Festival No 6

Festival No.6 announces Long Table Banquets with award-winning chefs

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Festival No.6 announces Long Table Banquets with award-winning chefs Aiden Byrne, James Lowe and Mary-Ellen McTague

Multi award-winning Festival No.6 has announced that festival goers will have the chance to join its famous long table banquets along the beautiful White Horses promenade on the banks of the River Dwyryd estuary at this year’s festival.An intimate, bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture, Festival No.6 takes place over the weekend of the 4-6 September in the magical Italianate village of Portmeirion, Wales, home of the cult TV series The Prisoner.

 

Billed as ‘Dinner at Clough’s’, a tribute to Clough Williams-Ellis, the inspirational architect who created Portmeirion, the banquets will cost £65 per head (plus booking fee) and will include a sumptuous three-course meal cooked by one of the festival’s internationally renowned chefs. The banquets take place every lunch (1.30pm) and dinner (7.30pm) and will seat up to 200 guests who will experience an elegant water-side feast, sharing a mixture of communal dishes and individually plated delights in truly stunning surroundings.

Mary-Ellen McTague opens with Friday’s banquet and following rave reviews from her High Tea in Wonderland at the Manchester International Festival diners are definitely in for a treat. Mary-Ellen worked for four years at The Fat Duck before heading north as a pastry chef at Ramsons in Ramsbottom. She then opened her own restaurant, Aumbry. Drawing on a love of traditional and historical British Food, it was named 8th Best Restaurant in the UK by voters on Toptable. Mary Ellen also won Chef of the Year award at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2013 and is currently readying herself for the re-launch of legendary Manchester venue, Roadhouse, after the closure of Aumbry last year.

The creative force behind Lyle’s – James Lowe – takes over on Saturday with what is sure to be a masterclass in British food.James opened his first restaurant Lyle’s in Shoreditch, east London, in April 2014, and it was recently voted the 6th best restaurant in the UK. The food is modern-British, produce-led and driven by a common sense philosophy. He was previously head chef at St John Bread & Wine for 4 years and started the London based chef collective the Young Turks in 2011, which saw him start on his journey to redefine what British food is. He draws inspiration from a network of farmers and fishermen that he has been working with over the last seven years. His desire is to show people, both at home and abroad, what's possible with British ingredients through his fresh approach. 

Sunday’s finale is created by a man who needs no introduction, the industry legend that is Aiden Byrne. Former head chef at The Grill, London Dorchester, at the age of 22 Aiden became the youngest chef ever to win a Michelin star. Previously mentored by Tom Aitkens at Pied à Terre and developing his style at Michelin-starred establishments such as The Oak Room and Orangery and The Commons Restaurant he now holds the helm at the iconic Manchester House as well as at his British grill pub, The Church Green in Lymm. Guests lucky enough to get tickets for Aiden’s banquet will secure bragging-rights for years to come having dined with the maestro. 

As well as the banquets, Festival No.6 has brought together a selection of the UK’s finest food and drink pop-ups, serving food in the Street Food village located in the Castell Park. Guests can sample food from around the globe with stalls including Bel Air serving up Californian-style feel good fast food, Patty & Bun’s incredible burgers, Anna Mae’s bringing the finest mac & cheese available to mankind, a delicious taste of the Orient in the form of Dorshi’s Japanese dumplings, pizza to die for from Voodoo Rays or mouth-watering steak sandwiches and homemade relishes from Stakehaus. Festival No.6 has also created an independent food market on site – the beating heart of the festival. Guests will find locally sourced, fresh produce at the Welsh Producers Market from renowned traders Little Jack Horner, Village Deli, Nurse’s Cottage and The Whole Cheese.

Drinks pop-ups include the ever-popular Real Ale Bar, the Pop-Up Bubbles Bar and Bloody Meirion serving fabulous Bloody Mary’s with a twist. Champagne will flow from the Laurent Perrier pop-up in the Castell Gardens and Barcelona returns to Portmeirion as Estrella Damn will again be the official beer of Festival No.6

For Banquet tickets and festival tickets visit: www.festivalnumber6.com

Grace Jones & Belle & Sebastian to headline Festival No 6

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Award winning Festival No.6 has today announced the first two headliners for this year’s festival – Grace Jones and Belle & Sebastian.

Headlining Saturday night are indie pop darlings Belle & Sebastian. Currently enjoying rave reviews for their ninth studio album ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’, their set promises to be an upbeat and eclectic journey through their 19 year career.

Belle & Sebastian said: “We’re very excited to be headlining No.6 on the Saturday night. We’ve always loved playing unusual, special places and Portmeirion definitely fits the bill.”

Also topping the bill is singer, songwriter, model, actor, enigma and legend Grace Jones. Her live sets are duly renowned as nothing short of incredible jinking from disco to funk, pop to punk wrapped in a visual spectacular as stunning as the musical artistry. It will certainly not be a performance to miss.

Also appearing on the bill are 2014 Mercury Prize Winners Young Fathers and feted Mercury nominated poet and spoken word artist Kate Tempest.

Other confirmed live acts include Rae Morris, Shura, Stornoway, The Bohicas and Fryars. The festival will be announcing a second wave of artists including the final headliner in the coming months.

Equally renowned for its electronic bill No.6 is proud to unveil it’s first DJ line-up including headliners DJ Harvey and a UK festival exclusive from The 2 Bears with a live set.  A third headline DJ will be announced in the next wave. Other confirmed DJs include Bicep, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Gerd Janson, Andrew Weatherall, Optimo, Ralph Lawson, Justin Robertson, Maurice Fulton and Mark E. 

Pet Shop Boys to headline Festival No 6

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The multi-award winning Festival No.6 today announces a brilliant second wave of acts, headed by the iconic Pet Shop Boys who join previous announced headliners Beck & London Grammar
 
The legendary Laurent Garnier and Norwegian disco king Todd Terje also join the lineup.
 
Pet Shop Boys are one of Britain’s most commercially and critically acclaimed music acts ever, having sold over 50 million records, including eight platinum, two gold and four silver albums in the UK alone. They have always been an innovative, groundbreaking live act, and their last album Electric, produced by Stuart Price, was a huge return to form.
 
Laurent Garnier got his first break as a DJ at The Hacienda in 1987, and has been at the forefront of dance music for over 25 years as a DJ, a recording artist and record label owner. His dedication and obsession with moving forward and embracing new sounds mean he’s still a pioneering force a quarter of a century later.
 
Norway’s finest disco master Todd Terje also joins the line-up. Terje first arrived on the Scandinavian dance scene in 2004 and soon became one of its most prominent figures. He is now one of the world’s most respected producers and DJs. His debut album It’s Album Time was 10 years in the making and has just been released to rave reviews, and is Todd can’t wait to play live at No.6.
 
The legendary Greg Wilson who taught Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) how to scratch and was the first DJ to mix live on British TV also joins the DJ line up, alongside Norman Jay MBE.
 
The ethereal Jon Hopkins, who The Guardian called “the next Brian Eno”, also joins the live line-up, alongside Paul Heaton (Beautiful South) and Jacqui Abbott, and The Undertones. Plus Tom Hickox, Tom Vek, Spector, Toy, Vaults, The Acid, Peter Hook & The Light and Denai Moore. They joined the many acts live acts already announced, including Bonobo, Martha Reeves and Vandellas, Neneh Cherry with RocketNumberNine, Steve Mason, Temples and many more.
 
Also joining the stellar DJ line-up are Don Letts, Norman Jay, Low Life, Luke Solomon, Kiwi, Pete Herbert, Dicky Trisco, Guy Williams, Ray Mang, Seahawks, Jo Wallace and Gavin Kendrick.
 
The festival has also unveiled the line-up for The Clough Stage, the Welsh and international stage which proved such a huge hit last year. Friday is curated by Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and John Rostron from Swn Festival, Saturday by Andy Votel and Doug Shipton from Finders Keepers and Sunday by Welsh promoters Nyth and Gwyl Gwydir all helping curate a bespoke mix of Welsh and international artists and collaborators. Highlights include Geraint Jarman, Matt Berry, Yr Ods,Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), Cian Ciaran and Edan, alongside a host of established and emerging acts.
 
These acts join the plethora of acts already announced, including Beck, London Grammar, Neneh Cherry with RocketNumberNine, Julion Bashmore, Andrew Weatherall, Danny Krivit, Steve Mason, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Temples, Jimi Goodwin, James Holden, John Wizards, Radiophonic Workshop and many, many more, all ensuring that Festival No.6 is the unmissable highlight of this year’s festival season.
 
Music is just one part of the festival offering with arts and culture playing a huge part. This year’s cultural line-up includes Charlie Higson (The Fast Show), a Dylan Thomas tribute featuring Kevin Allen, Rhys Ifans and Murray Lachlan Young, Julian Cope, Kevin Rowland, Jonathan Meades, Shlomo, an exclusive Shane Meadows screening, Bez’s Question Time, Carnival No.6, the return of Brythoniaid Welsh Male Voice Choir, and much, much more.

Beck & London Grammar to headline Festival No 6

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Wales premier boutique music and arts festival, Festival No 6 reveals its headliners for 2014 which include Beck and London Grammar.

Festival No 6 also announced Martha & the Vandellas, Bonobo, Neneh Cherry, Jimi Goodwin, Temples, Steve Mason, James Holden, John Wizards, Cherry Ghost, Los Campesinos!, Radiophonic Workshop, The Rails, All We Are, Arthur Beatrice, Childhood, The Brythoniaid Welsh Male Voice Choir, East India Youth, Alexis Taylor, The Rails and Telegram.

Headlining the electronic side of things is house maestro Julio Bashmore who will join the the newely confirmed Andrew Weatherall, Danny Krivit, Michael Mayer, Justin Robertson, Ewan Pearson, Prosumer, Ashley Beedle, Unabombers, Low Life, Aficionado, Joe Boyd and the wonderful Awesome Tapes From Africa.

Hot off the back of releasing his highly anticipated twelfth studio album ‘Morning Phase’, Beck will headline Festival No.6 on Saturday night. The album has received rave reviews across the board, with The Times giving it five stars and declaring it “A work of art" and Q magazine declaring “Beck has properly re-acquired his mojo”. Festival No.6 are delighted to host him to play one of just two festival performances across the season.
 
The past year has been nothing short of monumental for home grown success story London Grammar. Since the trio performed at last year’s No.6 and filled the main stage tent, the band have released a lauded Platinum selling album, been nominated for a BRIT and sold out gigs from Brixton to Brooklyn.
 
London Grammar says:
“It’s a real honour to play Festival No.6 again. Portmeirion is a beautiful and somewhat surreal location. We can't wait to perform there again!” 

My Bloody Valentine to headline Festival No 6

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The award-winning Festival No. 6 is proud to announce My Bloody Valentine. They join an already stunning bill which includes Manic Street Preachers, Chic, James Blake and many more. The performance will be their only England and Wales festival date this year.

Festival No.6 is a pioneering festival concept bringing together music, arts and culture in the most incredible festival location you will ever see. Festival No.6 takes place over the weekend of 13-15 September 2013 in the eccentric surrounds of Portmeirion, Wales, home of the cult TV series The Prisoner.

After a 22 year hiatus from recording, My Bloody Valentine returned in 2013 with their critically acclaimed record ‘M B V’, a wonderfully dense exercise in lo-fi indie. The Dublin rockers will join fellow headliners Manic Street Preachers and Chic Ft. Nile Rodgers at the top of the bill. London duo Public Service Broadcasting have also been announced.

My Bloody Valentine

Legendary indie label Moshi Moshi Records will be celebrating their 15th birthday at the festival and will host the 'Lost in the Woods’ stage. They will showcase a range of cutting edge new acts and more established talent, including folk-rock duo Slow Club (two piece set), Leicestershire rockers The Wave Pictures, hypnotic pop songrtress Mariam the Believer, indie three-piece Teleman as well as Totem and Boxed in.

Elbow front man Guy Garvey will be returning to Festival No.6 this year to join BBC 6 Music’s Stuart Maconie ‘In Conversation’. After the huge success and turn out for last year’s performance, they have been relocated from the beautiful Town Hall to the higher capacity Piazza.

Acts for The Clough Stage have also been announced. The stage will feature a bespoke mix of Welsh and international artists and collaborators. Highlights include Geraint Jarman, Bryn Fôn, Bob Delyn, Sen Segur, Yr Ods, Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog, Georgia Ruth, Heather Jones and R Seiliog alongside a host of other established and emerging acts and a number of DJ sets from the likes of Huw Stephens, John Rostron and many more. The mighty David Holmes will also be making a rare UK festival appearance

Warp Films is pleased to announce the screening of their critically acclaimed Made of Stone, the highly anticipated film about The Stone Roses’ record-breaking reunion and will be accompanied by a Q&A. Vice will also presentReincarnated, the film that documents Snoop Lion’s explorations with reggae and Rastafarian culture.

The acts will perform across the entire site, from the historic town hall to the Colonnade gardens, to the picturesque Estuary Stage and the promenade along the river, against a back drop of neo-classical architecture, sandy beaches and palm trees.

Chic ft Nile Rodgers and more for Festival No 6

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The award-winning Festival No. 6 has announced Chic ft. Nile Rodgers and a second raft of stellar line-up additions, ahead of revealing their final announcements in May. Festival No.6 is a pioneering festival concept bringing together music, arts and culture in the most incredible festival site you will ever see. Festival No.6 takes place over the weekend of 13-15 September, 2013 in the eccentric surrounds of Portmeirion, Wales, home of the cult TV series The Prisoner.

Chic have sold over 100 million records including huge worldwide hits 'Good Times', 'Everybody Dance' and 'Le Freak'. Nile has worked with a staggering list of true music legends, including Michael Jackson, Madonna, David Bowie, Diana Ross, Prince, Mick Jagger and, most recently, Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams on current single 'Get Lucky'.

Nile Rodgers said:

"I've never been to Portmeirion but it looks like a truly magical place. Chic always love to play somewhere unique and special, especially if we've never played there before, so we're really looking forward to Festival No.6.

"It's another big year for Chic and myself, with my collaboration with Daft Punk and lots of other exciting things planned, and Festival No.6 looks like being one of the highlights. We're looking forward to showing Portmeirion that there ain't no party like a disco party!"

Nile Rodgers

Also newly confirmed is Super Furry Animal frontman Gruff Rhys’s and producer Boom Bip’s acclaimed collaborative project Neon Neon,along with soul songstress Lianne La Havas and lyrical virtuoso Tricky.

Daughter, Wire, London Grammar, Leisure Society, Money, Melt Yourself Down, Mary Epworth, Dan Croll, Wave Machines, Sivu, Islet and Sam Airey also join the carefully curated line-up that already includes The Manic Street Preachers, James Blake andEverything Everything, I am Kloot, AlunaGeorge and Laura Mvula amongst others.

The DJ line-up has also expanded to welcome the legendary Daddy G and founding member of Massive Attack, Horse Meat Disco, Will Sergent of Echo & the Bunnymen, Crazy P, Psychemagik, Sancho Panza, Pete Herbert, Low Life, Heavenly Social DJ's, Jagz Kooner, Dicky Trisco, AOR Disco, Guy Williams, Sophie Lloyd, Richard Hector-Jones, Bernie Connor, Nadia Ksabia and Neal Schtuum.

Music is just one part of Festival No.6. During the festival the village and the surrounding woods come alive as a unique series of inspiring venues which will come alive with intimate talks, debates, film screenings, comedy, art trails through the woods, pop up theatre and much more.

So far Punk poet John Cooper Clarke, award-winning novelist Caitlin Moran, author and Review Show critic Paul Morley and Man Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre, amongst others, have already been added to the arts and culture line-up.

Other cultural highlights include talks and readings from Tracey Thorn (Everything but the Girl), John Niven (Kill Your Friends), Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Michael Smith (The Culture Show) as well as the return of the wonderful Jan Morris, one of the highlights of last year’s No.6.

A second wave of speakers, as well as a whole host of prolific comedians and cultural happenings will soon be announced – so watch this space as this year’s offering looks set to raise the bar even higher than last year.

The acts will perform across the entire site, from the historic town hall to the Colonnade gardens, to the picturesque Estuary Stage and the promenade along the river, against a back drop of neo-classical architecture, sandy beaches and palm trees.

The sleepy, Welsh fantasyland is famous for being the set of cult 60’s TV show ‘The Prisoner. The village is a wonderfully bizarre and elaborate interpretation of a Mediterranean villa, couched in the waters, mountains and forests of North Wales.