Underworld

Bestival 2015: Full Review!

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Thursday

As the early bird catches the proverbial worm, so to do the first campers snag the best spots. A stream of gear laden guys and gals is making its way into the campsites from all directions and the sun is luckily, shining. Nighttime on Thursday sees the early opening of a few areas, The Wishing Tree is available for tiny raves, the Grassy Hill’s Caravanserai is jumping, and Underworld take an absolutely rammed headline slot in The Big Top. It’s a bit of a shame there’s no longer a big screen on the outside of the tent, as it’s frankly impossible to fit everyone in, but those outside are still dancing their legs off to the likes of ‘Born Slippy’ regardless.

Underworld @ Bestival 2015

Friday

Friday’s Gabrielle Aplin brings beautiful summer vibes to the main stage dressed in a spangly gold sequined jumpsuit, whilst The Cuban Brothers’ Miguel rocks his “Elvis in Marrakech” kaftan and afro combo as Archerio, Kengo and One Erection wow the crowds with headspins, backflips and flares galore. Having had the entire crowd sing Happy 70th Birthday to Bestival veteran, and former drug baron Howard “Mr. Nice” Marks who dons a golden kaftan on stage, Miguel implores everyone to “Increase the peace with a collective unconscious”.

Up on the big hill, the Slow Motion area is a serene place to take a break, with the bandstand gone, a new stage – Kaleidoscope – peeks out from the bottom corner, covered in silver sunrays. Grab yourself a fresh corn-on-the-cob, a pint of Bestivale and maybe take part in some Yoga. Massages, tea and cake from the Women’s Institute or making friends with fluffy llamas is also on the menu here, and if you venture inside Oberon’s Observatory you’ll find a tiny cinema and a pretty awesome lookout across the festival. Though there are notably less children year upon year, the kids area is still going strong with games and activities, across the way from lectures and comedy in the Bestiversity tent. There truly is something for everyone here.

A sun drenched crowd is relaxing at the main stage listening to the powerful voice of the incredibly talented Lianne La Havas, who is dressed in a show-stopping green ball gown and is tantalizing everyone with news of her upcoming UK tour in December for new album ‘Blood’. Followed up by the complete juxtaposition of Charlie XCX who spends her entire set swearing and making crude gestures. Luckily her songs are catchy enough to make up for it, and everyone seems to be enjoying ‘I don’t Care (I Love It)’ and ‘Boom Clap’ whilst she jumps around with a giant inflatable guitar, in her platform sneakers.

90’s Hip Hop super-group Jurassic 5 bring the entertainment with a massive turntable, portable turntable/mixer guitar contraptions and their distinctive brand of swagger, but it’s Duran Duran who are the stand out surprise of the night. The younger age set at this festival might not think they know more than ‘Rio’ but the hits keep rolling, and they put on an absolutely epic show which has everyone joining in with both classic hits and brand new album tracks.

See our full Duran Duran headline review here: http:///Reviews/2015/09/12/Duran-Duran-Bestival-2015-Review.aspx

Duran Duran @ Bestival 2015

Saturday

If you’re not feeling so fresh this morning, a quick trip to the lavish Elle Beauty Cupboard in partnership with Rimmel will have you all dolled up with a makeover or a manicure, as well as a goodybag full of makeup and you can get your brain back on track with a stop at the Science tent, where you can pick up a pair of psychedelic solar glasses for watching the fireworks too. New this year is the giant Lovebot, and a new-look Inflatable Church for all your wedding-disco wishes.

Over on the main stage, Dodgy rock “Good Enough” and IOW locals Level 42 (with a cameo from Cubano’s One Erection breakdancing) play to a relaxed crowd. Little Dragon wears some sort of golden bin-bag with red evening gloves for a set of weird and wonderful sounds, and over in the Magic Meadow the parade is a swarm of bright silks and mysterious creatures. Colourful birds, adorable little strawberries and lotus flowers dance past, as a squid rides a giant turtle followed by a Battala band. Only at Bestival…

Secret act cheesy hip hop legends House of Pain are actually great and anthem 'Jump Around' is spectacularly taken to heart by Bestivalites who are doing their best to jump up, jump up and get down. Kate Tempest gathers a big crowd for her main stage foray, in previous years she’s usually a walk through the woods to the amphitheatre for her spoken word sets. With obvious excitement she quips “Jeremy Corbyn has been elected… this is the summer of change, the summer of love!” and a keen eye can spot Rob da Bank clapping in appreciation from the side of the stage.

In the deep dark of the night forest, the amphitheatre comes alive and tonight The Story Beast (comedian John Henry Falle) is MCing Films in the Forest. Award winning short ‘Jonah’ is beautifully made and captivates the audience but ‘Festevil’ is the one that’s really going to stick with you – what could be better than a slasher short about a couple getting murdered in a tent at a festival by pig-masked psychopaths? “Are you all suitably shitted up? That could happen to you tonight!” says Falle. Cheers Story Beast… no really thanks so much. Just as well he follows it up with a rousing rendition of the theme from Dune (join in, all the words are… THE THEME FROM DUNE) and Tom Hyatt brings beautiful acoustic flavours to the stage with his songs about love. We hot-foot it when the next movie ‘Behind the Candelabra’ comes on, but not quite quick enough to escape seeing Matt Damon fellate Michael Douglas.

Annie Mac is ripping it up on the main stage with glowing palm trees to match the glowing umbrellas and fairy lights of the neon night parade, and The Chemical Brothers’ headline slot is a laser loaded, big beat heavy, electrifying show with a slew of hits from opener ‘Hey Boy Hey girl’ to ‘Block Rockin Beats’ and ‘Galvanize’.

Check out our full Chemicals review here: http:///Reviews/2015/09/15/The-Chemical-Brothers-Bestival-2015-Review.aspx

The night is young and the weather is sort of holding, so it’s off to Future Islands in the Big Top to see enigmatic frontman Samuel T. Herring dance like he’s been tasered and growl like he’s in a metal band. Completely bonkers but light, fun synthpop. The Port is packed with ravers and fire-dancers spit flames from atop the giant boat. Arial hoop dancers swing hypnotically from a crane above, everything is just on the edge of surreal and it’s brilliant. For a little less bass, Caravanseri’s little love-in is dancing along to violin folk-rockers Keltrix, cosying up in retro caravans or drinking mojitos in the carousel.

Sunday

Despite an overnight soaking, the campsite awakens to a clear and sometimes sunny morning (hurrah!) and there’s a dawning realisation that there’s only one day left of hedonistic adventures. DJ Yoda’s unmistakable beats reverberate across the arena to a massive crowd, and there are major queues outside the packed Amphitheatre for the genius Shitfaced Shakespeare. The drunken cast member simply can’t be arsed with what’s going on and keeps having existential epiphanies like “News is new… news!”. Throughout the forest people are hiding out, watching red squirrels or exploring round the lake, or searching out the secretive Blind Tiger stage.

Jungle Brothers get everyone chanting “We at Bestival baby” as indeed we are and Boy Better know keep up with the distinctly hip hop flavor to this year’s main stage lineup. It’s not as though those who aren’t into it have nothing else to do though, Pig’s Big Ballroom is a house of energetic folk and feelgoodery and the close-by Invaders of the Future stage is showcasing a plethora of great rock bands.

Over on the Kaleidoscope stage, Coco and the Butterfields are absolutely smashing it, gathering a bigger and rowdier crowd as they play, one of the very best things about Bestival is happening upon something or someone amazing that you’ve never heard of, and finding this banjo-led upbeat band is just one of those moments. Elsewhere the Oxfam tent is selling sparkly wares and as the weather is looking decidedly unsafe, wellies. The Llamas at Llama Karma are happily munching their way through Robin Hill’s luscious grass and wearing some very fetching rainbow neckerchiefs, the Solace tent is providing tea and cake to burnt out hippies and there are bare bottoms basking in the wood-fired hot tubs overlooking the enormous site.

A rare musical treat in the form of The Jacksons has the entire arena boogying, but it’s worth mentioning that it’s not just a classic hit parade – these guys are every bit as good as they always were. Polished entertainers with cracking vocals, for the likes of ‘Blame it on the Boogie’, ‘Rock With You’ and ‘ABC’. Jermaine has a noticeable tear in his eye when the crowd joins in for ‘I’ll Be There’ as a montage of their younger selves play on split video screens. Over in the Big Top, Todd Terje is providing summery soft electro-house to a busy tent, which makes a change from the heavier Port acts.

Final headliner Missy Elliott is every bit as showy as you could imagine. Plenty of bling, an army of backing dancers and MC’s hyping up the crowd the whole way through. Hits ‘Get Ur Freak On’ and ‘Work It’ are absolutely huge.

Read our full Missy Elliott headline review here: http:///Reviews/2015/09/15/Missy-Elliott-Bestival-2015-Review.aspx

As Missy makes her way off stage, ticker tape explosions coincide with the start of the fireworks display, which is magically timed so that red heart-shaped fireworks burst to the chorus of “Love Is In The Air” to the oohs and aaahs of the crowd. The floral fire arrangement of the Commune is glittering away and everyone is hugging each other, it truly is the Summer of Love. Though the night isn’t over, the rain starts coming in hard and a lot of people are heading back to the campsites with the threat of early ferries and late hangovers in the morning. Skrillex is bouncing around at The Port with a few thousand pals, the Carnivale ship is still rocking tunes and the drag queens of Sink the Pink at The Grand Palace of Entertainment are still werking it hard.

This year’s Bestival has been home to some eighty thousand neo-hippies for the Summer of Love ’15 and it’s pretty hard to say goodbye to this beautiful, weird and wonderful land knowing full well that responsibility and the adult world is waiting beyond these borders. You can be sure we’ll be first on the early bird ticket bandwagon at the end of the month, and the countdown clock will be immediately set for Bestival 2016. Massive thanks to Rob da Bank and the Bestival crew for another incredible weekend, we can’t wait to see what’s next…

All photos by Rob Ball for Summer Festival Guide. See the full set here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/summerfestivalguide/albums/72157658440759892

 

Camp Bestival 2015 Review

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Camp Bestival, the spin-off to the Isle of Wight legend, Bestival, is nothing short of a festival treasure. Lovingly curated by DJ Rob da Bank and his wife Josie, this is a festival exclusively for families and offers one of the most varied musical line-ups alongside children’s attractions and huge television stars.

From the moment you pull up in the car park, you know this is a festival that is going to work out those leg muscles, with everything built on steep hills covering an area the size of a small town! 

Arriving on the Thursday, before the festival really starts, you could be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be a small and unassuming event, with only a few stalls (thankfully including Nandos!) and one arena open, it was easy to believe that this was going to be a weekend that dragged. However, this initial belief was proved wrong from first thing Friday morning with an amazing opening set by the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band to warm the crowds. 

With the Blue Coats keeping the crowds happy it was not long before everyone was on their feet and laughing along to Dick and Dom’s performance of ‘Dick v Dom Go Wild!’ – an act full of audience participation and lots of water guns and a foam fight, the adults were laughing along with the kids at all the obvious innuendos and humorous use of Richard’s nickname. 

The first day flew by quickly with plenty to see and do such as the Insect Circus, the multiple fairground rides and interactive experiments at the Science Museum tent. Before you knew it you were pitched up back at the main stage watching the sun set to the pounding beat of Professor Green and Clean Bandit before a slow crawl back up the hill to the camping site and a steaming cup of tea brewed over the gas stove. 

After a long night anyone would expect it to be a rather quiet and slow morning… But at a festival full of little ones, and Mr Tumble opening the main stage it was a rather early, and very excitable morning! After a set of ‘Hello Hello’, the ‘Hokey Cokey’ and ‘Old MacDonald’s Farm’, the parents were screaming for a break while the kids were ready for some more! My day was spent lazily roaming the huge site, visiting the wall of death, riding the carousel and enjoying more of the fantastic food on offer (as well as trying out the ‘Solar Power Shower Tower’), winding down to Level 42 with a box, yes a box, of Rosé was just what was needed!

With Kaiser Chiefs rocking the stage until late into the night, it was yet another late night, with everyone sadly trailing back to the tent after an explosive set fuelled by classics such as ‘Riot’ and ‘Ruby’, more tea, but yet another early morning!

Sunday’s stage times left a trail of confused festival go-er’s with Ella Henderson and Bob Geldof swapping stage times. While there was an notice on the website, and also on the screens to the side of the main stage, there was still a lot of confusion which left many fans unable to watch their favourite act. One lady said that her young daughter was watching another act over at the Big Top and ended up missing Ella Henderson, who was her main motive for booking the ticket. 

The disappointment was short-lived however as Ella Henderson smashed her set and paved the way for the amazing Kent duo, Slaves, who powered through their set with just two drums, symbols, and a pleasing lack of shirts, with a guest appearance from a friendly manta-ray. Soul II Soul graced the stage next with a set of classics, such as ‘Back to Life’ which gracefully slipped into a blazing set by Ella Eyre which got everyone smiling as we waited patiently for the night’s headlines, Underworld, to take the stage.

As Underworld’s set slowly came to a close, the crowd all turned around to watch the spectacular fireworks which closed the entire festival.

The final trek back to the tents was slow and with everyone slowly coming down from the amazing high of the weekend at the realisation that it was all over, the air was thick with mixed feelings. 

Monday morning was another early rise but everyone was moving slowly. The tents slowly disappeared in a slow trail of little truck’s being pulled up another hill to the car park, it was clear that this amazing festival was one that would be missed by all those in attendance, until next year at least.

The Chemical Brothers to headline Bestival + many more announced

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With a brand new album about to drop, we are ecstatic to announce that the Chemical Brothers will be headlining Saturday night at Bestival’s Summer of Love. Longstanding favourites at Bestival HQ, we’re giddy with anticipation for an all-new live show featuring Tom Rowlands dropping the knowledge and those fat, fat beats. A colossus in dance music and leaders in club culture’s move into the mainstream, The Chemical Brothers are simply historic, and we love ‘em!

Another firm Besti-crew favourite is Underworld, who, we’re extremely pleased to say, will headline the Big Top on Thursday night as part of a UK festival exclusive for us! Currently touring their seminal Dubnobasswithmyheadman album to packed venues across the land, we’ve bagged them to kick off our epic four-day love-fest, when they’ll be proving it’s not just skyscrapers that they love.

Commenting on their opening night appearance, Underworld said: “Can't wait to be back on the Isle of Wight with the Bestival crew. Be sure to get there early to catch us on Thursday night and start the weekend as you mean to go on”.

Joining our line-up for the first time for a UK festival exclusive appearance are iconic trailblazers Duran Duran. Unstoppable as ever, the band are currently in the studio with Mr. Hudson, Mark Ronson and Nile Rodgers, putting the finishing touches on a brand new album, set for release later this year. Frontman Simon Le Bon says: “This year sees the beginning of a new Duran Duran live show. I couldn't imagine starting it with more of a bang than an appearance at Bestival.”

We’ll also have a UK festival exclusive appearance from the world’s most famous musical family, The Jacksons, and live sets from psychedelic riff merchants Tame Impala, soul-powered collective Jungle, bloc party hip-hop kings Jurassic 5, a UK exclusive from unique beat sculptor Flying Lotus, garage duo Gorgon City, who, as you’ll know, are ‘ready for your love’, genre-swerving four-piece Little Dragon; the golden voiced Roisin Murphy, and deep house don and UK singles chart-topper Duke Dumont.

And there’s plenty more live music from the likes of Kate Tempest, Jamie xx (Live), Boy Better Know, Todd Terje (live), Action Bronson, Future Islands, Level 42 , Young Fathers, Flight Facilities, Rae Morris, Jungle Brothers, The Cuban Brothers, Pond, Sleaford Mods, Fat White Family, Lapsley, Cymande, Slaves, Shura, George The Poet, Dean Blunt, Snap!, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, The Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band, Reggaerobics and Circus Raj.

Sharing bounteous love on the ones & twos late into the night, we’ll have the undisputed queen of Radio 1’s dance shows Annie Mac, rabble rousing as Lily Allen presents FUNLORD, plus  Kalamazoo’s coolest man Seth Troxler, musical yarn-spinners Tale of Us, first lady of bass Hannah Wants, and the unutterably brilliant Four Tet, who will not only be blowing minds when he opens The Port on Friday but will also be taking everybody that bit higher, bringing our beloved Bollywood to a close the very same night!

We’ll also have mayhem from Black Butter Presents…, sick beats from Madlib, floor-smashing goodness from Jackmaster, Joy Orbison going toe to toe with Ben UFO, cosmic techno from Guy Gerber, full signal when David Rodigan MBE presents Ram Jam, sonic adventuring from Erol Alkan, beautiful blends as erstwhile Streets man Mike Skinner presents Tonga and unknown pleasures from Andrew Weatherall.

And there’s plenty more arms in the air behaviour courtesy of SHY FX’s Party on the Moon, Mistajam presents Speakerbox, Benji B presents Deviation, Redlight, Jonas Rathsman, The Heatwave, Norman Jay MBE presents Good Times, Wookie, The Shellac Collective, Late Nite Tuff Guy, SG Lewis, Joe Hertz, World Of Rave & Music Mondays presents: Billy Daniel Bunter, Slipmatt, Rat Pack, Mark Archer (Altern-8), Kaotic Chemistry, Baby D, Liquid & Uncle Dugs, Work It DJs, Juicebox DJs and Venum Sound.

Tickets for Bestival’s Summer of Love go on sale at 10am on Thursday 12th February, and will be available through our ground breaking weekly payment plan, which lets you spread the cost of a Bestival ticket across 25 weeks for around £7 per week after your initial deposit. So there are no excuses! Join our legion of lovers now!

Live:

The Chemical Brothers / Underworld / Duran Duran / The Jacksons / Tame Impala / Jungle / Jurassic 5 / Flying Lotus / Gorgon City / Little Dragon / Roisin Murphy / Duke Dumont / Kate Tempest / Jamie xx (Live) / Boy Better Know / Todd Terje (Live) / Action Bronson / Future Islands / Level 42 / Young Fathers / Flight Facilities / Rae Morris / Jungle Brothers / The Cuban Brothers / Pond / Sleaford Mods / Fat White Family / Lapsley / Cymande / Slaves / Shura / George the Poet / Dean Blunt / Snap! / The Crazy World of Arthur Brown / Mr Wilson’s Second Liners /The Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band / Reggaerobics / Circus Raj

DJs:

Annie Mac / Lily Allen presents FUNLORD / Seth Troxler / Tale of Us / Hannah Wants / Four Tet / Black Butter Presents… / Madlib / Jackmaster / Joy Orbison / Ben UFO / Guy Gerber / David Rodigan MBE presents Ram Jam / Erol Alkan / Mike Skinner presents Tonga / Andrew Weatherall / SHY FX’s Party on the Moon / Mistajam presents Speakerbox / Benji B presents Deviation / Redlight / Jonas Rathsman / The Heatwave / Norman Jay MBE presents Good Times / Wookie / The Shellac Collective / Late Nite Tuff Guy / SG Lewis / Joe Hertz / World Of Rave & Music Mondays presents: Billy Daniel Bunter, Slipmatt, Rat Pack, Mark Archer (Altern-8), Kaotic Chemistry, Baby D, Liquid & Uncle Dugs / Work It DJs / Juicebox DJs / Venum Sound

Final line-up for Monegros 2013

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On top of the already confirmed artists such as the live shows of  Underworld, Public Enemy, Vitalic, Bloody Beetroots, Feed me and Djs such as Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Loco Dice, Luciano or the famous Berghain residents Marcel Dettmann & Ben Klock Monegros comes with another release of artists:

 

NERO (UK): Th british electronic music duo composed of members Daniel Stephens, Joe Ray will be added to the headliners of the 2013 edition and show Spain why they are one of the most repected Drum&Bass international group.

THE NEW M-NUS GENERATION: The label from Richie Hawtin has always had an eye for new talents. The Italians from Tale Of Us will distill some of their elegant and sexy tech sounds . They will be joined by the live of Matador which has blown everyone away with his EP “Kingswing”.

 

TECHNO MASTERS : Monegros has always supported techno in its purest form – In addition to the 40 Djs already lined up, the 2013 edition of Monegros will count with the vintage sounds of techno pioneers such as Surgeon, Dave Clarke, Ben Sims with an exclusive live for Monegros as well as Spanish pioneer Oscar Mulero.

 

ELROW PRESENTS ROWSHOW PSYCHEDELIC TRIP WITH  LUCIANO & ELROW RESIDENTS –

Monegros goes back to its roots and reopens for the 3rd year the OPEN AIR Stage. Expect full techno, minimal and house. The Open air will close with a showcase of the infamous Barcelona parties Elrow and its infamous Rowshows  themed parties with the mighty Luciano and all the Elrow residents (De La Swing – Marc Maya – Mario Biani ­– Oscar Aguilera – Raul Mezcolanza – Toni Varga). Expect craziness, toys, inflatables, party costumes – ELROW takes the party wherever they go.

 

On the 17th June Monegros announce their final headliner

SW4 2011 Review by Hannah Hassack

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Arriving for the Saturday line-up at about 2pm the party had very much already started. The queues of people waiting to get in moved at good speed and there was just enough time to swig a cider or 2 before we were in the middle of the action. And the mud.
 
The majority of people arrived at the event between 12pm and 4pm, wanting to make the most of the excellent value line-up. At £40 for an early bird ticket, SW4 attendees couldn’t deny they were getting a good deal, with a very similar line up to Creamfield’s at nearly half the cost.
 
With it being the first of the 2 day event which spans the August Bank Holiday weekend, the grass was fairly green when we descended, the facilities were in good nick and spirit levels were high (in terms of both vodka and mood) The general atmosphere can be described as Creamfield’s meets Park Life, which is unsurprising given the line-up. Dance lovers paradise, this wasn’t an event for the faint hearted. Forget flowers and mellow swaying, think welly-stomping and glow-sticks!
 
The weather was predictably unpredictable; swinging between bouts of strong sunshine and bursts of rain, but people spirits weren’t dampened. As the fields became muddy and the poncho’s came on, it only seemed to spur people on and give them the energy to have a good time, all was embraced and a festival glow spread like jam and fuelled our fire as we danced the day away.
 
Things kicked off with Underworld on the Ministry of Sound’s Main Stage, with it being their exclusive appearance in London for 2011 crowds were strong. Their techno rock cocktail was a brilliant way to kick off the afternoon and as the throngs filtered in it was quite literally music to eager ears. The energy and excitement of Underworld's gig set the bar for the entire event, and what followed didn’t disappoint.
 
Underworld were followed by Laidback Luke, Zabiela and Pete Tong to name but a few legendary acts known for their energy and power to get the crowds going, while over in the Cocoon area, Sven Vath, Loco Dice and Josh Wink held their own.
 
A definite highlight was undoubtedly the rip-roaring response Above & Beyond received when they kicked things off in Group Therapy Arena. This entrancing trio have edged their way slowly but steadily onto the electro scene over the past few years and their fantastic catalogue of hits and lesser known tracks has made them a must-see and didn’t fail to wow us. Mixing it up with some Sirens of the Sea classics as well as some Group Therapy numbers of latter release, the ravers were more than satisfied.
 
For a bit of variety, Over in the Shake It! Arena, Tiga, M.A.N.D.Y. and Layo and Buschwacka did their thing. The line up in this arena offered some unique electro dance remixes that could really get you shaking and delivered an ever so slightly more toned down tunes to rave to. Following the aforementioned quirky acts and bringing in some underground house tunes to finish off was European DJ Spencer Parker.
 
Another highlight was Ferry Cortsen’s special appearance – a phenomenal way to close the Group Therapy Arena, the finale offering the same calibre with which the arena opened. The long standing globally celebrated trance hero sent ripples throughout the entire arena with his powerful and intoxicating beats. The energy of the event had not yet died and crowds were on fantastic form to appreciate it. Bringing out some classics from his extensive discography, as well as offering up some new mixes, the set was edgy, energetic and enchanting. The set ended all too soon, but this was definitely a case of quality over quantity, and the calibre of the entire set couldn’t be doubted.
 
Reports tell me the quality of Sunday’s event was just as a high, and despite the direct competition with Creamfield’s, Clapham Common absolutely held its own for the entire weekend. Each year the line-up for SW4 seems to get more captivating and with the outstanding shows from such globally acclaimed legends this year, the calibre of the line-up is bound to peak yet again next year! Get yours early, because this is a fantastically priced, superbly located event that promises to deliver.

Global Gathering 2011 Review

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We arrived at the Global Gathering at around 5pm and to my surprise a good crowd was already building in the grounds of Long Marsden Airfied. It is overcast above and there is no sight of the sun, it is warm and the ground is dry and that is all that matters! Walking into the grounds, past the tight security complete with police dogs, I immeditately noticed that the arena’s were now more spread out than in previous years. One thing that will never change is the great array of people that come out to Global each year. The costumes are out again in force this year, we run into some bananas, a large group of tigers, chickens and more!

Heading over to the main stage, we are just in time to see the infamous Jaguar Skills who always performs behind a ninja mask. Little is known about the man behind the mask, but this doesnt take away the fact that Jaguar can rock a crowd with his skills on the decks.

One of my favourite area’s at Global is the outdoor Toolroom Knights arena, there is always a great crowd here and Friday’s lineup was immense. Rocking the decks was Micheal Woods, coming straight off his success with Example’s ‘Changed The Way She Kissed Me’, he had the entire crowd jumping with hands in the air. As we look over from the front of the stage, all we see is a crowd full of smiles, they have a massive weekend of great music ahead and this is the perfect way to start. Special guest Benny Benassi kept the crowd going with his uplifting house set before making way for Toolroom Knights head honcho Mark Knight.

Global Gathering

With Above and Beyond having their ‘Group Therapy’ tent at Global this year, we were expecting nothing but uplifting trance and it was supplied by some of the heavy hitters in the scene, Super8 & Tab, Gabriel and Dresden, Gareth Emery, Sander van Doorn and of course Above and Beyond all graced the decks in this tent. Above and Beyond showcased their Group Therapy show with a spectacular music, video and lighting production and played a blinding set to a full house.

Underworld still promenintely play the festival circuit each year and we catch the trio, Karl Hyde, Rick Smith and Darren Price in the Global tent. With Karl on vocals and Rick and Darren on mixing, the trio certainly know how to whip a crowd into shape. Eric Prydz brough his EP/IC show to the Global tent this year and really only one word can describe it ‘Epic’. With a massive LED wall which curves around the stage and displaying amazing visuals, the show is on another level of production I have never seen before. As a massive fan, I knew that Eric would deliver a brilliant uplifting house and electo set, and that’s exactly what he did!

The main stage at Global is set totally seperate from the rest of the arenas giving plently of space to enjoy the headliners that hit the stage over the weekend. With Professor Green cancelling due to health reasons, and Steve Angello and Pendulum to perform, this was defintely the place to be. As night begins to fall, Steve Angello takes to the stage to huge applause. The crowd are massive Swedish House Mafia fans and Steve takes to the mic, ‘Are you guys having a good time, my names Steve Angello from the Swedish House Mafia, are you guys ready!’ As the bass drops and the pryotechnics blast out from the front of the stage, the crowd is jumping, and Steve drops banging track after banging track, including the massive ‘Save the World Tonight’, ‘Miami to Ibiza’, and ‘One (Your Name)’

Pendulum headline Friday night at Global Gathering and they have a huge stage rig complete with huge LED screens and a pryotechnics setup. Pendulum have featured on the lineup’s of festivals all around the world this year and they have the Global main stage crowd well and truely in the palm of their hands. With the energetic front man Ben Mount on the mic, their set are so full of energy you could actually power half the site with it! Hits like ‘The Island’ and ‘Salt In The Wounds’ have the crowd going insane and you can feel the crowd’s excitment as they plow through hits from their latest album Immersion, and the rest of their back catalouge.

Global Gathering

Although the sun did not come out to play, Global Gathering delivered yet another fine lineup and the crowd was on hand to enjoy every single moment of it.

Catch our interview with Above and Beyond before they took to the stage at Global Gathering 2011.

Click here to see our photos for Global Gathering

Global Gathering 2011 Lineup announced

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2011 sees some of the most forward-thinking clubbing brands make their debut appearance at the festival including Hospitality, Metropolis, Wax:On, Above & Beyond Presents Group Therapy, Toolroom Knights and Union as well as seeing the return of the almighty Godskitchen, FWD Rinse, Carl Cox The Revolution and Bedrock arenas. Expect the freshest new sounds, new production and special effects.

This summer’s festival also a sees a completely new site layout with unseen areas, attractions and plenty of surprises in store, the fans who will descend on Shakespeare’s country over the weekend can expect a new improved GlobalGathering this year, as the festival enters its second decade, with a line-up to match.

global gathering lineup 2011

 

Sónar Barcelona & Sónar Galicia confirmed artists

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Sónar 2011 covers the 5 continents and draws the world map of today’s electronica, from techno abstractions to stadiums’ bass music, from contemporary minimalism to new rap.  The festival is loyal to its philosophy, and displays all the facets of today’s advanced music, with 103 shows confirmed as of today in Barcelona and 22 more in A Coruña.

A major contingent of American artists, the evolution of British urban rhythms and the techno essence of many of the shows are some of the main themes of Sónar 2011.
 
On its annual journey around the world, Sónar presents the 7th A Taste of Sónar in London on the 19t of March and the 4th SonarSound Tokyo on 2nd and 3rd of April.
Sónar 2011 gives a major boost to SonarPro, the annual date at Sónar for professionals in the music sector and creative industries.

See the full list of confirmed artists as of 11th March 2011

Sónar by Day
THURSDAY JUNE 16
little dragonNicolas Jaar (Circus Company/US)
Toro Y Moi (Carpark/US)
Tyondai Braxton (Warp/US)
Little Dragon (Peacefrog/SE)
Floating Points (Eglo/UK)
Raime (Blackest Ever Black/UK)
Denseland (Mosz/DE)
Open Reel Ensemble (JP)
Daito Manabe (JP)
Ninja Tune & Big Dada Present
Shuttle (US)
Dels (UK)
Offshore (UK)
Eskmo (US)
 
FRIDAY JUNE 17
dominique young uniqueAstrud + Col·lectiu Brossa (Elefant/ES)
Agoria (Infiné/FR)
Hauschka (Fat Cat/DE)
Atmosphere (Rhymesayers Entertainment/US)
Dominique Young Unique (Art Jam Records/US)
Oy (Creaked/CH)
Xesús Valle (Alg-a/ES)
Facto y los Amigos del Norte (ES)
Tri Angle present
How To Dress Well (US)
Holy Other (UK)
 
SATURDAY JUNE 18
gilles petersonActress (Werk/UK)
Apparat (Shitkatapult/DE)
Global Communication (Dedicated/Sony/UK)
Hype Williams (De Stijl/UK-DE)
Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio1/UK)
Shangaan Electro (Honest Jon’s/ZA)
No Surrender (Zero Killed Music/US)
Filewile (Mouthwatering Records/CH)
EVOL (Alku/ES)
Edredón (Origami/ES)
Judah (Norweside/ES)
DJ Sith & David M (ES)
Disboot present
Downliners Sekt (ES)
C156 (ES)
 
Sónar de Noche
THURSDAY JUNE 16
Steve Reich + bcn216 + Synergy Vocals (US-ES-UK)
 
FRIDAY JUNE 17
 

m.i.a

M.I.A. (N.E.E.T. Recordings/UK)
Aphex Twin (Warp/UK)
The Human League (Wall Of Sound/UK)
Cut Copy (Modular Recordings/AU)
Boys Noize (Boysnoize Records/DE)
Die Antwoord (Cherrytree Records/ZA)
Trentemoller (In My Room/DK)
A-Trak (Fool’s Gold/US)
Scuba (Hotflush/UK)

die antwoord

Steve Aoki (Dim Mak/US)
Munchi (Moombathon/NL)
Djedjotronic (Boysnoize Records/FR)
Schlachthofbronx (Mad Decent/DE)
BBC Radio 1 presents
Annie Mac + Katy B (UK)
Benji B + Pearson Sound (UK)
Toddla T + Redlight feat. Ms Dynamite & Dread MC (UK)
Russian Beats presents
Mujuice (RU)
DZA (Black Acre/RU)
Smalltown Supersound
Diskjokke (NO)
Annie (NO)
Bjorn Torske (NO)
 
SATURDAY JUNE 18
underworldUnderworld (Cooking Vinyl/UK)
Magnetic Man (Columbia/UK)
Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/US)
Chris Cunningham (XL/UK)
Shackleton (Woe To The Septic Heart/UK)
James Holden (Border Community/UK)
The Gaslamp Killer (Brainfeeder/US)
Surgeon (Dynamic Tension Records/UK)
Buraka Som Sistema (Fabric/PT)
magnetic manAfrica Hitech (Warp/AU-UK)
Paul Kalkbrenner (Paul Kalkbrenner Musik/DE)
Mary Anne Hobbs (UK)
Yelle (Recreation/FR)
Silent Servant (Sandwell District/US)
Noaipre (Arkestra/ES)
Night Slugs presents
L-Vis 1990 b2b Bok Bok (UK)
Egyptrixx (CA)
Numbers presents
Deadboy (UK)
Jackmaster (UK)
Lory D (IT)
Redinho (UK)
Spencer (UK)
Jessie Ware (UK)
Visuals by Remote Location (UK), Thomas Traum (DE) & Novak (UK)
Infiné presents
Rone (FR)
Arandel (FR)
Clara Moto (AT)
 
SUNDAY JUNE 19
katy bAlva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto (raster-noton/DE-JP)
Artists pending confirmation of line-up slot:
Katy B (Rinse/UK)
Zinc (Bingo/UK)
Tiger & Woods (Editainment/Outerspace)
B. Bravo (Frite Night/US)
Brandt Brauer Frick (!K7/DE)
Daisuke Tanabe (Circulations/JP)
Discodeine (Dirty/FR)
Illum Sphere (Hoya:Hoya/UK)
kidkanevil (First Word/UK)
Juan Son (Universal/MX)
Jullian Gomes (G. Family/ZA)
Poirier feat. Boogat (Ninja Tune/CA)
Teebs (Brainfeeder/US)
Venice (Gomma/IT)
 
SÓNAR GALICIA
N.B: The perfomances of some artists are subject to changes of scheduling.
FRIDAY JUNE 17
Underworld (Cooking vynil/UK)
Magnetic Man (Columbia/UK)
Shackleton (Woe To The Septic Heart/UK)
James Holden (Border Community/UK)
The Gaslamp Killer (Brainfeeder/US)
Buraka Som Sistema (Fabric/PT)
HHY & The Macumbas (Soopa/PT)
Judah (Norweside/ES)
Colectivo Oruga (Matapadre/ES)
Galis 115 (Rastros Varios/ES)
Dj Sith (ES)
Caino & Zinqin (ES)
Wasilkoski (ES)
Dj Ino & La Keise Band (ES)
 
SATURDAY JUNE 18
boyz noizeM.I.A. (N.E.E.T. Recordings/UK)
Die Antwoord (Cherrytree Records/ZA)
Cut Copy (Modular Recordings/AU)
Boys Noize (Boysnoize Records/DE)
Munchi (Moombathon/NL)
Ningunos Djs (ES)
Lasers (ES)
Dr. Think (Minuendo/ES)

Underworld to headline SW4 2011 Saturday

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underworld sw4 2011Karl Hyde and Rick Smith aka Underworld are the undisputed heavyweights of the electronic world. Famed for their spine-tingling techno/rock fusion, their sound has been widely acclaimed in both commercial and underground domains for over 20 years. ‘Born Slippy’ smashed both, the perfect marriage of house, techno, drum & bass and pop. Those chords forming arguably the greatest dance track ever, it was included in the film Trainspotting and sold over 750 000 copies in the process. Such epic crossovers have been a sturdy platform for success, having released six monstrous albums – including the best selling ‘Oblivion With Bells On’ and the most recent ‘Barking.’
 
Into the live arena and rocking stadium sized crowds is second nature having headlined the likes of the Glastonbury, Glade and the legendary Love Parade. Not to mention last year’s sell out concerts in London, Manchester and Glasgow. In the process these broke new ground with stunning visuals and incredible sound engineering. No superlative can do justice to undoubtedly one of the most influential acts of the past three decades. With the duo snapped up to soundtrack Danny Boyle’s recent production of ‘Frankenstein’ at the National Theatre what more proof do you need?
 
Jetting into the capital for a huge homecoming fresh from headlining Ultra, Sonar and Exit, we’re delighted to finally welcome Underworld – rounding off their festival season in true style. Do not miss it!
 
London is our town and we love to play in front of a home crowd. SW4 is going to be amazing this year and we can’t wait to play there. It’s a party in the sun for London’s night people. See you there”. Karl Hyde (Underworld)
 
TICKETS: Saturday tickets go on General Sale at 9am on Friday 25th February. Sunday and weekend tickets already on sale from http://www.southwestfour.com/Tickets.aspx
 

Underworld and Beirut added to Exit Festival 2011 lineup

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Pioneers of electronic music Underworld will also grace Exit Festival this year with their incredible live show. With now nine albums under their belt, their most recent ‘Barking’ is a thundering return to form after a three year hiatus and sees the band perform a feat of creative regeneration once again. They are the undisputed masters of an insane electronic live show that will make your skin tingle with sheer delight. Karl Hyde’s energetic and infectious performance, wrapped in all his intense glory will be a truly magnificent sight to behold within the 17th Century Fortress.
 
Beirut is the perfect band for those craving something completely different.  Fusing elements of Balkan folk, French chanson, and American indie, principle songwriter and singer Zach Condon fills out classically structured pop songs with charming ukulele, flugelhorn, and accordion.  Condon’s exotic takes on music are strongly influenced by the beauty and sounds of places he’s traveled to, evoking memories, warmth, longing, and inevitably, joy. His first album ‘Gulag Orkestar’ was made single-handedly and to critical acclaim, followed by the massively successful Flying Club Cup, and most recently the double EP ‘March of the Zapotec/Holland’. The band’s live sets are equally as breathtaking to watch as they are to listen to, and it’s the Fusion stage that has the pleasure of hosting them.

EXIT 2011 LINE UP SO FAR:
Arcade Fire, Portishead, Underworld, Grinderman, Beirut, Hadouken!, Fedde Le Grande, Tiga, James Zabiela, Joris Voorn, Gramophonedzie.

 
EXIT 2011 plays host to a variety of 400 performances on 20 stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels – a walk through the mystical fortress is like a trip through a magical wonderland.  Music ranges from rock, dance, indie, Latino, reggae, electronica, chill out and regional music, so there is no better festival in the world that brings you so much value and so much variety! EXIT is still the coolest, most adventurous and best value for money festival experience in Europe for the discerning festival goer.  Offering more entertainment, easier and cheaper travel options, stunning weather and an atmosphere unlike any other festival, ensure it’s on your list of things to do 2011!  
 
2011 will also see pre and post EXIT events happening in the city of Novi Sad and Belgrade, so festival go-ers can spend longer in Serbia experiencing the warmth of the Serbian people whilst having fun and seeing new sights and cities. It’s an adventure and festival in one! No mud and lots of wonderful experiences, it’s a golden ticket for summer 2011.