HAMPTON COURT PALACE FESTIVAL UNVEILS FIRST WAVE OF STAR ACTS FOR JUNE 2024

Hampton Court Palace Festival, presented by heycar has today revealed Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Paloma Faith, Sheryl Crow, Deacon Blue, Sam Ryder and a live edition of The Rest is History podcast, as the first acts on a stellar programme for the 2024 summer festival. 

Nile Rodgers is known the world over, lauded for pioneering a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like ‘Le Freak.’ Celebrated for sparking the advent of hip-hop with ‘Good Times,’ his success as an artist is unparalleled, having worked with some of the biggest names in music, and selling over 500 million albums in the process. Nile Rodgers & CHIC will return to Hampton Court Palace Festival on Thursday 13 June for a disco spectacular like no other.  Get ready to dance!

Pop and social media sensation Sam Ryder will take to the stage on Friday 14 June. He rose to stardom in 2022, when he represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with his megahit Space Man, finishing in second place, the UK’s best result at Eurovision since 1998. The track went on to become the third best-selling song of the year, with his debut album There’s Nothing but Space, Man! topping the UK albums chart in December 2022. With legions of fans around the globe, Sam is one of the biggest artists to recently find fame and is sure to take Hampton Court Palace by storm. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and genre arching singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow will headline on Tuesday 18 June. Renowned for effortlessly interweaving pop, rock, country, folk, and blues throughout her music, she is one of America’s most successful artists. Having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, she has won an incredible 9 Grammy Awards, receiving 32 nominations throughout her career. Expect a night of Rock and Roll as Sheryl Crow performs some of her best-known hit singles ‘All I Wanna Do’, ‘If It Makes You Happy’, ‘A Change Would Do You Good’ and ‘My Favourite Mistake’’. 

Deacon Blue, undoubtably one of the biggest Scottish bands in recent history, will perform a hit-packed set on Wednesday 19 June.  Having released their debut single ‘Dignity’ to great critical acclaim 35 years ago, they have gone on to pen 11 hugely successful studio albums and have an incredible 16 Top 40 hits under their belt.  Expect timeless classics such as ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’, ‘Real Gone Kid’, ‘Fergus Sings the Blues’ and ‘Your Town’.

Award winning singer-songwriter Paloma Faith is one of the UK’s best-loved artists. She has released five critically acclaimed platinum-selling albums since 2009 and has won dozens of awards throughout the past decade, including a BRIT Award for British Female Solo Artist. With her revered discography including instantly recognisable tracks such as ‘Picking Up the Pieces,’ ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’, ‘Can’t Rely on You’ and ‘Never Tear Us Apart’, the concert will see her perform her biggest hits and tracks from her deeply personal upcoming album ‘The Glorification of Sadness’. Paloma will make her Hampton Court Palace Festival debut onThursday 20 June.  

This year, the festival will also present a live podcast for the very first time, with The Rest Is History podcast taking to the stage to fittingly host a show on Henry VIII and the Tudor period. Hosted by esteemed historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland, The Rest Is History podcast is the highest-ranked UK history podcast on both Spotify and Apple.  In a festival first, Dominic and Tom will be staging The Rest Is History Live Presents The Tudors, a special live edition of the popular show within the historic palace on Sunday 16 June, bringing history to life in the stunning 500-year-old courtyard.

Each spectacular night of the run, festival goers will be able to enjoy a bespoke menu of drinks alongside an incredible selection of street food amid the picturesque East Front Gardens. Guests will start their evening withlive music from up-and-coming acts on the Garden Stage, before journeying through the breath-taking Palace to watch their favourite artists play in a truly awe-inspiring setting.

To make the experience even more special, guests can pre-order one of two sumptuous picnics that can be enjoyed in the early evening sunshine. Picnic options include ‘The Courtier’s Best of British Picnic’ or ‘The King’s Gourmet Hamper’, which are both provided by British Fine Foods and feature meat and vegetarian options, as well as a bottle of fine wine or Champagne. Picnics can be conveniently pre-ordered with tickets or added to existing reservations.

Fans can also choose to take their experience up a notch with added extras such as a welcome glass of Champagne or pre-book a charming fountain-side gazebo with delicious refreshments. For those who truly want to make their festival experience extraordinary, a delectable three course dinner within Hampton Court’s State Apartments is available by selecting the King’s Dining Experience.

Now in its 28th year, the Hampton Court Palace Festival, proudly presented by heycar, is a moment of celebration in the summer calendar that showcases a series of phenomenal performances in an entirely one-of-a-kind location. The concert series produced by IMG in partnership with Historic Royal Palace, the charity that cares for Hampton Court Palace, is set against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s grand palace in the Tudor Courtyard. The festival offers an unmissable opportunity to witness legendary artists in an intimate setting like no other, accommodating only 3,000 guests. Stay tuned for more exciting artist announcements.

Pre-sale begins at 10am Friday 1 December 2023, with tickets on general sale from 10am on Monday 4 December 2023 at www.hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com

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T In The Park 2015 Review

Although the ground was soggy, the air stayed clear for the majority of T in the Park, Scotland's biggest music festival. There had been a lot of anticipation with the change in venue from the usual Balado sight in Kinross. However it seems with a few “teething problems” set aside, Strathallan did not disappoint. With a promising line up of artists from Avicii to Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds set to headline, there was a very diverse weekend of music in store for Scotalnd’s festival goers. 

The Cribs and The Wombats were the first to take to the main stage on Friday, offering a punk-rock vibe to get the crowd warmed up with their infectious energy. Tord Øverland Knudsen from the Wombats living up to his usual playful, crowd pleasing self. Meanwhile acts such as Blossoms and Indiana were pulling out all the stops in the BBC introducing and T Break stage.

Later on Annie Mac took to the Main Stage and had everyone up dancing for her first of two performances over the weekend. After her followed Hozier, performing his debut Album with hit song Take Me To Church amongst the set.

As Rudimental hit the main stage the crowd multiplied. Well known for their high energy live performances, drum and base group Rudimental put on a spectacular show, opening with Not Giving In. DJ Locksmith could not stop moving and his infection energy really rubbed off on the crowd. The DJ also pulled on the crowds heart-strings by dedicating a song to his son. Waiting All Night was a huge crowd pleaser and had everyone dancing and singing along. 

When Sam Smith took to the main stage, you could hear a pin drop over at the BBC introducing stage. The crowd were hung on his every word. He delivered a very sincere performance and stated how happy he is now he creates music true to himself. He thanked the crowd for helping this happen. Some reckon they even seen Sam Smith shed a tear during his performance.

Kasabian wrapped things up on Friday night headlining the main stage. As the countdown clock displayed on stage got lower and lower the energy in the crowd lifted higher and higher. With Bumblebee and Underdog being amongst the opening songs the atmosphere was electric from the beginning of the set right through to the end. Songs from Kasabian’s No.1 UK album Empire went down a treat and it was clear to see both the crowd and the band were having a great time. People headed back to their tents with Kasabian's bass line resinating in their bones.

There were a number of early risers on Saturday morning who turned out to see acts such as The Lafontaines and The Strypes play. Later on pop-rock group Lawson took to the stage, getting the whole crowd singing along to songs such as When She Was Mine.

Jungle were a real crowd pleaser in King Tut’s Wah Wah Tent. A young boy took to the stage mid set and break danced which had the crowd going wild. Also performing in King Tut’s was St Vincent who delivered an intense and captivating performances. The set was accompanied by some spectacular lighting to add to the intensity of the performance. After St Vincent came Scotland’s pride and joy, The Proclaimers who attracted the widest age range. Delivering hits such as Letter From America and 500 Miles the Tent was full of good vibes and nostalgia.

A lot of young excited festival goers gathered to watch The Script on the Main Stage on Saturday Night. Well known for his tendency to leave the stage and come down to the crowd, Danny O'Donoghue did not disappoint the die hard front row spectators. Girls were screaming and crying and doing everything they could just to touch the Irishman’s leather coat. Danny stated he loved to play gigs in Scotland as it was close to home and had the Celts in the audience raise their hand. Performing all of the classics alongside the more recent hits, The Script attracted an enthusiastic crowd.

The Libertines, the first of the headliners to be announced when T in The Park released 2015’s line up, took over the main stage. The Libertines attracted a slightly different crowd, many excited to see the band play for the first time after their reformation. The band opened with hits such as Time For Heroes and Can’t Stand Me Now and played an encore including Up the Bracket and closing with Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. There seemed to be a great relationship between Pete Doherty and Carl Barât throughout the set which pleased the crowd.

Some of Scotland’s finest talent was on display throughout the weekend with acts like The Proclaimers, Admiral Fallow and headliners Twin Atlantic playing across the stages. Many people faced a tough decision on Saturday with Avicii and Twin Atlantic playing at the same time on separate stages. However it was safe to say whichever act was chosen would not have disappointed. Both acts offered an energetic, all singing, all dancing performance that not even the rain could hinder. The Swedish DJ, Avicii, offered a visually captivating performance with smoke, streamers and a spectacular lighting display. There was a rave taking place in Strathallan with people dancing and singing along to hit songs Hey Brother and Wake Me Up.

On the Radio One Stage, Twin Atlantic were offering heart filled seventh T in the Park performance. Amongst speaking of the honour and emotion the band were feeling to be headlining on a Saturday night, lead vocalist sam McTrusty also had the crowd sit on the ground and on his count stand up and go wild. With a wide range of new and old songs from what What is Light? Where is Laughter? to I Am An Animal, Twin Atlantic invested their hear and soul in the performance and had the audience captivated from start to finish.

The third and final day of T in the Park was kicked off by acts such as Saint Raymond, The Parsonage Choir and Ella Eyre. The View followed James Bay, whose good looks and great tunes both attracted many goey eyed females. It was great to see the amount of people out to see the opening acts on the final morning of the festival.

The Main Stage and Radio 1 Stage were both displaying tough competition on Sunday evening. Catfish And The Bottlemen, Kodaline and Jamie T all offered an indie/alternative rock performance Radio 1 Stage. In tandem on the Main Stage there was a slightly different vibe, with the soul singing group Alabama Shakes giving a spectacular performance and had people in the crowed shouting ‘We love you Brittany!’.

The crowd were extatic to watch Paloma Faith perform. She played a variety of songs, from her first ever single, Stone Cold Sober to the more recent chart topping single Changing. Although there was much controversy over Paloma’s revealing outfit, the singer-songwriter put on a great visual performance with her quirky stage set up, opposed to the black back drop the crowd had gotten used to across the weekend. This performance was not the first time the crowd has got a glimpse of Paloma. The brit appeared at the front of the stage the previous day to watch her “idol” Labrinth play and later stated he made her cry “actual tears”.

 
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Stereophonics opened with Catacomb and a small flame display and continued to wow the crowd with all-time favourites such as Graffiti On The Train, Mr Writer and Maybe Tomorrow. Stereophonic are no strangers to T in the Park and have developed a reputation that is certain to attract a large crowd every time. Just when it seemed the energy could not be elevated any higher, Stereophonic kicked it up a notch and played finished the set with 2005 No.1 hit, Dakota.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds were the grand finale on Sunday night. The band’s own songs got the crowd going, however it was the old Oasis classics that got the crowd going wild. People of all ages showed up to absorb the atmosphere and sing their hearts out. There was many an emotional Oasis T-shirt wearer when they played songs such as Champagne Supernova and The Masterplan. Noel communicated with the audience throughout the set and offered a more sincere performance many may be used to. The band closed with Don’t Look Back in Anger. A very fitting end to both the set and T in The Park, 2015.

First lineup announcement for Glastonbury 2015!

This is what you all have been waiting for, the first lineup announcement for Glastonbury 2015.

Along with Kanye West, The Foo Fighters, and Lionel Richie, Glastonbury have added, Florence & The Machine, Pharrell Williams, Alt-J, Motorhead, Mary J Blige, Alabama Shakes, Paloma Faith, The Chemical Brothers, Deadmau5, Mark Ronson, Super Furry Animals, Clean Bandit and many many more!

Lineup so far:

FOO FIGHTERS
KANYE WEST
SPECIAL GUESTS
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
ALT-J
LIONEL RICHIE
MOTÖRHEAD
MARY J. BLIGE

ALABAMA SHAKES
PALOMA FAITH
PATTI SMITH
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS
RUDIMENTAL
DEADMAU5
JAMIE T
BEN HOWARD
HOT CHIP
THE MOTHERSHIP RETURNS – GEORGE CLINTON, PARLIAMENT, FUNKADELIC & THE FAMILY STONE
FLYING LOTUS
FKA TWIGS
CARIBOU
ROY AYERS
RUN THE JEWELS
MARK RONSON
SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
BELLE & SEBASTIAN
THE VACCINES
RYAN ADAMS
CHRONIXX
FUTURE ISLANDS
GEORGE EZRA
THE WATERBOYS
THE MOODY BLUES
SUEDE
FFS (FRANZ FERDINAND & SPARKS)
THE MACCABEES
ENTER SHIKARI
MODESTEP
CLEAN BANDIT
JESSIE WARE
COURTNEY BARNETT
JON HOPKINS
SPIRITUALIZED
JAMIE XX
MAVIS STAPLES
HOZIER
FATHER JOHN MISTY
THE FALL
TODD TERJE
GREGORY PORTER
JUNGLE
SLEAFORD MODS
CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN
AZEALIA BANKS
YOUNG FATHERS
CHARLI XCX
KASAI ALLSTARS
SHARON VAN ETTEN
KATE TEMPEST
GOAT
WOLF ALICE
PERFUME GENIUS
FAT WHITE FAMILY
YEARS & YEARS
LA ROUX
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
LIANNE LA HAVAS
DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
CIRCA WAVES
PEACE
THE POP GROUP
IBEYI
ELLA EYRE
RAE MORRIS

Huge lineup announced for The Big Feastival 2015

On the music bill, The Big Feastival welcomes Groove Armada (DJ Set), to headline the main stage on Friday 28. Fresh from winning Best British Female at the BRIT Awards last week, iconic songstress Paloma Faith will bring the weekend to a close on Sunday 30 August.  With the Saturday Special Guest Headliners still to be revealed, this year’s festival is set to be the best yet.

Also on the bill and making her debut at The Big Feastival this year is popstar Ella Eyre, the voice of massive hit singles “Waiting All Night” and “Gravity”. Legendary hip-hop star and DJ, Grandmaster Flash will also make his first Feastival appearance alongside festival favourites The Cuban Brothers, much-loved DJ Norman Jay MBE and beat boxers Duke, all announced to perform across the weekend.

Groove Armada said: "The second most important thing for us when we're planning a gig, with the first being music, is where we're gonna have dinner. So on that basis this show is properly gonna go off, gourmet Groove armada style."

Saturday’s headline performance, the full line-up of music acts, satellite stages and brand new music workshops will be revealed soon.

Known for bringing sensational culinary talent to the stage, The Big Feastival has announced the initial programme of chefs set to join Jamie Oliver this year. Two Star Michelin masters Raymond BlancAshley Palmer-Watts and Nathan Outlaw will all grace The AEG Big Kitchen, alongside critically acclaimed rising star James Lowe and the inspirational Monica Galetti.  The irrepressibleGennaro Contaldo makes a welcome return as everyone’s favourite Great British Bake-Off finalist Richard Burr gets set to make his debut.   

Brand new to The Big Feastival for 2015 is the Healthy Living Zone, dedicated to the art of healthy eating and wellbeing. Health food pioneers Deliciously Ella, Livia’s Kitchen (Olivia Wallenberg)Melissa and Jasmine Hemsley will head up a specially curated programme of events. Festival-goers will be invited to recharge their batteries with fresh festival fare from the Health Hub, serving everything from freshly pressed juices to sushi.  The Kitchen Counter will feature talks and tutorials while The Action Station will re-energise even the sleepiest of heads.

To feed the foodies, the ever-popular Street Food Alley returns to the festival with the best of British street food.  Visitors are invited to sip, sample and shopThe Producers Markets, cook up a storm in The AEG Cooking Club and get behind the grill with the all new Weber Grill Academy On Tour.   We are delighted to have the Birra Moretti Experience providing that ever needed drop of refreshment, and with pop up dining experiences still to be announced, there will be something on the menu for everyone.

The Big Feastival boasts an enviable line-up of children’s entertainment across the weekend including Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park, Little Dudes’ Den, The Big Top, The Village Green Games and the iconic Vintage Fairground.  The full programme of fun and games and this year’s Very Special Guests will be announced soon!   

Jamie Oliver – 

"I can't quite believe we're headed for our fourth year at Alex James' farm – Feastival just keeps getting better every year. It's already got an incredible line up for music fans and foodies, and I know that we'll only add to it over the next few weeks. As usual, I can't wait!"

Alex James – 

I’m excited to have everyone back to the farm. Three days of great music and delicious food, plus plenty of fun for the kids, it’s the perfect bank holiday weekend. And this year is set to be the best yet.”

Calvin Harris & Kasabian lead V Festival 2015 lineup

Global platinum-selling artist Calvin Harris and Iconic rockers Kasabian are today announced as the headliners for V Festival’s Virgin Media stage.

Taking place across the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd August 2015, the local lads from Leicester and the DJ from north of the border will be joined by a host of music heavyweights to ensure V Festival sees out its second decade in style.

Joining the headliners across the two festival sites in Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire will be a supporting cast of Britain’s finest talent and biggest names. Music lovers with this summer’s hottest ticket will also see performances from recent four-time Grammy and 2015 Brit winner Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Hozier, George Ezra, Stereophonics, Brit winners Paloma Faith and James Bay, Olly Murs, Tom Jones, Clean Bandit, Kodaline, Ella Henderson, Nero and Courteeners plus many more to be announced across four stages at the two festival sites.

Making his debut on top of the bill, Calvin Harris said: 

V Festival is always an incredible time and I can't wait to headline it this year. See you there!”

Kasabian’s Sergio Pizzorno, said: 

“V is for victory, V is for voodoo, V is for vacuum cloud, V is for very very very very excited. See you in the fields!”

The hugely popular Glee Club Comedy Tent also returns as the festival’s fifth stage this year, with a hilarious line-up that will be announced in the coming months.

Over the festival weekend there’ll also be sets from The Kooks, Marina & The Diamonds, The Proclaimers, Jess Glynne, Andy C, Imelda May, Gregory Porter, Fuse ODG, Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, Jessie Ware, Ella Eyre, Hannah Wants, Reverend & the Makers, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Annie Mac.

The glamorous V Style camping will also return for its fifth year. V Style is now an established part of the V Festival family, giving music fans the chance to experience the best of both worlds – enjoying a mix of music and comedy and relaxing at pampering stations and in ready built bell tents, huts, and luxury yurts.

Tickets go on sale from March 6th at 9am with fans advised to visit www.vfestival.com, where all official outlets are detailed. V organisers again stress to fans that purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.

The full line up includes: Kasabian, Calvin Harris, Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, The Script, Hozier, George Ezra, Stereophonics, Paloma Faith, James Bay, Olly Murs, Chvrches, Imelda May, Kodaline, Ella Henderson, Nero, Reverend & the Makers, The Courteeners, Marina & The Diamonds, The Proclaimers, Tom Jones, Jess Glynne, Andy C, The Kooks, Gregory Porter, Fuse ODG, Clean Bandit, Duke Dumont, Jessie Ware, Ella Eyre, Hannah Wants, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Annie Mac.

Paloma Faith set for Hampton Court Palace Festival

We are excited to announce that Paloma Faith will perform on 18th June and tickets for this concert will go on sale on Monday 19th January at 11am.

On confirming her date at the Festival, Paloma said: "I'm so thrilled to be playing at Hampton Court Palace Festival this June. I hear that the atmosphere is so intimate in the open air setting of base court – it will be the perfect setting for my summer concert." 
 
Renowned for her unique style, the Hackney-born singer has soared to fame since her early days on the cabaret scene. Now she is one of the leading lights, and has proudly received Four BRIT Award nominations to date, including British Female Solo Artist and Best British Album.
 
Paloma has worked with a legendary roster of music icons and singer-songwriters including Pharrell Williams, Diane Warren, John Legend and Raphael Saadiq; producing two double platinum selling albums in the UK. At the Festival, she will delight the audience with songs from her recent and most successful album to date,A Perfect Contradiction with top ten singles Can’t Rely on You and her first Number 1 Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

Britain’s favourite tenor Alfie Boe will return to the Festival on 19th June with his band performing classic tracks from a selection of his albums, including his latest album Serenata, which sees him bringing the magic and romance of the Italian Riviera to the UK. His success has seen him conquer the world’s most prestigious opera stages, led the cast of Les Miserables for nearly a year, and stolen the show at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace.
 
King of boogie woogie, Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will perform two energy-fuelled shows at the Palace where he will be joined by the fantastic Gilson Lavis on drums and the fabulous Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall. His passion for music has made him a doyen of the music scene, and he was awarded an OBE in 2003 for his services to the British music industry. With his show ‘Later with…Jools Holland’ now in its 45th series, and Jools’ Annual Hootenanny in its 22nd, Jools’ name has become synonymous with quality music.
 
The sumptuous sounds of the MGM Studio Orchestra will be revived by John Wilson & The John Wilson Orchestra on 14th June as they pay tribute to composers George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Harry Warren, Jerome Kern and Andre Previn, among others by performing some of Hollywood’s best loved songs and show-stopping sequences from the MGM film musicals.

Celebrated for his sold out annual appearances with the John Wilson Orchestra at the BBC Proms, all of which have been broadcast on television, John Wilson has established an international reputation as a conductor, arranger and scholar. The John Wilson Orchestra is a unique hand-picked ensemble of some of the world’s finest musicians specialising in authentic concert performances of classic film musical scores.
 
The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra returns for a glorious evening ofFanfare & Fireworks. Against the backdrop of the Tudor courtyard the Orchestra will perform scores from the mainstream masters of classical music, culminating in Handel’s rousing Music for the Royal Fireworks. After the concert, Festival-goers will experience a spectacular fireworks display over the Palace.

Paloma Faith and more added to Osfest lineup

Paloma Faith, The Hoosiers, From the Jam, Bay City Rollers and Toyah have been added to our existing lineup which features the very popular boy band Union J, Grammy award winner Foxes, number one hit artist Conor Maynard, current high-flyers Neon Jungle as well as Nina Nesbitt and Luke Friend.

mplimented by some EXCITING new additions.

Born in Hackney, London, Paloma who’s latest single ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’ is currently in the official top 10, is half Spanish and half British. As an ex magician’s assistant, trained contemporary dancer, St Martin’s alumni with an MA in theatre directions, a performer in burlesque shows and an actress, she has been mixing artistic media throughout her short adult life.

The fascinating singer-songwriter Paloma will be performing a unique DJ Set at Osfest, a brilliant DJ, Paloma plays a mixture of guilty pleasures from the 90's RnB and recognisable old soul. 

Carly Woodward, Event Director says “The charismatic Paloma Faith is cutting edge on both the stage and the DJ scene, we are really looking forward to her performance, what an amazing way to finish Saturday Night!”

Osfest are also delighted to have the re-formed the Hoosiers on the line up, Sam Swallow of the Hoosiers admits “We came back to it for a very simple reason: we started enjoying writing songs again.” The Hoosiers multi-platinum success of their 2007 debut album, The Trick to Life, includes singles such as ‘Worried About Ray’ and ‘Goodbye Mr. A’.

Osfest festival goers will be transported back to the late seventies as From The Jam, featuring former The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings, will be performing all their classics including “Going Underground”, “Town called Malice” and “That’s Entertainment”!  LES McKeown and the Bay City Rollers will be performing "Bye Bye Baby" which was their first UK Number One in May 1975 and the infamous Toyah Ann Willcox will entertain us with "It's a Mystery"! 

Jack Johnson, Paloma Faith and more join Calling Festival lineup

This years rebranded Calling Festival will arrive at Clapham Common this June and we can announce that Jack Johnson, Paloma Faith and India Arie join the bill on Sunday 29 June in London’s Clapham Common. Radkey, Heaven’s Basement and more announced for Saturday 28 June.  The two-day event is headlined by Aerosmith and Stevie Wonder. 

Jack Johnson will make a Calling Festival debut this summer. The acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform hits spanning his five studio albums, including three UK Number One albums, such as ‘Better Together’, ‘Sitting Waiting Wishing’ and ‘You and Your Heart’. Paloma Faith also makes a first appearance at Calling Festival. Expect hits including ‘New York’, ‘Picking Up The Pieces’ and ‘Stone Cold Sober’ to be big crowd pleasers. Also joining the Sunday bill is Grammy-Award winning, multi-million selling India Arie.

Saturday’slineup sees hotly tipped Radkey, rockers Heaven’s Basement and Lonely The Brave, Australian indie four-piece The Jezabels, indie-funk band No Hot Ashes, Bristol R&B group Tax The Heat, American singer-songwriter Chantal Claret, power pop band The 3 Dudes and fresh from supporting Status Quo on tour, Toseland all join the bill.

 

Bestival’s 2014 lineup continues to grow

With the Desert Island Disco in full swing for this years Bestival having previously announced Chic feat Nile Rodgers, Outkast, Beck, Foals and many more, we can now reveal more additions!

Joining the disco will be house legends Basement Jaxx, Paloma Faith and Candi Station.

A stunning chanteuse and no mistake, Paloma Faith is the very definition of unique, so we are delighted that she will be joining us on Sunday night in the Big Top to close this year’s Bestival. With a brand new album, A Perfect Contradiction, due for release imminently, Paloma’s disco credentials are just about as good as they come and with her well know penchant for dressing up, she’s the perfect fit for a sassy climax to our Desert Island Disco.

Commenting on her Bestival appearance, Paloma Faith said: “Bestival is the best festival because everyone gets dressed up and I will be too, dressing my band up… It’s so perfect that I should be invited to play at this festival this year because my new album, which is called A Perfect Contradiction, was all influenced by the history of soul music, particularly disco. So, I was listening to artists like Candi Staton, Prince, Chaka Khan, Gloria Gaynor, all of those types of artists, Parliament, Funkadelic, the lot… It is my favourite festival without a doubt, I’m so excited, see you there!

No strangers to spanking a dancefloor, the Bestival crew are very pleased indeed to welcome back Basement Jaxx to Robin Hill. Headliners at the very first Bestival, we know for a fact that Basement Jaxx have got a truck load of tunes that will keep you reaching for the lasers long into the night. A full on live extravaganza, Felix, Simon and co always fail to disappoint with their hip swaying, booty shaking business, so don’t miss them!

Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton said “It was an honour and a pleasure to headline the very first Bestival – and we are very pleased to be back!"

Finally for now, it is a true honour to announce that one of the legends of gospel, disco and dance music, Candi Staton will be gracing our Desert Island Disco with her presence. With super-soulful tracks like Young Hearts Run Free, her amazing version of Stand By Your Man and, of course, You Got The Love, Candi’s voice has sound-tracked two generations of joyful good times and we can’t wait to bust our moves to her grooves.

Evolution Festival 26 & 27 May 2013

Since 2002 Evolution Festival, known locally as “Evo” has changed format several times starting as a multi venue event and moving locations around the Quayside.

Evolution is now a two stage event based around the Spillers Wharf area of the Quayside next to the River Tyne.  This means everything is closer together and there is less walking time between the Spillers Wharf stage and the Ballast Hills stage which is great when there are so many acts to enjoy!

Arriving in Newcastle on Sunday, the festival location was easy to find as there were large groups of people wearing UV paint to follow!  The weather set the scene for a beautiful and rare sunny Bank holiday Sunday in the UK and helped make a brilliant atmosphere even better!

After walking through the main entrance, the first thing I noticed was the lively atmosphere, the fun vibe and smiling faces.  There were plenty of places to eat and drink, we headed straight for the pork and stuffing batches and then found an area amongst the revellers to enjoy our food and check out what was going on around us before deciding it was time for the bar.  The main bar served a selection of wine, beer and cider and the Keglevich Cocktail tent was next door if you fancied a fruity alternative.  The bar service was excellent and there were no large queues like you would normally experience, this remained the same whenever I went to get a drink during the two day festival.   

Opposite these, was the Red Bull tent where DJ’s spinning some great sets in between bands stopped people in their tracks and created an impromptu dance floor!

We then made our way to the Ballast Hill stage to enjoy Loadstar, the atmosphere at this stage was really lively with dancing and moshing, everyone was there to enjoy themselves and make the most of the music.  Other acts we enjoyed at the Ballast Hills stage on Sunday were Lethal Bizzle and Modestep who if possible, got the crowd going even more!  I couldn’t help but smile being around all these people having such a good time.

As we moved to the Spillers Wharf stage, the crowd were slightly older and there was no moshing but still an amazing atmosphere.  We enjoyed Rudimental who played all of the best songs from their album and surprised the crowd with a brilliant cover of the Fugees “Ready Or Not” halfway through their set.

Next up was Ellie Goulding who, playing at the festival for the second time opened her set with 'Figure 8' and sang her rendition of Elton John’s 'Your Song'.  Ellie finished her set with some more of her well known songs: Lights, Starry Eyed and I Need Your Love accompanied by the majority of the crowd singing every word with her.

Headliners The Vaccines who recently performed to a sell-out crowd at Newcastle’s O2 Academy were extremely popular, it seemed as though the majority of people who sang along and danced throughout had come specifically to see them.

When we left the festival at around 11pm the atmosphere was still buzzing with everyone still wanting to dance, probably heading to Digital in Times Square where the official after party was held.

The weather not quite as sunny on the Monday but that didn’t dampen anyone’s sprits as we enjoyed a breakfast on the Quayside and watched the UV painted crowds of people heading towards the festival site. 

We arrived in time to see Gorgon City on the Ballast Hills stage and the atmosphere today seemed to be even crazier than it was on Sunday!

We switched between the Spillers Wharf and Ballast Hills stages a lot on Monday as there were so many acts we wanted to see, this was made possible due to the great layout and organisation of the festival.

Considering I hadn’t heard of Lulu James, I thought she was one of the best acts at the festival.  She enjoyed a great reception from the crowd and looked amazing in a legless black leather body suit and an enormous collar.

AlunaGeorge, made up of Aluna Francis on vocals and George Reid on the decs were probably less well known than other acts on the Spillers Wharf stage but they still played to a good sized crowd who really came to life when they performed White Noise, recognising their most well-known track.

Zinc and Mista Jam were both brilliant acts to have on the Ballast Hills stage as they played exactly what the crowd had come to enjoy with almost everyone singing along to all the tracks they played.  Mista Jam filmed the crowd doing the Newcastle version of the Harlem Shake, even getting an eager young lad on stage to dance alone until the beat dropped.  It was great to be part of the crowd for this one and I will be watching it back on You Tube.

Bastille drew a large crowd and finished their enjoyable set with a cover of 90s dance classic 'Rhythm is a Dancer'.

Jake Bugg followed, playing almost everything from his debut album. Jake really knew how to work the crowd alternating his slow and lively songs.

We just made it in to the Ballast Hills area for Sub Focus just before it reached capacity, their set was energetic and despite the fact most of this crowd had been dancing all day they still went crazy

Paloma Faith’s headline performance on the Spillers Wharf stage was a delight to watch and listen to.  She had great stage presence and chatted easily between songs, at one point stopping for a cuppa, commenting on the cold and the amount of denim knicker wearers in the crowd!  Also performing a cover, Paloma sang her version of INXS 'Never Tear us Apart'.

Overall, Evolution Festival was well organised with good security and police presence.  Despite the festival attracting a slightly younger audience than others I’ve been to, it is still an enjoyable place to be with a friendly vibe, plenty of big names to watch and brilliant music to dance to!