Download Festival, the world’s premier rock and metal event, adds another 14 acts to an already huge bill, including All Time Low, The Temperance Movement, The Wildhearts, and Napalm Death. Download Festival takes place on 10-12 June 2016 in Donington Park. Tickets are on sale now.
Joining headliners Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden for three days of unmissable rock are All Time Low. With over 1.1 million sales and more than 100 million Youtube views, the US pop-punk rockers are riding high after the last album, Future Hearts topped the UK charts at the end of 2015.
Returning to their Midlands roots are British grindcore pioneers Napalm Death. Since forming in 1981, Napalm Death have gone on to influence a legion of hardcore fans and musicians alike, they’ll be joined by Geordie punk rockers The Wildhearts whose original member Ginger will be returning to the line up after various solo projects.
Californian skate punk legends, Pennywise, will play Download Festival for the first time in over 10 years, headlining the third stage on Saturday. Their speedy and infectiously catchy punk anthems will ensure everyone knows why they are still one of the most relevant forces in punk today.
Bringing some powerful blues-rock to the festival’s Lemmy Stage, will be critically acclaimed The Temperance Movement, whose recent UK tour was lauded as one of the highlights of rock already this year. Currently one of the rock community’s most revered underground bands Glassjaw, will be making their debut Download appearance in June. The post-punk innovators have recently debuted six brand new songs and will be bringing their unmissable east coast underground sound to Download.
Texan hard-rockers Scorpion Child will be joining the line-up to showcase their 1970s Krautrock and Psychedelia inspired metal sound as will Scandinavian garage-rock band Royal Republic. Making their Download debuts are trans-Atlantic blues, rock and soul quartet Buck & Evans. Joining them and tipping their hat to the likes of Mastodon and Avenged Sevenfold are Scattering Ashes and psych-rockers Weirds who will be bringing their trademark energetic and eclectic show to Download.
Metalcore supergroup, Devil You Know, brings together John Sankey, Francesco Artusato, Howard Jones and Logan Mader to create a blinding sound. Their latest album Stay of Execution was released at the end of last year, ready to be executed to the Download crowd this summer.
UK’s own The Raven Age will be joining the line up fresh off the back of supporting Download’s own headliners Iron Maiden on their 2016 world tour as will The Shrine who’ll be bringing their LA skater vibes to Donington.
Download Festival is the home of rock music and takes place on the sacred grounds of Donington Park, which have been associated with rock since the eighties. The festival attracts icons of rock and metal to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.
Leeds Festival kicked off on Thursday night with the introduction of comedy acts to a growing line up. These guys were around last year as well so it was nothing new for the Leeds fest veterans to warm up the weekend with some giggles. I felt there was something a little lack luster about squeezing into a tent to watch comedy at a music festival so opted for some camp fire drinks instead. Once feeling merry there was no option but to hit the relentless stage, firmly squeezed between the trees of red and orange camp. Dj’s were set to headline there all weekend and Thursday was no exception with electronic music duo Bondax gracing us with a glorious welcome set.
With dreary eyes and achey legs it was up and adam for Friday, when the festival really begins. It was a much needed lie in on Friday morning before heading out in the – fairly sunny – weather to the BBC 1Xtra stage. Lady Leshurr made famous by her straight to point musical stylings almost filled out the tent and had everyone in good spirits when she handed out toothbrushes during her famous ‘Queens Speech Episode 4’. Then it was off for some food before Jamie T’s main stage set.
The food at Leeds fest this year left a lot to be desired, you were much better off money wise and sometimes quality wise if you bought a disposable BBQ and kicked it back at your campsite. Although I must commend noodle king for providing 10 spring rolls for £3, that was the stuff dreams are made of.
So back to the music and it was the turn of Jamie T, an act I had been eagerly anticipating before arriving at Leeds fest, and I must say I was a little on the disappointed side. It wasn’t Jamie himself, he went for it singing classics like Sheila, and If you got the money, but I couldn’t help thinking his set would have worked better on a smaller stage. The sound wasn’t amazing and you couldn’t see him unless you were more or less on the stage with him, his name deserves the main stage but his set needed something more intimate.
After that it was the turn of Kendrick Lamar, who brought in a huge crowd and got everyone at the front going mosh pit crazy. Kendrick sung his big hits ‘I love bad Bitches’ and ‘King Kunta’ and pressed on about how so many of his fans had been there from the start and he was so pleased to see them in the crowd. I’m not entirely sure how many of his true fans he could really see in the crowd but he killed it nevertheless and I’m sure nobody left feeling disappointed.
Then onto the Friday night headliner – The Libertines. The Libertines are now onto their second reform as a band and was it for the best, I’m still on the fence about that one. Pete Doherty has been through the wars and it showed on his face and in his voice, I didn’t feel like they had the power for the main stage and clearly neither did the audience as the area was nowhere near as full as it should have been for a headline act.
With the Libertines lack luster performance dampening my mood a little it was time to up the anti and head back to the 1Xtra stage for Boy Better Know. The main trio made up of Skepta, Jme and Wiley filled out the tent and sent the crowd into a wild frenzy that perfectly finished off Friday night.
Onto Saturday and it was the main stage hosting all the action. A wonderful set by Leeds veterans Panic at the Disco who broke out into an impromptu version of Bohemian Rhapsody to get the whole crowd on their feet. They were followed up by Baltimore pop punk band All Time Low, who dragged members of the crowd onto stage to go crazy with them and joked about the wonders of tent sex. All Time Low brought a brilliant vibe to the main stage with hits like ‘Weightless’ and ‘Dear Maria’.
Then it was Bastille's turn, and they rocked up with one of the biggest crowds of the festival, everyone eager to sing along to their easy to please hits. A nice cheery set from them that could be enjoyed while sitting on the grass mellowing down with some food. Many Leeds goers seemed to be a celebrating GCSE age and that was clear from the audience range at Bastille especially when they played hits from their first album including ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Pompeii’. It was then on to Leeds formed electronic band Alt J who reminisced about their time at Leeds Uni and the pleasure of being back home again. Their set was filed with jazzy lights and the screens showed edgy video editing of their faces as they played hits like ‘Fitzpleasure’ and ‘Breezeblocks’.
Saturdays headline act was the mighty Mumford and Sons, who played a mix of songs from their first and second albums which the crowd definitely appreciated. It’s often tough to watch a headliner who you don’t know so well when they just sing new music nobody has heard yet. They went in with the crowd pleasing claiming we were better than Reading Festival and northerner’s were prettier, it seemed to work as they drew in one of the biggest crowds of the weekend with plenty of couples drunkenly swaying in each other’s arms to tunes such as ‘I will wait for you’ and ‘Little lion man’.
I cut the Mumford and Sons set short as we dived over to watch Knife Party close the day in the NME Stage. The set was interrupted by a girl who climbed up one of the metal poles holding the tent up, and Knife Party claiming they would halt all the music until she climbed down. But that didn’t dampen the spirits of the partygoers who chanted at her to climb down and carried on going when she did.
Onto the final day and the Foals managed to sneak in a secret set in the NME stage, I sadly wasn’t even out of my tent at the time of their performance but I imagine it was as magical as they always are. The first act of the day for me was a bit later on with Tempa T in the 1 Xtra stage, it was a good start to the day and plenty of other people seemed to enjoy it as well. Then it was back across to the NME stage for Manchester based band Everything Everything who did not disappoint with a set that made you want to skip around and sing into the night. They played hits like ‘Regret’ and ‘Distant past’ and didn’t even flinch when lead singer Jonathan Higgs ‘effed up the words’.
It was then back to the 1 Xtra tent for Miss Dynamite – who doesn’t look a day over 22 by the way – her set was not up there with the greats as she was continually talking and chanting throughout and barely sung anything but there were come catchy covers in there and she brought some random kids on stage which is always fun.
Next up it was back to the NME stage again for my festival highlight –Twin Atlantic. They are a lovely bunch of Scottish guys who out performed anyone else that weekend for me. With big strings of confetti and multi-coloured beach balls they sung out the crowd with ‘Heart and Soul’ and claimed they were so glad they got to sing out the festival and were thankful to everyone who had stuck by them in their 5 year Leeds fest battle to get a bigger stage. Twin Atlantic I love you, and I’m sorry that was my first time watching you, I swear it won’t be my last.
Finally The Wombats ended the evening with a superb crowd pleasing set of their biggest hits, they filled out the rather mini festival republic stage and were truly a wonderful way to end.
As for the evenings after the music was over when the festival revellers were let loose on the campsite there was only one place to get your night properly started – Cocktail Cocktail. The now infamous cocktail bar had its first appearance at Leeds fest this year and did not let us down with DJ Jamie Hartley taking the decks each night pumping out classics till 3am. The relentless trees were great as well and we can’t forget Piccadilly party taking everyone in till the light hours of the morning.
Leeds Fest you were amazing and I will see you again next year x
Reading & Leeds Festivals are thrilled to announce The Libertines as the final of this year’s Main Stage headliners! The indie-rockers will bring the good ship Albion to the Festivals this summer, cementing a Reading & Leeds legacy which dates back to 2002.
Rising up through the Festivals’ billing, the legendary troubadours Peter Doherty, Carl Barât, Gary Powell and John Hassall made their Main Stage debut in 2003 and returned in 2004. The band blew the crowds away in 2010 when they famously reunited at the Festivals and now, for the first time, they will take their rightful place as Reading & Leeds headliners. With their long awaited new record in the works, their set will undoubtedly be one of the defining moments of Reading & Leeds 2015.
In an exclusive video message, Peter Doherty said: “
I’ve just woken up and I can’t stop thinking about playing at Reading & Leeds.”
John Hassall said:
"Really excited to be playing Reading and Leeds this year. There is a great vibe in the band and we should be doing some new songs too. So it'll be the best Reading and Leeds ever!”
Gary Powell said:
"We are all extremely happy to be playing Reading and Leeds this year. As Reading and Leeds was the festival that graciously allowed us to perform back in 2010 at our first attempt at reforming, and the audience were amazing in their reception of us, it seems only right that we go back to the scene of the crime and do our best to not only replicate what we did back then – but do better, for the fans and friends we have met along the way. Here’s wishing 'us all' luck come R&L. We’ve all got a lot of work to do!!!!I for one am excited for the challenge and looking forward to seeing everybody!"
Festival boss Melvin Benn comments:
“What a band to announce as our third headliner. The Libertines are part of the Reading & Leeds family and I can’t wait for the boys to walk on to our Main Stages in their rightful place at the top of the bill.
“I’m excited to announce over 50 other phenomenally talented acts today who will bring amazing performances for our fans. I really think we’ve got the ultimate line-up this year. Where else can you see Kendrick Lamar on the same day as Deadmau5 and Years & Years, or Marmozets on the same day as Azealia Banks or Metallica, or All Time Low on the same day as Knife Party or Mumford & Sons!
“It’s almost exactly six months to the Festivals and I already can’t wait until August Bank Holiday weekend.
"Having spent some time reviewing the ticket price and talking to people about it I felt that where we had got to with the day price was too high and once I really examined it decided to go the whole hog and reduce it to £59.50. However, anyone thinking it’s a way to get the weekend including camping cheaper will be disappointed. It will not give access to the campsite as I'm creating new entrances for day ticket holders. It’s still great though for those that don't want to camp."
Over fifty further names are also revealed today, joining artists already announced for the Festivals including Main Stage headliners Mumford & Sons and Metallica, proving that Reading & Leeds is the Festival for true music fans.
MAIN STAGE
On the Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds, pop-punkers All Time Low will return to the Festival for the first time since 2012 with eagerly anticipated new album ‘Future Hearts’ in tow.
Sheffield’s Bring Me The Horizon have established themselves as the UK’s biggest and best metal crossover act, and will follow up their all-conquering sold out Wembley Arena headline show last year with a set immediately before Metallica on the Main Stage on Saturday at Reading / Sunday at Leeds. Their performance at the Festivals this summer is a European exclusive.
Grammy nominated rapper Kendrick Lamar will showcase his unparalleled ability and powerful wordplay in his debut performance at the Festivals, creative indie rock heroes The Maccabees will take the Main Stage and will play some tracks from their forthcoming album, Wakefield rock band and NME Outstanding Contribution to Music Winners The Cribs whose hotly anticipated new album ‘For All My Sisters’ will be released this March.
Panic! At The Disco will bring their incredible grown up pop-rock and infectious hooks back to the Main Stage, along with anthemic rock quintet Lonely The Brave, who return following their hugely successful set in 2014.
Pop Punk’s most exciting new band Neck Deep have set course for Reading & Leeds this summer to demonstrate exactly why they were named ‘Best Newcomer’ at last year’s Kerrang! Awards and West Yorkshire Festival favourites Marmozets will bring their incendiary live set back to Reading & Leeds as they graduate to Main Stage billing.
NME/BBC RADIO 1 STAGE
Following the release of their debut studio album ‘Abandon Ship’ late last year, electronic dance duo Knife Party return to the Festivals this summer for an extra special closing set on the Friday at Reading and Saturday at Leeds.
American rock band Limp Bizkit and rap prodigy Tyler, The Creator also join the bill, along with Birmingham indie poppers Swim Deep, inventive British art rock band Everything Everything, indie rock quartet Peace and North London production duo Gorgon City.Also revealed today are Math rock legends American Football, Liverpudlian band of the moment Circa Waves, beat-maker and prolificproducer Jamie XX, leftfield pop musicians Glass Animals, emotionally charged Pennsylvania four-piece The Districts and Punk duo Slaves.
BBC RADIO 1 DANCE STAGE
Boy Better Know featuring JME, Skepta, Wiley, Shorty, Solo 45, Maximum, Jammer & Frisco will be headlining the BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage on the Sunday at Reading and the Friday at Leeds. Headed up by JME, brother Skepta and Wiley, they are the leading collective in Grime.
Also performing across the weekend are drum & bass duo Camo & Krooked, producer and techno artist Brodinski, Scottish production wizard Hudson Mohawke, mysterious R ’n’ B maestro Ben Kahn and My Nu Leng, who will bring their big bounding beats to the Festival. London based feel-good House duo Toyboy & Robin, New York electric pop duo Cardiknox, geek-step Midlander FTSE, electronic producer Porter Robinson presents his incredible Worlds live show, LA DJ Dillon Francis, and self-proclaimed ‘sad dance’ musician Tourist will also be performing.
THE LOCK UP/PIT STAGE
As one of the most influential pop punk bands of all time, and with a rich history at Reading & Leeds, New Found Glory return to headline The Lock Up on Friday at Reading / Saturday at Leeds. Three-time Grammy nominated titans of metal Mastodon will take top billing on Saturday at Reading / Sunday at Leeds.
Canadian hardcore heavyweights Cancer Bats also join the line-up, along with ex-My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero, who brings his new project FrnkIero Andthe Cellabration. Swedish theatrical metallers Ghost, technical death metal band Gojira and reunited hardcore legends Modern Life Is War will rock the stage across the weekend. Anthemic punkers The Menzingers, Sheffield’s top metal band While She Sleeps, Southampton five piece Bury Tomorrow and rockers Simple Plan are also revealed for the Festival bill.
FESTIVAL REPUBLIC STAGE
All three Festival Republic Stage headliners are revealed in today’s announcement, with a very special set from Django Django closing the stage on Friday at Reading / Saturday at Leeds. Indie rock veterans The Wombats will headline the stage on Saturday at Reading / Sunday at Leeds and fan favourite Frank Turner will bring a special solo set to Reading on Sunday / Leeds on Friday.
Legendary Irish rockers Ash will make a welcome return to Reading & Leeds, building on a rich history with the Festivals dating back to their first performance at Reading in 1995. Having recently announced their new album, their set will be yet another classic performance providing the soundtrack to the summer.
Also performing on the stage will be Canadian indie-pop quintet Alvvays, fast rising rockers Coasts, grunge revivalists Darlia and Australian indie sensation DMA’s. The soaring melodies of Jake Isaac, folky Sydney trio Little May, the socially observant hip-hop/rock of Ratboy, American baroque pop band San Fermin, young South Londoners The Bulletproof Bomb, the soaring rock of We Are The Ocean, irish rock-pop five piece Walking On Cars and Missouri garage punk brothers Radkey make the Festival Republic Stage the one-stop shop for all things on the rise, alongside some of the biggest names in music.
BBC 1XTRA STAGE
Now a well-established feature of Reading & Leeds, the BBC Radio 1Xtra Stage will bring the absolute best in urban music across the three days of the Festival. Co-headlining on the Friday at Reading and the Saturday at Leeds are Harlem trap lord A$AP Ferg and hazy Brooklyn hip hop crew Flatbush Zombies, providing an incredible East coast double header of real rap music. Having finally dropped her long awaited debut album ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’ late last year, Azealia Banks returns to Reading & Leeds for one of her characteristically high octane live sets to headline the 1Xtra Stage on Saturday at Reading and Sunday at Leeds.
With one final headliner still to be revealed for the stage, the tent will host sets from Miami bass turntablist Craze, South London hip hop duo Krept & Konan, grime hero and UK trailblazer Lethal Bizzle and the fresh sounds of Essex rapper Nick Brewer. The line-up grows even further with the addition of genre-blurring urban DJ Oneman and the unique dream-rap of Pell. New York natives Ratking are one of the purest voices of modern underground rap music and this year marks their debut R&L performance alongside MOBO Award ‘Best Grime Act’ and BBC Sound Of runner up Stormzy. Brotherly hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd are also announced today.
Newly announced today:
The Libertines (Headliner)
A$AP Ferg
All Time Low
Alvvays
American Football
Ash
Azealia Banks
Ben Kahn
Boy Better Know
Bring Me The Horizon (European Festival Exclusive)
Brodinski
Bury Tomorrow
Camo & Krooked
Cancer Bats
Cardiknox
Circa Waves
Coasts
Craze
Darlia
Dillon Francis
Django Django
DMA’s
Everything Everything
Flatbush Zombies
Frank Turner (solo)
Frnkiero Andthe Cellabration
FTSE
Ghost
Glass Animals
Gojira
Gorgon City
Hudson Mohawke
Jake Isaac
Jamie XX
Kendrick Lamar
Knife Party
Krept & Konan
Lethal Bizzle
Limp Bizkit
Little May
Lonely The Brave
Marmozets
Mastodon
Modern Life Is War
My Nu Leng
Neck Deep
New Found Glory
Nick Brewer
Oneman
Panic! At the Disco
Peace
Pell
Porter Robinson
Radkey
Rae Sremmurd
Rat Boy
Ratking
San Fermin
Simple Plan
Slaves
Stormzy
Swim Deep
The Bulletproof Bomb
The Districts
The Maccabees
The Menzingers
The Wombats
Toyboy & Robin
Tourist
Tyler, The Creator
Walking On Cars
We Are The Ocean
While She Sleeps
Already announced:
Metallica (Headliner and UK Festival Exclusive)
Mumford & Sons (Headliner and England & Wales Festival Exclusive)
With so many festivals spread over whole weekends, Slamdunk offers something a little different. With seven stages, both indoor and out, and bands playing throughout the day, Slamdunk Wolverhampton offers the younger generation a chance to experience the excitement of a punk rock festival without the hassle of camping.
The crowd immediately gravitated towards the Monster Energy stage at the far end of the arena, as it boasted the first act of the day, Heart in Hand. The British hardcore act kicked off the festival with a bang, exhibiting the spirit that set the precedence for all the bands that followed them.
After exploring outside through all the assorted merchandise tents, the flow of the crowd swept me inside in time to see what the main stage had to offer. With bands such as Tonight Alive and Sleeping with Sirens on throughout the day, there was constantly a lively crowd leading up to the big headliners, the fantastic All Time Low. I don’t think I’ve ever heard screams like those leading up to the entrance of the US four piece. As the lights went out after the final sound checks, the screams were beyond deafening and many of those ladies had their bras at the ready to throw. And throw them they did! Lead guitarist, Jack Barakat, had quite the extensive collection hanging from his mic stand by the time the first song peaked. And with their bright, energetic performance, they didn’t disappoint, with crowds spilling into the hallways straining to get a glimpse of the famous foursome.
If you preferred a closer encounter with your favourite bands and were willing to explore the more hidden stages, you were rewarded with two more stages, each offering their own unique take of the festival experience. The Tiger stage alone offered a more intimate setting, giving bands like Yashin and Cancer Bats, a chance of a far more personal performance. In fact Harry Redford, one of the two lead singers of Yashin, couldn’t keep himself away from the crowd.
It wasn’t exclusively for the younger generation of punk rockers though. Heading back outside to the Vans stage, there was an impressive line-up of 90s punk bands to greet the more old school punk in the crowd. Throughout the day there was a gathering of brightly coloured mohawks to be seen, and as soon as the bands announced their arrival the ‘hawks made their way forward, like shark fins heading towards their next victim.
With the likes of [Spunge] proclaiming “We are not dead!” and MC Lars stating out loud to the crowd that skanking is still cool, with his post-punk laptop rap inviting members of the crowd onto the stage to get down and dance. There were even brass instruments, some more steampunk than others, making an appearance with the likes of Streetlight Manifesto and the recently reformed King Prawn.
All in all, beers, bands, bras and some bloody scary 10ft aliens walking around. This bank holiday Monday, Slamdunk Wolverhampton was the place to be!
Surrey superstars YOU ME AT SIX make their SONISPHERE debut at KNEBWORTH this year. “We are really excited to play Sonisphere!” says frontman Josh Franceschi. “It’s going to be a lot of fun performing at such a great rock festival.”
In just a few short years, Josh, Chris, Dan, Matt and Max have gone from hitching low-fare rides on the megabus to get to their shows up and down the UK, to traveling across the globe in tour buses supporting the likes of Angels & Airwaves, Fall Out Boy and Paramore in huge arenas, as well as packing out clubs and theatres at their own headline shows, including two sold out nights at the Hammersmith Apollo. When debut “Take Off Your Colours” was released in 2008, the album propelled YOU ME AT SIX into the UK Top 30 (number 25). That their second album peaked at number 5 just two years later is testament to the band’s meteoric ascent, which shows no sign of slowing down on the road to SONISPHERE, where we look forward to fan faves such as “Save It For The Bedroom”, “Finders Keepers” and “Underdog”.
Baltimore, Maryland’s ALL TIME LOW join the SONISPHERE festivities, bringing with them a bag of hook-laden, guitar driven party tricks. ALL TIME LOW has emerged as one of the most popular new bands in recent memory, beloved by an increasingly fervent fan following for their fast-paced and fizzy brand of pop-punk. Currently on a sold out tour of the UK, the ALL TIME LOW of 2011 pay little resemblance to the covers band that formed in high school, with a catalogue of their own hits such as “Weightless”, “Lost In Stereo” and “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)” with which to dazzle the revelers at KNEBWORTH.
Canadian alt-punks SUM 41 make their way from Ajax, Ontario to deliver a plethora of infectiously catchy pop-laden punk. Having spent nearly all of last year on the road, including their 4th headlining run on the 2010 US Vans Warped Tour, SUM 41 are gearing up to release the most long-awaited new studio album of their career, “Screaming Bloody Murder”, at the end of March. If the first single of the same name is anything to go by, fans are in for a treat, as the multi-platinum, multi-million selling four-piece showcase brand new songs to UK festival goers for the first time this summer at SONISPHERE, as well as old favourites like “Fat Lip”, “In Too Deep”, “Still Waiting” and their homage to metal, “Pain For Pleasure”.
Reforming in celebration of their 20 year anniversary, it is with great excitement that SONISPHERE welcomes HOUSE OF PAIN to 2011’s event, as part of a worldwide reunion tour. It’s hard to believe that the rowdy Irish Americans got started way back in 1991, but for the past 20 years the group has maintained a high profile – topping the Billboard charts as a group and with solo efforts. It was the turn of a new decade when HOUSE OF PAIN changed the face of hip-hop with their self-titled debut album, going multi-platinum and launching one of the most memorable songs in hip-hop history with “Jump Around”. Now, Everlast and Danny Boy bring their fiery live show to get the masses at KNEBWORTH to jump up and get down, with hits like “Shamrocks & Shenanigans”, “Top O’ The Morning To Ta”, and, of course, THAT song.
Also joining the 2011 line up are melodic extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY, one of the leading lights of the death metal scene. Starting life as something of a side-project, in their 15 years ARCH ENEMY have battled their way out of the underground to become one of extreme metal’s most prolific acts, achieving numerous chart positions across the globe, including the prestigious US Billboard charts. High profile tours and festival appearances showcasing incredible musicianship and fiercely aggressive live shows have made ARCH ENEMY a favourite amongst fans at the heavier end of the music spectrum, who can expect an shred-tastically impressive set at SONISPHERE.
PERIPHERY has set the metal world alight with their self-styled “Djent” metal, injecting a new sense of excitement around this buzzing new sub-genre. Combining the complex atypical rhythms and technical precision of math rock with the sensational brutality of progressive metal, PERIPHERY is a band that is constantly pushing the envelope, and are bound to impressive any who witness what will be a stunning display of musical and technical mastery. Says the band: “To say that we are pumped to play Sonisphere in the UK is an understatement. Not only do we get to come back and play for some of the best fans anywhere, but we get to do it at the UK’s premier summer music festival!” Australian alternative-rockers GRINSPOON announce their inclusion at SONISPHERE 2011, hot off the back of their UK tour which ended in London this last weekend. With no less than 13 Australian Recording Industry Association awards nominations – including a win – to their name, as well as numerous platinum records in their home country, find out what the fuss is about at their SONISPHERE debut this summer.
Wrestling and rock have a long history together, a natural partnership that led to pro-wrestler Chris Jericho teaming up with Stuck Mojo guitarist Rich Ward to create FOZZY, who join this year’s cast. Existing solely to rock hard, be that playing popular metal classics or their own material, FOZZY’s reputation for powerful and energetic live shows make their appearance at SONISPHERE 2011 one that promises to be a fun-packed celebration of good old heavy metal.
Assessed by the Local Authority, Police and Emergency Services, the summary highlights the three day festival’s numerous positive achievements generated by rigorous action taken by organisers to keep antisocial behaviour away from rockness.
Over 30,000 music fans attended RockNess across the whole weekend and an increase in Community Policing and the general security operation is credited as making a real and positive effect on the festival ensuing in a drop in crime across key areas. It has also been noted that levels of tent theft at RockNess in comparison to other festivals is regarded to be one of the lowest.
Other notable achievements include a reduction in medical incidents across the site from the previous year as well as a fall in the number of people taken to hospital.
Overall, police say RockNess 2010 saw one of the lowest levels of reported crime with the good natured crowd enjoying a weekend of festival fun and exceptional music from world class acts including The Strokes, Leftfield, Blondie, Ian Brown, Doves, Plan B and Fatboy Slim in a trouble free & friendly environment.
Speaking about the debrief findings, Festival Director Jim King said, “Rockness is about great music and having fun. Ensuring that RockNess remains as one of the UK’s most enjoyable festivals to attend will always be our focus and these results just go to show what an amazing crowd we have. I’d like to thank our security team and Northern Constabulary for the massive effort they make to ensure RockNess does not go down the path of some other shows that suffer antisocial behaviour.”
Plans are already well under way to guarantee the fifth RockNess next summer is extra special, including more active measures to reinforce the SafeNess message, and organisers are advising festival goers to watch the website for updates coming soon.
