Review

Beacons Festival 2014 Review

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It’s now two o’clock on Monday morning. My feet are numb, my ears are ringing and my tent is full of water and STILL this has been the best weekend I’ve had BY FAR since I sat in almost exactly the same spot this time last year.

Beacons festival is now in it’s third year and long may it continue. Aswell as being tucked away between some of the most perfect countryside I have seen and boasting lineups which have consistently excited me like a child on Christmas morning, the festival has another certain magic about it that is difficult to put into words until you experience it for yourself. It boasts an eclectic mixture of hipsters, underground music fans, families and artsy types, bringing in people from all walks of life and yet keeping focus on enjoying beautiful music and art. The Yorkshire Dales allow a wonderful setting to nurse a hangover and an excellent excuse to chomp on a succulent locally sourced hog roast.

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Thursday was all about getting reaquainted with Beacons festival. Our first stop was for food, which took us on three laps of the arena before finally deciding on a fantastic little street food stall called Fish& for some delicious sweet chilli battered fish and chips. After this, we wandered into the ‘Impossible Lecture’ tent and caught the end of the previous performance. We were greeted by a naked, purple-haired lady, crowd surfing her way out of the tent. Welcome back!

Our Friday began to the washing ambient sounds of backwards facing ‘British Sea Power’ inside the main stage, which was hosted by ‘Loud & Quiet’ and ‘Last.fm’. This was certainly not a case for starting as we mean to go on though, as the next artist we saw was the person I was most looking forward to from the whole weekend. The much anticipated Dan Snaith (aka- Daphni) entered the Resident Advisor stage at 6.00pm to an eager crowd. Luckily for us, the tent was designed with blacked out windows, making it feel almost like the middle of the night. The green strobe lighting was mesmerizing and the atmosphere was certainly not negatively affected by Daphni’s early set time. A wave of excitement passed through the crowd as Snaith dropped his latest Caribou release, ‘Can't do without you’ from under the guise of his alter-ego. It was a noticeable turning point for the resident advisor tent, which went on to host blistering sets from first Daniel Avery, straight off the back of Drone Logic and finally the techno/house inspired Roman Flugel. Friday’s headliners over on the main stage were Daughter, who seemed a little uninspiring after the electric atmosphere within the Resident advisor tent. Although they sounded beautiful, with their haunting minimalist sound and the raw emotion portrayed through Elena Tonra’s vocals, it was a slight downer on the fun I had experienced in the Resident Advisor tent earlier. I am sure on another day, perhaps at a different festival, Daughter would have blown me away with exactly the same set.

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Saturday catered for the house lovers over at the Red Bull Tent. The party started with Pariah, an R&S labelman from London, who would get any electronic underground fan nodding their head with his approach in the current wave of British dance music. The DJ entered the part-open stage at 6:00pm – allowing festival goers to ease themselves into Saturday evening whilst the glorious sunshine brought warm party moods well into the sunset hours. The critically acclaimed ‘Huxley’ kept the beats going into the night, leaving the crowd screaming in excitement with the much unexpected addition of ‘Space Cowboy’ by ‘Jamiroqui’ emerging through his heavy house beats. Joy Orbison continued where Huxley left off and finished the night in style.

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Saturday’s headliner was Jon Hopkins and once again, he did not disappoint. Blowing the crowd away with his explosive and bass heavy, kaoss pad inspired soundscapes. His set was an unsettling, yet completely soothing experience. A master of his art, Hopkins is known for his intriguing aesthetic performances. Halfway through this particular set, an unexpected sea of colourful giant bouncy balls sailed through the crowd as excited fans punched them into the air creating a colourful explosion of orbs floating over the stage. After the initial excitement of feeling like you are a big kid in a ball pit (and of course the fantastic visuals) the excitement wore off and we realized that being banged in the head by those things actually quite hurt…

Sunday came and the heavens opened. The rain was torrential and so our day was planned around keeping dry, as well as who we would like to see. Tall Ships were the first band on our list and they played one of my favourite performances of the entire festival. T=0 being a highlight and it’s guitar hook has been stuck in my head ever since. After this we took position inside the Resident Advisor for Mano le Tough and then Dixon. Both of whom played quite similar sounding sets. Tough bordered more on house and modern disco, with Innervision’s founder Dixon edging towards progressive house and techno at times. The weather had put a downer on the day for me and although some people I had spoken rated Dixon as their highlight of the festival, I was not in the same mindset. The DJ seemed a little too similar to the artist previous which wasn’t his fault, but I found myself glad to move on from this tent by the time we needed to leave.

Once we had walked over to the final headline act, we were freezing and soaked to the bone. The rain was pouring and spirits were low. Darkside were make or break.

The guitar/electronica duo of Nicolas Jaar & Dave Harrington have some amazing tracks and there was a lot of hype around this performance, with Nicolas Jaar’s live set being one of the best around at the moment. The stage plunged into darkness for their entrance, before Jaar & Harrington took to the stage, which was a cloud of smoke. Spotlights set behind the stage made the two visible only as silhouettes, as they treated the rain-soaked crowd to a show that they will not forget in any hurry. Harrington’s live guitar added complimentary ambient textures to Jaar’s driving analogue synth sounds. A clued-up individual standing near me noted his use of max/msp for drum programming, which went completely over my head but sounded very impressive indeed.

I was completely blown away by Darkside. They were well worth persevering through the cold and rain; their expert shifts in tempo throughout their set shadowing the rollercoaster of a weekend we had experienced. ‘Paper Trails’ was magnificent and Jaar’s live vocals were such a refreshing thing to see and hear.

The fact that Beacons festival still kept it’s magic, even after one of the worst downpours I have experienced at a festival, speaks volumes for the place. Looking back now, as I sit in my little tent with my freezing toes, the past four days have been completely mind-blowing.

Thanks again Beacons festival…. see you next year.

Kendal Calling 2014 Review

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 “Make sure you pack your sun cream…it’s going to be a scorcher next weekend!”

These words did not end up ringing wholly true. In fact, this was one of the wettest, muddiest festivals I have ever experienced…and I've been to at least 20. If you are going to have your festival in the Lake District, who knows what weather you are going to get, but this was a Northern festival, with proper double-hard Northern people who were ready for anything.

…then this little guy turned up and showed us all how it was done…

Mud monster

We arrived early on Thursday, this being the first year to allow entry the day before the main festival.
After finally getting up our beast of a tent, we caught the first half of Craig Charles’ 
thumping set in the Glow tent, before some Yorkshire Ska in Chai Wallah, courtesy of The Talks.

Friday started out in the real ale tent, and not even for beer (this time!), but instead to avoid the first
heavy downpour of the weekend. Samba bands were a feature across the site, and kept everyone
entertained until the stages started. By the early afternoon the rain had stopped, giving way to sack
races and plenty of activities to keep families busy in the Ladybird Kids area. Teenagers got their dancing shoes dirty early on at the Jägermeister stage and in the House Party tent. The first big crowd
of the day was for The Dub Pistols, a band who just seem to be made for festivals, getting everyone
stomping those wet weather blues away.

There was disappointment for some as the next act Ella Eyre was unable to attend due to illness, but fear not…The Sunshine Underground served up an extremely last minute indie dance set that kept everyone happy while they refuelled in anticipation of De La Soul…

Unfortunately, owing to an accident on the M6, their set was cut short, but the enthusiasm they provided more than made up for it. 
“Me, myself and I” put lots of smiles on faces. With as many years of experience as they have they worked the crowd as you would expect.

Just enough time to grab some food. There was plenty on offer, ranging from exotic burgers
(Llama; wild boar and wagyu beef) to delicious momos from the Tibetan Kitchen (my photographer is now completely hooked on these badboys).

Suede headlined Friday night and began with a quiet opener “The Next life” from their first album.
They had won the crowd over by the third song “Trash”, followed by “Animal Nitrate” giving
everyone a chance to sing, and Brett Anderson to strut his stuff like the mid 90’s were here again.
Mid set we were given a new song “Tightrope” which the crowd were not really sure about, and
their set finished with “Beautiful Ones”.They closed the main stage with an encore of
“She’s in Fashion”, and a wonderful rendition of “Stay Together”.

Suede

After hours there was plenty to do with particular highlights being the Britpop set in the Tim Peaks Diner and the jazzy breaks of Mr Scruff.

 

As morning broke on Saturday, the site was turning to a liquid red thanks to the Cumbrian mud and morning rain. That didn’t stop large numbers of aliens, and sci-fi characters emerging from their tents to lighten up the gloom. The Glow Tent hosted a mass moonwalk to the song “Billie Jean”, as hundreds of MJ’s strutted their stuff.

Mid-afternoon, as the sun peeked out, Newton Faulkner played to a background of bubbles drifting across the field, “Teardrop”, and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I love you baby” bringing the crowds in. Athlete continued the summer vibe, and the sunglasses were out by the time Razorlight took to the stage. Sporting a lovely beard (trust me, I know about beards!) Johnny Borrell and the boys played a high energy, hit filled set.

Then, it was ALL about Madchester, with bucket hats and Lennon glasses being the necessary uniform. The Happy Mondays began with Bez informing us of his political intentions, which is either genius, or the most bonkers thing you’ve ever heard. The majority of this crowd would definitely vote for him. Shaun planned to keep it a PG performance, and entertained the crowd by never being quite sure which songs were coming next. Rowetta looked fantastic in her cowboy hat and tassels, and people were literally climbing the trees to get a good view. The sound was great and the whole arena was rocking to party classics from “Loose Fit”, to “24 Hour Party People”.

The Happy Mondays

Frank Turner started his set with a smaller crowd, hampered by the rain, but that crowd grew and got to enjoy a very special headline slot. This being his third time at the festival, he’s
definitely earned his Kendal stripes, and when he announced how honoured he was to play, you really knew he meant it. His band, The Sleeping Souls, threw themselves around the stage and really stepped up the volume, with stomping tunes like “Photosynthesis” getting the crowd all clapping and singing along. He dedicated his new song “Angel Islington” to all the Northerners. Despite a re-tune mid song and a broken string, nothing could faze Frank tonight!

Frank Turner

Sunday, originally predicted to be the best day for weather, was the worst, with frequent showers turning the main arena into a mud bath. Children and adults kept their spirits up by sliding down the hillside, and one of the great moments of the weekend was the chap in neon and a flat cap, cruising round a pool of mud in his electric wheelchair, chasing people. The Lancashire Hotpots played at lunchtime and won the award for most costume changes, and as they said, it was like a Lady Gaga gig! Conga lines, beach balls and songs including “We Love the North”, and “Chippy tea”, were just what was needed to keep everyone from flagging.

Reel Big Fish were the afternoon high point, Masters of styles they gave us the Ska Punk we all expected, but also a touch of Disco, and even a bit of Square-dancing. With choreographed kicks they finished with “Take on Me”, and as the dancing increased, the mud was flying. Tom Odell didn’t go in for quite the same level of onstage action, but instead let his music do the talking. It only took him to point to the girls at the front to get them all screaming, as he hammered away at the piano. A new song “Jealousy” from his upcoming album was particularly well received.

Miles Kane was taking no prisoners with a straight up rock and roll show. Dressed in a psychedelic shirt, his strutted around owing the stage, scissor kicking as he went. By the time he played “Don’t Forget Who You Are”, he had the audience joining in from the front to all the way up the hill.

Miles Kane

The final act on the main stage was Example, the biggest crowd of the weekend, and everyone wanted to be at the front. The sound from the stage was massive, with filthy bass lines shaking the sodden ground. Dressed in black he electrified the entire field, with lasers and a completely awesome neon drum kit. “One more day (Stay with me)” “Changed the way you kiss me” and “Kickstarts” were by far the biggest sing-a-longs of the weekend. As the set finished with air cannons
and ticker tape, the epic firework display was a worthy end to a sometimes challenging but ultimately celebratory weekend.

Example

After the main events, we headed back to Tim Peaks Diner for some energetic table dancing and a storming funk and soul set from Tim Burgess.
Just time to pop back to the real ale tent, this time for a well-deserved pint, we’d all survived!

 

Words by Reuben Crowther
Photographs by Andy Sawyer

Secret Garden Party 2014 Review

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“The longest yard”

Wow, where to start? Secret Garden Party blew my mind. After spending seven hours on a coach to get there, which was inevitably delayed, I got into the festival just in the nick of time and met up with my photographer. We’ve done a dozen festivals together and he took me on the short walk to the campsite where I was reacquainted with our trusty festival tent, the nickname of which I probably shouldn’t share, but nonetheless, this sagging, red mess was our dishevelled but not unloved HQ of the next three days and for its part, it did the job.

So bag down, party gear on, we headed into the festival proper. Our first port of call was the Fox, a giant, hay-filled canid used several times thereafter as a meeting point for lost friends. Atop its tail, during several conversations with excited randomers, I got my first real inclination of the scale and atmosphere and it was impressive, but at that point I had seen nothing.

Our first taste of action was Little Dragon on the Great Stage where thousands were crammed in to take in the surreal sounds of the Swedish synth-pop veterans. It was here that we met our extended group and after we made our way back towards the main area of the festival to take in more of the mise en scene: all kinds of different bars and hang-outs, food vans, huts, shacks, bars, art installations and of course people; lots of people.

“Are those people hanging from the ceiling?”

The next two acts we saw took us by great surprise as they were two of our favourites and yet we hadn’t even realised they were on the lineup. We noticed the familiar gait of Skream silhouetted against a constantly pulsing, fractal visualisation behind him. Then straight off the back of that the MC announced the arrival on stage of none other than DJ EZ who eased us in with some UKG classics before showcasing his flair on the ones and twos, bringing dirtier, grimier sounds to a packed crowd of willing skankers at the Drop, plus a gratuitous three minutes of ‘Deep Inside’. 

I rated SGP highly already. I came to the festival with a head full of names, my top DJs and artists and everyone who I’d planned to see but what I hadn’t bargained for was the rest of the festival experience being so fun. I could have stayed there for a week. Under the dark, expansive sky, bright lights shone and big beats rumbled; a different vibe around every corner. I got my first taste of the Drop coming from the back end and the way the wooden overhangs looked over the arena – like the wall around a fort – meant that the excitement of what I had in store over the next couple of days was growing with every moment. 

As the house beats rolled and the visuals evolved, surrounded by trees, lakes and these wooden platforms, the revelry atmosphere was almost spiritual. Gas canisters lined the floor, we danced on hay bales as night turned into day and the sun came up to techno rhythms. I got to see the festival in a completely new light and it was from this point that I got to fully appreciate the size and effort SGP had put into every single detail. Friends that had been before told me that in fact this year had been scaled back slightly and there were a few things missing and I remember thinking there wasn’t really anything I could imagine being better.

“This is the first festival where I’ve seen a dog shit”

Then came Saturday. All the days blurred into each other, so much overlap – the hallmark of any good festival – but there are distinct parts of each day which makes it impossible to pick a favourite. Saturday started with a walk to the lake where we sat by a cloud on the shaded banks. I could’ve stayed there all day, it was idyllic. We had a picnic, of sorts, and drank happily in the summer heat, the sound of Spitfires swooping above and balloons here there and everywhere.

Most of our group were SGP veterans, unlike my photographer and I who were straight up virgins to the Huntingdon festival, so I was happy to take their lead and they assured that the next stop was the Pagoda. The queue was huge and I couldn’t really see what all the fuss was about. Then our time came and on we got in, a floating stage on the edge of the lake in full sun with banging, hypnotic house and techno. The Pagoda was unbelievable, packed full of likeminded ravers, intermittent squirts of Super-Soakers and scantily clad, golden goddesses. We raved there for hours before heading back to campsite in the evening to recharge our batteries. This where my lack of sleep caught up with me. 

“Make sure you see the fireworks, you’ve gotta see the fireworks, the fireworks are the best bit, are you coming to the fireworks?”
“Yeah I’m coming, sounds sick, can’t wait!”
“Did you go to the fireworks?”
“Nah I fell asleep.”

Yeah I flopped on the fireworks which I was naturally wounded about. I sat down for a rest about 9pm and came-to in a tent around 1am. What I was playing at I don’t know, but I can tell you what everyone told me and that was I was an idiot for missing them and to be fair, the photos looked incredible; and I have it on good authority that Public Enemy smashed it shortly after, just like they had at Parklife when I saw them earlier in the year.

When I woke up, alone at the campsite, with a phone with no battery I set forth into the festival to find someone, anyone. Our group was led by the high leader Larry whose bright, yellow face you could pick out of a crowd from any distance; Larry was a flag. But after two hours of looking for my compadres – while simultaneously dancing ruts into the ground as I circled the Drop, Temple of Boom and everywhere in between – I decided probably just to make some new ones; and so I did. A bold claim maybe, but I think SGP had the best crowd I’ve ever seen (aside from one or two goblins and Technicolor madmen) and even the brief but fierce rainstorm couldn’t dampen my spirits.

I managed to find the crew just in time to see Route 94 at the Drop and when he brought in ‘My Love’ just as the sun was rising up, followed by his remix of ‘Fly 4 Life’, it was going off; that was until the technician told him to pack it in and (light-hearted?) boos rang round the venue.

“We’re a travelling rebetiko band”

After that I found myself on my own again, in a peculiar little tent in the early hours with fiddlers three and all kinds of mad ukuleles and mad, eccentric instruments being strummed, plucked and banged. I sat on a bench and a man in a fez carrying a violin pulled apart the curtains that formed the wall and sat down next to me. We sipped (“proper”) cognac and chatted at length about all sorts, then all of a sudden he popped up and said “oh I’ve gotta play now,” and off he went onto the stage.

SGP is the first festival I’ve been to where the place itself was more impressive than the music. There were bars hidden in secret wooded paths. You could go through a wardrobe in a fence and into Narnia, with snow-covered paths and its own ice rink and a toilet cubicle through which was a field of six-foot sunflowers and various specimens of wristband-wearing flora and fauna. Hay bales stacked 20 feet high with hologrammatic faces singed into them, fire pits, rolling fields, soft hillsides and ponds and lakes surround you; believe me I’m going back next year.

“It’s going off in these glasses”

Sunday came and it was a dream. Off we went again to the cloud by the lake and lay in the sun, swigging Kopparbergs like they were going out of fashion. We got to the Great Stage to see the Correspondents tear it up – another hot tip from the regulars – then we had the paint fight. If you’ve never been in a paint fight with tens of thousands of people, I’m inclined to say you’ve never been to a proper festival, but then again that wouldn’t be fair. 

Cannons of dry paint, fireworks cracking in the sky, grenades of powdered blue and red tossed back and forth between the two sides and no one left unscathed. Everyone was covered in dry paint, gold glitter and all kinds of festival wear and tear as ‘Jump Around’ blasted out across the heavily populated fields and hills. David Rodigan was next to do his thing, with sweet reggae music pumped loud from the Funktion Ones, followed by more bass-heavy sounds from Fat Freddy’s Drop in probably the most chilled environ possible.

The rest of Sunday was spent exclusively at the Drop with b2b sets from the likes of Joy Orbison, Optimo and Jackmaster. In between pounding four-four beats and intangible vocal whirls came classics like ‘Sugar is Sweeter’, timed to perfection – this was heaven for me. There’s something about house music that never ceases to amaze me and I found myself in awe at times wondering how the DJ was gonna play himself out of this tune or that tune, but they always did. 

“Chaise-Lloyd”

Rather than go out with a bang however, the music fizzled out around midnight and we were left to collect ourselves and head back to the campsite. Somewhere in the distance lightening filled the sky, like one final goodbye, and that for me was the end of Secret Garden Party.

Review by Lloyd Wall

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Photos by Paul Taylor

Noisily Review 2014

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Three (Main) Stages. Three Days. Plus a few extra if you camp, for the line up and the price you can’t miss this up-and-coming festival!

With an obvious focus on electronic music and art, it brings something unique to the festival scene. From big names on intimate stages, to newer underground DJ’s as well as residents, with a variety of
genres; House, Psy-trance, Dub, Glitch-Hop, Techno, and more, there is something for
everyone here.

I get on my way with a flurry of activity, as dramatic clothes, camping equipment and festival essentials are crammed into a bag and
slung heavily on my back. The ‘far to real’ train journey starts my descent into all things “Noisily”.

When I arrive, the sun is beating down on the festival, which is beautifully situated in Noseley Hall Grounds. People start to intermingle, connect and share snippits of information
as a ‘BoomBox BassBin’ (Thanks to Wonkay Records/Duskky) fills the air with music, the mind-expanding vibes are already flying as strangers become friends.

The festival site (and camping area) is compact with showers and plenty of ‘porta-loos’, easy to get from stage to stage and
a really nice layout within the site itself, each stage had a definite individual style, however Noisily has its own distinctive ‘theme’.

With easy access to get to the front if you wanted, and usually a seating area around the stage, this gives people of all ages and abilities a chance to enjoy the music. Some festivals you spend most of your time having to fight your way to get to the front and see the DJ you’ve paid for! Noisily gives you the best access to the most current live acts around being able enjoy and discover new artist’s on intimate stages for the price and the line-up.

Noisily’s music goes on until so late that the festival stays open till six am  (Food closes at 10am) ! Although a small capacity of 5000,  you feel as if you have met everybody and know everybody, there was a real community spirit where people felt as if they had known each other for years. The people are like minded and have travelled from all over the country and some from different part of the world but all brought here by one common love, Electronic  music. Mostly veteran festival goers, with a real old school ‘free-party’ feel. A Noisily community is born, strangers become friends, after setting up camp, everyone around me was sharing food, tea, stories and laughs. 

Music starts at twelve every day (a great wakeup call) after finishing at six on Friday and Saturday but then finishing early on Sunday at Eleven.

Although a small site, there is plenty of different food with vegetarian options as well;
Piri Piri Chicken, Wood-fire Pizza, Curry, Cake, Smoothies, Game and more. Plenty of Bars on every corner, which means small queues! The cost of booze is average festival prices, as is the food, varying from £1.50-£10, however you can bring your own food and drink (don’t forget to decant into plastic bottles though!) but always nice to get some hot food in you at some point!

Hallucinatory eye’s erupt around me as the décor appears from the woods, this festival definitely has a psychedelic feel, with UV lights, jellyfish, UFO's, sculptures and ‘holographic’ art. As you walk around the site and start to look at the finer detail, you realize that a lot of creative ideas and work have gone into the décor itself. The crew  have worked hard to construct seating areas within the site, from cute wooden benches, to sofa seating, the decorations are unique and create a great vibe, however the site really comes alive at night, with lasers and smoke machines creating the essence of the ‘rave’. Paths are well lit but some more light in the camping areas wouldn't go amiss!

Stalls are dotted around, selling some of the most beautifully unique handmade crafts ever! From textiles, to jewelry, juggling equipment and face paint! A real shame they were not on the main path, but plenty of people exploring their wares! By talking to a few stall owners, if you’re new to the festival scene there is definitely money to be made.   Noisily stall prices are reasonable and with the right crafts you could make some decent money.

The systems are all Function One, except one Opus Audio sound system, however they all have achieved the highest quality sound possible. A lot of thought has gone into creating the perfect sound, on all the stages. Function One monitors for all the DJ’s shows the high quality professionalism taken towards the quality of the sound.. A variation of technological hardware used by DJ’s creating unique sets, and live performances, enhanced by their own unique mixing style and equipment, you not only see some of your favorite DJ’s but some of the newest and unique equipment available on the market.

There is a focus on Art as you see things develop around you over the weekend, you can defiantly feel the creative souls and ideas put into the decoration of the festival.

I really enjoyed seeing the graffiti work progress during the festival and I think they should get some more people to do more graffiti work,  however the art work I saw around the festival was beautiful. All you artists out there should get in contact next year if you think you could participate, this will definitely give you some great exposure.

The Stages

Noisily Stage

The Noisily stage’s music floods the campsite and keeps the party fuelled all day long, it has a large dance floor and easy access to get to the front with a big bar at the back, as well as an awesome lighting rig. This stage is definitely one to watch, also, as it is the first stage you see,  it makes an impact as well with the light show which cascades through the trees at night.

Liquid Stage

Liquid stage is fuelled by psychedelic flowers and patterns reaching high into the sky, this is also the Opus Audio sound system, however it again had a great light show that took over the stage, easy dancing access to get to the front or back and a great little sloping seating area on the right hand side of the stage, a real ‘free’ vibe up here, as well as lots of juggling dancers.

Tree House Stage

Tree-house stage was up in the woods – a great stage – with a disco-ball in the center as well as Urban shamans laser box. Also nice seating areas to relax in! It’s a hidden Gem at the top of a wood chip path, however it was obvious from the line-up most people came for the psy-trance artists, however all weekend the Tree-house stage had some awesome beats pumping out.

In addition there was also two mini stages, one was the ‘Boombox’
and one was the ‘Taurus’

The Boom Box was a great idea, submerging the DJ in the box itself, and when it lit up at night it looked awesome.  There were also some great DJs playing on it at random times.

Taurus Stage

Taurus stage was a mechanical bull – it reminded me of the Midas bull story where they put a human inside a metal bull and heated it up! The DJ was encased in the metal – it must be an awesome stage to play on! The Taurus spat flames and had an unfinished but amazing feel as the flames pump hard into the night.

The Line up had some time changes etc so you had to keep checking on the information boards, however they were updated regularly and festival was small enough that if you needed to run to a stage, or from the campsite, you could.

Daily Break-Down

Friday

Friday was all about Noisily stage which was also broadcasting on Bassport.Fm (http://bassport.fm/) which I thought was a great idea to not only get more people aware of Noisily but give the DJ’s more promotion. This should defiantly be adopted at every stage next year! Bringing the music community together in a bigger way this means it can reach a big audience etc and promote underground radio stations.

Starting off the day with M.O.M, Bunkle
& Dusky, Terrorbyte, Krymes, William Breakspeare, Your Niece, Head of
State,Tom Bull, and others vibes were flying as the dance floor fills up although other artists were playing today’s line up was all about Noisily

The evening kicks off with Skope, Joe Ford, Gaudi, Far Too Loud, Atomic Drop, Free
Fall Collective. This stage kicked off as the dance floor went mental the first night was a raging successes. With curt de solely girls spitting fire to Joe Ford you couldn’t miss this stage it defiantly started noisily off with a bang.

Joe Ford’s set and Gaudi’s set were my favorite of the night however Far Too Loud knows how to get everybody moving.

This stage captivated me on the first night and I think a lot of people felt the same!

However on Liquid stage on Friday was Alex
Story, Renegade DJ, Neuroplasm and more. So depending on your personal preference their was plenty to see!

Renegade DJ played a wicked set and was nice to see a female DJ giving the boys a run for their money!

However I have to say the Treehouse stage was a secret Gem on Friday every time I went up their some awesome beats were flying, when Groove Assassin, Ben Mccabe and Seascape celebrated (seascapes) birthday in style!

Saturday

Saturday was all about Liquid this stage had a huge following every time I went up their the same smiling faces, dancing to the beat of trance, with Brainiac, Avalon, Lucas, Master
Blasters, Antispin, Scorb, Beardy, EVP, Psymmetrix, Sasha.

Avalon’s set stood out much like the shiny blazer he was wearing! However the mixing was spot on at liquid every time I was there and as the night drew in people continued to stomp into the night.

As the sun beat down the skin started to show as people enjoyed and relaxed in the summer heat! However the heavens opened at midnight but this did not dampen spirits as people made a quick change and continued to party in the rain. A euphoric moment at the psy-trance stage when the heavens opened and the tribal dance continued.

Although the site became very wet the crew had pre planned plenty of straw to make it safer but again more couldn’t of gone a miss!

The Mud added another angle of fun as people danced barefoot and became one with nature.

Saturday evening on Noisily had with Nanoplex, James Monro, Neurodriver.

Neurodrivers set was talked about by most of the people I spoke to and was defiantly another big hit.

Tree-house stage had: Elphino, 2562/AMUS Low Steppa, Kashi, however big shout out to Want More who played on Saturday they played an awesome set when I was up at the stage, although I was only their briefly they deserve a mention.

Sunday

Although it had dried out quiet a lot the mud was hear to stay but to be honest most people didn’t care. The Tree-house stage needed more straw to say one thing however you could still enjoy the music on Sunday. People put it all into Sunday I could feel the anticipation of not wanting to go home, as people continued to party hard to the music all day long.

On liquid stage you were blessed with : Monk3ylogic,Hedflux,Bad
Tango,OOOD,Lurker,Dexter, 2CBEEBIES, to be honest it finished off the night with a bang. Noisily stage  finishing off with SYMPHONIX and PHAXE Treehouse finishing off with PANDA and TEED however I am not sure what time TEED played as I think they did not get on until later than planned!

As I pack up my gear and head off I feel sad to say goodbye to Noisily and the people I have met this is definitely a festival to watch this is only going to snow ball with bigger names, more people, more stalls, I can see this becoming a gem in any electronic music lovers festival crown. I cant wait to see what they plan to do and how they plan to expand next year.

 


Created with flickr slideshow.

 

Festibelly 2014 Review

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The New Forest was brought to life by Festibelly. Located in one of the most beautiful areas of the South, the breath taking scenery dotted with wildlife makes for a pleasant journey to Lymington. Taking place from the 11th to the 12th of July, this small-scale festival really does cater for all.

On arrival, the short queuing time and onsite camping made for a quick and easy start to the weekend. Once the tent was pitched, I explored the array of stalls. Festibelly offers something for everyone, with children’s entertainment including games and crafts. While the kids were occupied, adults could enjoy the music only a few meters away. However, this festival isn’t just for families, it caters for all ages.

The vibe was chilled on Friday, with musical highlights from Laurel, Amber Run and Lewis Floyd Henry. The atmosphere picked up as Skinny Lister took to the stage, with upbeat sing along songs that got the whole crowd involved. The Cuban Brothers headlined Friday night and had the whole crowd captivated with their dancing and humor. I didn’t know what to expect when watching them, but they defiantly entertained!

Saturday welcomed in more festival goers, with the crowds drawing in to watch Jus Now and DJ David Rodigan. Entertainment was also on offer at the Massive In China and Terrapin Station tents through out the day, with a variety of comedy, music and dance workshops to participate in. Although slightly limited in choice, the food on offer was delicious with produce being sourced or grown locally. Delicious Orange Rooms cocktails were also available to buy from their teepee.

 

The main stage showcased FEMME and Mausi, who brought the pop vibes to the festival with dance beats blasting out in the sun. Hudson Taylor was the perfect end to such a family friendly festival in a beautiful location. I’d highly recommended this festival to anyone!

Photos by Mickey Cole

Electric Daisy Carnival 2014 Review

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Originating from the USA, Electric Daisy Carnival, or EDC as it is more widely known, made its second trip across the pond to the UK this weekend, transforming Milton Keynes outdoor National Bowl into an entertainment spectacle.

Riding on the success of last years London based event, EDC 2014 offered a who's who of chart-topping EDM, (electronic dance music) producers, best known for their knob-twiddling skills and dance music know how.

Aside from the music, one of EDC's unique selling points (persistently featured in the promo videos) was the scale of special effects on offer. Promising the UK's largest ever 360 degree LED light display, pyrotechnics and hundreds of weird and wonderful performers, the organisers clearly aimed to make their event just as visually appealing as the music itself.

Musically, this years EDC boasted a diverse line up of British and European producers, with EDM duo Bassjackers opening the main stage at midday before Avicii's headline set in the late evening, with chart hits 'You Make Me' and 'Wake Me Up' lighting up the bowl.

Earlier in the day, Calvin Harris played a mid-afternoon set, including recent number ones 'Summer' and 'Under Control', with the majority of the crowd on each other's shoulders early on. It was a busy day for Harris, who hurried off to play a main stage set at T in the Park where he was joined and introduced by Will Smith! Not a bad day for Calvin, who achieved eight top-ten hits from his 2012 album, '18 Months'.

Meanwhile, over on the Cosmic Meadow stage, house music was the order of the day if EDM drops became too much for some. Route 94, who scored a number one earlier this year with his piano house track 'My Love' featuring vocals from Jess Glynne, opened the stage at 1pm with a well received set. Later on, Leeds success story Hot Since 82, real name Daley Padley, performed an evening set of deep house drawing on tracks from his album 'Little Black Book'.

Back at the Kinetic Field main stage, 19-year-old Dutch producer Martin Garrix, who topped the chart with the inescapably catchy 'Animals', which is given an outing today, as well as follow-up top-ten track 'Wizard and a remix of Empire of the Sun's 'Alive' drew a large crowd. Mixing Naughty Boy and Sam Smith's number one 'La La La' with his own new single 'Tremor', the chorus bass drops team with confetti and smoke machines going off in unison.

Next up was Steve Aoki, who is currently hosting his Aoki Play House residency in Ibiza, here making a rare UK appearance, dropping bass heavy tracks, 'Boneless' and a new collaboration with Afrojack, before scaling the grand DJ podium set up. While stood high, he threw numerous cakes at the crowd, something which has become synonymous with the 'Beat Down' producers energetic sets.

For only it's second visit to the UK, it's safe to say that Electric Daisy Carnival is here to stay, fulfilling a gap in the British festival market and offering a world class line-up! Next year's event can't come quicker!

Latitude Festival 2014 Launch Event Review

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The Black Keys have been announced as the third act to grace the Obelisk Stage at Latitude Festival this year. It will be the first time the blues / rock duo have headlined a UK festival. After the success of their last album 'El Camino' they will be more than ready to set the final night of the festival alight. They will join Damon Albarn and Two Door Cinema Club as the headlining acts for the ninth year of the festival.

The announcement was revealed at Sadler's Wells in London by festival organiser, Melvin Benn. Sadler's Wells not only provided the venue for the launch, it also adds to the festival by showcasing their very own English National Ballet, James Cousins Company and National Youth Dance Company.

The venue was full with guys and gals excited to hear who would be the next acts to be announced. As drink got flowing, it was clear to see that these people could not wait to be opening their first beer at the festival. The conversation was clearly about who they were most excited to see at Latitude.

Other acts which have been added to the stellar line-up include Editors, James, Crystal Fighters, Kelis, The Afghan Whigs and Tinariwen, Mogwai, Lykke Li, War On Drugs, Temples, Parquet Courts, George Ezra, Conor Oberst, Tom Vek and Dawes.

For those looking for something a little different, a well-rounded cultural experience, the reason that people swarm to Latitude, there will be performers such as Laura Bates (Literature), Sabrina Mahfouz (Poetry) and Margeret Thatcher Queen of Soho (Cabaret) gracing the Arts Stages. The theme for the Art Stages was revealed as 'Secrets and Lies'.

Finally if you're just looking for a giggle and a laugh the Comedy stage will delight you with the likes of Dara O'Briain, Milton Jones, Cardinal Burns, Josh Widdicombe and Seann Walsh.

Having been awarded 'Best Line-up' 2013 at the UK Festival Awards, Latitude has continued to pull together yet another outstanding line-up. We cannot wait to get down to Henham Park, Suffolk in July!

Tickets are on sale now. To get yours go to www.latitudefestival.com/tickets

Little Boots at The Deezer Bandwagon Tour

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Seeing someone perform inside a soundproofed box isn’t the usual thing you’d expect when attending a gig. It was actually quite a surreal experience when you weren’t wearing the headphones given to you at the door. Normally silent discos are played by DJ’s, so you don’t really expect to be able to hear the music, however when confronted with a band that you can’t hear it’s a completely different story. Once I put on the headphones given to me at the gate however, I was engulfed by the crisp, electro pop sounds of Little Boots as if she was performing at a normal gig.

Having never seen Little Boots before I couldn’t wait to hear what she had in store for this one-of-a-kind show. Alongside her crowd pleasing classics such as ‘Stuck On Repeat’ and ‘Remedy’ she played a number of new, as of yet unreleased tracks that went down a storm with the crowd of all ages. Towards the end of her hour-long set time Little Boots fittingly played ‘Headphones’ which added to the slightly comedic performance. Being perfectly honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Little Boots, however her live performance completely blew me away and fitted perfectly with the first signs of spring sun.

Before Little Boot’s final few songs we were all told that we could take our headphones off as the 400 strong crowd had been tweeting about the show so much we’d ‘unleashed the music’, and Little Boots finished her performance in style with a couple more new songs. Once Little Boots’ show was over Russ Jones, AKA Hackney Globetrotter, took to the decks and took the party into the night with an eclectic set of chart toppers and funky house beats. The Red Gallery Car Park proved to be the perfect venue for a relaxed evening of free drinks and great tunes hidden away in the heart of Shoreditch, with plenty of sofas and benches to soak up the evening sun on.

 

T in the Park 2011 Review

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

Tiësto Live @ Victoria Park

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TiestoFriday 30th July 2010 saw Tiësto return to Victoria Park in London for his second live show. With a supporting lineup that included The Japanese Popstars, Avicii, and Pendulum on the main stage the afternoon was set to be full of musical madness.

We arrived to catch the last part of The Japanese Popstars, the trio from Northern Ireland lived up to their expectations playing what they call "big room, cool as f**k electronic music built for festivals and staduims", See our interview with the lads here.

AviciiNext to take the helm was Avicii, Tiësto's hand picked supporting artist for his current tour. For those that dont know much about Avicii he is a Swedish DJ and producer who has come up through the ranks of Laidback Luke's online forum. Winner of Pete Tongs Fast Trax, Avicii has taken the industry by storm, DJing all over the world and working with some of the best producers in the game. As the crowds slowly started to gather in the main stage area, Avicii kept their feet moving with a mix of house, electro, and trance infused beats. Dropping the massive Swedish House Mafia single One brought huge applause from the crowd.

Pendulum were set to take to the main stage next and as the stage was setup for their arrival you could feel the excitement in the atmosphere. The Australian rock / drum and bass band have recently released their new album "Immersion" and with two other albums behind them the live set was never going be a let down. By far one of the best live drum and bass acts at the moment their stage presence is immediately felt with MC Ben Mount taking centre stage. Ben's energy levels alone are enough to get any crowd going crazy and as soon as the bass kicks in the crowd are jumping and moshing in all directions. Ben creates a riot as he jumps off stage and mounts security fence and gets in amongst the punters. As a first time witness of seeing Pendulum live, I was very impressed with the amount of energy they put into the live set. If you havent yet seen them live I would highly recommend that you catch them on their Arena Tour of the UK in December 2010. A brilliant production setup completes the live experience.

Pendulum

Tiësto

Dutch DJ legend Tiësto's arrival is highly anticipated and as his intro kicks off, the crowd begin chanting "Tiësto, Tiësto". With thousands of punters piling into the main area to see what they came here for, Tiësto walks out to massive applause. On tour with his 4th studio album Kaleidoscope, which features an array of musicians inculding Nelly Furtado, Kele Okereke (from the Bloc Party), and Calvin Harris to name a few, Tiësto was here to showcase his new tracks.

As always Tiësto is in the party mood, complete with a huge grin on his face and his arms in the air.  The crowd seem to take his lead and as we walk through the masses of fans dancing to one of the worlds most in demand DJ's, we see all types of party people, some with light-sabers, a mexican hat crew and a huge number fans in the traditional dutch orange coloured t-shirts. One thing is consistent though, the smiles on everyone's faces as they jump up and down to Tiësto's beats.

Tiësto never fails in the production department, his show is kitted out with a large backdrop LED Screen and awesome pyrotechnics. As the night begins to fall the lighting really comes into its own. The sound system is loud enough to ensure that you can feel it anywhere from the park! Halfway through his set, Tiësto gets onto the mic and yells out to the crowd that he is about to take us back through his back catalogue and treats us to the likes of "Lethal Industry", "Silence", "Flight 643", "Love Comes Again", "Traffic", "Adagio for Strings" and more. His new tracks also get a great response, especially the Sneaky Sound System collaboration "I Will Be Here". Tiësto shows once again why he is the only DJ ever to host his own show in Victoria Park and we look forward to seeing him agin next year!

Tiësto
 

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