Over the years the stage has seen debut performances from Pulled Apart By Horses (who will make their Main Stage debut this year), Two Door Cinema Club (NME/Radio 1 Stage second headliner 2012) and Don Broco, who move onto the Festival Republic Stage this year after their amazing performance in 2011 on the BBC Introducing Stage.
The bands that play are chosen through a combination of the BBC’s countrywide Introducing shows, Leeds promoters Futuresound, festival promoters Festival Republic and Martin House’s Centre Stage competition.
These new acts join Foo Fighters, The Cure, Kasabian, The Black Keys, Paramore, Florence + the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines, Justice, The Maccabees, At The Drive-In and many more.
The Reading & Leeds Festival is held on 24th – 26th August 2012 at Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds. The full line-up and further information can be found at www.readingfestival.com / www.leedsfestival.com
Winners of the Futuresound competition and opening the NME/Radio1 Stage on Saturday at Reading and Sunday at Leeds will be Post War Glamour Girls postwarglamourgirls.com.
Alternative Stage
Added to the comedy line-up is Adam Hills who has achieved international acclaim as one of the world’s best stand up comics. Combining positive uplifting comedy and rampant spontaneity has seen him receive a swag of awards, glowing reviews and a legion of fans around the planet.
Once again, Transgressive and friends take over the Alternative Stage two nights at Leeds Festival. They will curate, DJ and host the stage’s late-night entertainment on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th August. Amongst the line-up this year are live performances from Disclosure, Summer Camp and Ghostpoet, plus sets from hotly tipped up-and-comers such as Theme Park, AlunaGeorge and Outfit.
Outfit * Summer Camp * Disclosure * Theme Park * AlunaGeorge * Ghostpoet Metronomy DJ set * Transgressive DJ’s * Gaggle DJ’s (ALL LEEDS ONLY)
This would be first day festival I have attended this summer, well actually my first one ever, I was unsure on what the atmosphere would be like and how it would differ with the full weekend events.
The morning started well, bright beautiful sunshine and clear blue sky’s which was a change from the last two weeks constant down pours. 15,000 tickets had been sold before the event and with the opportunity to buy tickets that day the sun would defiantly draw in a lot more people.
The future sound of Nottingham winner “The Afterdark Movement” were the first band to play on the main stage, the soulful six-piece band fusing hip hop, rhythm and blues with a dash of pop brought the early festival goers to their feet with their enthusiastic show coupled with the engaging presence of the main singer Bru-C.
Along with The Afterdark Movement, Nina Smith, Indinia & Sinners Highway, all future sound of Nottingham finalists played at the festival. The festival was really geared towards local bands and promoting the best of Nottinghamshire music.
Towards the late afternoon and early evening the big names from past and present started making appearances on the Main and Jagermister stages.
Levellers made a huge impact on the Jagermister stage with hundreds of true fans crammed as close to the front as possible singing in sync to every song and every lyric and even getting myself singing to some of their classics such as “What a Beautiful Day”
Katy B was the highlight of the day for me, known for the chart topping singles “Katy on a Mission” and “Lights On”
Dizzee Rascal ended the festival but not until leaving his fans waiting for 20 minutes, the late start was made up for with a high energy and high impact set which sent the crowd into a frenzy with a few mosh pits within the crowd. Pyrotechnics and CO2 cannons added to the whole atmosphere and Dizzee used every available space on stage giving everyone, left, right or centre a good view.
After a long sunny day the festival was at a close with a wide range of musical acts and genres on offer at the festival, from the local unsigned bands, to world music, and big names from the past and present every Nottinghamshire resident should have this marked in their calendar for next year.
It would be impossible to write about Larmer Tree this year, without mentioning the mud and, in typical British spirit, the weather. So let’s get that out of the way. It’s been a bad year for festival organisers this year. Many outdoor shows and events have been cancelled up and down the country due to horrible weather patterns. A few days before I am meant to set off for Larmer Tree, I am constantly checking for updates, hoping it hasn’t been cancelled too. As it happens, the organisers seem to be doing a great job preparing for any unexpected circumstances, and I pack my things to leave. On the day I am meant to arrive, however, it is me who has the problem. Flooding and storms in my area have closed off my main route to the grounds, and disappointed I am forced to stay at home.
Luckily, the next day the roads are open and back in business and I set off first thing. It rains the whole way there, and when I arrive, it shows no sign of stopping. I am greeted by stewards and staff who are completely un-phased by the elements, and more than happy to help any of the arrivals.
Even against the dark grey sky, and through the sheets of rain, the first thing I notice when I enter the Larmer Tree Festival site, is the colour. Circus style marquees, flags, stalls and eateries are some of the most creative and vibrant I have seen at a festival. Stalls are selling the bizarre and the beautiful, from clothing to trinkets. And it doesn’t take long before a small wander makes my eyes several times larger than my belly and I instantly want to eat at least one of everything going. From fresh baked pizza, curries, Chinese food and pies, to having tea and crumpets served to you by corset-clad girls at Strumpets with Crumpets. All the favourites are here. Over the course of my weekend, I managed to try a fair amount of what is on offer, and it was all delicious.
Larmer Tree consists of five main venues; the Main Lawn hosts both a Main Stage and a Garden Stage, the Garden Stage hosting both live music and DJ’s who entertain during Main Stage changeovers. The Big Top (looks exactly as it sounds) holds both live bands and workshops that vary from Swing Dance to Didgeridoo lessons. The Arc is another circus style tent, it holds both seating and standing room, and is home to more live music and comedy. Club Larmer is home to Theatre and talks for adults, Film screenings and DJ events. The Social has a bohemian pub type feel, and is also home to live performances, and contains its own bar. On a walk through the Lost Wood and the Secret Garden, other smaller stages appear along with craft workshops and activities, including a Healing Zone where you can even get massages. The gardens also contain brilliant works of art and sculptures and I’m left thinking: “Is this a festival, or a cave of wonder?”
Stopping for a lunchtime pizza, and a very necessary cuppa, I am soaking but happy and enjoying myself. As is everyone I can see around me. Larmer Tree seems to attract an incredibly diverse audience; young families with young children, teenagers in groups on their own, middle aged and elderly people (judged by age, and absolutely not by spirit), and twenty-something’s like myself, and every one is more than welcome. I would like to add at this point that, age-wise, this is by far the most diverse festival I have ever been to. Larmer Tree really does seem to offer something for everyone, and it is clear from chatting to many people that I meet here that if you come once, you are most likely to return. Some people I speak with are so fond of this festival (returning 4-5 times), that they encourage me to ignore the relentless rain, hating the thought of me thinking anything negative about their beloved Larmer Tree festival.
– It’s OK, the rain didn’t ruin anything. Except maybe the inside of my tent.
Thursdays three main headliners are Yes Sir Boss, Tim Minchin and Paloma Faith.
First up are Bristol-based Yes Sir Boss, who do a great job warming up the crowd with an energetic set-list and a small horn section. Oh, and they have Joss Stone do a guest appearance with them too.
Next up on the Main Lawn is the exceptionally multi-talented comedian, singer, songwriter and musician, Tim Minchin. I knew he was talented, but I was not prepared for his brilliant showmanship and abundance of energy throughout the set. As soon as he walks out on stage the whole audience comes to life as they witness him jump around and throw his wellies in the air. By the end of the first song alone, he has jumped up and down on his piano stool while singing, and then continued to play on all fours. At the end of the first song he says one of my favourite things that I heard all weekend in the garden and forest style setting:
“Which one’s the Larmer Tree?”
Paloma Faith is Thursdays’ last main stage act. In all honesty, I knew she was a good singer, but I didn’t expect such a good performance and was very pleasantly surprised. Her vocals were brilliant, as was her showmanship, and the crowd leave the Main Lawn in a great spirits, ready to continue the party elsewhere in the grounds.
On Friday, the weather is thankfully much drier, although the aftermath of Thursdays’ rain is a huge amount of swamp-like mud. It still doesn’t affect anyone’s mood, and everyone seems to have fully embraced the conditions, determined to have a great weekend – even those who forgot to pack their wellies.
First of the three main stage acts of the evening are Dizraeli & The Small Gods. The seven piece folk-come-hiphop band manage to combine the two genres in a genuinely spine tingling way, entwining hiphop vocals from Dizraeli around stunning female vocal leads and harmonies and brilliant music. With such a talented first act of the evening, I know I must be in for a treat for the rest of the night: Dub Pistols, followed by The Levellers.
Dub Pistols are one of the liveliest and most entertaining bands I have seen so far over the last two days. Another genre mixing act, I can only describe them as trumpet fuelled hiphop, come ska punk, which turns out to be a great combination.
The Levellers give a great performance; only they seem to have attracted a different part of the Larmer Tree crowd than the earlier acts. Musically the eclectic use of instruments follows on well from their predecessors, however, attracting a slightly more mature audience there is quite the change over.
After the acts on the Main Lawn have finished for the evening, I explore some of the later events, and decide to head to The Social. While exploring in yesterdays rain, many people found themselves in this tent while sheltering from rain, enjoying the built in bar, some poetry reading and live music. Playing when I walk in, are a three piece band called The Wishbones, who turn out to be one of my favourite acts of the weekend; their line-up includes a banjo, lap steel guitar, double bass and great vocals. Unfortunately, acts in the social don’t feature on the main timetable, so I’m glad that I caught them, and will be keeping an eye on these guys.
When I leave The Social, a fire show is taking place outside. This sums up the festival, always something to do for everyone involved.
Saturday is a hugely diverse mix of sounds and cultures, and is also a fancy dress day where everyone is invited to dress to this years’ theme – All At Sea. Today’s Main Lawn acts feature GIVERS, Amadou & Mariam, and Caravan Palace; starting off with GIVERS, who seem to have quite the following, particularly among younger crowd members. They are among the youngest bands that I’ve seen here so far, clearly each member is incredibly talented and the crowd get behind them completely.
Amadou & Mariam are a duo that came together through their blindness, and they win everyone over with their uplifting musical sound (and brilliant guitar skills, I heard people saying “I can see fine and I’ll never be able to play that well”).
Caravan Palace are a lot of peoples must see act for this festival, and they supersede everyone’s expectations with a really amazing set, and I can’t help but dance while I’m taking photos. The general consensus is that no one has ever seen such beautiful people all in the same band, who each have so much energy and never stop dancing. The crowd danced just as much, and the entire field was jumping.
Still dancing, I head to The Arc, where I’m going to watch my first comedy act of the festival. Up tonight are Swedish comedian Daniel Simonson, Alun Cochrane, and Stephen K Amos, and Comedy Club Compere Tom Craine. This turns out to be a brilliant combination of comedic acts, the whole tent belly laughs and heckles like any good comedy audience should.
It’s late now, but the journey back to my tent is halted by the DJ sounds coming from The Social, and the idea of a late night pizza.
The sun comes out on Sunday, and sheds light on a carnival procession; The United Colours of Larmer Tree! This is a combination of crazy costumes and live music that ranges from Brazilian dance drums to Accordion based shanties, and many children who have made costumes in the Kids Club take part.
From the press area in the afternoon I hear Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends sound-checking while I’m charging up my camera batteries, and a few of us run outside to see them on the main stage giving a rendition of The Drunken Sailor. It’s such a beautiful sound made by the vocal choir, and their set is fantastic. Another great act of the day is Otis Gibbs, who plays in The Arc.
I instantly fall in love with the first of the final main stage Larmer Tree acts, Raghu Dixit, who not only play great Indian folk-rock, but also seem to impart wisdom and wellbeing to the entire crowd.
Imagined Village take to the stage next, and the crowd love them so much that they are called up for an encore.
The last act set for the main lawn this year is Roots Manuva, who has a very different sound to the previous act, and got even the most reluctant dancers dancing.
So, that’s it for the Main Lawn, but as always in Larmer Tree there is still something left to do, tonight I head to The Big Top to see a performance from hiphop Shakespearian, Akala. Having seen Akala a few years ago, I know that he is a brilliant lyricist and master of words, and it’s great to see how his musical sound has developed. There is just time to run on over to The Arc to catch another comedy act – Milton Jones, who is famed for his one-liner wittiness. The festival eventually ends at around 3am, with the ‘Uplifter’s Reggae Sessions’ that take place in Club Larmer.
To put it simply, this has been a fantastic weekend. Although this is a relatively tiny festival, there is so much to do, for absolutely everyone. What Larmer Tree may lack in the way of big festival names, it more than makes up for with a huge amount of hidden gems and surprises.
This will be the 4th consecutive sell-out year for the award winning dance festival which will attract a record 55,000 dance fans this summer. Returning to Daresbury in Cheshire on August Bank Holiday weekend, the 3 day camping event will see performances from the likes of deadmau5, Tiësto, David Guetta, The Chemical Brothers (DJ Set), Avicii, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Example, Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso to name a few.
There are now only 2 Day Standard Camping and 2 Day Hospitality Camping tickets available. Full info:www.creamfields.com
When you imagine Benicassim, the festival (a.k.a. FIB – Festival Internacional de Benicassim) your mind takes your straight to the beach, sitting in the sun whilst sipping a cocktail and listening to some live music.
What I discovered, as probably everyone knew before me, is that the festival itself does not take place ON the beach at all, just near one. The music generally does not start until about 6 in the evening, and finishes around 12 hours later. So you really have no choice but to sleep on the beach in the daytime, and stay up all night dancing from one tent to the next until dawn…
The music at the festival officially began on Thursday early evening.
Thursday’s highlight was going to see Florence and the Machine play, who unfortunately was cancelled.
As a replacement De La Soul was moved to the main stage from the Trident Senses stage (essentially the second biggest stage), who completely lifted the spirits of the then-still-fresh faced festival go-ers. An hour of loud, powerful hip-hop and a load of sing-a-longs, the group ended with their collaboration with Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc.
Another band that played which I enjoyed were Kurt Vile & The Violators, who had a Dylan-esque voice and clear influences of 60s and 70s psychedelic rock; a bit like Fleetwood Mac.
Friday’s headliners were Chase & Status, The Maccabees, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Bob Dylan.
Dylan was spectacular, and although his voice wasn’t what it used to be – it is much more raspy and lower than in his ‘golden’ days – he and his band were completely up to par. He mainly played his new material, and only a few classics, which included Like A Rolling Stone and Ballad Of A Thin Man.
The Maccabees were fantastic, energetic, enthusiastic and played a good mix of all their albums.
Later that night Katy B performed; she is so appreciative, friendly and crowd-pleasing, on top of being a brilliant singer too. On top of all of her most well known songs (Katy On A Mission, Lights On) she performed a remix of Mosca’s ‘Bax’, which was unexpectedly well done too.
Saturday’s busiest headliners were Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Stone Roses and Dizzee Rascal.
The High Flying Birds sounded a lot like Oasis, with similar guitar riffs and (obviously) perceptibly similar voices and lyrics.
Most people watching Stone Roses wanted to see Dizzee too, so it seemed as though halfway through the crowds did a switch, as there was a massive rush in and out. The Roses played all their classics – I Am The Ressurection, I Wanna Be Adored, etc. and Ian Brown didn´t look as though he had slowed down much on the intoxication part; his reputation follows him.
The rest of my Saturday night was spent at the one and only Cocktail bars, where Mojitos went like water and where the DJ played music from the Doors, James Brown and the likes.
My Sunday night was spent at the Fib Club stage, starting with Howler, a 5 piece band from Minnesota who sound like they have been strongly influenced by The Vaccines. The front man, Jordan Gatesmith, had a sincerely strong and formidable singing voice as well as a chatty personality. And although they kept calling themselves The Vaccines, it was definitely obvious that they had a very good sense of humour and their own type of sound.
They were followed by T.E.E.D (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs), who had another fantastic costume that made him look like a newly grown flower, along with his two incredible dancers who had a series of costume changes themselves, and made his set just that little bit better. As well as playing material from his Trouble EP, he also played some of his new songs, which are a little heavier on the bass than, say, ‘Garden’.
Todd Terje kept the spirits high after T.E.E.D. finished, with a 2 hour set full of house music – Spanish and English. He played some ambiguous re-makes of traditional Spanish music as well as his very own ‘Inspector Norse’, which the majority of the crowd clearly recognized and loved.
The last person I went go and see perform was David Guetta, who really does not deserve a positive review because his set was genuinely disappointing. His mixing was off, and considering he has so much well-known material, he could have played some that the crowd could sing and dance along to.
Newly announced for the Main Stage line-up on Saturday 1 September, are Josh Osho and girlband Parade
Josh Osho is about to make one big name for himself with the forthcoming release (on 25 July) of his collaboration with Ghostface Killah, Redemption Days. An inherently gifted singer-songwriter who has one of the finest pop/soul voices to emerge from the UK in years, Josh’s life-story is packed full of the stuff films are made of; in and out of home at 16, dealing drugs from a notorious half-way house (Ebeneezer Hotel) at 17, signing a record deal at 18 and finding himself recording with two members of the Wu Tang Clan at 19. It is true to say Josh’s life really was saved, from a darker route, by music.
Parade comprises five exceptionally talented singers – Emily, Lauren, Bianca, Jessica and Sian – with one very clear mission statement; to set the pop world on fire as members of incredible girlband PARADE.
Formed away from the media gaze of a TV talent show, the girls have been working from the ground up, supporting a wealth of established names including, in 2011 alone, Shakira, Alexandra Burke, Black Eyed Peas, Westlife, Boyzone and Shayne Ward. Earlier this year they joined The Wanted on their massive arena tour and also performed at T4OTB, Wireless Festival, the Isle of Wight Festival, MTV Isle of Malta, T In The Park, V Festival and Leeds Pride
Amassing a loyal base of 40,000 Twitter followers and 30,000 Facebook likes, Parade stormed into the UK charts in 2011 with their debut single ‘Louder’, an infectious pop tune that glided into the Top 10 and accumulated more than 2.3 million views on YouTube. Follow-up ‘Perfume’ was another smash hit and also notched up a seven-figure play count online
New to the Main Stage line-up on Sunday 2 September is Intensi-T, an artist whose skill which must be seen to be believed; very much understated but extraordinarily vocal with heavy, hard hitting electro-pop beats fused with thumping bass-lines, all bellowing from his vocal cords, with just a mic and a loop pedal. Intensi-T’s stock is rising fast having recently performed with Ed Sheeran, opened for Boys II Men at the O2, collaborated with Rizzle Kicks and Sway, as well as at the Guernsey Festival and with Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts at T4’s T on the Beach event
With Olly Murs, Katy B, Pixie Lott, Diana Vickers, Stooshe, Zane Lowe, Ms Dynamite, Sub Focus, Delilah, Dot Rotten, Labrinth and headliners Chase & Status Live rocking the Main Stage over the two-day festival and with Stage 2 playing host to the likes of Feed Me Live, Radio 1/1Xtra’s Mista Jam, Funtcase, Zinc, Wilkinson and 16 Bit, presented by UKF on Saturday 1 September, dance brand KISS will present headliner David Rodigan MBE, Sway Live, EZ, Shortee Blitz, MJ Cole and Charlie Hedges on Stage 2 for the Sunday night
In addition to the line-up of top music stars performing at the festival, one of the biggest, most successful model agencies in the world, NEXT Models – who represent supermodels Arizona Muse and Karlie Kloss, as well as talent including Professor Green – is set to deploy an army of talent scouts to the event later this summer
This year, ‘Weekenders’ (Campers) will also be able to enjoy a pre-event party, on Friday 31 August, with an exclusive, intimate set by renowned DJ, Jaguar Skills, late that night in the Warehouse, as well as being treated to further exclusive after-show parties in the Warehouse, performed by B Traits and Breakage on the Saturday night, and RATPACK on the Sunday night
Sundown Festival spokesman, Dion Clements comments: “The latest additions to the line-up are fast rising artists in their own right, making a real name for themselves on this year’s festival circuit and we’re pleased to be a part of that growth, offering music fans a real chance to see these artists before many people may have even heard of them”
“How, for the love of all things fancy dress, can that be possible?!” we hear you cry. Well, this is how:
Give, Get Given. That’s RockCorps’ thing. Do something brilliant for someone else and they’ll give you a big pat on the back, well, more specifically, a full Bestival weekend camping ticket, as a great big thank you.
It’s a huge reward for an amazing charity doing great work in their community, so RockCorps need to make sure you’re committed to travelling to the Isle Of Wight on the Wednesday 5th September 2012 to do the work and then, in return, having the time of your life at Bestival.
What you'll be expected to do on the day: Give, Get Given. That's their motto, so for you to get given your ticket to Bestival they're going to expect you to give and get your hands dirty first. You will volunteer to give four hours of work to help create a sustainable allotment for the Isobel Centre (http://www.theisobelcentre.co.uk/) set in the heart of the Isle Of Wight and just down the road from the Bestival site. You will also have to bring something very special to barter your way in. Oh and you’ve got to do it all in British Wildlife fancy dress. If that sounds like fun to you then register now!
Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps says "We just straight up love Bestival – and when they asked us to join up, it was obvious we would do so! RockCorps is known for shaking up the volunteering world by creating innovative and exciting ways for people to give back to their community and get rewarded for it. Bestival, apart from being one of the most inventive festivals around, has an incredible social conscience, really caring about the community on the Isle of Wight and creating a sustainable festival legacy.
“So we're joining forces to produce the very best volunteering experience possible with one hell of a reward. We'll run a fully immersive RockCorps project with the good folks at Isobel Centre and to get a ticket to Bestival, you've got to barter your way in bringing the equipment you need to do the 4 hours volunteering on to the island with you! Let's do this. Give, Get Given."
Rob da Bank added: “Ever since we first crossed the water to the Isle of Wight and fell in love with the place we've tried to give as much back to the community as possible. We also know money is tight for many on the island, as it is across the UK, so Barter For Bestival will give some of those people the chance to come in for free…well kinda! I have a massive amount of respect for what RockCorps have achieved in the world of volunteering and putting on some pretty spectacular gigs so when I had this idea about us helping people on the island it was a bit of a no-brainer. I can’t wait to see the results.”
How to enter: 1 – Email barterforbestival@rockcorps.co.uk with your NAME, AGE, ADDRESS & TELEPHONE NUMBER with ‘Barter for Bestival’ in the subject line. 2 – You will then receive an auto-reply with instructions on how to enter in full. One of the instructions will be buying your travel in advance and proving that you will be attending the volunteering on Wednesday 5th September.
In just two years, multi-talented musician Labrinth has experienced an extraordinary career trajectory. At first as the producer, writer and vocalist behind Tinie Tempah’s massive hits, Pass Out and Frisky. Then September 2010 saw the release of Labrinth’s debut single, Let The Sunshine. Since then Labrinth released his second single, "Earthquake" on 23 October 2011 – featuring Tinie Tempah. The single debuted at number two on the UK chart with first week sales of 115,530 copies – the second highest selling number-two. Labrinth’s album, Electronic Earth was released on the 2nd April 2012. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 32,281 copies in its first week.
Labrinth will headline Brownstock Festival’s mainstage on the Saturday night with his full band for a live set.
The festival has also released its first batch of support bands. Over 500 bands applied to play at the 2012 event. The entire Brown Family sit for 2 days, with their friend Mat Dixon, the festival’s Music Director and personally listen to each and every band that apply, whittling it down to their chosen few. The family hates having to turn away talented bands, so will be holding competitions for the last spots and adding an extra stage, The Tree House, to the 2012 festival with the aim to support more upcoming acts.
Festival Director Adam Brown says: “We are very excited to welcome some huge and globally recognised acts to Brownstock Festival this year and Labrinth definitely tops this off. But we are also excited about our support bands. We give everyone that applies a hearing and we genuinely think that we have a few names there that will be ringing in your ears long after we close the festival gates. Remember you heard them here first.”
Other headline names on the 2012 bill are Nero (dj set), Grandmaster Flash, Zane Lowe, DJ Doorly, Toddla T, The Cuban Brothers and Angelos Epithemiou. The latest names are available at www.brownstock.co.uk. The Sunday night headliner is still to be announced.
Nero’s album Welcome Reality debuted at UK No.1 and earned gold status. They were also nominated for BBC’s and XFM’s sound of 2011 and have performed at some of the UK’s largest festivals, Glastonbury, Bestival, Reading and Wireless.
The festival will also be rolling out the red carpet for Grandmaster Flash. Joseph Saddler, better known as King Grandmaster Flash, American hip hop musician and DJ, known as one of the pioneers of hip-hop and one of the first hip hop / rap artists to be included on the rock and roll hall of fame.
The festival’s Music Director Mat (Format) Dixon has also teamed up with Rinse FM, Ibiza Rocks and Pioneer Showcase resident DJ,Doorly, to curate the Good Shed stage. Doorly first played for the festival in 2010. More recently he’s gone on to play some of the biggest shows the scene has to offer, including a Nokia launch in Times Square, New York, alongside Nicki Minaj. He has been at the forefront of gathering some of this year’s globally renowned names.
Doorly quote: "I'm really excited to be curating my own arena at Brownstock this year. I played at the festival 2 years ago and had an absolute blast, I loved the intimate, open-minded boutique feel the place had and originally meant to do this last year but my US tour was extended so I couldn’t make it back. The vibe of Brownstock will suit the way I want to book this stage"
The festival has however received some news which has led to a change in their 2012 line up. Booked for 2012 was a performance from A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg. Sadly Phife has had to pull out of his trip to the UK due to illness resulting from a failed kidney transplant and is unable to travel following instruction from his medical team. The Brownstock team have sent their condolences to Phife and wish him a speedy recovery.
You can see www.brownstock.co.uk for all line up updates, festival news and ticket details.
About Brownstock Festival
Brownstock Festival is an annual Music Festival run by the Brown family on their farm in Essex. Now in its 8th year thefestival is set to welcome 6000 visitors through the gates in September. The festival is still completely independent and run entirely by the Brown family and friends giving it a uniquely rustic and handmade feel. Music, comedy, storytelling, street art camp, skateboarding park, parkour displays, street dance, a silent disco and the chance to try a home raised Aberdeen Angus Beef burger from the farm are some of the things to look forward to during the 3 day event. Information at www.brownstock.co.uk
TICKETS:
3 day weekend camping – £74
Group buy 3 day weekend camping, 4 people – £64
3 day VIP weekend camping ticket – £125
3 day Disabled weekend camping – £45 2 for 1
VIP yurt camping – £215
Travel info: Brownstock Festival is 2 miles from South Woodham Ferrers station, a 40 min train ride from London Liverpool Street Station. We have a friendly, efficient and reasonably priced taxi service on hand to pick you up and bring you to the farm. The festival can also be easily accessed by car – only if you have to drive of course, and don’t forget to share lifts:-).
The lazy Sunday vibe is washing over a warmed up crowd at Hyde Park as they wait in anticipation of tonight’s headliner, musical maestro Paul Simon (of Simon and Garfunkel fame). There’s an overtly different feeling in the air compared to last night’s Bruce Springsteen show, fans this evening are relaxed and calm as well as being of an over-all older age group and there’s something rather nice about it.
Opening with soft bluesy ‘Kodachrome’ to a round of appreciative but grown-up cheers and applause, Paul Simon steadily rides through the song in his so-laid-back-he’s-almost-horizontal way but the sound gets a little bit washed out in ‘50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’. He is then joined on stage by “… a great hero of mine, Jimi Cliff” (sporting gold sequinned trainers no less!) who gives the reggae edge to the proceedings with ‘The Harder They Come’ and ‘Many Rivers To Cross’.
Moving on to Simon’s decisive African Township influenced ‘Graceland’, which caused quite a stir back in ’86, is tonight reverential, and is felt all over again as the formidable Ladysmith Black Mambazo take to the stage to do it justice. There’s no formal ceremony about this show, it’s unassuming but special, and the likes of ‘Homeless’ and ‘Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes’ seem to take the breath away from the awed onlookers.
When Hugo Masekela comes out for a spirited ‘Mandela’ as the sun shines down, people are warming up their dancing feet and with two encores featuring the likes of Simon & Garfunkel hit ‘The Sound of Silence’ and ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’, he rounds off the Sunday jam session with an easy casual manner. This was undoubtedly Paul Simon at his best, but it smacked of a quiet comedown for Hard Rock Calling rather than a sensational out-with-a-bang type of affair and the crowd definitely began to wane from around 9pm in favour of early tubes and soft beds.
There’s a reason 76 thousand people turned up to Hyde Park in this, the most miserable of summers, and that reason is the man, the legend, Bruce Springsteen. After a tense 30 minute wait (in which time we managed to sardine ourselves between a very jolly man yelling ‘Bruuuuuuuce’ at random intervals and an extremely short couple trying to swap saliva as if it were life-force) The Boss rocks up wearing his signature jeans and waistcoat combo with serious swagger and no pomp or fanfare whatsoever. This guy just commands attention on his own.
Dropping the lights to a single beam, Bruce breathes into the mic “This is the first song I played when my feet touched British soil” and opens with an absolutely epic acoustic rendition of super-hit ‘Thunder Road’ which honestly, nearly brought a tear to my eye. Straight into ‘Badlands’ and pushing on through ‘We Take Care of Our Own’ (plagued by a temporary fit of poor sound, which is overridden by the thousands of chorus voices) Springers already has us enthralled. ‘Wrecking Ball’ is punchy and the Bill & Ted style guitar wind-milling shows us that the 62 year old rocker is anything but past it. Bruce welcomes on stage friend Tom Morello (of Rage Against The Machine fame) “and his furniture” for ‘Death to My Hometown’ and ‘My City of Ruins’ heralded by sage words “It’s about the things that leave you, it’s about the things that never leave you, the things you remember for the rest of your life. This is for my old faces in the crowd.” Bruce walks off the stage and into the clamouring arms of his fans, even putting one lucky (?!) punter in a friendly headlock.
As Bruce sings a little thought along the lines of “Who’s in the house tonight? Are your legs hurting, and your ears hurting and your sexual organs… stimulated? It’s in the smallprint of your ticket…” he stands up against the crowd barrier with a security guard hanging onto the back of his pants for dear life, at serious risk of de-kegging the rockstar. Back up on the stage steps, he takes time for a little recline next to E Street saxophonist Jake Clemons as they duet, and are then joined by the great John Fogerty, who played the main stage previously.
A wavering sign in the crowd attracts the attention of Springsteen, a fan who has been following him around the world repeatedly requesting the little played song ‘Take Them As They Come’ gets his wish as Bruce shouts “Tonight you’re gonna hear this damn thing, It’s your song buddy”. As the skies begin to cloud over and darken, aptly named ‘Because The Night’ brings on a few drops of rain and an extreme case of tone-deaf karaoke from the girl a little way behind us. No dear, dogs in Hounslow can hear you, but Bruce can’t. Guitar slung nonchalantly across his back, bopping an inflatable Mr. Blobby back into the crowd, Bruce asks security guards to drag a small boy out onto the stage with him to sing ‘Waitin’ on a Sunny Day’ with him. That lad’s life has hit its peak, what else will ever be as good, I ask you? Following this lighthearted act, ‘The River’ sends the thousands strong throng into complete awed silence, the like of which is rarely witnessed in the music world, and there is something entirely mesmerising about his gravelly voice soaring out across the silhouetted faces of all these people.
Morello re-joins the group for ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ and blasts out a face-melting solo with insane harmonics, after which Bruce drops ‘Born In The USA’ and fan favourite ‘Born To Run’. ‘Glory Days’ sees Bruce and E Street’s Steve Van Zandt shaking their asses to the crowd at the top of the steps and the incredible ‘Dancing In The Dark’ is cue for Bruce to grab a young lady from the crowd and pick her up for a spot of dancing… er… in the dark. She may never marry after that!
Bruce needs no intermission, no encore, the man is a veritable machine. How many other musicians do you know who can pull a 3 hour set without a break, let alone one who’s been gigging for as long? To cap off an already celebratory show, who should turn up but pal and UK rock-legend Sir Paul McCartney. Yes that’s right, Sir Paul McCartney. This unbelievable occurrence sees more than a few around me rubbing their eyes in astonishment as they do Beatles hit ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and a cover of The Isley Brothers’ ‘Twist and Shout’ before finishing up with a jumping cheese-tastic ‘La Bamba’.
Okay, so you might have already heard a fair amount of bitching about the plug-pulling incident, but here’s my take. It was only 5 minutes of La Bamba – funny but not great by any stretch of the imagination, it’s the song played by crap DJ’s at weddings, right? It’s a shame that Bruce didn’t get to say his goodbyes (heck, he didn’t even know the sound was off for a while) but the man gave us unadulterated power and polished rock n roll for over 3 outstanding hours. Despite various celebs tweeting about the ‘incident’ (even Boris Johnson weighed in) this shouldn’t be the final word on what was otherwise an utterly astounding set. Springsteen has one hundred percent earned his title of The Boss and this is just a tidbit of news on the back of one of the best shows ever to grace Hyde Park.
