High winds and heavy rain hit the Pukkelpop Festival near the town of Hasselt in the north of Belgium yesterday. Some giant screens toppled, trees were uprooted, and stages collapsed killing 5 people and injuring dozens more.
Pukkelpop Festival has now been cancelled.
See more news on the Sky website: http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16052613
Despite another batch of technical difficulties, metal dream-team Wintersun were seen to regain their honour after pulling out of BOA 2009 with their harmonic vocals, and the vast member-count of Therion provided much mirth as they swirled about the vortex of the stage each taking a turn to grace the front with their symphonic metal and odd collection of fancy dress. Aside the amusement, even the toughest members of the crowd were seen to be staring open mouthed in the direction of the fine ladies of Therion, and singing along with more than a few songs. Straight from the jaws of Wacken, Italy’s power metal powerhouse Rhapsody of Fire put on a musically flawless set with huge crowd pleasers ‘Holy Thunderforce’ and ‘Emerald Sword’ to a dedicated audience (hundreds of Rhapsody tshirts on show) brandishing blow up swords.
With a glimmer of sunshine, Brummie grindcore gods Napalm Death began their audio assault on Bloodstock Sunday, with all the fire and fury they could muster, stopping only to breathe and calmly say “We’re Napalm Death from Birmingham, and this song is about Peace…” before launching into another incomprehensible scream. Hammerfall provided light relief with a good old sing along (it’s easy, apart from Craig David, they probably weave their own name into more songs than any other band) with the likes of ‘Let The Hammer Fall’, ‘Hammerfall’ and the incredibly funny ‘Hearts On Fire’ which sounds quite a lot like ‘Arse On Fire’ from across the arena.
This in-door music festival extravaganza offers an unmissable end of season alternative with ticket prices starting at £10, bringing the UK’s top bands, emerging talent and festival vibe to venues near you!
Ley Lines will be taking over both floors at the O2 Academy Oxford, the Backroom at The Bullingdon and newly renovated arts venue ‘The Old Boot Factory’ – which will offer something more homegrown for the DIY enthusiasts – with more off the beaten track locations to be announced.
With the line up currently under wraps, music lovers should expect a fresh selection of top touring acts with an eclectic mix of local and new bands to pick and choose from. Don’t just watch – get involved with interactive workshops, music classes and sessions, talks, stalls and exhibitions.
DHP promoter and festival organiser Isla Miskelly is the driving force behind Ley Lines. She comments –
“We’re really excited to be bringing a new festival to the city, and we hope that even in the current economical climate, people can still experience the atmosphere of a festival and discover new acts as well as seeing some great bands at an affordable price, all on their doorstep in OX4. We’ll be bringing a whole host of exciting national acts into the mix with the best of Oxfords new emerging talent, there really will be something for everyone!“
As a resident of Oxford for eight years, Isla has promoted for over three years and with DHP she continues to offer a platform for locals to share the stage with some of the hottest bands in the UK. A growing fixture of the local vibrant music scene, DHP bring the latest national touring artists to many of Oxford’s venues, promoting in excess of 100 shows each year across the city.
Tickets – Tickets go onsale Monday 15th August 2011 at 9am. Limited Early Bird tickets are available at £10, grab yours now as these will fly out – so don’t delay! The ticket price will then go up to £15 advance.
The event is open to ages 14+ with limited acts 18+ - these will be made apparent on all listings
Tickets will be available from the following outlets
www.alt-tickets.co.uk // www.ticketweb.co.uk // The O2 Academy Box Office
Headlines for the next edition include Grammy Award winner Afrojack (NL), who scored a number one hit in America recently, the world tour of Richie Hawtin’s (CA) new Plastikman 1.5 show superstar David Guetta (FR), techno legend Carl Cox (US) and the current number one DJ in the world Armin van Buuren (NL).
On the main stage, there will be a showcase of family-friendly popular music. Imelda May will open the festival on Friday 26th August and supporting her will be Size 9, aneight piece band from South London, fusing funky-soulful sounds from the past with a distinctly contemporary and urban feel to create their own organic and original music, Parade, an all-female band with their groovy, RnB pop with a touch of street style, Oh My! a girl duo, who are signed my 679 – the label who kick started the careers of Dizzee Rascal and Plan B and Lucy Morris, fresh from her performance at the Isle of Wight Festival.
PAUL CHOWDHRY has distinguished himself as one of the most talented and popular comedians to have recently emerged, with the ability and diversity to effortlessly straddle the urban and main stand-up circuits as an international headline act. Constantly challenging and relentlessly inventive comedy fuels an eclectic set punctuated by impressive feats of mimicry and verbal dexterity. Paul’s highly charged dry observational humour taps into the multicultural diversity of contemporary Britain.
It means you’re on the same line-up as Chase and Status, Example and Professor Green. How does that sound?
What can we say, a week after winning Live and unsigned and were playing with the biggest names in UK music. Dreams are being fulfilled for us right now!! Seriously.
How’s the experience of being Live and Unsigned winners been so far?
So far it has been a ‘whirlwind’ experience. What can we say it’s all go! The experience has been great and the whole Live and Unsigned team have been ‘on point’ and very supportive. The future looks bright the future looks ‘Trinatronic!’
So is Live & Unsigned the best £10 pounds you’ve ever spent?
(Laughs) Rukus paid for it! He leads the band. It’s funny actually we entered the year before and didn’t make it to our audition but that could be fate. We might not have won it last year but this was our time. As a band we’ve only been going seriously for a couple of years and we’ve developed an identity now which we may not have had last year.
What was it like getting ready for your first audition?
It was quite an experience actually; we changed the song we were going to perform while in the queue! We had a vote on which one to do then had to rehearse it in front of everyone in the queue, they must have thought ‘who are these jokers’! We were sure the judges didn’t like as because they give no feedback straight away. It was a real surprise when we were told we were through.
You then brought quite a large following to the live shows, how much did that help?
Our fan base is fantastic. The ’Trinatronic’ people follow us everywhere and they’re always there for us. Having people there definitely helped, they gave us the energy to put in the performances we did. They were shouting our name the whole way through and we had to tell them to tone it down while the other acts were on! It’s always difficult to tie people down to come to gigs but it makes a massive difference once you do get them there.
What was it like being on stage on what is one of the world’s best venues for live music, The O2?
To perform at The O2, it was amazing, it was immense, it was huge. You couldn’t even see the floor and there were a lot of people upstairs but the lights were in my eyes so I couldn’t see them but you could tell there was a vibe there. For us, to be able to put that on our musical C.V. is amazing, just to say that we have actually performed at The O2 is amazing, and that’s down in history now and no one can take that away from us!
So how did The Trinity Band come together?
It used to be a collective called Trinity which was more than just musicians. We had dancers, rappers, singers and everything. We used to put on community shows, plays and dance events and stuff. Then six years ago Rukus was Dwain’s mentor at college and he heard him singing and took him under his wing. Then Rukus saw Craig and James at church and Rukus decided he wanted to develop it. Then we got Pete on board. Pete didn’t even have a bass for the first gig because he’d stopped playing a while ago. He had to borrow one then realised he’d need to buy one again! So it was a collective that evolved. It was a case of if you’re talented enough you can be in it. We’ve probably had a hundred involved through the years but a couple of years ago we decided it was time to unify and focus on a smaller band set-up.
Is commitment the biggest challenge for any aspiring band?
It is. People think we rehearse more than we do. We have difficult job commitments and it’s hard to find the time to practice. But with the unity we have we make it work. Dwain is a new dad and has gone part time at work because he didn’t have time for music, work and family. There was only ever going to be one sacrifice there! You have to be committed to push on and take the next step.
What would you say to bands thinking of entering Live & Unsigned?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Just go for it. Have an original angle to your music. Don’t watch the competition but chase the dream. Have faith, work hard, do your research, be realistic in song choice, keep your songs current and keep it fresh. Song choice is key. Experiment with the music and see what works. Don’t do a straight cover, make it your own.
What did being part of a competition like Live and Unsigned do for you?
It brings you together and improves you as a band. It sharpens your mentality. You have to have the ability to bounce back though, that’s so important. If you’re in the music industry more doors close than open to begin with. You have to take the knocks. Music is subjective so keep going.
You auditioned in the Midlands as did quite a few others who made the Grand Final. What is it about the midlands, there seems to be a lot of talent around?
I think there’s a lot of hunger in the Midlands at the moment. So many great artists come from London so people feel they need to work harder up here. Also, we’re disconnected from London so we’re all doing our own thing. We’re not watching them, so originality is our strength.
So what was the highlight of your Live and Unsigned journey?
Winning! Wow, it was just the shock when we heard our name. Dwain nearly choked on his chewing gum! It was so surreal it was like slow-motion. It was like a confirmation of our abilities. We always had belief in ourselves but to be told we are the best unsigned band in the UK means a lot.
You’ll want to build on that and use it as a basis. How far do you guys want to go?
Yeah we definitely want to build on that, the sky’s the limit. We want to take it as far as we can go. We want to be known throughout the world as a great, phenomenal band. Live and Unsigned has opened a door for us and it’s up to us what we do from here. When you get an opportunity you’ve got to step into it and work towards something greater, and we are willing to put everything into this thing because we know we’ve got something that can go around the world.
