts them at something of a disadvantage to festivalgoers in mainland UK. Jersey Live's achievements in bringing A-list artists to the doorstep of local music fans is to be applauded, as is the support that the festival brings to the island's tourism industry.
I was delighted to be able to facilitate the inclusion of a campsite as I know from my own children's experiences how important a camping element is for creating a fun and vibrant atmosphere at a music festival. St Helier prides itself on having a forward-thinking 'can do' approach to such requests as we recognise the importance of these events for diversifying the island's economy. It's important that Jersey is recognised internationally for its cultural achievements and not merely for its offshore finance industry. Although we do that very well, of course, it's exciting to know that events like Jersey Live are putting the island on the map for other reasons."

Tamara O’Brien, Head of Marketing, Brand and Distribution at headline sponsors JT:
 
‘’We’re thrilled for the organisers to be able to offer camping at the festival. Year-on-Year we’ve seen more and more visitors from the UK and all over Europe come to the Island and it’s great that they can now offer the full festival experience."
 
"As always, to help as many of our customers as possible to enjoy the weekend, we will soon be offering a number of promotional tickets in order to provide JT customers with the opportunity to attend Jersey Live for FREE.  In addition, we are excited to be able to tell you that JT will shortly be announcing an exclusive festival package that will enable their Guernsey customers to enjoy the Jersey Live anniversary weekend too!  The package will include their weekend festival ticket, camping and boat travel, but further to this just for being loyal JT customers, we’ll also be offering additional extras too.  So keep your eyes peeled and watch this space for further details! "
 
"As JT are also the only official ticket reseller for Jersey Live, we will be selling the camping tickets in store alongside festival tickets, in both our JT Jersey and JT Guernsey stores.  So, come down to your local JT shop to make sure you secure your festival experience for what once again promises to be the event of the year."

 

SummerTyne Americana Festival announces ‘ A Celebration of Women in Country Music’

SummerTyne Americana Festival is pleased to announce ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ at Sage Gateshead on Saturday 20th July – a concert celebrating the rise of women in country music.

Named after the hit song by vintage country queen Kitty Wells, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ is a special project created for SummerTyne. Fronted by Nashville country queen Elizabeth Cook, with Jan Howard as special guest – a long time member of the Grand Old Opry – and along with singers Brennen Leigh, Yolanda Quartey, Lou Dalgleish and Hannah Rickard; the group will celebrate the songs and lives of key country singers.

Festival Programmer, Tamsin Austin says, “With the critically acclaimed ‘Nashville’ on the television, compilation albums such as Soul Jazz Record’s recent ‘Country Soul Sisters’ and with more female artists than ever dominating the pop charts, I was inspired to commission this special concert for SummerTyne and bring together some really powerful female voices to celebrate the lives and music of the legions of successful women in country music.”

Since the 1950’s women have broken down the walls of what was initially a male-dominated music scene and shown female icons like Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn rise, often from rural poverty, to dominate the country music charts and achieve huge critical and financial success. With songs often tackling challenging topics from sexual exploitation, domestic violence, abortion and prostitution, these singers were the voice of an early and wide-spread feminist movement.

The concert also focuses on the development of the country music sound itself, with a five piece band line up of special guests from the UK and US with Tim Carroll on guitar, Bones Hillman on upright bass, Liam Grundy on piano, Alan Cook on pedal steel and Neil Bullock on drums and brings the audience on a journey from its humble beginnings to the present day.

Produced by Sage Gateshead with generous support from MBM, ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ promises to be an exciting evening of country classics, rare gems and amusing anecdotes from the heyday of country music.

Other Nashville alumni announced for the festival include Gospel legends The McCrary Sisters, for their first ever visit to the UK. As a Gateshead special, The McCrary Sisters will lead and perform with the SummerTyne Community Gospel Choir for a special gospel brunch earlier in the day at 11am. There will also be an exclusive exhibition of artwork by Jon Langford of The Waco Brothers entitled ‘Nashville Radio’.

Other treats on offer throughout the festival include musical boat trips up the River Tyne, a come-and-sing community gospel choir, and supporting acts such Polly & The Billets Doux and Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys. Taking place at the iconic music venue Sage Gateshead, SummerTyne Americana Festival promises a selection of the best Americana music in one of the most stunning city locations in the world – is there any place you’d rather be this summer?

SummerTyne Americana Festival is delighted to be endorsed by the Americana Music Association, Nashville, the leading organisation for the promotion of Americana music around the world.

 

Download Festival 2013 Review – Sunday – Rammstein

With a stage-wide curtain keeping the set secret, and Sunday’s sunshine dwindling into the night, the excitement in the air is almost palpable for final headliner Rammstein. The Berlin industrial metal heavyweights have been long awaited by Download-goers and tonight the arena is Ramm-packed with eager fans.

The screens turn to black, the curtain drops and Rammstein explode onto the stage, with frontman Till Lindemann being ceremoniously lowered on a firework wreathed platform from the ceiling. Whilst Lindemann’s menacing grin is enough to spark fear in the hearts of many, his pink fluffy jacket (which sort of looks like a bloody Wampa skin…) is just giggle-worthy, but the massive cobweb-like stage set and enormous drum-lights behind make for an impressive backdrop.

Without further ado the band get right down to business, ‘Keine Lust’ and ‘Sehnsucht’ get the crowd warmed up, with the enigmatic frontman maniacally wielding flaming poi, but it’s ‘Feuer Frei!’ that pushes the circle-pits into overdrive with raw firepower, quite literally as the stage lights up with fire cannons. Keyboard-jockey Christian "Flake" Lorenz, in a bejewelled suit, marches along on a rotating treadmill as he plays – which whilst mildly entertaining just doesn’t cut the mustard when you’ve seen *that* OKGO video, but the night is young…

Drawn from real-life events ‘Mein Teil’ (The Meiwes Case) and ‘Wiener Blut’ (The Fritzl case) are peppered with sadomasochistic overtones, and later ‘Buch Dich’ sees Lindemann don S&M gear to roleplay anal sex with an assless-chaps-wearing bondage Lorenze, on a rising platform. From the platform, Lindemann proceeds to spray the crowd with ‘ejaculate’ (clever/gross hose attached to inside of trousers, activated through the platform), screaming girls seen rubbing it into their hair and chests: shame on you – your mothers could see this on tv, *wink*.

A giant cauldron containing Lorenze, set alight by a bloodied-chef-costumed, flamethrower brandishing Lindemann, Bane-esque face cages which also shoot fire, guitars that shoot fire, fire cannons, flaming-spinning fire bow, a man on fire… it’s safe to say the German metallers just bloody love fire, and so do the crowd. ‘2, 3, 4 Links’ and ‘Du Hast’ are yelled simultaneously by the entire arena, with fireworks travelling along cables across the crowd to the sound tent and back to an explosive finale and the stage lighting up in a cloud of sparks. ‘Ich Will’ is the real show-stopper with every hand in the air and Lindemann’s trademark low-growl calling out “Thank you very very, very much. Danke schön, we are RAMMSTEIN” before leaving the stage.

After a brief break and a rather pretty acoustic ‘Mein Herz Brennt’ it’s back into heavy for the epic ‘Sonne’ and the band close out this extraordinary show with the comedic ‘Pussy’. As Lindemann rocks up with a giant penis-shaped foam cannon and sprays it into the crowd, completely covering the front facing security staff (who were doing a sterling job of looking like they weren’t at all bothered about being ceremoniously covered in fake spunk…) the ticker tape bombs detonate, covering the entire stage. Kneeling superman-style, the band show their appreciation for the rowdy Download crowd with a final “You are amazing, we love you, thank you very much”, and it’s over. Rammstein at Download 2013 were definitely a crowning moment in the festival’s history, and it has been more than worth the wait.

Rammstein