Summer Festival Guide

Snowboxx 2016 announce first acts

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Off the back of last year’s sell out event, winter snow sports and music festival,Snowboxx announces it’s first wave of stellar acts for its 4th week long annual event in its brand new home mountain home of Avoriaz from 12th– 19th March 2016.
 
With its move to the snowy peaks of Avoriaz, France for 2016, Snowboxx is now nestled in the largest connected ski area in the world with 650km’s of pistes and the best snowparks in Europe and features its very own festival village which includes a massive main stage, après area, ice bars, tasty food vendors, festival attractions and some of the best snow brands in the Alps.
 
Snowboxx will be the ultimate festival epicenter and is accessible by skis, snowboard or foot to the heart of Avoriaz. There are also more venues and standout features on this years program which reflect the new expanded capacity, making this the most ambitious Snowboxx event to date.
 
As ever, Snowboxx has a varied and creative line up in store for 2016. The team today announce just a few big names for the first wave of acts; hip-hop legend Grandmaster Flash, former front man of The Streets; Mike Skinner, Grime’s man of the hour Stormzy, chart smashing Drum & Bass duo Sigma, and a show stopping live set from Blonde all form the beginnings of this year’s huge line up.
 
Snowboxx’s even has it’s very own nightclub; XX, which this year brings Radio One’s Monki, who will be hosting her infamous night with Monki & Friends.
 
With many more exciting acts, stages, terraces and brand partners to be announced soon, Snowboxx 2016 promises an electrifying mix of live acts and DJ’s.
 
Taking over the French resort of Avoriaz for an entire week 12th -19th March, the festival is a hive of activity and as ever, Snowboxx is about more than just the music, there is a full schedule of unique off slope festival activities on the  program, from human bowling to pro snowball arenas, Snowboxx has really thought outside the box to bring endless immersive content such as the Karaoke Cabins and Stash Park BBQ amongst many other things. With more features to be yet announced, guests can expect surprises around every corner of the resort and a truly unforgettable experience.
 
This year, to add to the already jam packed program, Snowboxx are teaming up with French festival Rock The Pistes who bring a full week of live mountain top music to areas across the Port Du Soleil region. Stages are dotted across the mountain range making everywhere a party on the festival piste.
 
Snowboxx is a great opportunity for skiers and snowboarders of all levels to experience the fantastic tree lined pistes and variety of runs that the Port Du Soleil region is famed for. Whilst festivalgoers take to the mountains to enjoy the region’s famous pistes, first-timers can get lessons on the bunny sloped or simply enjoy the activities in the festival epicenter.
 

Bloodstock announce 2016 Friday headliner

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Hot on the heels of their MASTODON announcement last weekend, BLOODSTOCK are thrilled to confirm that their Friday night headliner will be TWISTED SISTER.  

Not only that, this will be the only UK show on the band's ‘Farewell 1976 – 2016’ tour, so your last chance to catch the band live in the UK, as they are set to call it a day after the untimely passing of their drummer AJ Pero earlier this year.

Guitarist Jay Jay French comments: “Our journey in the UK that began in Wrexham in 1982, ends with Bloodstock 2016!  Without the recognition that we received from our UK fans, the world would never have known nor would we ever have reached our 40 year milestone!”

TWISTED SISTER join the bill alongside Saturday’s headliners, MASTODON, plus Friday’s special guests, BEHEMOTH and VENOM.

BLOODSTOCK will be held at Catton Park, Derbyshire on 11th-14th August 2016.

United Festival 2015 Review

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Looking for a rave in London, then look no further than United Festival, a dance music festival which brings back the legends of the British rave culture!

Taking over North London's Finsbury Park, a day after hosting Ceremony Festival, this single day festival returned in 2015 on a bigger scale with 8 arenas and over 150 artists.  Heading to the festival, there is a sense of old skool rave culture as we hit Finsbury Park station with festival goers dressed ready to dance.  Out of the wardbrobes have come the fluro coloured tops and pants, glitter makeup and sneakers, all accompanied with the lazer light protecting shades!

Bringing Drum & Bass, Old Skool, Jungle, Uk Garage, House Classics, Hard House, Trance and Hardcore, there was something for everyone.  Our first stop is the Frantic arena to check out a good friend of ours, Masif head honcho Steve Hill, who has flown all the way from Sydney, Australia.  With smoke pouring out of the tent, it was obvious that the Frantic arena was full of energy as 100's filled the tent to bounce to Steve's notorious hard trance sound.  Hosting the likes of Andy Farley, Lisa Pin Up and more, the hard house / trance lovers had plenty to keep them going all day.

The main stage is the place to be for Drum and Bass lovers.  Sunday brought together the best of old skool with Fabio & Grooverider, Baby D, Ratpack, DJ Hype & DJ Marky keeping the tent packed the entire day.  Complete with a massive l.e.d screen and lasers, the tent illuminated up as the sun fell down over Finsbury Park.  

One of the other highlights of our day was the TwiceasNice arena where DJ Luck & MC Neat, Ironik, Pied Piper and more of UK Garages finest lined up.  It was great to see these legends take to the stage all in one place. Luck & Neat's performance of one of the biggest known garage tunes With a Little Bit Luck had the crowd going crazy!

Elsewhere at United Festival 10,000 people had arenas like Promised Land which hosted old skool house with Brandon Block, Arkoss, Philgood & Ram and more, Mental Asylum Records where you could put your hands in the air to Trance, One Nation and Moondance which shared mixture of rave, drum and bass and more ensured that all your musical tastes were satisfied.
 

South West Four 2015 – Sunday Review

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There is one thing that is guaranteed every August bank holiday weekend in London, if you want to hear good electronic music, you go to South West Four which takes place in Clapham Common.  Now in its 11th year, the SW4 brand has skyrocketed and sells out year after year bringing to London the best electronic music acts the world has to offer.

This year was no exception with Faithless, Eric Prydz, Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Gorgon City and more taking over Saturday.  On Sunday the likes of Skrillex, Armin Van Buuren's Gaia, Carl Cox, Loco Dice, Martin Garrix, Sigma and more had the crowds stomping like never before.

The other thing you can pretty much guarantee on in a August Bank Holiday is the rain!  Foutunately for us on Sunday, it stayed overcast most of the day and the rain held off.

This year SW4 had grown with a new arena and immediately you could feel that the grounds were a bit busier with the extra capacity than previous years.  Sunday headliner Skrillex took to the main stage just after 9pm with a massive LED screen setup that was displaying images from camera's pointed at his equipment and of the crowd in front of him.  A ever popular drawcard, Skrillex kicked off with his remix of Red Lips whilst managing to scale the setup to stand upon a platform and address the crowd to go crazy!  Tracks like the commercially popular 'Where r u now' have the crowd singing and bouncing to the drum and bass sound that Skrillex has mastered over the years. With the day turning into night, pyrotechnics going off above the stage, and a massive crowd adorning the main stage Skrillex brought to a close another successful weekend in SW4's history.

Earlier on in the day the crowd was treated to some high energy performances on the main stage by Basement Jaxx, Martin Garrix, Sigma & Gaia.  Basement Jaxx's full band and ensemble was a pleasure to watch as they belted out hits like 'Romeo', 'Do your thing' and crowd pleaser 'Where's your head at'.  Martin Garrix treated the crowd with a typical arms in the air performance playing out hits like 'Latch', 'Cant Feel My Face', 'How Deep is Your Love', 'Animals' and more.  Sigma brought their full setup to the SW4 main stage and did not disappoint.  Their performance was a highlight of the day and with a raft of hits well known to the audience, Sigma was the perfect mid afternoon act to set the tone for the rest of the evening.  Tunes like 'Higher', 'Show Me Love', 'Glitterball' & 'Nobody to Love' kept the crowd bouncing through the performance.  

Armin Van Burren brought the debut of his Gaia show to SW4 and it was quite different to Armin's previous performances. Resembling what can only be described as as a Star Wars Jedi in a hooded robe, both Armin and Benno De Goeji step up to the raised stage creating quite the mysterious atmosphere.  This is not an extravagant performance but musically its trance at its finest and the crowd reciprocates by dancing and applauding tunes like 'Tuvan', '4 elements' and more.  Its quite refreshing to see a performance that is purely about the music with some decent visuals to match.  There is no hands in the air or jumping on decks to get the crowd going, its two guys playing great tunes!

Elsewhere at SW4 Carl Cox and Loco Dice went back to back in the DJ Mag arena which was full from start to end.  It's always a given that if Carl Cox is playing you know what to expect from the big man.  His bouncing behind the decks and his driving bass heavy tune selection always whip the crowds into a frenzy.

Example took to a smaller stage in the Together arena and with the crowd up against all walls of the tent, it was easy to see that he has a massive following at SW4 having performed multiple times over the previous years.  You could feel the heat pouring out the gaps in the tent as Example treated the crowd to 'Watch the sun come up', 'Kickstarts' & 'Changed the way you kiss me'.

So another bank holiday weekend over and yet again another brilliant time at SW4.  If you need an electronic music fix next year in the August Bank holiday weekend then I suggest you get your tickets as soon as they are released for this ever popular festival.

 

 

Flow Festival Helsinki 2015 Review

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“Listen to your mother, kids. Aim low. Aim so low no one will even care if you succeed.” Marge Simpson was just down on her pretzels, but I was more or less headed to Helsinki expecting nothing and open to the very real possibility of having an above-average weekend.

As good an excuse as any to visit a summery Lapland, Flow Festival boasts a smattering of the hottest international acts performing at a disused power station dipping toes in the Baltic Sea. CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers is a highlight. The denizens of disco have mastered the art of the organised hand clap; it’s good, clean fun for legitimately old-school hits ‘Everybody Dance’ & 'I want your love'. Nile intros Daft Punk track ‘Get Lucky’ with a few words about his own cancer, explaining how he threw himself into making more new music because “If I die, I wanna die living!” Cue bass. This reviewer finds herself ushered on stage with a clutch of other revellers to finish the set grooving to ‘Good Times’. It’s a gimmick the band is known for but hey, for fifteen seconds of fame I play along.

There’s a no-drinks policy at the front of the main stage & it’s a winning strategy to eliminate a heap of tension. Still, the dancing is thirsty work & the Bulleit cocktail bar has its work cut out come nightfall. We quickly decide this is the best drink option going but at €12 a pop, it’s a one-time treat. Happy Joe's is Helsinki’s cider of choice, in abundance at Flow. Add cans of Lapin Kulta beer & the very retro Hartwall Original Long Drink & you’ve got yourselves a proper Scandi party.

Flow puts on a mean spread – when stomachs rumble, it’s real corn soft tacos, bright beef phở & Pok Pok Farang, crispy palm sugar caramel pork on limey green mango salad. It’s so good we go back for seconds. There’s more veggie & vegan options than meats, too. Did I mention you’ll be broke after this weekend? Major Lazer shuts down the Friday main stage sampling Yeah Yeah Yeahs along with everything else. It’s flippant & exciting, though I’m put off when the ladies in the crowd are counselled to take their shirts off & throw them in the air. New single ‘Powerful’ is just that; everyone leaves on a high.

Saturday brings even bigger, brighter skies. Anyone doing this city festival thing right is busy picnicking, lazing at the beach or otherwise celebrating Helsinki’s historic sights & the fact it’s again cracked 20 degrees. Belle + Sebastian give new track ‘Perfect Couples’ a run, joking over a false start: "It's because we're near the magnetic pole." I’m convinced most of Flow is Finnish, young & attractive. "Is anybody old enough to remember that one?" Singer Stuart Murdoch has also noticed the teens. 

O Samuli A is making the titular ‘other sound’ over on that stage & it's impossible to get within 70 foot of Reino Nordin lighting up the fantastical Bright Balloon. Marsen Jules sounds a little churchy, dark too. Like, literally. I'm not wholly sure there's even anyone on the decks.

I'll jinx it now, but everyone at Flow is out for a good time. People are calm, casual. Years & Years pack out the Blue Tent. I’m not expecting Olly Alexander’s dungaree & Harley Davidson tee combo, or his cover of Blu Cantrell’s ‘Breathe’, but the whole vibe is perfectly chill & the set is one of Flow’s best. Catchy ‘King’ comes last, Alexander dancing as he sings with a rainbow flag borrowed from the crowd.

I’m star struck by Baltimore’s Future Islands, or really lead singer Samuel T. Herring. His vocals are reminisce of Pantera at moments but interpret that as feeling & any apprehension melts away. There’s a glittery drum kit & all the guys are in patterned shirts. Herring booty-shakes like Beyoncé, beats his chest like Tarzan & sweats like, well, like a man. In front of a slower song Herring explains, "We're not s'posed to do this at a festival but we don't give a fuck." You can imagine the cheers. When finally ‘Seasons’ plays to hard applause, his roar is returned. He skips across the stage, invisible bowling ball in hand. "Thank you so much Flow, you guys are fuckin' beautiful.” We must be.

We’re in denial about Sunday. Unlike camping festivals where you're itching for a shower, actual sleep & a decent pour of coffee to head the day, it's hard to tire of sleeping late, brunching out & a spot of vintage shopping or water sports before rolling along to spot some of the world's best musical talent. We've hit peak Helsinki when Todd Terje & The Olsens grace the Black Tent with their easy 70s spy-theme dulcets. There are shirts off everywhere for their efforts, people dancing hard in the evening heat. Delorean Dynamite is unmissable, then it's like their just jamming along with a wailing sax & big samba sounds.

The most impressive kind of mass-clap is one that starts itself, uninitiated by the band; a pure & unadulterated response of sound to sound. These guys get it, a second time when the crowd tries for an encore after Inspector Norse & a final bow. Beck draws one of Flow’s biggest crowds. "Somebody threw a banana peel on stage!" Indeed. I’m not a fan but it’s hard to fault the classics and ‘Where It's At’ is one of the 90s’ better earworms. Florence + the Machine’s namesake is a fan, a vision in white peasant blouse & heavy cream flares. She’s barefoot too, throwing loose locks here and there while beating her drum (tambourine) in Ship to Wreck. She twirls everywhere & I'm sure she's going to fall, but her balance is the greater force & somehow she avoids disaster.

I haven't seen Florence since 2010 after she missed Benicàssim with vocal strain. She gives it absolutely everything at all times. For ‘Raise It Up’ she shouts, "Put your girlfriend on your shoulders, put your boyfriend on your shoulders. We want everybody to get as high as they can!" ‘Shake It Out’ gives me goosebumps & I have them again when Alt-J close the weekend. Marmite of the music world, I never got the appeal before seeing these guys live. There’s huge love for the boys from Leeds, even if nobody understands what they’re singing.

Blissing out to the country/rock/folk/blues/jazz/grime/electro weirdness of it all, it’s clear people are enjoying in very different ways. There's a real range of reactions but everyone joins to applaud what is undeniably interesting music made with heart. The Finns aren't too cool to care about their hearing either. We saw earplugs on sale from day one & should really have sprung for a couple.

Flow is undoubtedly the blondest, tallest, tastiest festival yet in a seriously fun setting. Start saving now for the next one.

 

Reading and Leeds Festival announce BBC Introducing Stage for 2015

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Forever championing up and coming talent, the BBC Introducing Stage is back once again this year offering one of the biggest launch platforms for new music from the UK, having last year offered up sets from the likes of Jack Garratt, Rae Morris, and Prides. Over the years BBC Introducing stage has also hosted R&L debut slots from Jake Bugg, Catfish and the Bottlemen and Spector, the stage is a must visit for anyone wishing to catch future stars’ formative moments.

Headlining the Friday at Reading and the Saturday at Leeds will be hotly tipped genre-masher Georgia whose debut, self-titled album is sure to be one of the alternative hits of the summer. She’ll be joined by Warrington based indie poppers Viola Beach, Bristol grunge-rock quartet The Jacques, Reading locals The Amazons, singer-songwriter Martin Luke Brown, electronic trio Moon Tourists, Hull alternative four piece LIFE and metalcore heavyweights Return To Rome.

Saturday at Reading and Sunday at Leeds will see the stage headlined by hotly-tipped, freshly signed Liverpool band Clean Cut Kid whose whip-smart pop is surely destined for the festival’s bigger stages! Also appearing on the stage that day are Leeds genre-spanners Clay, NME-tipped rock ’n’ rollers Demob Happy, Glasgow art-pop quintet White, indie-rock songwriter John Joseph Brill, folk punk band Ducking Punches, the psychedelic garage of Crosa Rosa as well as Reading rockers Area 52.

Closing the weekend at Reading on the Sunday and headlining the first night on Friday at Leeds will be the massively up and coming, high energy band Childcare. Their playful debut EP Flush has garnered a huge amount of attention and with good reason; they are not to be missed. Joining them are moody London alt-rockersThe Big Moon, Telford newcomers Hyena, 60s beat influenced group Hidden Charms, DIY surf-rock songwriterWillie J Healey, blues-rock duo Kit Trigg, Leeds electronic pop artist Skinner and brooding dream-pop bandR51.

The stage also plays host to Irish grunge-pop band Otherkin, the infectious pop of Vitamin, experimental duoMalpas and Paul Weller championed Brighton five piece White Room alongside Centre Stage Competition winners The Mallrats as well as Futuresound Competition runners up Treason Kings, Samuel S. Parkes, Happy Daggers, Where Fires Are and NARCS.

With something for everyone and the cream of the UK’s upcoming talent on display, the BBC Introducing Stage is the place to be for any discerning new music fan.

Green Man 2015 Lineup expands with forty new acts

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First up, we are thrilled to announce ‘Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor’ will be bringing the party to the Mountain Stage on the Friday night. Atomic Bomb! celebrates the music of enigmatic Nigerian synth-funk pioneer William Onyeabor and is performed by the Atomic Bomb! band featuring a constantly revolving collective of internationally acclaimed musicians.
 
Making a welcome return to Green Man this August are Villagers – with the Black Mountains as your backdrop, where better to take in Conor’s poetic and
wistful alternative folk?
 
Plus… Patrick Watson brings his energetic pop, rich orchestration, and spine-tingling lyrical musings to Green Man.  Joining him are staggering, multi-layered Brooklyn three-piece The Antlers; the legendary Tom Robinson Band; festival favourites Teleman; trippy danceable falsetto melody makers All We Are and a massive bunch more.
 
We are also delighted to welcome Meic Stevens, the Welsh singer-songwriter often fondly referred to as the ‘Welsh Dylan’! 
 
Our inimitable festival atmosphere has always left Green Man guests with hazy, happy memories, and this year will be no exception. Experienced vibe-setters Chai Wallahs are delivering the goods with a heady mix of live acts and DJs from around the globe – including afrofunk nine-piece Jungle By Night, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Birth of Joy and psychedelic jazz quartet Syd Arthur. 

Stay tuned for more acts coming very soon (including our yet to be revealed Thursday night headliner) and don’t forget to buy tickets to join us for what’s shaping up to be the party of the summer.
 

New additions in full: Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeobor, Villagers, Patrick Watson, The Antlers, Teleman, All We Are, Meic Stevens, Black Yaya, Tom Robinson Band, Midland, Colorama, C Duncan, Landshapes, Hannah Lou Clark, Rozi Plain, Vok, Aurora, Anna B Savage, Deep Throat Choir, Chelou, Benedict Benjamin, Declan McKenna, Toby Hay, Emily Davies, Palenco, Jungle By Night, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Syd Arthur, Birth of Joy, Stuff, Fingathing, Low Leaf, Cocos Lovers, Loyle Carner, The Moulettes, Will Varley, Moneyshot & Cheeba, Sam Brookes, Sola Rosa, Bombs, Gringo Ska, Gypsies of Bohemia
 

Super Furry Animals to headline Green Man Festival 2015

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We're sure you agree Green Man just doesn't feel the same without SFA who join us as our Saturday night Mountain Stage headliners. We’ve been waiting for the Furries to reform for years and we can’t wait to welcome them to Wales’ own Green Man in what promises to be a truly amazing homecoming show. 

Also joining us in the Black Mountains, are Shoegaze pioneers Slowdive – as well as the mighty Television, who play their seminal 1977 album ‘Marquee Moon’ in full.

We’re super excited to announce London-duo Public Service Broadcasting with their unique blend of electronica influenced music. Jamie XX brings the party to the Beacons, playing out tracks from what we hope might become his first solo record. And we welcome back Temples to Green Man where they made their first ever-festival appearance in 2012.

 

Amsterdam Dance Events announce a massive first lineup for 2015

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The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), the world's biggest club festival and conference for electronic music, today reveals the first selection of artists that will perform from 14 to 18 October. The ADE is preparing for its 20th annual edition with 2,200 performing artists at one hundred of the most diverse venues in Amsterdam. Over 365,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to visit the event this year.

In the past twenty years ADE has grown into a globally renowned platform for the international dance and electronic music scene. The festival is the perfect place to spot the latest musical trends and emerging talents, as well as hearing the most recent work of both electronic music pioneers and leading acts from the mainstream and the underground dance scenes, across every genre of electronic music. In addition to the extensive live line-up of the ADE Festival, the daytime program, ADE Playground, offers music enthusiasts a large and varied program including exhibitions, in-store showcases, tech workshops, pop-up stores and film screenings all over the city centre. The business aspect of the event (ADE Conference) is recognized as the most important of its kind, presenting a broad range of conferences and networking opportunities that focus on music and technology, VJs & visuals, sustainability, dance & brands, new talent and the education of students.

Biggest club festival in the world
The ADE is the biggest club festival in the world with performances by 2,200 artists at 300 events spread over 100 venues. The five-day music program covers all things electronic music. Currently over 500 artists are confirmed. Among the first selection of artists announced today are:

&Me (DE), Adam Beyer (SE), Adriatique (CH), Agoria (FR), Alan Fitzpatrick (GB), Alesso (SE), Andhim (DE), Antal (NL), Anthony Parasole (US), Apollonia (FR), Armin van Buuren (NL), Art Department (CA), Axwell Λ Ingrosso (SE), Black Coffee (ZA), Bonobo (GB), Boris Werner (NL), Carl Cox (GB), Cassy (AT), Cleavage (NL), Chris Liebing (DE), Cristian Varela (ES), Damian Lazarus (GB), Dauwd (GB), Dave Clarke (GB), David Guetta (FR), De Sluwe Vos (NL), Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike (BE), DJ Rush (US), DJ Sneak (CA), DJ Qu (US), Donato Dozzy (IT), Dubfire (US), Fernanda Martins (BR), Fort Romeau (GB), GE-OLOGY (US), George FitzGerald (GB), Green Velvet (US), Guti (AR), Happa (GB), Hardwell (NL), Henrik Schwarz (DE), Horse Meat Disco (gb), Hot Since 82 (UK), Hunee (DE), I-F (NL), Ici Sans Merci (NL), Ida Engberg (SE), Jeff Mills (US), Joran van Pol (NL), Joris Voorn (NL), Joseph Capriati (IT), Julian Jeweil (FR), Karmon (NL), Kate Boy (SE), Kollektiv Turmstrasse (DE), Kolombo (BE), Kraak & Smaak (NL), Len Faki (DE), Leon Vynehall (US), Levon Vincent (US), Maceo Plex (US), Machinedrum (US), Malawi (NL), Marcel Fengler (DE), Markus Schulz (US), Martin Garrix (NL), Matador (IE), Matthias Tanzmann (DE), Menno de Jong (NL), Midland (GB), Monika Kruse (DE), Moodymann (US), Nicky Romero (NL), Nicole Moudaber (GB), Nina Kraviz (RU), Noisia (NL), Nuno dos Santos (NL), Octave One (US), Odesza (US), Oliver Heldens (NL), Osunlade (US), Pan-Pot (DE), Paul Oakenfold (GB), Perc (GB), Petar Dundov (HR), PETDuo (BR), Petre Inspirescu (RO), Posij (NL), Raresh (RO), Rebekah (GB), Rebolledo (MX), Ricardo Villalobos (CL), Richie Hawtin (CA), Robert Hood (US), Robin Schulz (DE), ROD (NL), Romare (GB), Ron Morelli (US),Ron Trent (US), Rødhåd (DE), Sandrien (NL), Santé (DE), Scuba (UK), Seth Troxler (US), Showtek (NL), Sidney Charles (DE), Solomun (DE), Speedy J (NL), Stanislav Tolkachev (UA), Stefano Noferini (IT), Surgeon (GB), The Gaslamp Killer (US), The Hacker (FR), The Martinez Brothers (US), Tiësto (NL), Truss (GB), Tsepo (NL), Tyree Cooper (US), Vicetone (NL), Yellow Claw (NL) and many more.