Boomtown Fair Location revealed!

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Well, the wait is over and Boomtown can now reveal it will take place in a sleepy, mysterious hollow, deep in the heart of Hampshire! The specific site location will remain a secret, to be given to ticket holders in a couple of weeks.
With under 1000 tickets remaining anyone who is still to get their ticket to the biggest fair in town should act quickly to bag one of the few remaining spots!
 
The Boomtown town planners are busy hammering, sanding and polishing their finery to prepare for the arrival of the masses. This year along with all the amazing new areas and expansion of the site, there will also be a huge Glastonbury style fence around the perimeter to ensure the towns folk are protected and the city gates do not exceed their limits, with some city guards on standby to assist anyone attempting to penetrate the city walls away from the town and back to where they came from!
 
For all those buying passes through the deposit scheme, this is a reminder that outstanding balances must be paid before midnight on Sunday 31stJuly. All tickets not purchased will go back on resale the next day. 
 
Full weekend camping ticket is only 93 and includes; 4 days and nights of unadulterated fun spread out over 22 inventive stages and areas in a perfect setting! http://www.boomtownfair.co.uk/page/buy-tickets
 
MAIN STAGE LINE UP:
GOGOL BORDELLO / BAD MANNERS / THE SELECTER WITH PAULINE BLACK / [DUNKELBUNT] / THE TOASTERS / GOLDIE LOOKIN CHAIN / THE APPLES / THE KING BLUES / BABYHEAD / SMERINS ANTI SOCIAL CLUB
 
DANCE STAGE LINE UP: 
DJ ZINC / BLACK SUN EMPIRE / FOREIGN BEGGARS / TODDLA T & SEROCEE / MS DYNAMITE / THE BUG & FLOWDAN / REDLIGHT & MC DREAD / EMALKAY / RATPACK / ED SOLO b2b JFB / HIGH RANKIN / FEED ME / PYRAMID / WARRIOR ONE / RACK N RUIN / TAYO / SQUIRE OF GOTHOS / KOAN SOUND / THE MCMASH CLAN
 
LIONS DEN (REGGAE STAGE) LINE UP:
CAPLETON / BARRINGTON LEVY / CUTTY RANKS / TIPPA IRIE AND FAR EAST BAND / GENTLEMANS DUB CLUB /  SOOM T AND JAHTARI / CONGO NATTY / TOPCAT / ABA SHANTI / IRATION STEPPAS / BONGO CHILLI / SOLO BANTON / BENNY PAGE / JINX IN DUB / DADDY FREDDY / FRIENDLY FIRE BAND / JACKY MURDA / KENNY KEN / LION DUB AND DAVID BOOMAH / PRINCE FATTY / THE RAGGA TWINS / THE HEATWAVE / YT / LAID BLAK / MILLION DAN / MR BENN / DUBKASM / ONLY JOE / CAPLETON / THE DROP / SERIAL KILLAZ
 
TICKET DETAILS:
 
Date: Thursday11th Sunday 14th August 2011
 
Location: Secret location TBA, less than 1hr from London
 
Ticket Price:                            Full Weekend: £93 
Adult Full Price Deposit: £47
 
Deposits are NON-REFUNDABLE. The balance to be paid in full by 31st July
 
Teen ticket (ages 13 – 17 inc) SOLD OUT
ALL CARAVAN PASSES SOLD OUT
 

T in the Park 2012 Earlybird Tickets on sale 9am Thursday

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 T in the Park 2011 went off in spectacular style in Balado to the tune of storming sets from Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, The Strokes, Beyoncé, Pulp and Tom Jones to name just a few, and rapturous applause from 85,000 of the most passionate music fans each day – another roaring success for everyone involved. 

 
2012 will see T in the Park bring the finest acts on the planet, world class musical performances, the biggest beats around and the most passionate music fans in the world together again for the best weekend of the summer and fans can secure their place now by taking advantage of the early bird sale.
 
Next year’s event will take place on 6th – 8th July 2012, and fans can secure their place at Balado early.  Early bird tickets go on sale for T in the Park 2012 at 9am on Thursday 14th July from Ticketmaster.
 
A limited number of T in the Park 2012 tickets will be available at 2011 prices with all ticket types available. To buy log onto www.tinthepark.com or www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call 08444 999 990.

T in the Park 2011 Review

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With past performances from artists as diverse as Rage Against the Machine, Blur, The Prodigy, Daft Punk, Placebo, James Brown, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eminem and New Order, T in the Park 2011 was bound to be one of the best festivals in the UK this year, taking place in beautiful Kinross-shire, Scotland, with a capacity of 85,000 per day including 70,000 happy campers. As I arrive on Friday morning with a sea of euphoric festival goers of all ages and styles, the atmosphere is brilliant, the sun is shining, we’re all showered and clean and most importantly we have an amazing line up to look forward to. I say all ages because I managed to hitch a lift up to Scotland with my lovely mum and her friends.
FRIDAY
Tom JonesIt’s early in the evening and I head over to the main stage to watch Tom Jones. He tells the crowd about when he used to sing gospel songs with Elvis in Las Vegas. Tom comes on and belts out a gospel inspired repertoire of his greatest hits, no one can quite believe he can still sing like that. Then I head over to the Radio 1/NME stage to get a good spot for White Lies and Pendulum, where to my delight I discover Twin Atlantic, a Glaswegian alt rock band that I’m sure will be headlining T in the Park in the near future, ‘Crash Land’ –an absolutely brilliant song. Now time for White Lies and I’ve secured a comfortable place near the stage, the London three-piece play with precision and force, influenced by the likes of Talking Heads and Joy Division their music has a melancholic feel and dark undertone but is nevertheless very danceable, putting synthesizers to good use. They even get a bit of a mosh pit going from the third song ‘To Lose My Life’ whose lyrics: ‘that our dead love is buried beneath the mud’ are quite fitting for the occasion. Now its time for tonight’s Radio 1/NME stage headliners: Pendulum. I get as up front as possible, the mighty Aussies start off with ‘Salt In Wounds’ making the crowd go into a dancing frenzy but I end up paying the price for being in the front row when half an hour into Pendulum I feel a warm trickle down my leg, I turn around and see a lovely young man whose aim was terrible, peeing right behind me. Oh well, that wasn’t going to dampen my spirits or make me stop dancing. Pendulum kept the crowd dancing and moshing through the whole set. They were unquestionably one of the highlights at T in the Park, well-known for their electric live performances. The crowd was blown away with the sheer power of their flavourful fusion of heavy rock, drum and bass and electronica. One on the most unique, inventive and interesting bands to surface in recent years. If you were there and didn’t see them, you missed out big time.
SATURDAY
BeyonceThe Scottish weather is holding up and people are beginning to swap their wellies for sunglasses. The first bands are just coming on around 12 and I wonder around the festival grounds to see what I find, surprisingly I come across fish pedicures and the Road Ink bus. A mobile top class tattoo studio. I had a chat with owner and tattoo artist Gary, who gives me the low-down on tattooing at festivals. The Road Ink bus was spotless and jam-packed with festival goers wanting to get something to remember this special occasion. Soon it was time to go over to the main stage to catch guitar-god Slash at work. He plays a few Guns n Roses classics with some Velvet Revolver songs thrown in but only the die-hard fans know the guy that’s singing, all in all not exactly what the festival goers were expecting from such a rock n roll legend. With the sun still shining I head to go and see The Strokes, one of the most influential indie-rock bands of the decade, the New Yorkers effortlessly play to musical perfection, the crowd is full of energy, mosh pits are going strong and we all thoroughly enjoy every single song they play. Over to the Slam tent for some good old electronica, two of my favourite DJs/producers the Parisian Vitalic and Canadian Tiga keep the people sweaty and dancing. Afterwards I manage to catch a bit of Primal Scream, who had some awesome visuals with ‘Screamadelica’ and manage to completely pack the King Tut tent, they even had my mum dancing. Coldplay bring Saturday night to an epic close, making even those that weren’t fans sing along to their catalogue of hits.
Dave Grohl
SUNDAY
Mud bath Sunday started with a pretty special performance from legendary Blondie at the main stage, festival goers were well and truly preparing themselves for the last night, smiles and cider all around. Another one of the highlights at this year’s T in the Park were Weezer, who completely rocked the main stage right after Blondie, despite the rain. Their happy alt rock tunes got everyone singing and swaying, there was definitely an agreement between the festival goers that their performance was one of the best at this year’s T. Pure class. I had my doubts about the next band, the infamous My Chemical Romance, but they proved all the critics wrong and were completely awesome, frontman Gerard Way sung like there was no tomorrow, I can now say I’m a fan. Sunday made our lives quite complicated, it was too muddy and the line-up was just too good. I headed to the Slam tent for a bit of dancing, where American DJ and producer, Diplo had everyone partying hard. Then suddenly it was time for the Foo Fighters, fronted by the notoriously talented multi-instrumentalist musician Dave Grohl, former drummer of Nirvana. This was a performance that none of us will forget. ‘We’ve got a lot of fucking songs, we’re going to play as many as we can until they make us stop!’ exclaimed Grohl early on, and they did exactly that, ploughing through a total of twenty-three songs, including some new instant crowd pleasers from their brand new album, ‘Wasting Light’. Known for being one of the best live bands around, the Foo Fighters sure as hell lived up to their reputation as alt rock royalty. For the last part of the show, bassist Nate Mendel wore a kilt to the crowd’s delight and they brought the festival to an explosive end, covering the skies with fireworks and an epic performance of ‘Everlong’. No other band could have closed T in the Park 2011 better.
T in the Park

Sonisphere 2011 Review

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Sonisphere Festival is probably the most important Metal/Rock Festival in Europe despite only being in its third year.

When I was asked to review the event I thought it was going to be a piece of cake, I love almost all the bands on the bill so my work was easy. I have to say though, that as I am writing right now, I find it more difficult than expected. I will just make it simple and direct, but I think it is extremely important to thank all the people at the Noise Cartel for being always there and helpful to all of us, reviewers and photographers.
Friday 8th July 2011

When arriving at the Festival’s site you soon understand the shear enormity of the place. In front of you stands the entrance and on both sides are what seems to be an endless sea of tents. To reach the top of the hill, where the stages are located, you have to walk through them along a path. In every corner you see band flags, t-shirts, people singing and drinking. Everyone is in the right mode despite the threatening weather.

Once inside the main area, you can’t help wondering ‘how it will be this evening when Metallica will perform?’. The main stage, called Apollo, is majestically facing the whole area. On the opposite side there is the second stage, called Saturn. There are other 3 stages, on site, Bohemia, Jagermeister and RedBull.

The first band to play, what it is going to be three days of Rock, is ‘The Japanese Voyeurs’ on the Bohemia Stage. 15Mins later on the opposite side ‘Diamond Head’ are officially opening the main stage. Finally there is a break in the rain which is a welcome relief and everyone is gearing up for the Big Four; Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica. These bands are all legends and is a 60,000 strong crowd who have come here for that exact reason. People are singing along, head banging and moshing not caring about anything except having a rocking good time. James Hetfiled and co. made it through a long setlist, finishing with Enter Sandman and a spectacular fireworks display lighting the skies above Knebworth.

Metallica
During the encore Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax and Diamond Head join Metallica on stage to perform Am I Evil (Diamond Head’s song).  These bands are the living proof of what heavy metal is all about, they are the godfathers of the genre but know how to keep it fresh and new.
Saturday 9th July 2011
Saturday is a slightly different story. The bands playing are more mainstream and less Metal but still much appreciated by the crowd.
Sylosis are the first band on the Apollo at around 11a.m., despite being very early in the morning their performance is the right wake up call. On the Saturn stage, Richard Cheese is entertaining everyone with his swing. On the notes of his remake of “People=S**t!” from Slipknot, he shows everyone how a classic Metal song can be transform in a lounge/swing piece.
The sun is still shining, ‘Architects’ are delivering an amazing set while on the opposite stage ‘Gallows’ perform for what is said to be their last time together. Frank Carter, singer of the band has confirmed his intention to leave the band earlier in the morning.
Half way through the set of Kids in Glass Houses, a powerful downpour hammers the arena. Ponchos and umbrellas are out again during what it was meant to be a partially sunny Saturday.
All afternoon the weather changes as regularly as the weather. The highlight of the afternoon is provided by ‘The Mars Volta’. Their music is well received by the audience and despite the “weird” antics of the singer, who threw a metal barrier off stage, their music has definitely hit the right spot.
Biffy Clyro
The headliner for today is the Scottish trio, ‘Biffy Clyro’. It is definitely not easy for them, being in the middle of this 3 days Festival: following Metallica and the Big Four on Friday night and preluding Slipknot on Sunday. It’s a tough competition, if you look at it this way. I have to admit that I doubted their presence at the Festival at first; however after the amazing 2 hour show they put together I have to stand corrected. They start with “The Captain” and an explosion of confetti covering the first 4 rows of the audience. The whole show is exceptional and it is evident now that Biffy Clyro really know how to rock any kind of crowd.
Sunday 10th July 2011
Sunday will be remembered as Slipknot day. After the loss of Paul Gray, the future of the band was uncertain for everyone. Fans were prepared to accept the end of the band, however, surprisingly, they decided to join the Sonisphere bill and to make it a tribute to Paul.
Fans for all over the world gathered today to pay their tribute to the band and to Paul. The day starts with a very shy sun, definitely better than the rain of last night.
You can feel the tension and anticipation for the show tonight and possibly even more so for the 2 minutes silence that the entire Festival will share at 2p.m.
Without a doubt, one of the best bands to grace the Saturn Stage it is ‘Black Tide’.  This 4 piece band is quiet young but the heavy metal coming out from their instruments is truly powerful.
2p.m. creeps into a very sunny Knebworth afternoon and the entire arena falls into a deep silence. The deafening silence of 60,000 people only disturbed by the gentle hum of the generators. The respect and the love from all the participants feels thick and tangible. At the end of the 2 minutes a roar slowly rises coming from the crowd and stirs you into uncontrollable excitement. It confirms that today is a celebration of Paul’s life and achievements.  This is probably the highlight of the day.
Fred Durst
Limp Bizkit also victims of the rain, nonetheless their show brings everyone in the arena to jump up and to move frantically to their rhymes.  When Fred Durst asks the crowd, what kind of “stuff” they want them to play, it is clear that the old tunes wins over the new ones.
We are now approaching the end of these 3 days Festival at Knebworth and the excitement from the crowd is stronger than the rain.  Slipknot take to the stage at around 9:00p.m.
On Corey Taylor’s words “This is not a night for negativity, it’s a night for positivity. It’s a celebration”, the band delivers an amazing performance. The raw energy and that maniac powerful anger that is the basis of their music ripples through the crowd and all that’s left to do is jump, scream and mosh.
A very touching moment is when Gray’s suit and bass took centre stage for some band photos.
For now Sonisphere is officially over, or better yet, it is only over till next year!

Lovebox weather forecast

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See the weather forecast below provided by the Met Office

This Weather Widget is provided by the Met Office

 

Bestival grows further still with Cocknbullkid, Nero & more added

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Rob da Bank says: “I spend my life thinking about who Bestival-goers would like to see at the show. The latest slew of acts highlights the sheer diversity of what people want to see at Bestival: I’m especially chuffed that The La’s have chosen Bestival to come back to the UK circuit and James Blake DJ-ing before Bjork will be a corker, no doubt. Roll on September!”

Following the announcement that Björk will be filling the final headliner spot at Bestival we are mega pleased to announce that legendary Merseyside beatniks The La’s will be getting the ferry across the Solent to join us at Bestival.  One of the most influential acts of the past 20 years, The La’s majestic eponymous debut album has inspired countless bands including Oasis and The Coral, so it’s an utter joy that they have ended nearly two decades on hiatus to entertain the Besti-crowd with their near mythical melodies in what is an exceptionally rare appearance. 

Other live acts joining the Bestival bill include Danish chanteuse Oh Land, AKA Nanna Øland Fabricius, who is currently taking the United States by storm with her cinematic take on timeless pop, alt hip-hoppers B. Dolan & Buddy Peace and indie rave Islanders Council Estate Super Models. There will also be appearances from Wolf Gang, Cocknbullkid, Tribes, Daughter, Lucky Elephant, Mad Dog, Skinny Lister, The Growlers and The Toy Hearts.

Action on the ones and twos comes courtesy of post-dubstep wunderkind James Blake who will be performing a rare DJ set to get the crowd in the mood for our Icelandic showstopper’s main stage finale on Sunday. Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek will be getting adventurous and eclectic under their Africa Hi-Tech moniker, plus there will be speaker shaking sets from Nero, Toddla T & Serocee, L-Vis 1990, Mike Pickering, Bip Ling, IDC, Fear of Theydon, Low Fro, Omid, Pete Gooding andPhil Mison.

In support of their brilliant new album, ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’, the Beastie Boys have revisited their classic video ‘(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)’, inviting a jaw-dropping who’s who from the film industry, including Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Susan Sarandon, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and more to take part in ‘Fight For Your Right – Revisited’. So, we’re mega excited that we will be showing the new short film in full on the main stage and in the Big Top at Bestival. And that’s not all – the none-more generous Beastie Boys are offering the exclusive chance to win a pair of Bestival Tickets plus a copy of ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ on double white vinyl (and CD) and selected Beastie Boys back catalogue CDs plus a DVD Anthology. We’ll also select five runners-up who will receive a copy of ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part 2’ CD each. For a chance to win visit here and get involved!

Commenting on the film Beastie Boy Mike D told us: “It takes place in 1986 when the ‘Fight for Your Right (To Party)’ music video finishes shooting — and then the hi-jinks ensue.  In film terms, this is a period piece.”

 

The Beastie Boys

 
Just to get you even more excited about our fast-approaching shindig (September 8-11th, as if you didn¹t know!), we are teaming up with denim gurus Replay to give all you the chance to grab your very own ‘on the house’ pair of jeans which you can customise within the Replay Denim Studio at this year’s Bestival. 400 pairs are being given away to Besti-goers who can then have the unique experience of creating their own pair of jeans with specialised workshop tools. All you have to do is register online at www.replay.it/replayatbestival and then when you arrive at Bestival you can grab your complimentary pair of jeans and a festival-friendly gift bag. Share the love and tell your friends and, what’s more, as day turns to night the Replay Studios tent will be hosting live music and DJ sets.

Slipknot’s historic set to be transmitted live from Sonisphere Knebworth

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SlipknotThe webcasting of SLIPKNOT’s historic Sunday night headline set live across the world from KNEBWORTH, will go out live on Slipknot1.com as well as Sonispherefestivals.com. Set to be an epic and emotional occasion, this highly anticipated show will mark the band’s first appearance in the UK in over two years and their first British performance without founding member Paul Gray, who tragically passed away last year.
 
The band said of the upcoming performance: “England has always been a special place for this band from the very beginning. We can’t think of a better way to culminate our celebration of Paul’s life than to share it with the Maggots at Knebworth and the millions more watching around the world.  This is not to be missed.”

Says festival producer Stuart Galbraith:
 
“This is the first time Sonisphere Festival has been transmitted live across the web and represents yet another major stride in its commitment to harnessing the power of the internet to engage with the rock audience at large across the planet. Given that this is going to be such an important event for Slipknot fans the world over, we felt it only right to allow them all to share in what is set to be a historic experience, wherever they are.”

To tune in click to http://www.slipknot1.com

Camp Bestival – Dick and Dom to host main stage

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There will be headline performances from Blondie, Mark Ronson and the Business INTL and Primal Scream and must—see sets from the likes of Laura Marling, House of Pain, ABC, Katy B, Beardyman, Ed Sheeran andThe Cuban Brothers.
 
The little ones won’t know what’s hit ‘em with over a hundred free things for kids to do including appearances from Mr Tumble, Peppa Pig and Shrek The Musical and a wealth of entertainment from soft play and the Freestyle Sports Park to Comedy4Kids and Mini Discos. And with mouthwatering food including Kerstin Rodgers Underground Restaurant, and Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Café and lots more amazing food stalls it’s set to be the best Camp Bestival yet.
 
Gearing up for another magical Camp Bestival weekend Rob da Bank said: “Whoop whoop it’s the sound of Camp Bestival! Three flipping weeks to go and I’m getting extremely excited. From Blondie and Screamadelica to underground restaurants, a sports park to whizz up and down on and, of course, our old chum Mr. Tumble, this is without a doubt our most psychedelic line-up yet. Who else could we add as the cherry on top but Dick and Dom, the funniest men in showbiz (if you’re about 8!)… The boys will be hosting the main stage on Saturday and generally larking about. Last chance for tickets so step up quick.”

In what can only be described as a proper coup, we’re ecstatic to announce that the incredible Dick and Dom will be hosting the main stage at Camp Bestival on Saturday 30th July! One of the greatest double acts to grace kids TV in the past decade, Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow is a stone cold classic that was enjoyed by kids of all ages and with their latest venture Dick and Dom’s Funny Business bringing them back to their rightful place on Saturday morning TV, there couldn’t be a better time for the dynamic duo to come to our festi-holiday paradise. 

Commenting on joining the bill Dick and Dom said: “We’re really looking forward to the festival this year, Camp Bestival has a great diverse line-up for kids and adults and we can’t wait to get stuck in. Make sure you come and see us on Saturday daytime on the Main Stage.”

 
Ensuring you can make your way to Camp Bestival in the finest eco style, Big Green Coach, the music travel company, is providing low cost and hassle free coach services from London Victoria to Camp Bestival (& back). So why not leave your car at home, sit back, relax, and let Big Green Coach take you to the heart of the Festival? 

You can buy coach-only tickets or coach tickets bundled up with Camp Bestival tickets, and you can choose whether to travel there on the Thursday or Friday. All return coaches leave on the Monday. For more information and to secure your Big Green Coach travel, please visit www.biggreencoach.co.uk/campbestival.
  
Coach travel is the most environmentally friendly way of getting to Camp Bestival and Big Green Coach makes it even greener with their commitment to plant two trees for every coach they bring to the festival.   So you can save money and the environment as return coach travel starts from just £34 and there are both adult and child fares available.  Let the Camp Bestival atmosphere start the moment you get on board with Big Green Coach!

New for Camp Bestival this year, our friends at Monkey Shoulder are busy building an incredible giant tree house out of old whisky barrels in the heart of the Magic Meadow. An oasis of calm amongst the festival mayhem, this wooden wonderland will be the perfect pit-stop to enjoy delicious Monkey Shoulder whisky cocktails and great food, whilst listening to an eclectic line-up of DJs. Make sure you swing by! The Monkey Mob are also giving away four tickets to Camp Bestival including ‘glam-camping’ in one of our luxury tipis. For your chance to win just visit www.monkeyshoulder.com/treehouse  Over 18s only please.

You can also expect a new take on the teddy bears’ picnic at Camp Bestival with the first ever Persil ‘Pass on the Love Picnic’ with festival-going mum of four, Jo Whiley.  Families are encouraged to bring along some long-forgotten soft toys, washed in the all new Persil 2in1 with Comfort, meet Jo and get their kids to swap toys with others, or donate them to Oxfam for another child to love. As well as their large picnic area there will be games, puppet shows and more, so mums can have a moment to relax and unwind, whilst the kids are entertained in the fun garden area. Make sure you check it out. www.persil.co.uk/kids-activities/pass-on-the-love/