arctic monkeys

Arctic Monkeys to headine Rock Werchter 2014

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Arctic Monkeys are the spokesmen of a generation. “A great selfie of a generation this was. There was funky sorrow, cultivated desire, prickly sentiment. And there was maths: riff + melody = euphoria.”This is how Humo described an Arctic Monkeys concert in Vorst Nationaal in November 2013. For nearly ten years it has been said that front man Alex Turner expresses the joys and sorrows of his generation like no other. Since ‘AM’ (2013) he seems to have made the role his own. The record has just as much genius as its four predecessors, but the atmosphere is much more exuberant. The Monkeys have given up the Sheffield rain for the Los Angeles sun and it shows. Their concerts were always technically superb but maybe a little aloof. See their previous performances at Werchter. But today, all that has changed. Alex Turner is now a true performer and seeks real contact with his audience. It will be a hot evening on 4 July 2014.

Arctic Monkeys Rock Werchter 2014

Arctic Monkeys to headline T in the Park 2014

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Festival organisers DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager are hugely excited to confirm that Arctic Monkeys will headline T in the Park 2014.
 
The band said: “We are delighted to be playing T in the Park and look forward to a great night with our Scottish fans.”
 
This year’s glorious 20th year celebrations were widely hailed as the best T in the Parkever, and Arctic Monkeys are the first headliners – and the first act – to be announced for next year’s festival which will take place over 11th – 13th July 2014.
 
Since Arctic Monkeys burst on to the scene with their record-breaking, Mercury Music Prize-winning debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the band have seen all five of their studio albums hit the no.1 spot. Their unstoppable career reached stratospheric new heights this year with the release of the universally acclaimed AM, which was hailed by critics as their finest album to date.
 
Arctic Monkeys
 
Geoff Ellis, Festival Director, said: “We’re thrilled to announce Arctic Monkeys as our first headliners for T in the Park 2014. After this year’s fantastic 20th year celebrations, we asked our audience who they’d like to see at next year’s festival and Arctic Monkeys came top of the poll, so we’re really pleased to be able to confirm them for T in the Park. When they take to the stage in Glasgow this week they’ll prove exactly why they’re one of the greatest live acts around, and I’m sure we can look forward to another phenomenal set at T in the Park. We have many more fantastic acts in store which we’ll announce next year, and can’t wait to see you all again in July.”
 
George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship, Tennent’s Lager, said: “This year’s T in the Park was one of the best ever, and I’m sure we have another wonderful weekend in store next July – Arctic Monkeys will put on a phenomenal show. As founding partner, Tennent’s have been the T in T in the Park since the very beginning and we’re exceptionally proud to still be a part of this incredible festival as it enters into its third decade.”

Best Kept Secret Festival 2013

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Its a very rare occasion that you get to experience a new festival without hearing the experiences of others, and I wasn't sure what to expect from Best Kept Secret, but I was pleasantly surprised by the site, the friendliness of others and sheer organisation, this is definitely a top European festival to be reckoned with.

Not only is it situated on a safari park, but it is surrounded by a beautiful lake and a white sandy beach. Revellers have the opportunity to kick off those shoes, get their feet wet and go swimming whilst listening to some great bands that are were offer. And don't worry if you're not a great swimmer, there are life guards on patrol looking out for your safety.

For the foodies out there, a great selection of both meat dishes and veggie delights were on offer at a reasonable price. And although the weather wasn't on our side, this didn't stop anyone from grabbing a free poncho, throwing it over themselves and making the most of what was on offer. Like most European festivals, BKF operates on a token system, and have a great incentive to ensure you don't litter. For every cup you return to the bar you receive half a token, 2 tokens gets you a free beer, so before you know it, you'll be receiving a free beer for your efforts.

Best Kept Secret Festival

Friday saw the doors open at 5pm, and within easy walking distance you had a choice of 3 stages. Most of the artists had only a slight overlap, so if you wanted to check out a number of bands, then it was easily done. On the bill were Swim Deep, The Maccabees, Bloc Party, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Fuck Buttons and closing the main stage were the Arctic Monkeys. Not only did they pull in biggest crowd, but they played an hour and a half set including their classics which had everyone jumping up and down.

Day 2 saw the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J, Allah-Las, Koreless and Damien Rice take to the stages. Damien Rice entertained the crowd with his hits and it wasn't long before everyone was singing canon ball in unison.

The final day ended with the Local Natives, Everything Everything, Palma Violets, Kurt Vie and the Violators, Portishead and Sigur Ros. Not only was there a great selection of established bands on offer, but also some exciting new bands to watch out for. One band that stood out were Autre Ne Teut, hailing from New York, these guys provided a packed out tent to a mixture of way out musical styles mixed with some great beats to match. Sigur Ros closed the festival with an incredible set and atmosphere to match. They also donated some used signed drum heads and drum brushes, all proceeds donated to Unicef. For anyone looking for their next European festival, I would strongly recommend BKF, you won't be disappointed.

Sigur Ros @ Best Kept Secret

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEST KEPT SECRET FESTIVAL

Miguel added to Poland’s Open’er Festival

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The line-up for this year's Open’er Festival is ever expanding as more outstanding major acts confirm for 2013’s edition.
 
Each year, the Grammy Award ceremony needs it's quiet, surprising hero. In 2012, it was Bon Iver, while at this year's ceremony the role was played by Miguel, a 28-year-old Los Angeles singer. With the surprising five nominations, until the ceremony, known only to a small handful of fans, he gave a fiery interpretation of his hit single "Adorn", later receiving a Grammy award for it as Best R’n’B Song. He was just a little short from returning home as author of "Song Of The Year", yet, the American market wasn't ready for him yet.
 
Miguel Pimentel debuted in 2010 with a decent, yet unnoticed album "All I Want Is You”. While the LP gained its faithful listeners, its high quality deserved a far better reception. In 2011, Miguel broke the contract with his label at the time, signing to the renowned RCA Records, who understood the potential in the young singer. In October 2012, he released "Kaleidoscope Dream", deemed one of the best albums of the year straight away. Perfected to the last detail, sung in a way to strike only one comparison – Prince, the album did not only gather words of praise, but also checked in at top positions in the charts. The comparisons to Prince appear in nearly all "Kaleidoscope Dream" reviews, as Miguel has another advantages but exquisite songwriting: good looks and untamed stage antics.
  
Hip-hop beat and the use of rock instruments make Miguel not only one of the creators of the so-called "new r'n'b" (along Frank Ocean or The Weeknd), but also an artist to refresh the entire genre, while keeping faith to the classical sound. It is acknowledged by the growing crowd of fans, award juries and the greatest stars. We believe that on July 6, the Open'er audience will acknowledge it too.

Hurricane and Southside Festival Preview 2013

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In recent years more and more Brits are heading out to European Festivals. Sometimes it's for the experience of visiting different country, often for the (usually) better weather and line-ups, but surely the major reason is most European festivals are much better value, with tickets often half the cost of their UK counterparts.

Hurricane/Southside festivals are twin three day music festivals and takes part from Friday 21-23rd June. Hurricane is a long established fixture on the European Festival calendar and his has been held near the picturesque town of Scheeßel in Northern Germany since 1997. It's slightly smaller sister festival Southside, located in Neuhausen ob Eck in the very south of Germany, has been held since 2000. Reading and Leeds festivals would be the obvious UK comparison, with the line up being shared between the two twin festivals, their size, the variety of bands playing and the fact they're all about the music.

Hurricane is a cheap festival to get to from the UK. Although located in a rural area, Hurricane is located near the cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Hannover which makes getting to the festival relatively easy thanks to Germany's super efficient train system, and also means you can extend your trip with a visit to one of the cities before/after the festival.

Whereas many European Festivals don't get going until the evening and run right through the night, Hurricane/Southside's timings are more similar to the British festivals and start at midday, running throughout the day, with the head liners (This year The Arctic Monkeys, Sigur Ros and QOTSA) playing from 10pm until midnight.

The line up is quite possibly the best in Europe this summer and features many UK and international bands, as well as local German bands and includes:

Arctic Monkeys/ Queens of The Stone Age/ Sigur Ros/ Smashing Pumpkins,/The National/ Kasabian/ Bloc Party, Alt J/ Portishead/ NOFX/ Rammstein/ The Gaslight Anthem/ The Vaccines/ Editors/ Tame Impala/ Peace/ I am Kloot/ The Hives/ Modest Mouse/ Frightened Rabbit/ Frank Turner/ Chase and Status/ Darwin Deez/ Of Monsters and Men/ Gogol Bordello/ The Maccabees/ British Sea Power/ Miles Kane/ Ska-P and Steven Wilson..

The full 4 stage clashfinder for it's 4 stages has been published at http://www.hurricane.de/de/line-up/#!programmation=timeline$ to allow you to plan your weekend already, though with so many great bands playing, clashes are inevitable.

Weather:

Hurricane being situated in Northern Germany, has suffered from the odd downpour in previous years so wellies, and waterproofs are recommended, just like with UK festivals. Southside being situated near the Swiss border, usually has slightly warmer, drier weather.

Bars/toilets:

Friends who have frequently attended Hurricane in previous years report minimal queues for the bars, toilets etc and the whole festival run with German efficiency! It's not a gourmet boutique festival but the usual festival grub of noodles, burgers, falafel etc is available.

Transport

Both Hamburg and Bremen are relatively close to Hurricane Festival with Easy Jet and Ryanair having cheap flights to Hamburg and Bremen from many UK cities. (My Manchester to Bremen return flight has cost less than £50 !). It's slightly more expensive to fly to Hannover but is well served by Flybe and German Wings. Train-wise advance group tickets are available (Länder-Ticket) for transport on all transport systems for up to 5 people anywhere in the region for a day for a bargain 22 to 38 euros)

Tickets:

Hurricane Festival's tickets were priced at a great value 137 euro (around £117). Reading and Leeds's weekend tickets by comparison are £202 this year. Both Hurricane and Southside's tickets have sold out already, which is testament to their fantastic line up and reputation.

 

 

We are Scientists and more added to Super Bock Super Rock

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Super Bock Super Rock (SBSR) reveals that American rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, indie rockers We are Scientists, Australian dance outfit Midnight Juggernauts, new R&B sensation Migueland Digitalism DJ Set have been added to the line-up of the festival due to take place from the 18th-20th July in Meco, a coastal resort just outside of Lisbon, Portugal.

Headlined by Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age, the 19th edition of Super Bock Super Rock will also see the likes of Azealia Banks, Johnny Marr, Kaiser Chiefs, Chk Chk Chk and Owen Pallett amongst others, performing at the event this summer.

Relatively unknown to UK audiences, Super Bock Super Rock is one of the longest running festivals in Europe. Previous editions of the festival have included music giants The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Muse, New Order, Pixies and Metallica to name just few.

The festival takes place by some of the most beautiful beaches in Portugal, just a mere 20 minutes train ride from Lisbon city centre. With easy access from the airport, Super Bock Super Rock offers an enviable setting and strong line-up at an amazing price tag of £77 + booking fee for a 3 day ticket including 4 camping nights (17th to 20th incl); tickets are available on See Tickets.

An amazing line-up, affordable ticket prices, sun, beach setting, easy access and the opportunity to make a beach holiday or city break out of the festival experience, make Super Bock Super Rock one of the strongest contenders of the European festival circuit.

The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys & Mumford & Sons to headline Glastonbury

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Also joining the lineup is Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Kenny Rogers, Ben Howard, Rita Ora, Jake Bugg, Chase & Status, The Foals, Public Enemy, The Weekend, Major Lazer, Hurts, Bastille, Nas, Hot Natured and many many more, see the lineup poster below! 

Glastonbury 2013 lineup

Carl Craig, Ricardo Villalobos + more for Super Bock Super Rock Festival

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The 19th edition of the Super Bock Super Rock (SBSR) festival takes place from the 18th-20th July in Meco, a coastal resort just outside of Lisbon, Portugal. Together with headliners Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age; Azealia Banks, Johnny Marr, Kaiser Chiefs, Chk Chk Chk and Owen Pallett are amongst the acts set to be performing at the Portuguese festival this July.

Arctic Monkeys

Relatively unknown to UK audiences, Super Bock Super Rock is one of the longest running festivals in Europe. Previous editions of the festival have included music giants The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Muse, New Order, Pixies and Metallica to name just few.

The festival takes place by some of the most beautiful beaches in Portugal, just a mere 20 minutes train ride from Lisbon city centre. With easy access from the airport, Super Bock Super Rock offers an enviable setting and strong line-up at an amazing price tag of £77 + booking fee for a 3 day ticket including 4 camping nights (17th to 20th incl); tickets are available on See Tickets.

An amazing line-up, affordable ticket prices, good weather, beach setting, easy access and the opportunity to make a beach holiday or city break out of the festival experience, make Super Bock Super Rock one of the strongest contenders of the European festival circuit.

Arctic Monkeys set for Open’er Festival

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Arctic Monkeys have delivered four seminal records since they broke onto the scene in spectacular fashion in 2006 and are one of the most revered live acts around.  They will perform on Thursday 4th July.  They are the latest exciting addition to what is already an outstanding bill joining Blur, Kings of Leon and Queens Of The Stone Age, who will take to the stage in Gdynia on the north coast of Poland for four days of exceptional entertainment at incredibly affordable prices.  Many more artists will be announced to perform over six music stages.

Arctic Monkeys

The Open'er festival has grown enormously since its inception in 2002 and has established a reputation as one of the premier festivals in Europe.  Open'er has brought the world's biggest bands to Poland, many for the first time and has recently broadened its cultural remit to promote a distinguished programme of arts, culture and fashion.

Further information will be released in early 2013

EARLY BIRD TICKETS:
Until Jan 15, 2013, while stocks last
4-day tickets (03.07 – 06.07) -PLN 370 (approx. EUR 91)
4-day ticket w/6-day camping (02.07 – 07.07)-PLN 450 (approx. EUR 110)
Ticket prices after Jan 15, 2013:
4-day tickets (03.07 – 06.07)-PLN 470 (approx. EUR 115)
4-day ticket w/6-day camping (02.07 – 07.07)-PLN 550 (approx. EUR 135)
day tickets–PLN 189 (approx. EUR 47)
 Please note: exchange rate is correct at the date of publishing (Dec 13, 2012) but subject to change.
Tickets available in ALTERSHOP and in Ticketpro outlets.

V Festival 2011 Chelmsford Saturday Review

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Today saw the 16th edition of V Festival hit Hylands Park in Chelmsford.  V Festival is known for providing a diverse lineup to suit everyone and thats exactly what we had this Saturday.

Arctic Monkeys

From the headlining Arctic Monkeys, through to to Jessie J, Chase & Status, Aloe Blac, Ziggy Marley and even a comedy tent, it was not hard to be pleased.

Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys brought Saturday to an almight close as they trailed through hits from their latest album 'Suck It and See' as well as hits from their previous albums.  Notable tracks like 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' went down a treat with the crowd in the main arena that streched right to the back.

Aloe Blacc's soulful and cool presense on stage was the perfect fit for a sun drenched crowd who were lapping up his energy.  The crowd got into full swing when Aloe performed his hit 'I Need A Dollar'.

Over on the V Stage, Bruno Mars came out to a wet welcome as the rain started to come down at Hylands Park.  Opening with his hit 'The Lazy Song' the crowd, unfazed by the change in weather, continued to sing song after song with Bruno.

With the rain subsiding, the welcoming sun shone over Hylands Park.  We headed to The Arena where hip hop star Wiz Khalifa was performing.  Wiz has a laidback style about him and he came out performing with a mic on a stand!  Fresh off his Rolling Papers album Wiz Khalifa banged out tune after tune with 'Black & Yellow' the biggest song of his set.

Back on the 4 Music Stage, Example had the majority of the crowd bouncing to his army of tracks which included his latest single 'Natural Disaster'.

Bruno Mars

Still with a cast on her leg, Jessie J arrived to a packed out arena on the 4 Music Stage to perform whilst sitting on her throne.  Even though she was confined to sitting down, her performance is still amazing and energetic, you can see how much she just wants to get up and dance! She stated 'It's my first time performing in Essex, this time last year I was in the crowd!'

Back over to the V Stage, Plan B had taken to the stage.  One of the biggest UK artist's of the moment, Plan B has featured on a number of festival lineup's this year.  His performance is bar none one of the better of the day.  Moving through tracks from his 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks' the enjoyment of the crowd can be heard throughout the park as they applause and join in to sing along with him.  His tracks 'The Recluse', 'Prayin', 'She Said' were some of the biggest of his set.

V Festival is one of the must go to festivals on the summer calendar!  Its diverse lineup and dual location makes it an easy choice for festival goers from around the UK.

V Festival on Sunday will host Rihanna and Eminem as headliners.  Its a sure fire thing that they will bring down the curtains to an almighty applause as we witness yet another great year at V Festival!

Photos courtesy of Cake PR