Bedford Park Concerts is back for 2017 after a very successful event last year which showcased the legendary Tom Jones, rapper Dizzie Rascal and many more. This year we will see the return of an amazing jam packed three day line up. Friday 4th August will will see Bedford's biggest 80s and 90s themed party night with seven awesome retro acts which will include the likes of DJ Dave Pearce who is best known for hosting BBC Radio 1's Dance Anthems, Ex Neighbours star, musician and Australian favourite Jason Donovan, 80's band Go West, Nick Kershaw, 'Dreamer' artists Livin' Joy, Rozalla and Baby D who brought us singles "Let Me Be Your Fantasy" and "Everybody's Gotta learn Sometime".
Friday's Schedule: 16:30 Gates Open 17:00 Rozalla 17:40 Nik Kershaw 18:35 Baby D 19:15 Go West 20:15 Jason Donovan 21:15 Livin' Joy 21:50 Dave Pearce
On Saturday 5th August, Leeds Indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs are expected to perform some of their most notable hits including "I Predict A Riot", "Ruby", "Everyday I Love You Less And Less" and more from their six studio albums. Supporting will be Welsh band Feeder, The Wholls – a local Bedford Town favourite and lastly indie rock band Victoria.
Saturday's Schedule: 16:30 Gates open 17:45 Victoria 18:45 The Wholls 19:45 Feeder 21:15 Kaiser Chiefs
Sunday 6th August the weekend event will present Bedford Proms 'Goes To The Movies'. This wil be an evening of beautiful west end style performances including a set from Australian Tenor Daniel Koek who starred in west end show Les Miserables. He will also be joined by soprano singer Joanna Forest and opera vocalist Alison Buchanan who is originally from the town of Bedford. As if there isn't enough to enjoy there will also be the London Gala Orchestra, Bedford Choral Society, a laser light show and even the infamous Delorean car from the memorable Back To The Future franchaise films and a firework finale to round up the weekend to bring it to a close.
Sunday's Schedule: 16:30 Gates open 17:15 Pilgrim School Choir 18:00 Bedford School Of Speech and Drama 19:30 Main Concert
I can see this being a very popular event. Tickets are still available to get yours while you can.
To purchase tickets please click on the dates below
A week long summer series of picnic concerts spanning from 11-16th July, Kew the Music is set within the picturesque grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, in the suburban district of Richmond, London. A UNESCO World Heritage site offering stunning landscapes, unique plants and impressive architecture, it’s difficult to imagine a dreamier atmosphere to soak up the sun, enjoy a picnic and listen to some fantastic live music.
This year’s star-studded line-up included talent such as ballad-queen Mary J Blige, pop girl band All Saints and indie rockers Razorlight. Off to see the latter on 12th July, I was very keen to lend my ear to a band I had loved so much back in my late teens.
As I bounded through the gates and into the greenery with my companion, it’s fair to say we were feeling pretty warm underneath the early evening sun. We were extremely lucky with the weather; it had been pouring buckets for Brit Singer-Songwriter Passenger’s performance the previous evening.
Being able to bring in as much food and alcohol to a concert (especially one in London) was a novelty for me, and one I appreciated very much! It was quite a laid-back affair, so we didn’t go all out with the boozing but it was a definite time and money-saver (it’s always annoying having to queue for another drink at the bar between sets). It also made us feel that little bit more appreciative towards the organisers.
Settling down with a good spot in front of the stage, we embraced the relaxed atmosphere and stunning verdant scenery. We were just in time for the start of ‘The Bluetones’ set which made for ideal background music as we munched on our picnic snacks and sipped from our cardboard cups of Prosecco in the early evening. There were, however, quite a few already rocking at the front as the opening song, the joyous ‘Slight return’, was played – my personal favourite of their set.
After a break and more time to chit-chat and fill up on Prosecco, it was time for Razorlight’s much-awaited headline show. The boys burst onto the stage with their hit single ‘In the morning’ from their second self-titled album ‘Razorlight’, a tune I’m sure we can all relate to at times! As it was still daylight, the atmosphere was relatively calm, with many enjoying the set from their picnic spots on the grass. Up next we enjoyed ‘Stumble and fall’, followed by ‘Keep the right profile’. With the mass of crowds at the front growing with each song, crowd-pleaser ‘Golden touch’ definitely brought even more fans swarming forward.
It wasn’t until a familiar favourite was played until my ears pricked up again – ‘I Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got’ which had the now sizeable crowd chanting along in time. Up next, was the more morose ‘Wire to wire’; another song I’m fond of, from their last album ‘Slipway Fires’. It’s fair to say front-man Johnny Borrell’s voice shone in that one!
Picking up the tempo again, we were treated to 2006 single ‘Before I fall to pieces’, prompting lots of singing along to the recognisable chorus. As darkness fell upon us, the edgier the tunes got, encouraging more vigorous dancing (or shall I say, jumping up and down), singing and overall, a lot more energy. A string of bouncy hits heightened the atmosphere, including ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Lies’, ‘Don’t Go Back to Dalston’, ‘Who Needs Love?’ and ‘LA Waltz’.
I have to say, the energy in the crowds had really picked up and by the time the encore was starting, the masses were begging for more music. Concluding with the eagerly-anticipated number one single ‘America’ (my friend and I had been waiting for it throughout the whole set!), the show finished on an exhilarating high with plenty of liveliness, singing and dancing.
I had never been to a concert that had started off so relaxed and chilled, but then proceeded to finish with so much energy and character. I do feel that is what’s so special about Kew the Music and its stunning location – you can enjoy the best of both worlds at a concert there. Razorlight delivered a fantastic set that drew in my nostalgia and I eagerly look forward to returning to Kew the Music next year for another fantastic summer evening.
Truck festival is the self labelled “Godfather of the small festival scene” and is one of the longest running small festivals in the UK. The festival based in Steventon in Oxfordshire was founded by brothers Robin and Joe Bennett and originally began as a birthday celebration for Robin. The brothers then handed control of the event over to Matt Harrap and his team after facing financial difficulties in 2012. Now in 2017 in it’s twentieth year, the festival is still going strong with a line up that gets bigger each year. In past years the festival has been known to find talents from up and coming bands that are trying to find their way onto the music scene to become arena sell out artists with many of these artists making their festival debut’s at Truck. Past performances include Biffy Clyro, Mystery Jets, Foals, Catfish and the Bottlemen and many, many more.
This year, Truck has seen a big change to the layout of the festival site compared to previous years’ usual look. The large area provided festival goers with eight stages, each with their own style of performances. Over the weekend, the ever popular Truck Stage, which is the event’s main stage in the centre of the site provided a huge variety of bands and artists for us to see. Secondary to the Truck stage was the Market Stage which brough us performances from popular artists including Honeyblood, Tom Grennan and Twin Atlantic. The other six stages included were The Nest-the third of the bigger stages, then the slightly smaller venues that included The Barn, The Saloon Bar-which is well known for its country style, Veterans and Virgins stage, and lastly, not forgetting The Temple, and The Ruins venues that could be found within the Palm City area of the site which mostly showcases DJ sets including an amazing set from none other than Hollywood actor Idris Elba!
Also on offer on site was an array of activities and stalls for all ages to enjoy. Even fairground rides and games. As this is a family friendly festival, Truck saw the return of Angel Gardens which is a dedicated team of enthusiastic people in a designated children and family area. This area was situated just off of the main arena and provided activities from 10am until 6pm. Their tipi was full of lots of things to keep little ones happy and content. They had planned activities that included arts and crafts, singing and music, dance and movement, sensory play, story telling, cooking classes, races and games and even circus skills performances. Angel Gardens also planned to provide a bath and bedtime hour each evening from 5pm until 6pm where children can wash and relax to get ready for bed. I thought this was a brilliant idea, especially as I took my two year old son with me. Next to the children’s area was a cinema with a diverse range of films for both children and adults. The listings included big Disney movies- Moana, Up!, Toy story 1, 2 and 3 and also films aimed at a more mature audience like Jurassic Park, The Mask, Jaws, The Wedding Singer and the multiple award winning La La Land.
Each year the team at Truck festival has been known to provide ticket holders with a wide variety of food choices. Well this year there was even more! They had almost every corner of the food map covered. What was better is that because there was a much wider choice of foods this meant that people were spending a lot less time queueing for their grub. The food hall tent gave us pizzas, smoothies, indian cuisine, a hog roast, burgers, mac and cheese, tea and coffee and so much more. There was also many street cart food vendors on site around the arena which introduced us to greek street food, vegan and vegetarian cuisine, thai food, the list goes on and on. Feel good food stands were also donating all of their profits to many different charities which is a really nice idea. The one downside that I and many others noticed was the extortionate prices at the bar. I remember going to buy a bottle of water and being charged £2.50 to which I refused to pay, especially as I was able to buy the same amount of bottled water for just £1 at another food stall. Not only this, many people I had spoken to at the event were feeling a little cheated as they were being charged £5 per pint at the bar. And as there was a new no alcohol on return policy in place, this certainly rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way.
Speaking of grievances, If anyone reading this review has also read any other 2017 Truck festival related news, you will have undoubtedly seen a lot of negative articles about this weekend’s event. Here on behalf of myself and everyone at Summer Festival Guide, I do not intend to focus on the negatives that have appeared to over shadow many peoples opinions of this festival. Lets get the negativity out of the way. Firstly the weather was absolutely awful. It rained, and rained and then rained some more. This of course turned the festival grounds into a giant muddy slip and slide and caused many campers tents to become flooded, including my own. No one is at fault for the very unpredicable weather conditions, but the security teams and production teams on site tried to help as much as they could by covering the worst effected parts of the ground with straw in an attempt to soak up the mud. Which worked to a certain extent.
While at the festival and since the event, I have spoken to many people as they were wanting to express their concerns to pretty much anyone who would listen as unfortunately the organisers of Truck festival haven’t appeared to be overly co operative. It appeared that the layout of the camping areas were not as well thought out as they maybe should have been. There were five campsite areas which surrounded the arena, one of which was for the production team. The rest included general camping, the glamping and Zodiac camping areas which were priced higher than general camping as it provided extra facilities such as showers and larger tents and lastly the family camping area. Family camping was the furthest away from the arena to which I can only assume was an attempt to keep it quieter for families with younger children which in therory is a good idea. Although in order to get the the festival arena, families were expected to walk through the general camping area which in my opinion and in the opinion of many others wasn’t such a good idea. Especially as it required walking down a hill that was turned into a giant mud slide after the heavy rainfall. Not only that, it also was not ideal for young children to be walking through a campsite full of other festival goers that had a lot of alcohol and even recreational drugs on them which also left the general admission campsite in a bit of a state. There is a very strict no drugs on site policy in place so clearly there would have been further security issues there too. Further issues with campsites included broken showers in the glamping and Zodiac camping areas. Ticket holders in these areas had paid over £30 extra to be able to use these shower facilities only to discover that they weren’t always able to. Lastly regarding complaints and unfortunate situations, over thirty reports were made to the organisers about items being stolen from tents, not only while the tents were empty but also when occupied while people were sleeping. Even though many people are left confused as to what is being done about these reports, it does appear that reports of stolen goods are still being dealt with. In all honesty it looks like the organisers at Truck festival will have a lot to think about while preparing for next year’s event.
Who’s ready for the fun stuff? The music highlights! The weekend provided us with an amazing line-up with so many great acts to see. It was so hard to pick which acts to go and see as many of “the ones to watch” had timing clashes so it mean’t a lot of running around for myself and our photographer. But totally worth it, no matter how much mud we may have been covered in. There are so many artitsts that I would love to include in this review but I have narrowed it down to just a few. One of the performaces that really stood out for me was the set from South London band Arcane Roots. If you enjoy music from Biffy Clyro then these guys will be right up your alley. The band who have recently been raved about by DJ Annie Mac, attracted a lot of fans into the tent, which was eventually full to capacity. Just after perforfming their latest release, titled “Off The Floor” which in itself is a great head bopper, they then went on to sing a small segment of the massive Linkin Park hit “Crawling”, which I have no doubt was a touching tribute to the band’s front man Chester Bennington who has recently passed away. This was definitely a stand out moment for me and clearly many others in the room as it was met with applause.
An act that is defintly worth a mention is the unforgettable and high energy four piece, Yonaka. The band’s first appearance at Truck was in 2016 and they were named as one of the best sets of the weekend’s event. This year they had returned to find themselves performing on the main stage. With striking vocals from Theresa Jarvis and her very theatrical movements they had an amazing stage presence and captivated the audience. The band performed some of their singles including “Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya”, “Ignorance” “Bubblegum” and the intense “All In My Head” to which they encouraged the crowds of people to sing along with them. If you get the chance to see them perform live, don’t miss out!
Saturday lunchtime brought us the very energetic Truck festival veteran that was the one and only Mr Motivator. This was certainly a segment to help festival goers get up onto their feet to shake off their friday night hangovers. With great music, funky moves and inspiring words during his half an hour time slot Mr Motivator really did bring out the inner sunshine in all of us during a very damp weekend.
Sunday evening saw probably one of the best acts of the weekend at the Market stage. Scottish alternative rock band Twin Atlantic. The quartet who formed in 2007 completly packed out their venue at Truck. Not only was the Market stage bursting at the seems being at full capacity but they area surrounding was jam packed too. The band performed well known singles “Brothers & Sisters”, “Heart and Soul” and had blown the roof off of the venue during big hit “No Sleep!”. Clearly these four lads would have been better suited to the festival’s main stage. I really hope they will return to make this happen.
Lastly I cannot forget to mention the awesome headline acts! Truck organisers did not disappoint with these big names. Friday night concluded with the chart topping Franz Ferdinand. The glasgow based indie rockers opened their impressive set with the very familiar “Matinee”. They also performed hits “Walk Away” and the massive “Take Me Out”.
Saturday night’s headline act was The Libertines. The band ushered on to the music scene in the early noughties with their debut single “What A Waster” competing with the likes of The Strokes and Doves. Following a hiatus in the mid noughties the band then reunited for gigs at the ever popular Leeds and Reading festivals in 2010. At truck crowds of fans saw them perform hits such as “Time For Heroes” and “What Katie Did”.
The biggest and probably most anticipated performance of the weekend was also the one that brought the weekend to a close. This came from huge British band The Vaccines! These guys had drawn in thousands of people to the main stage (even England footballer Stuart Pierce!) while they performed many of their greatest hits which included “If You Wanna”, “Post Break-up Sex”, “Melody Calling”, “Norgaard” and even sampled some new music from their forthcoming album. Their set ended with a spectacular firework display which left the entire site reeling in feel good vibes
To me, Truck festival 2017 was a success. I really enjoyed my time there and I would absolutely love to go again. Yes there were a few hiccups this year that can be improved upon, which the organisers need to take into consideration when planning the 2018 event, but I won’t let it dampen (pardon the pun) my view of a well rounded family friendly festival.
Based on the great line up and long list of stages I had high hopes for my first Latitude. It took me a day or so to get there but by the end of the weekend I had definitely fallen for the festival. Despite what appeared to be quite a specific audience of ‘white, middle class, Waitrose shoppers’, it turned out to be a festival that offers something for everyone.
The festival site is situated on either side of a rather picturesque lake and then continues to spread into the woods on both sides. It is known for its wide variety of stages: the main music stages are the Oblisk Arena and BBC Music Stage; followed by a wide number of smaller music stages featuring mostly up and coming musicians; the Comedy Stage is close behind the main stage in popularity, with a strong line up of well known names such as Dara OBriain, Joel Dommett and Katherine Ryan; in addition there is a Theatre; the Dance on the Waterfront stage, which features a variety of dance and otherwise indefinable acts; plus many more stages featuring art, politics, and speakers.
One of the first things that stood out when exploring the site was the small size of the audience area in front of the Obelisk Arena. It is contained by high-rise arena style seating placed around the outside – quite practical but also a reminder of what kind of audience you are watching alongside. However for the headliners of the evening, The 1975, neither the audience area nor the seats were even close to full. This was a trend that continued over the weekend; it was a nice change not having to push through masses of people to get anywhere, but also slightly disappointing as a good crowd can make a big difference to a live performance. The 1975’s lead singer, Matt Healy spent the performance drinking and smoking but his odd brand of charisma was in full force, and he charmed the audience with his chat between songs about spreading unity and love.
Mumford andSon’s Gentlemen of the Road label (GOTR) curated Saturday’s line up, and they also headlined the Obelisk Arena alongside Baaba Maal later. The line up featured lots of names that will be familiar if you are a fan of Mumford’s style of folk/acoustic sounds. This was to be a day full of music in my opinion – the main draw of the festival for me – and the day was spent switching between stages to catch as much music as possible.
Opening the Obelisk Arena were The Very Best, the band is from London and Malawi, and they supported Mumford and Sons on tour in Africa last year. Their sound was unique and enjoyable despite being a bit unpolished; Warm Heart of Africa was the highlight of the set.
The main stage line up for the rest of day just got better, with Lucy Rose putting in a stunning performance, followed by Milky Chance who were an unexpected highlight for me. They were joined on stage by an incredible harmonica player who would have made the set were it not for the star quality and strong performance brought by lead singer Clemens Rehbein. Glass Animals followed, and clearly had many supporters in the crowd as pineapples (their unofficial motif) started to pop up everywhere. One fan ate almost an entire pineapple throughout the set. They are worthy of the quirky adoration and have proved themselves a great addition to any festival line up.
The most anticipated set of the weekend for me was next on the BBC Music stage, the second biggest stage at the festival. A Blaze of Feather have only recently launched themselves on to the music scene and this was their first UK festival appearance. Despite featuring the widely adored Ben Howard, the band has retained a high level of mystery, which would explain the half empty tent (alongside the unfortunate scheduling clash with Two Door Cinema Club). The music was haunting and beautiful, and the clear connection between the band members made the skillful performance so much more special.
The Alcove Stage, run by DIY Music, is also worth a mention for its excellent Saturday line up of musicians on the peripherals of success. Flyte, Mosa Wilde, Outlya and Jade Bird are all ones to watch out for – have a listen if you get the chance.
The night was brought to a close with Mumford and Sons sharing their headline slot with Baaba Maal. The set was a classic Mumford and Sons set – high-energy folk music with plenty of jumping and some wonderful banjo playing. If they are not really your thing then the addition of Baaba Maal and Maggie Rogers should have made up for that. Both brought powerful vocals that helped to raise the set up from average to great.
The evening ended with a packed out Music and Film Arena for Jaguar Skillz, and the discovery of Parcels on the Solas Stage. They have previously supported Two Door Cinema Club and their funky sounds were the perfect thing to get the audience dancing before winding down for the night.
Sunday is typically a chilled day at Latitude, which was just as well, having spent the previous day trying to see as much of the GOTR line up as possible. There was some great music on the Saturday, but I felt like I had yet to discover the magic of the festival that I was sure was in there somewhere.
The Solas stage turned out to be a highlight of the day; tucked away in the woods right behind the pink sheep grazing on the grass around the big-mirrored Latitude sign. Hein Cooper was an early discovery of the day who held his audience captive with his singer-songwriter vibe that combined with electronics and pedals to build a unique and effective sound.
Leo Stannard was the other Sunday Solas highlight. He had a backing band with him, and broke from the expected set formula to play an instrumental piece on his own.
The Alcove Stage discovery of the day was Joe Fox, apparently still almost entirely unknown, but with big potential. His new single ‘What’s the Word’ is worth checking out.
In the afternoon I wandered through more woods to where some other stages were located. I caught Adwaith at the BBC Introducing stage while sinking into one of the comfy sofas set out in front of the stage. They are a feisty trio of girls who were suitably enjoyable to listen to, especially from the luxury of my squishy leather sofa.
Fleet Foxes and Fatboy Slim provided the evenings entertainment on the two main stages. They were scheduled to clash, which wasn’t the case with Saturday headliners but seems to make sense considering how different their expected audiences are. The Fleet Foxes setwas slow moving and not exactly the stuff of legendary Sunday night headline slots, despite being musically lovely. Fatboy Slim was the complete opposite, with a completely full audience in the BBC tent, all jumping, dancing and singing along for the entirety of the set.
Following such excitement the only place to be for the last few hours of the festival was at the Sunrise Arena After Dark, hidden about as far away in the woods as you can get, the crowds still all managed to make their way for Trevor Nelson’s smash hit DJ set. It was a great fun close to the weekend, and not what was expected upon spotting a pop-up Waitrose by the main stage on the first day of the festival. It appears that Latitude have managed to hit the nail on the head once again when it comes to their signature variety of music and arts, perfectly presented across their beautiful site.
It was a weekend of mixed emotions for me as I entered through the wonderfully designed archway of Cornbury Festival. I almost wanted to cry right away as I knew that this would be the last time I would ever do this. It’s not as if I am even a regular to Cornbury, I had only been once before but that’s the kind of impact Cornbury Festival has on you. I took my son for the first time and sadly the last, he is only 18 months and I had dreams of bringing him here every year, especially with the kids camping area (families not kids running riot unsupervised) and the kids activities.
Cornbury had one heck of a great line up for its finale. Headliners were Kaiser Chiefs, The Pretenders and the amazing Bryan Adams. Other acts included Imelda May, Right Said Fred, Midge Ure, Police Dog Hogan, Sophie Ellis Bexter and many more proving how diverse Cornbury is and how it caters for everyone. Cornbury has always been very kind to country music and this year, country was big for the finale with the return of Ward Thomas and artists such as Laura Oakes, The Wandering Hearts, Callaghan and Twinnie.
As someone who has been to a lot of festivals, I have never felt so comfortable as I did at Cornbury. My heart was breaking but I was going to enjoy this weekend as much as I could and walk away with some of the best memories I will ever have, especially seeing as this was not just my sons first Cornbury, but his first ever music festival.
It was a hot day, really hot, a little too hot for my son which made me worry but when I saw the amount of parents who had kids with them around the same age I felt a bit better.
The day was merry and bright, in so many ways, not just from the sun. Everywhere there were bright colours, some on flags, some on people, hot air balloons, stalls, everywhere.There There was so much to look at, street performers, Morris dancers, people in costumes, people dancing, groups of children playing, happy families and friends laughing and so much more, everywhere you looked there was something going on. Cornbury is old fashioned in a way, which I love, it is very traditional and has the best atmosphere of any festival.
It was only 12.30pm on the Friday and the atmosphere was already booming with everyone looking so happy, so relaxed and just so content. The way Cornbury is run is so perfect – it’s clean, safe, friendly and very homely. I was pushing a very large and heavy buggy but it didn’t stop me having fun. We arrived just in time for UK Country star Laura Oakes to hit The Pleasant Valley stage. I had been looking forward to seeing Laura for a while as shamefully had not seen her yet.
Laura appeared on stage out of nowhere and was dressed in a lovely black outfit which is hard to describe but Laura always dresses wonderfully and rather loud but in a great ‘gets your attention and looks stunning’ kind of way. Laura has a stunning voice and it makes me wonder why she isn’t more successful but with Country Music going on the rise in the UK especially with artists such as The Shires and Ward Thomas, I have no doubt in my mind that Laura’s time is yet to come, she certainly has a large following within in the UK country music fan base. Laura played a wonderful and highly entertaining set with many songs new to me as well as her singles Snakes and Ladders and
I heard a couple behind me say “Wow, she was good” so it’s fair to say that Laura gave a good impression and I also realised that she was my son’s first ever gig.
After having a spot of lunch, a burger in fact from one of the stalls who made a lovely ruby burger? Anyway, it was good quality and hit the spot. We then ventured to the river stage for Callaghan only to discover that the schedules had changed and she went on early so we sadly caught only one song. It was a shame as I keep missing her wherever she plays, perhaps it is not meant to be. I will see her properly one day.
Having another wander, we took a look at the kids area which was full of fun activities such as clay making, face painting, giant Jenga, arts and crafts and story time. If James were a little older he may have participated but it was certainly a god send for parents with older children and kept them entertained for hours. For even older children and teenagers there was a fairground with all the rides you would often see such as The Waltzers and a traditional helter skelter. As well as rides there were games and prize driven games. On the Saturday we also caught a dog show which was so adorable and a must for any dog lovers.
What was was also tempting was the giant hammocks that people were snoozing in, they looked very comfortable.
There was a lot of free sampling with drinks scattered around the festival which was very welcome indeed as were very parched.
Saturday was the better day for me. Arriving early I had a spot of breakfast courtesty of Dorset Cereal. Now if you haven’t ever seen Dorset Cereal, look out for it as their packaging is very eye catching. Of course, looks can be deceiving but the taste did not disappoint. I am a very fussy breakfast eater but Dorset Cereals mixed with natural youghurt is just yum yum yum. I sampled the luscious berry and cherry muesli mixed with choc cherry granola, well this started a craving and I went to my local supermarket and bought some as soon as I got home. Dorset Cereals were readily available at Cornbury Festival and have and will be at various other family festivals. Campsite festival goers were lucky indeed as Dorset Cereals hosted a campsite takeover and brought them a wonderfully yummy breakfast experience. There was also a Dorset Cereals marquee which was full of packs of the product, bowls and cutlery for consumers to help themselves to a delicious breakfast.
As it is a family festival, Dorset Cereals didn’t stop there as they also provided family entertainment activities including acoustic music sessions, yoga classes and plenty of other festival fun.
Still hot but giving my son a break at home with his dad, my friend and I started the music part of the day with one of my current favourite artists The Wandering Hearts.
It felt almost criminal that The Wandering Hearts were first on stage, but seeing as they only have one song out at the moment, I guess it makes sense. In a way it was a good thing though, as they got to get the festival crowd off to a good start and in my opinion, challenge any act to top them.
You would think that this vocal group had been together for years but they have only known each other less than two years and are now signed to Decca.
As often is the case, the crowd was quite small before they came on stage, they were the opener so people were still arriving but as the minutes went on, more and more people arrived and by the time they entered the stage, it became more crowded.
Walking on stage looking the picture perfect Country/Folk group, The Wandering Hearts went straight into singing their current and debut single I Wish I Could. This is such a great song, if you haven’t heard it yet, then what are you waiting for? AJ kicked off the song vocally before being joined by the others but it is always Tara’s solo that completely captivates me. Her vocals are delicate and beautiful and she really takes the already brilliant song up a level.
The four band members are instantly likeable. Their personalities shine on stage and their voices blend beautifully together, creating the perfect harmonies that are incredibly infectious. The Wandering Hearts are going places, this group are just insane and every song they sing is wonderfully exciting and so well written. Biting Through The Wires is a favourite of mine as well as soon to be a single Devil. The Wandering Hearts pull in elements of artists such as Fleetwood Mac and Little Big Town but are more suited to the folk genre than country. They really are quite something and my most welcome discovery back in January. I could honestly watch this group all day. Most of the audience seemed to be unaware of them but more than happy with their choice to catch them first before doing anything else or seeing someone else. I can’t wait for an album, it is so far my most eagerly awaited album to purchase so I hope I get it soon.
We managed to catch a bit of Jazz artist Max Jury who played mostly piano driven music which was pretty and he was charming and entertaining and comedic in places especially when he described one of his dates with a lovely girl who wore floral sundresses which ended with him checking out her insta only to discover she was a satanist. I have to give a special mention to his backing singer who had a phenomenal voice and was truly remarkable.
Next up was Twinnie, an up and coming UK country singer/songwriter. Now I see a lot of live music so it gets to a point at times when live shows get put to the back of my mind or some shows are just OK. As a fan, I was expecting her to be good but my goodness, I wasn’t expecting her to be THAT good. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. My friend and I were in awe. My friend, completely unfamiliar with Twinnie was amazed and I continued to be blown away as her set went on.
Twinnie performed on the Saturday of Cornbury on the Cafe Nero stage. Set out like a coffee house but in a tent, well Marquee, my friend and I grabbed the front couch. Frappe’s, soft couch, music, we wanted to stay there forever.
Twinnie made the audience laugh before she even began. Twinnie is fairly tall so when the rather short announcer took to the microphone to introduce her, she joked “You want me to lower it?”.
She began her set with her single Home which was released last year. I should quickly mention that half her band were new I believe and had not had a chance to rehearse. You wouldn’t have known though. Home was spectacular live, the song is a great pop country track with easy to sing a long to lyrics which makes it really a joy live. Home has a slight folk edge to it too and was a wise choice to begin the set as it drew more people into the tent and made everyone already there stay put. Everyone quickly realised going to see her was a great decision and for me in particular, it was worth missing Ward Thomas on the main stage for.
Twinnie continued to impress with new songs I had not heard before which were all really well written and melodic and I am hoping they will be released officially. Her performance oozed with confidence and she amused the crowd between songs with her wit, her infectious northern accent and overall charm. One of my favourite tracks of Twinnie’s is Looking Out For You who she wrote for her granddad. I love this song, it is by far one of her best and a track she should be very proud of. The lyrics are very warming and homely and it has a lovely crowd participating part in it. This song live did not disappoint and I was so happy that she played it.
The ‘wow’ song for me though, the one where Twinnie really showcased her vocals and left everyone stunned was her cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark. I honestly didn’t know she could sing like that. It was this particular moment that made me think, why is she not more known? How is she not one of the leading UK country artists? Why do so little in the country fan community know her name? Well THIS will undoubtedly change. Twinnie proved she has the ability to truly be a great success and I could not be more excited to watch her career grow.
Twinnie ended her set with her debut single Cool. When she finished her set the crowd were vocal about wanting her to continue so she treated us with her beautiful ballad Lie To Me which is vocally challenging and showed off Twinnie’s range.
Again, what a show, a truly superb performance which left the crowd mesmerised. It was better than I could have imagined. Twinnie is a born performer and I honestly feel like it was a treat, I felt so lucky to have been there and in such an intimate setting too. Out of the entire weekend, Twinnie’s set was the one I went away remembering the most, the one that I can’t stop talking about.
Bryan Adams himself was discreetly in the crowd and was so taken and so impressed that he invited her on stage to join him for a song as part of his Cornbury headling set that evening. Now to perform with the likes of Bryan Adams is the dream of many world stars let alone a new artist. When Bryan announced her, it was almost emotional, I felt very proud of her and she certainly caught the attention of a very large crowd. Twinnie is making her mark for sure and if she is good enough for Bryan, then she should certainly be good enough for a long, successful career. I can’t wait to be part of the journey as a fan and hope you do too.
Another big surprise for me was Tom Chaplin, formerly the lead singer of Keane. Firstly, he looked so different and has certainly cleaned up his act since his drug days. Tom came on stage as if he was home. Not a stranger to Cornbury, Tom expressed his gratitude for the festival and sadness for it ending. Tom sang from his solo material as well as his Keane days. It’s funny how many Keane songs I actually knew but didn’t realise I knew till he performed them. Tom has the voice of perfection. It is so, how can I describe it? Simply stunning, beautiful, chilling in a good way. As someone who never really paid much attention to Keane this performance really blew me away and I am so glad I had the opportunity to see him live. The atmosphere was so nice and felt very family oriented as everyone was respectful of their neighbour and everyone sang along to the big songs such as Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody’s Changing.
Of course, everyone was there for Bryan Adams. I was super excited. Bryan Adams isn’t someone I would necessarily choose to see live and won’t pretend that I am a massive fan but my goodness he was good. I loved every minute of it, he sang all the big hits such as Run To You, which was SO much fun as a crowd sing along and he sang Summer of 69’ and quite early on too. Heaven was one of most beautiful moments of the evening but the passion, the air grabbing, the chanting moment was Everything I Do, I Do It For You.Everyone knows the words to that song and I don’t think I have had that much fun during a show in such a long time.
As I mentioned above Bryan brought out Twinnie which was a wonderful moment. Other hits he performed were songs such as When You’re Gone minus Mel C, Please Forgive Me, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman and All For One. As someone who only knows his big hits, his set list seemed highly impressive and undoubtedly pleased his hardcore fans to the max. Bryan’s set was electric, atmospheric, exciting, energetic, emotional and just bloody brilliant.
Sunday felt slightly more sad but in a good way, just sad that it was the finale of the finale. Everyone was having such a good time. Midge Ure were one of the highlights especially with playing an acoustic version of Vienna. Imelda May showcased her more emotional side with her new sound, leaving the rockabilly behind and wowed her audience with a side to her we weren’t used to.
Sadly I left early but my heart sank and a lump in my throat developed when I saw the main stage (Pleasant Valley Stage) end its moment with a That’s All Folks! safety curtain and fireworks. I can only imagine how it would have felt to be there and I regret that I wasn’t.
I am I was so heartbroken, Cornbury is the nicest, most heartfelt, comforting and welcoming festival that I have ever been to and I shall miss it dearly. Where will I go now? At least it went out with one hell of a bang, a darn good line up, an atmosphere that was out of this world and a festival full of heart and peace.
Farewell Cornbury, thank you for the festivities, the love, the joy, the music and thank you for some of the best festival toilets around.
With less than one week to go, Oxfordshire brings us one of the biggest events of the Summer festival calendar. Truck Festival! In the festival's 20th Anniversary its going to be the most anticipated year to date. Past years have seen acts including Ash, Mystery Jets, Biffy Clyro, Manic Street Preachers and many more.
2017's event will welcome headline acts Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines and The Vaccines on the main stage. On offer will also be seven other stages showcasing performances from a diverse range of bands and artists which will include Truck Festival veterans Slaves-who packed out the Barn stage in 2015. Also Scottish band Twin Atlantic, The Wombats, Maximo Park, Cabbage, Yonaka, Pulled Apart By Horses and many more.
There will also be DJ sets from BBC Radio 1's Mistajam and Hollywood actor Idris Elba. Saturday morning will see the return of the energetic Mr Motivator, to encourage crowds to get up on their feet and get moving. This is just a quick preview of all the excitement to come with acts that are not to be missed. New and upcoming artists Tom Grennan, Vant, Honeyblood, The Big Moon, Get Inuit and Crows are definately worth a listen and ones to look out for.
On site will be a huge selection of food vendors, a cinema, fairground rides including a helter skelter and small business stalls. There will be plenty on offer for all ages. For those of you who have successfully purchased tickets to the event, here at Summer Festival Guide we hope you have an amazing weekend, and we look forward to seeing you there!
For more information visit the Truck Festival website HERE!
Spanning from June 30th – July 7th, Greenwich Music Time is an outdoor festival hosting a series of concerts and boasting impressive backdrops of the historic Old Royal Naval College and the River Thames in London. Topping the bill this year included big names such as Little Mix, Cliff Richard and The Jacksons. Lucky for me, I was heading off to see the latter on 6th July and I could hardly believe I would be catching a show from perhaps the most recognizable family in music history, and in such a spectacular setting too. Consisting of the original members Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson, it was certain to be a spell-binding show packed full of their mega-hits.
As I bounded through the gates with my companion at the Old Royal Naval College, we were both instantly impressed. A world heritage site, the venue was absolutely stunning and on a warm July evening, a golden sunset was making the atmosphere all that more beautiful. The four brothers made a mighty entrance with their chart-topping disco hit ‘Can you feel it’ followed with ‘Blame it on the boogie’, prompting the adoring audience to get jigging along. A clear tribute to Michael’s hanging absence, we were treated to his own solo fan-favourite hit ‘Rock with you’ before the group’s aptly-named ‘Enjoy yourself’.
A touching video montage including clips from The Jackson’s childhood proved to be a lovely inclusion before one of my favourites was played ‘I want you back’, encouraging the masses to sing along. A string of upbeat mega-hits followed, including the likes of ‘ABC’, ‘Dancing Machine’ and then my personal favourite of them all, ‘I’ll be there’. This time the crowds waved their arms as they sang along, making it a moving performance from the boys.
The emotions continued running, with a touching tribute to Michael with a cover of his own song, ‘Gone too soon’, paired with heartwarming images and clips of Michael on the big screens.
The remainder of the performance thrilled with more upbeat disco hits such as Michael’s ‘Wanna be startin’ somethin’’, and finalising with The Jackson’s ‘Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)’ and ‘State of shock’. Combined with plenty of impressive dance moves (yes, moonwalking included!), the classic Michael ‘hee-hee’ notes and a tonne of energy, The Jacksons sure showed that they most definitely still had it.
Every year, the small town of Ampthill in Bedfordshire welcomes people from near and far to their amazing production which is of course Ampthill Festival. This festival consists of three different events over the course of a weekend (Friday-Sunday). Each part of the event had something completely different to offer. 'Amp Rocks' – A night of music on Friday, 'Ampthill Park Proms' – an evening of west end style perfomances on the Saturday and lastly the 'Ampthill Gala Day' – a well rounded family event that welcomes all ages to an array of perfomances and activities which takes place on the Sunday to close the busy weekend.
Friday night's 'Amp Rocks!' gig provided fun and frolicks for all! The production team had an amazing line up for ticketholders to enjoy. The evening was also hosted by BBC Radio DJ Nick Coffer. Redbourne battle of the bands winners Arccos got the night off to a great start. Fresh from performing live on BBC Three Counties Radio that very afternoon, the five lads performed their renditions of well known songs including 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon, 'The Kill', made famous by 30 Seconds to Mars, 'Shut Up And Dance' by Walk To The Moon, 'What You Know' by Two Door Cinema Club and 'Treasure', a track originally relased by artist Bruno Mars. The band's diverse choice of hits were well recieved by a chorus of kareoke like festival goers and even a small Arccos fanclub in the front of the crowd wearing band apparel.
In between each act while the stage team set up instruments and equipment, the crowds of people were entertained by a variety of music being played throughout the grounds and a social media system inviting people to use hashtags and upload their best rock star style photographs to the huge screens at the back of the stage. A live video feed of the audience was also on view for all to see. Not only that but there was a great choice of food vendors to visit just behind the music arena. Vendors included wood oven pizzas, BBQ Chicken and mobile units offering traditional festival foods including hotdogs, burgers, fries, donuts, tea and coffee. Also up for grabs were a pick n mix sweet van, ice cream and a bar. I must say the pizzas were 'delizioso!'
Now…Are you ready for some time travel? Feeling like Marty McFly and Doc Brown? Lets get into that Delorean and go back in time to some amazing musical eras. The rest of the evening takes us back to the 1980s and right up to the present day. We begin our musical time travelling journey in the early 90s with britpop band Cast. The band, originally from Liverpool performed well known classics such as 'Walkaway', 'Free Me' and 'Guiding star' which had everyone up on their feet. The band also sampled songs 'Paper Chains' and 'Birdcage' from their new sixth studio album titled 'Kicking Up The Dust'. Their music is still quite similar to material that we already know from them, but with its more modern twist it is definitely worth a listen. One very amusing moment of this set was the band discussing with the audience about their journey to the venue. They spoke of how they jumped on the train only to arrive at what they thought was a destination called 'Flit-Wick' station and little did they know that they would quickly recieve correction from a bystander on the pronounciation of the town's name of 'Flitwick' (pronnounced Flittick).
Time to hit 'The Noughties!' I must admit I am very excited to be able to write about the next act of the night. This is a band that meant everything to my seventeen year old self. A band that I have waited almost thirteen years to see perform live! Introducing the first of the joint headine acts, musicians Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne – otherwise known as Busted! People in the audience were indeed going mad for these three cheeky chaps. For example, next to me, stood two very extatic older women screaming for Busted! They noticed me with my trusty notepad and pen, then looked at me and said "we are such an embaressment to our children, make sure that you don't mention the crazed middle aged women raving next to you" so of course, ladies this is a little shout out to you and your bubbly personalities!
Back to topic. The music. The three members of Busted leapt out onto stage with so much energy and charisma to say a quick hello to the audience and jumped straight into the first song of their alotted time 'Air Hostess'. In amongst the array of big hit singles which included 'Crashed The Wedding', 'Who's David?', '3am', 'Meet You There' and 'Sleeping With The Light On' the bandmates would often encourage audience interaction to build up a good rappor with their fans. At one point lead vocalist Charlie offered a competition to everyone by announcing "the best dancer during the next song will receive a kiss from Matt Willis!" to which Willis replied "I haven't brushed my teeth today." The band went on to perform 'Break your heart' which is taken from their latest album 'Night Driver'. And the lucky winner of the kiss competition? Much to the dismay of many ticketholders, crew and press (including myself), went to band member Charlie. After a sigh from the crowds of people gathered in the music arena Matt Willis then announced that he has "Snogged all of Busted now" After the comedy section of the set the band continued to play more from their latest album which included 'What You're On', 'Without It', album title track 'Night Driver' and new realease "New York". Latest album 'Night Driver' (realeased in 2016) has a very different sound from the classic Busted hits. After seperating and re forming once more, the band's music has definitely grown with them. Their new music has a more of an electro-pop sound. Very much like the style of music that band member James Bourne had experimented with while going solo as 'Future Boy' shortly after the band had split years ago. No matter which direction Busted go in, it totally works!
At the end of an energetic hour and ten minutes and also a heavy rainfall which did not dampen any spirits, the band performed their biggest hit to date 'Year 3000', during which had people from all generations jumping, waving hands and doing their best air guitar impressions while singing along to the infamous lyrics. Before leaving the stage, James Bourne could be seen waving and throwing guitar picks into the audience in front of him. All three members of the band thanked the fans for a fun time, wished everyone a safe journey home and even encouraged everyone to "wear seatbelts!" After a short interval of music and big screen tv graphics from the stage, the last act of the night began to set up. The stage was transformed with what appeared to be white linen fabric. A very clean and simple look.
The closing act of the night took everyone back to the 1980s! The age of huge frizzy hair and rather dodgy statement cosmetics. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you English synthpop band, The Human League!
The band's female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley were first to enter the arena to take their place at each side of the stage wearing rather dazzling black sparkling attire. Then on walks lead singer Philip Oakey waving to the crowds of people in front of him before then dominating centre stage. I absolutely loved Philip Oakey's Amp Rocks look! The singer was clearly out to make a statement in his traditional way. He wore a sleeveless black number which trailed to the floor while rocking a bald head and goatee with dark round sunglasses. I am a fan of the very popular DC Comics and this also includes their TV shows. For those of you that are fans of TV series 'Gotham' you will probably have the exact same thought that rushed into my head as soon as I set eyes on The Human League's front man. "Oh my goodness, Dr. Hugo Strange is on stage!" The singer's appearance had a striking resemblence to actor B.D. Wong's protrayal of the famous Batman villain.
The pop heroes, with their glitzy showcase, put on a truely amazing show for all to see. The atmosphere in the arena was electric! People of all ages were united in one place to enjoy a slice of the 1980s. The band performed classics such as 'Heart Like A Wheel', 'Mirror Man', 'Lebanon', 'Tell Me When', 'Open Your Heart' and 'Fascination'. During the highly anticipated performance of hit single 'Don't you want me?' the first half of the song was performed entirely by the hundreds of people gathered in the audience, allowing the band members on stage to relax a little and enjoy watching their fans having a great time. The pop icons then contributed after the end of the first chorus to continue with their unique set. Lead vocalist Philip Oakey thanked fans for being at the event to see them perform before he and the other members of The Human league exited to the right of the stage. The lights dimmed slightly and fans were chanting loudly for more music from the final act of the night. As expected there was more entertainment from the musicians. They returned to the stage once more to perform two big hits 'Being Boiled' and the huge 'Electric Dreams' before the night of music on Friday came to a close.
The event was one that was certainly not to be missed and was well organised. Well done to everyone that took part in making this evening one to remember. This includes a quick shout out to the team from local recording studio 'Sound Arc' (based in Shefford, Bedfordshire) who provided all of the music/stage equipment for the concert.
Saturday night saw the festival introduce the 'Ampthill Park Proms'. which is a non profit "boutique" festival event that is organised from volunteers from the local community. It was an evening to invite everyone to come and see some amazing performances from some well known west end stars and more. Unfortunately I was not able to attend this part of the festival, but I can give a brief overview of the night and what it had in store. Not only this year did the team at the festival manage to sign two big west end names Oliver Tompsett and Julie Atherton but they also welcomed back the return of the popular Ampthill Town Band, The brilliant Redbourne Jazz Band and the very talented Ampthill Concert Orchestra. Between them, west end performers Oliver Tompsett and Julie Atherton have starred in some amazing shows including Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, We Will Rock You, Fame, Rock Of Ages, Guys and Dolls and The Wizard of Oz prequel -Wicked!
At the end of the night festiver goers were treated to a bright and beautiful firework extravaganza!
Last, but certainly not least Sunday brought us the 'Ampthill Gala Day'. A free walk in day time event for everyone in the family to enjoy. On arrival we (my partner, my two year old son and myself) were greeted by a couple of people handing out flyers with different activites and performances that were on offer throughout the day. There was certainly plenty to do. There was live commentary over a tannoy system throughout the cricket ground which also hosted a variety of games, competitions and even a parade through the local town that finished at the grounds with many people including children dressed as cheerleaders, ladybirds, extra terrestrials, paintballers and NASA astronauts.
The music arena and comedy tent which provided us with live music, stand up comedy performances, Q and A sessions and even a live baking class with Great British Bake Off 2014 winner Nancy Birtwhistle!
The music arena featured acts Idolising Nova, There Is No Dance, a live cooking demonstration from Bake Off Winner Nancy Birtwhistle showcasing her no bake cheese cake, Ghouls, The Indios, Kit Walker, Massaoke – a brilliant interactive sing along and Oasish – a rather good Oasis tribute band. The comedy tent organised by Ultra Live and Barnardos presented new and upcoming singer/songwriters and performers including the very talented Sam Neighbour, The Kagools and more. The team also brought us the very popular Mock the Week comedian Milton Jones. This was definitly one of my favorite segments of the day. The man is just as rib tickling as he is on tv. In the middle of the afternoon only a comedian would greet their audience with "Good evening!". Donned in one of his statement hawaiian style shirts and jeans with his wild hair, Jones said how nice it was to be in Ampthill's "onion shaped oven" as it was a very hot afternoon with over one hundred people crammed into a small dome shaped tent. In his routine as many stand up comedians often do he began to talk about recent events and politics and even mentioned that he had a great plan to help the UK government to fight obesity. His idea? "make chip shops doors narrower" this was met with a roar of laughter from everyone watching. Later in his time slot he asked the audience if they had anything that they would like him to discuss, so he had great social interaction with everyone watching. If you like stand up comedy I can definitly recommend buying a ticket to see Milton Jones live.
Another highlight of the day was The Science Dome. This was a black domed shaped inflatable tent which is often found at stargazing events around the country. It took us on a journey through time and space with its light display. We were invited into the tent and asked to lie on the floor and look up as a projector put on an amazing display of constellations, moving planets and even a trip to the international space station. At the end of the amazing experience was a simulation of being on a roller coaster racing around the rings of the planet Saturn. The graphics were absolutely incredible. It did make me a little dizzy but it was still something worth seeing. If you are given the opportunity to visit one of these domes at a stargazing event, I highly reccomend that you attend and take your children too. It was beautifil and very educational. So after all of that, this brings my review of the brilliant Ampthill Festival weekend to a close. Before this weekend, I had never attended any of these events before and I had no idea what to expect. But now I can say that I had such an amazing time there and I look forward to what Ampthill has in store for us in 2018!
With only a month to go, the 12th edition of Latitude Festival once again sets the bar high for summer festivals, with a host of names announced across the stages including the BBC Music Introducing Stage, The SpeakEasy, Music and Film, Solas and many more. Latitude Festival takes place on 13th – 16th Julyin the stunning grounds of Henham Park, Suffolk. Tickets are available here.
40,000 people will witness Brit Award winners The 1975 perform tracks from I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It for the last time, as well as a Fleet Foxes returning in a UK Exclusive after a five year hiatus, backed with the recently announced album Crack-Up, and Saturday night headliners Mumford & Sons who bring with them their Gentlemen Of The Road takeover to curate the day’s line up.
They’re joined by a line up brimming with huge names and exclusives across all stages, combined over 40 Top Ten albums, from the legendary Placebo in a UK Festival Exclusive to returning indie rockersThe Horrors; from Scandi indie-pop darlings The Radio Dept. (another UK festival exclusive) to the inimitable former Velvet Underground stalwart John Cale; from the iconic Mavis Staples to the all-out party that will be Fatboy Slim on the BBC Music Stage.
This year’s bill sees these marquee acts joined by a plethora of local talent including Ipswich’s Bessie Turner who plays The Lake Stage on the Friday of this year’s festival hot off the back of being described by BBC Music Introducing as a superstar in the making. Her debut single ‘Big Sleep’ was only released in April but has already gained the love of BBC Radio One and BBC 6 Music. Turned is joined by a cavalcade of Suffolk and Norfolk-based performers that include Beth Orton, Superglu, While the World Sleeps (who has a studio half-an-hour from Henham), Mullally and Rad Pitt, as well as contributions from locals on the arts side of the bill such as Gecko & Suffolk MIND, a local theatre company and mental health charity; Luke Wright, a poet and writer of award-winning verse; popular classical sopranoLaura Wright; John Osbourne, who performs his new show Circled in the Radio Times; and Mark Thompson with his The Show at the End of Universe.
Hot off the back of their acclaimed debut album The Witch, London’s own Pumarosa will be bringing their captivating live show straight from our nation’s capital to the Obelisk Arena on the Friday and the profoundly arresting Swedish singer-songwriter Albin Lee Meldau who will take to the Lake Stage.
Fresh talent joining Saturday’s already brimming bill include Scandinavian troubadour Skott who opens the BBC Music Stage, and another addition to the Sunrise Arena as part of the Gentlemen of the Road takeover: renowned folkster Beans on Toast. Sunday sees exciting from hook-heavy Humberside heroesLife on the Alcove Stage and former Let’s Wrestle frontman Wesley Gonzalez on the Lake Stage.
Returning to Latitude for its second year, the BBC Music Introducing Stage once again welcomes an eclectic array of talent specifically chosen for Latitude, submitted via a plethora of local BBC Introducing shows. Over the years, BBC Music Introducing has played a pivotal part in nurturing the careers of some of the biggest acts to have graced Latitude including Ed Sheeran and Florence and the Machine. This year’s stage comes presented by BBC Radio 3 mainstays Max Reinhardt (the Late Junction) and Suzy Klein (In Tune), and BBC 6 Music’s “modern day musical anti-hero”, Tom Ravenscroft.
Friday’s festivities are kicked off by a stellar bill that features jazz/R&B collective Solomon’s Garden, Conwy sensation Omaloma, Essex’s Sound of 2017 star Lisa Wright, alt-folk instrumental troupe Fishclaw, Scotland-via-Transylvania singer-songwriter Lizabett Russo, spoken word performer Banwo the Poet and denizens of doo-wop Be Good.
Flying the flag for BBC Music Introducing on the Saturday of this year’s festival are Edinburgh genre-benders Sink, ascendant hush-popper Tender Central, acclaimed Mande master Sefo Kanuteh, hotly-tipped jazz quartet Flying Machines, Glaswegian producer and composer Iona Fortune, rapidly rising hip-hop talent Piers James, and blues classicists Amanda Brown & The Common Ears.
Sunday is rounded off by another eclectic array of talent that includes the spellbinding Tinderbox Orchestra, the elusive House of Hippies, Welsh post-folkers Adwaith, enrapturing classical guitarist Valerie Hartzell, Sheffield mainstays Black Thorn, West Midlands multi-instrumentalist Lumi HD and composer extraordinaire Neil March. Highlights from all the sets on the BBC Music Introducing stage will be available across the network of Local Radio Introducing shows, BBC Radio 3 and BBC 6Music. To find out more information go to www.bbc.co.uk/introducing.
SOLAS returns to Henham Park, bringing its signature mix of transcendental experience for the Latitude audience. Whether it’s rejuvenating treatments, yoga, moments of relaxation or artistic inspiration, SOLAS has carved out an enclave of creativity, openness and excitement at Latitude. Treatments start at £30 and are available to book at www.solas.appointy.com.
In tandem with art and healing, the Solas Stage is an intimate venue which plays host to some of the best emerging UK and Irish talent from across the musical spectrum; from folk-tinged acoustic troubadours to ambient electro, from dark pop to the spacier end of electronic music.
This year sees a line-up on the Solas Stage that includes genre-straddling MC Afrikan Boy, funk-pop beach bums Parcels, folk storyteller Westerman, production wizards Blue Lab Beats, Dublin singer-songwriter Ailbhe Reddy, poptronic amalgam Talos, psych-dub maelstrom Pangani, Irish troubadourDavid Keenan, indie-house duo Le Boom and acoustic dreamers Into the Ark. Nile Rodgers’ favouriteBrian Deady, renowned producer and songwriter Willy Mason, multi-instrumentalist wunderkind Leo Stannard, the critically revered Seamus Fogarty, experimental pop trio White Kite and Irish sensualistsShips also join the Solas bill.
Dutch indie-pop dreamers Klangstof, hotly-tipped 4AD signing Aldous Harding, the bright and brilliantRosie Carney, Scandi-pop five-piece Broen, Sweden’s shimmering Geowulf, dancefloor stomperAndrew Kearney, restlessly inventive Danish quintet Lowly, the fingerstyle acoustica of John Smith, Australian singer songwriter Hein Cooper and the sprawling 9-piece funk-soul of TooFools round off the line up of up and coming acts on the Solas Stage.
This year we are bringing all our debate, discussion, literary & poetry events under one roof, in The SpeakEasy. From established wordsmiths to emergent talents, literary legends to radical insurgents, The SpeakEasy will host author sessions with award-winning writers, poetry performance from the brightest voices and lively discussion until late into the night.
Booker-nominated author of Brooklyn and The Testament of Mary, Colm Tóibín will come to Henham Park to discuss his latest novel, House of Names, a reimagining of the Greek classic tale of Clytemnestra's family tragedy. Also visiting The SpeakEasy for the first time, Geoff Dyer will discussWhite Sands; his creative exploration of why we travel which was recently shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year 2017. Both Colm and Geoff will be interviewed by Guardian journalist,Alex Clark.
Sarah Winman, author of the international bestseller When God was a Rabbit and the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller A Year of Marvellous Ways will be at The SpeakEasy to preview her highly anticipated new novel Tin Man, in conversation with The Bookseller’s Sarah Shaffi.
The Women’s Prize for Fiction, Standard Issue and Wellcome Book Prize will all return to Latitude for one-off panels with leading literary women. Chaired by Sam Baker of The Pool, Women’s Prize for Fiction will present Stories for Revolutionary Girls with Naomi Alderman, whose novel The Powerrecently won the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, author and academic Elif Shafak and co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party Catherine Mayer. Standard Issue will present a lively panel with Hannah Dunleavy, Mickey Noonan, Jen Offord, Deborah Frances-White, Susie Wokoma and a special guest. The Wellcome Book Prize bring the Latitude audience their Reading Cures with Joanna Cannon, Bryony Gordon, Dr Pippa Kennedy and Di Speirs.
Andy Parsons will return to Latitude with his Slacktivist Action Group. Joining Andy to discuss current affairs and agree one direct action will be The Sunday Times columnist India Knight, Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party and Reprieve Director Maya Foa. Carole Cadwalladr (Observer),Nick Hopkins (Guardian) and Carl Miller (Demos) will be discussing the Fake News phenomenon, chaired by Dr Daniel Glaser. James Brown (Above Head Height) and Alexandra Heminsley (Leap In)will be in discussion on amateur sports.
Latitude-goers of all ages will enjoy Choose Your Own Jolly Adventure with Bruno Vincent, the author of the hugely successful ‘Enid Blyton for Grown Ups’ series, with Five Lose Dad In The Garden Centrecurrently top of the charts.
Also joining The SpeakEasy line up is Global Pillage; the brand new comedy panel show podcast all about idiom, culture, customs and norms. The panel, led by Deborah Frances-White, will include Susan Wokoma, Sarah Bennetto, Bisha K Ali and Athena Kugblenu. BBC 6Music’s Shaun Keaveny will also produce a special episode of his Middle Aged Night Out from The SpeakEasy with special guest Dane Baptiste, whilst Robin Ince’s Festival Shambles guests are Katy Brand, John-Luke Roberts, Joanna Neary, Barry Crimmins and George Egg. History Hit Live present The Art Detective at Latitude, with Dr Janina Ramirez joined by special guest Professor Alice Roberts as they uncover history and culture through a single artwork.
Exploring their recollections of pop culture through memoir will be Lol Tolhurst and Cosey Fanni Tutti,each interviewed by celebrated music journalist Pete Paphides. Lol Tolhurst will be discussing his poignant memoir Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys, a passionate and evocative account of his time in one of the defining bands of the 70s and 80s, The Cure, and a frank and moving look at his personal addictions and his road to recovery. Cosey Fanni Tutti will be discussing her hugely acclaimed autobiography Art Sex Music which charts her rise with era-defining COUM Transmissions through to her time with Throbbing Gristle. John Lloyd will reflect upon his career creating some of the most iconic comedy TV shows including Not The Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder and QI, interviewed by author and TV critic, Viv Groskop.
Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs), will celebrate the life of playwright Joe Orton in the 50thanniversary year of his death. A panel led by Leonie Orton, Chris Shepherd, Dr Emma Parker and Robin Ince, will discuss Orton’s life, work and perform his witty letters of complaint, written under the pseudonym of Mrs Edna Welthorpe. John Osborne, creator of John Peel’s Shed and Sky 1’s After Hours, will also present Circled in the Radio Times a new storytelling show exploring the changing nature of how we all watch television.
Multi-award winning poet, playwright and novelist, Simon Armitage will return to Latitude to perform from his collection of poems The Unaccompanied. Insightful, relevant and empathetic, The Unaccompanied is a bold new statement of intent. Jamaican-British dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson will call Latitude to arms with his poetry on Saturday. Linton’s highly political poetry has been at the forefront of counterculture since the 1970s and in 2002 he became the second living poet to have his work included in Penguin’s Modern Classic series. Murray Lachlan Young, who shot to fame in the mid-90s when he become the only poet to sign a contract worth £1m, will present an anthology of work in How Freakin’ Zeitgesit Are You?.
Recent Ted Hughes Award winner for Nobody Told Me, a poetic memoir about becoming a parent, Hollie McNish will be at Latitude to discuss her latest anthology. Plum is a genre-bending candid account of Hollie’s memories from childhood to attempted adulthood. This is a book about growing up, about flesh, fruit, friendships, work and play. Hollie will also team up with Rosy Carrick and Hannah Silva to honour the Russian revolutionary poets in The Language of Revolution. Bang Said The Gun, the team who put on poetry nights for people who think they don't like poetry, will host guests Deanna Rodgers, the youngest UK Poetry Slam Champion and voice to watch, and Kriss Foster who has won plaudits for his stories about Vimto, trains and the seaside.
Recently selected by London's Evening Standard as one of the exciting new and young poetic voices in London, Richard Osmond will be taking audiences on a poetic foraging walk starting in Latitude’s stunning Faraway Forest on the Saturday. Richard is a professional forager, a hobby from childhood that grew into a career and has in turn gone on to shape his life and his first collection of poems, The Useful Verse. Other poets confirmed for The SpeakEasy include: Ross Sutherland, Mark Grist, Michelle Madsen, Jonny Fluffypink, Bohdan Piasecki, BAC Beatboxers, Mark Grist, Lisa Luxx, Toby Thompson and Ian Duhig.
In Pandora’s Playground, we welcome back Dylan’s Mobile Bookstore where the audience can immerse themselves in the poetry of Dylan Thomas, Swansea’s most famous son.
In the Music & Film Arena, Latitude is delighted to welcome MOBO founder and music industry pioneer,Kanya King to the stage for a very special interview exploring her extraordinary work to bring black music to heart of international music culture. Comedian and magician Pete Firman, known for his appearances on The Magicians and The Next Great Magician, will be joining the Comedy stage on Saturday for a performance of his trademark tricks. Hosted by Phil Ellis, London’s innovative Soho Theatre will welcome hip-hop duo Rubberbandits, Swedish musical comedian Carl-Einar Häckner, Colin Hoult performing as his alter ego Anna Mann, live art provocateur Lucy McCormick and high-octane stand-up Desiree Burch. In the Theatre Arena, National Theatre Live will broadcast the Old Vic’s hugely acclaimed production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadwhich stars Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire as the eponymous duo. Rave Karaoke will play karaoke classics of yesteryear in The Cabaret Theatre, presented by DJ, performer & full-time show-off Anna Greenwood.
In the Wellcome Trust Arena,Caroline Wright will present Breath Control: Osmosis, featuring classical soprano Laura Wright. Join Caroline and Laura as they lead an interactive session with the Breath Choir, exploring pulmonary health and providing a snap shot of lung capacity through song. Also joining the festival’s Wellcome Trust supported programme, giving talks at Unlimited Theatre’s Space Shed in the Faraway Forest, are endurance athlete Shu Pillinger, to speak about optimizing the body for athleticism on earth and in space, and Beth Healey, the doctor who spent a year in Antarctica in the name of space exploration.
Elsewhere in the Faraway Forest, audiences will encounter sheds, talks and installations from artists and companies including the V&A, who will preview images and an immersive chorus audio experience from their forthcoming Opera: Passion, Power and Politics exhibition in collaboration with Royal Opera House. This immersive exhibition spans 400 years, through the lens of seven premieres in seven cities, and explores the seminal forces that drive so many stories. Audience should also keep an eye out for The Hypercollider, Emily Goss’s Grow Your Own Love Revolution, and can drop in to visit the Arts Council, Amy Winehouse Foundation and Medicins Sans Frontieres. Our unseen artists in the Faraway Forest include Metro Imaging, who support the Gallery, and Jane Lennard, who will transform the Forest’s iconic Tree of Life into a mass of yellow roses.
The Secret Garden Party is pleased to announce the full line-up for its Grande Finale. For those in any doubt, this is categorically the final edition in its illustrious 15-year tenure as one of the most celebrated and fun events on the summer calendar. Tickets are about to sell out so SGP has issued a strong ticket warning for those who may be still undecided. Don’t miss out on the ultimate send-off for this much-loved slice of eccentricity. Because when it’s over there will be nowhere quite like it again….ever.
Throughout the 4-day event, 15 stages and venues will feature some incredible live music and dj sets, including many unique collaborations and b2bs. Plus, there’s a whole host of theme-based hilarious and very naughty VIP activities and games to get involved with. As ever, the devil is in the detail, and SGP promises to deliver one of the most idiosyncratic and original parties on the planet to celebrate this final send-off. Sweet dreams indeed.
The full line up for Secret Garden Party 2017 is as follows (there will be a few unannounced secret special guests so ears to the ground).
THE GREAT STAGE
METRONOMY / CRYSTAL FIGHTERS / TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS
JAGWAR MA / PEACHES / WILD BEASTS / JEREMY LOOPS / HONNE
JORJA SMITH / KATE NASH / DEAP VALLY / DMA'S / FICKLE FRIENDS
TOM MISCH / RAY BLK / REJJIE SNOW / DAVID RODIGAN / CHARLOTTE OC / WILL JOSEPH COOK /
TOM GRENNAN / THE CORRESPONDENTS / ANTEROS / BEANS ON TOAST
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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
JAIN / AKALA / BONZAI /THE MOONLANDINGZ / ZAK ABEL / PUMAROSA / ALL THEM WITCHES / CLEAN CUT KID / MABEL / ETTA BOND / BE CHARLOTTE / TOOTHLESS / NORTH DOWNS / LET’S EAT GRANDMA / SERAMIC / BOXED IN / LAUREL / AINE CAHIL / CROOX / COSMO SHELDRAKE / ALICE JEMIMA / MONT JAKE / WOWH / OSCAR MIC / LOST COLOURS / MALKA / SASHA BROWN / GECKO / MR VAST / NED DYLAN / EARL OKIN / ALL ABOUT TOBE
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THE LIVING ROOM
THE WANDERING HEARTS / HONEY & THE BEAR / SKUFF & INJA / SIVU / ETHAN ASH / MORGANWAY / SUNDAY DRIVER / OPAQUE / WILL ROBERT / KYAN / THE INEXPLICABLES / PARK BENCH POET / LAURA OAKES / AMETHYSTS / SAMUEL JACK / CRINKLE CUTS / MATT MALTESE / SONNY / TOM LUMLEY/ FLINT MOORE /GOLDEN BANTIC / ANNABEL ALLUM / ISAAC GRACIE / KERRY DEVINE MAHALIA / THE KINGS PARADE / SONIA STEIN / HEAVY SUGAR DJ'S / PIXEY / RICKY BOOM BOOM plus SUPER SECRET SPECIAL GUESTS
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THE COLOSILLYUM
RINSE FM TAKEOVER
TEMPLE OF BOOM PRESENTS:
EXAMPLE & DJ WIRE / NERO / ALEX METRIC / HERVE + MC JDP / MAJESTIC / UTAH SAINTS / EDDY ™ + MC ANGEL / 1991 / DOCUMENT ONE / SHAPES /THE DANDADDA / MISTRESS MO + MC BOOGIEMAN
HOSPITALITY VS RAM:
SUB FOCUS VS METRIK / CAMO VS KROOKED / SPY VS RENE LA VICE /
FRED V & GRAFIX VS CULTURE SHOCK
NU:LOGIC VS DC BREAKS / KEENO VS CHORDS / FRANKEE VS KRAKOTA /DAXTA RUTHLESS ID / CARASEL
STANTON WARRIORS
FISH SEEKS BICYCLE PRESENTS: THE CRAFTY RASCALS
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THE DROP
VERY SPECIAL GUEST: MATHEW JONSON LIVE
EATS EVERYTHING PRESENTS EDIBLE
JACKMASTER / SKREAM / DJ TENNIS / NASTIA / CRAIG RICHARDS B2B NICOLAS LUTZ
WILD SIRRENDA (LIVE) / CHILDREN OF THE DUST / DAX LEE / BANOFFEE PIES / SHAPES / NICK GYNN /
JESS FARLEY / MANAMI BABA / SARAH FRENCH / TAMMY MILES
….and many more secret special guests
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THE LABYRINTH
GEORGE FITZGERALD /MARIBOU STATE (DJ SET) / WAZE & ODYSSEY /SOUL CLAP / JONAS RATHSMAN / CRAIG RICHARDS /MAN POWER / HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM / MAXXI SOUNDSYSTEM /LUKE SOLOMON / PEDESTRIAN /FELIX DICKENSON / MATT TOLFREY / ADAM SHELTON / DAVE HARVEY / WAIFS & STRAYS / CHRISTOPHE /BOBBY PLEASURE / ITCHY RICH / CHARLIE MCFARLEY / OLLIE MUNDY / ASHLEY WILD / SLEAZY WONDER / FOR BETTER OR WORSE
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LOST WOODS LIVE – CHAI WALLAHS
K.O.G & THE ZONGO BRIGADE / SHEELANAGIG / SMASH HI FI /HORSEMAN & THE UPPERCUT BAND / HONEYFEET / GYPSIES OF BOHEMIA / ABSTRACT ORCHESTRA KOFFIE /GALLOWSTREET / SOCCER 96 / THE URBAN FOLK QUARTET / LAKUTA LIAM BAILEY / MAMMAL HANDS /NEW ORLEANS SWAMP DONKEYS / YUMI & THE WEATHER / LAZY HABITS / TIME FOR T / ME AND MY FRIENDS / DOJO / SOLA ROSA / OLAH BLISS /HOLLY HOLDEN / Y SU BANDA / DAKHLA BRASS / BALAPHONICS /MORE LIKE TREES / SOLANA / FEELGOOD EXPERIMENT / KIOKO / TOKIO MYERS / VOJTA / ASH WALKER
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LOST WOODS DISCO
ANDHIM / JONAS RATHSMAN /STEVE DAVIS & KAVUS TORABI /ADAM FREELAND FLAMINGODS DJ SET / JONO MA / ZERO 7 DJ SET /OLAF STUUT LIVE
MOJO FILTER / POLYNATION DJ SET / UONE / SAM GOKU / MARIBOU STATE DJ SET / HEAD GARDENER / LANCELOT / AUDLEY LEELAND WILD LIFE) / GENTLE MYSTICS SOUND SYSTEM / DOM SERVINI (WAH WAH 45s) / QASH / LU:SID / TIMANTI /SLUG RAVE / RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW / DAVID MINNS
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THE PAGODA
WAZE & ODYSSEY PRESENTS:
LORD LEOPOLD / DUSKY / EDU IMBERNON / WAIFS & STRAYS B2B ITCHY RICH /MELE / EATS EVERYTHING / HUXLEY / EJECA / MELLA DEE / JONAS RATHSMAN /STEVE HUERTA / URULU / CITIZENN / THEO KOTTIS / DENNEY / BUCKLEY / FRANK TOPE / RED RACK'EM / SOUL CLAP / HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM / KRYWALD & FARRER / HOUSE HUSBAND / MAZE & MASTERS / THE BAY DJS / ED KARNEY /DOM CHUNG / JAMIE MORRISON / ALIE HORTON / CHARLIE MOORE / MR PRICE / JAY KARIM / MICHAEL PALMER / SOPHIE LLOYD / TOSH OHTA / BEDLAM DJS
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LITTLE GAY BROTHER
ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK / CRAIG CAMPBELL / FAT TONY / FRANK CO. / JAMES PHILLIPS / JIM WARBOY / JONATHAN BESTLEY /JONJO JURY / LEWIS BURTON /MANSUSHI / MAZE & MASTERS NIC FISHER /OLI KEENS / PAUL HERON /SPACESTATION /TERRY VIETHEER /THE MENENDEZ BROTHERS / TIM FANUCCI /TWICE SHY PRESENTS GAY GARAGE /WAX WINGS /ZENZERO
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THE TEMPLE OF EXCESS
THE PLUMP DJS / SHADES OF RHYTHM / EVIL NINE / DUKE SLAMMER / HEAD GARDENER / VIGI / MR B / PAUL DARKING / MARGARET SCRATCHER / CAPTAIN STEARNE / SAM GREENWOOD / PIRATE / KONTROVERSI / C-UNIT / S. SEAGULL / ANDY BARLOW / EUAN SIMPSON / SIMON HOME BOY HOLMES / QVC / SMYLEY JAY / BONGO TED / EMBER / PUKA 1 UP / SILVER SURFER & THE GENERAL DEALER / MARK HOUSDEN / BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM THE ORDER OF THE VELVET NOSTRIL CURTAIN / SISTERS COLLEEN & SUZIE BROTHERS JULIAN & PAUL / BEYOND MONKEY / IRRELEVANT DISCO / GRANDADS BACKROOM ANTICS / DEREK INCOGNITO
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THE KITSCH INN
THE CORRESPONDENTS / SAM AND THE WOMP /THE SKA VENGERS /THE BAGHDADDIES / LAZY HABITS /SWING ZAZOU / THE DESTROYERS / CUT CAPERS / THEY SAY JUMP / EMPATEE DU WEISS / TOKYO SEXWAIL / WORLD’S TALLEST DJ CABARET SPECIAL / DJ CHRIS TOFU / BEATING HEART /BAKERS BROTHER’S FUNKY FAREWELL / TWO FOR JOY TAKEOVER / WOODBURNER TAKEOVER
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THE COCKTAIL BAR
HALF BAKED / FLUX / SHAPES / GIN & JUICE / SO FRESH SO CLEAN /
FUNK FROM THE TRUNK / WONKY DISCO / B.A.R.E / HOUSE OF CLEARANCE HOUSE PARTY / KITE HIGH /
JONNY CADE / SKINNY & SELECTA / MISS T / MAX HAGENBACH / ALGY STRUTT
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THE LIDO
THE HEATWAVE /FELIX DICKINSON /JOE LYE & KATIE BARBER
CLASH MAGAZINE PRESENTS: ANNA WALL + NIMMO
CHRISTOPHE / PETE LUNG / KENNY WISDOM / CRAIG CHRISTON /JENNY JEN /ANDY ALLDAY /MORPH & SANKY / WAYWARD / SOPHIE SKY /REMI /CASA VIDA
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THE LAKE STAGE
PRAWN CRACKER / LYNX AFRICA / DJ CHEEKY
SECRET GALS PARTY PRESENTS: ANNA WALL / COLLYER TWINS / EDA / E11E / EMERALD / GEORGIE ROGERS / GI JAMES / HAZE / LOU ELLIS / SWEET LEMONADE
