MADE Birmingham 2015 Review

Whilst many of the big festivals were coping with mud over the weekend we were thankful that our Brummie feet were firmly on solid ground as we arrived for MADE. With a line up that boasts heavyweight names such as MK, Heidi, Claude Von Stroke, Julio Bashmore and David Rodigan, as well as prominent local acts Tom Shorterz and Adam Shelton, there was plenty for everyone in this urban playground.

MADE is a mini Metropolitan festival that brought ravers from all corners into the heart of Birmingham city. Now in its second year, the site had been expanded to include six stages set across the Digbeth triangle and the Rainbow complex. In keeping with the creative melting pot of the area, that ethos was very much evident in the site production from the epic wall mural by Newso & Gent48, live graffiti art and illustrative signage.

First up was veteran DJ and reggae selector David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan on the Heavyweight Bass Champion stage, a boxing ring with caliber of booming bass and DnB acts to match. 40 years in the business and David still knows how to rock a crowd. He invited all the ‘young tongue shooters to take a trip to Jamaica’ with him as he spun tunes from reggae, dance hall and DnB. He bounced around with the energy of a teenager, puffing out his chest and rewinding the decks, it was a pure joy to watch.

Next up was Norman Jay MBE playing from a fire exit high above the car park. The Bloc Party stage set up wasn’t a massive success and it was a shame to see Normal play to smaller numbers than expected. The VIP terrace above the Warehouse offered the best views over the main stage and revellers danced with the inflatables in the hazy afternoon sun. We stopped for some much needed respite with a delicious gourmet pizza from Baked-in Brick.

Back on the Heavyweight stage was beat-box extraordinaire Beardyman and friends for the ‘Bass Battle Off’. DJs Pete Graham, Marc Spence and Santero went back to back with only 7 minutes to impress the audience. We darted round the site, catching glimpses of sets from Korupt FM, Stanton Warriors, and Blonde who performed live as confetti cannons launched multi coloured flakes into the sky of the main arena. Julio Bashmore and Dusky were the stars of the Underground stage as they played to hyped punters in dark sweat-box of a room.

A packed out crowed gathered at the main stage anticipation for the headline act.  It seemed as if most people had come to see MK (Marc Kinchen) as the other stages emptied out. As his first record dropped confetti cannons boomed, followed by smoke jets and fire streams lighting up the crowd. His set was bursting with techno and club classics including remixes of Rudimental’s ‘Powerless’, Bakermat’s ‘Teach me’, Dumont’s ‘The giver’ to the crowd pleasing anthemic sing-a-long moment ‘My head is a jungle’. MK dived into the crowd at the end of his set and was hoisted up on to shoulders for the fireworks finale whilst Low steppa took up the mantle.

We caught up with Pete Jordan festival organiser about the challenges of delivering 11,000 capacity inner-city festival. “Digbeth is a unbelievable place and we had the opportunity to go bigger. We have had a phenomenal amount of support from the council, police and emergency services.”

“Having the indoor and outdoor spaces created a different vibe and we tried to put a bit of personality into each individual stage. Delivering bass music in a conceptual form such as a boxing ring makes people experience the music in different way. To see some of these stages really come off makes me really proud.”

It was clear the festival was a big hit with the punters too. Carly Banks from Staffs said “I have literally had the best day/night of my life!!! so unexpected and so worth it!!!!!”

Despite the terrible weather on Sunday they still had good numbers through the door for Made by Day. The organisers worked quickly to relocate as much of it indoors at the rainbow complex. There was a great selection of food available from gourmet burgers, pizzas, Caribbean, North African, Thai from Digbeth Dining Club regulars, as well as comedy, music and retro gaming from Dead Pixels.

Made my day was a great success and provided thousands with the best in bass and dance to party through day and night. We’re already looking forward to what 2016 has to offer.

 

See the full image set here https://www.flickr.com/photos/summerfestivalguide/sets/72157656009069788

 

 

 

 

 

 

MADE BIRMINGHAM AFTER PARTY & SECOND DAY ADDED

With only 3 weeks to go and the hot summer weather well and truly here Made Birmingham announce after parties – Made… My Night – More details TBC!

 

*ADDITIONAL SECOND DAY WITH FOOD PROGRAMMING FROM DIGBETH DINING CLUB*

*LINEUP ADDITIONS: LOW STEPPA, 99 SOULS, JASPER JAMES + MORE* 

Returning to The Digbeth Triangle for 2015, MADE Birmingham debuted last year to huge success, being nominated for Best Metropolitan Festival in the UK Festival Awards. With an already stellar programme of both live music and DJ performances confirmed for Saturday 25th July – including a headline set from MK who described the event as having "Such an organic vibe to it, I sometimes wish that more promoters from the US would come here to experience what a great time it is” as well music from WilkinsonClaude VonStroke, Heidi, Julio Bashmore, Beardyman, David Rodigan and Norman Jay – the festival is proud to reveal that a second day (Sunday 26th July) will be added with food host, the multi award winning, Digbeth Dining Club as well as further additions to the lineup including local hero, Low Steppa and rising house duo 99 Souls.

 

SECOND DAY ADDED TO THE FESTIVAL, SUNDAY 26TH JULY

Presenting MADE Birmingham's second day; a celebration of food, beverage and artistic talent from the Midlands and beyond. Digbeth Dining Club, award winning street food event which has revolutionised the scene in Birmingham, returns to host the food programming on the day whilst a selection of independent breweries, distilleries, street art from Digbeth's City of Colours, live music, spoken word, retro gaming, and more will be on offer. Proceeds will go to local charities.

LINEUP ADDITIONS; LOW STEPPA, 99 SOULS, JASPER JAMES, THE HEATWAVE, TOM SHORTERZ + KURUPT FM

* * *

LINEUP

SATURDAY 25TH JULY

MK, WILKINSONBEARDYMAN, BLONDE (LIVE), CLAUDE VONSTROKE, DAVID RODIGAN,

DOORLY, DORSIA, DUSKY, FONO, FRICTION, THE HEATWAVE, HEIDI, JASPER JAMES, JULIO BASHMORE, KURUPT FM, LEE FOSS, MATRIX & FUTUREBOUND, LOW STEPPA, NIGHTMARES ON WAX (DJ SET), NORMAN JAY MBE, PALEMAN, PHILIP GEORGE, PLEASURE STATE (LEE FOSS, MARC KINCHEN, ANABEL ENGLUND), STANTON WARRIORS, SUBB-AN & ADAM SHELTON, TOM SHORTERZ, TROJAN SOUNDSYSTEM (DEX N FX), 99 SOULS & MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

SUNDAY 26TH JULY

FOOD PROGRAMMING FROM DIGBETH DINING CLUB:

PLATINUM PANCAKES, MEAT SHACK, CANOODLE, ESMIE'S, SAVANNA GRILL, BIG, DADDIES DINER, DELIZIE ITALIANE, BUDDHA BELLY, HABANERO, FYBIN AND LOIN, BAKED IN BRICK, MEATHEADS, FAT DUCK SPUDS

Tickets are available at http://www.madebirmingham.com

 

Love Saves the Day add Groove Armada, Jackmaster and more

With just over seven weeks to go until Love Saves The Day sets up in it's new home at Eastville Park, more big names have bene added – including chart-topping dance duo Groove Armada – to a stellar music line-up, which already includes headliners Jessie Ware and Azealia Banks

Love Saves The Day will see over 300 acts perform across six stages to 30,000 people. Weekend tickets are already sold out, and day tickets, which are still available for Saturday and Sunday are expected to sell-out in a matter of weeks.

As the festival moves to a bigger, better site in Eastville Park this May (Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th), Love Saves The Day is pulling out all the stops with a line-up that will put it firmly on the map as one of the UK's most exciting music festivals. 

ARTISTS ADDED

Joining Groove Armada – as new additions to Saturday's line-up – are DJ and co-founder of the 'Numbers' record label, Jackmaster and Bristol born and bred RnB singer, Raleigh Ritchie, whose star has risen rapidly since the launch of his debut album in 2013. 

There's also plenty of good news for dub, reggae and roots fans who can look forward to a heavyweight line-up of living legends over the weekend including David Rodigan MBE, Horace Andy and Jah Shaka with a special all-day session from the epic Channel One Sound System.

STAGES

With six stages to choose from, Love Saves The Day fans will be spoilt for choice in Eastville Park this May. 

On the Main Stage, huge international artists like Groove ArmadaJessie Ware and Azealia Banks will play alongside up and coming local acts like singer-songwriter Rae Morris and the hyperkinetic Trinidad/Bristol collaboration, Jus Now

The Paradiso Stage – with its 'cosmic, exotic Arabian Nights vibe' – will be dedicated to house and techno with an epic big-room line-up on the Saturday featuring Tale of UsJackmaster andGeorge Fitzgerald. On Sunday, the stage will feature cutting edge sets from the likes of Four Tet, Errol Alkan and Daniel Avery

The 'tribal, tropical, carnival' themed Apocalypso Stage will have more of an underground slant featuring the skills of Âme, Craig Richards and Leon Vynehall on Saturday. Sunday will be hosted by prolific producer Shy FX with a massive line-up of dub, drum 'n' bass, grime and garage legends including Wiley, Skepta and David Rodigan

Over on Cloud Nine, nu-house and bass will be order of the day with big chart names like Gorgon City and Hannah Wants alongside rising stars of the West, like Gotsome, on Saturday and bass heavy grime, garage and dubstep on Sunday featuring Redlight, DJ EZ and Newham Generals.

On Saturday, the Just Jack extended family will take over the 'love shack' themed Brouhaha Stagewith house and techno selectors Soundstream and Dyed Soundorom on the bill. Sunday will see the legendary Channel One Sound System take up residence, hosted by Bristol institution,Teachings in Dub

House, techno and disco will be in abundance over at the Cocktails & Dreams 'beach hut' with an all-star selection of Bristol's most prolific party starters including Icarus, Apex Collective, Stamp The Wax and Dutty Girl

Rebel Sound to headline High Definition Festival

Having expanded to a two day camping even for its 5th birthday High Definition festival returns in July with the biggest lineup yet. Headlining the Sunday will be groundbreaking collective Rebel Sound.

Debuting last year at London’s legendary Earl’s Court, bass superstars Chase & Status, legend of the mic MC Rage, original digital soundboy Shy FX and soundclash king David Rodigan made history with their debut Rebel Sound performance. Unleashing a slew of big name dubplates, their show was unmatchable and not to be missed when they rock up at High Definition for what promises to be one of the defining sets of the weekend.   

Set in the stunning surrounds of Eridge Park in Tunbridge Wells and featuring only the best in live electronic music and some of the finest DJs on the planetHigh Definition has gained an enviable reputation as one of the most progressive electronic music festivals on the planet.

Camp Bestival 2015 DJ Lineup announced

Making Bollywood his home from home, we’re massively pleased to announce a perennial favourite of our Jurassic Coast amusements, it’s the return of David Rodigan MBE presents Ram Jam, featuring a very special extra appearance from DJ Yoda, and skank-tatsic sets from Prince Fatty, Artwork & Venum Sound and the man himself. We’ll also have Bollywood-based family fun and joy-inducing beats courtesy of Norman Jay MBE presents Good Times, plus late night action with eclectic treats from The Specials’ frontman Terry Hall, and dancefloor spanking bass from Music Mondays & World of Rave with sets from Billy Daniel Bunter, Slipmatt, Rat Pack, Ragga Twins, Uncle Dugs, Jerome Hill, and DJ Faydz.

Keeping Bollywood bouncing all weekend long, we’ll also have epic sets from Camp Bestival’s wildest man Rob da Bank, house music don Ralph Lawson, world music connoisseur Andy Kershaw, and 78 specialists The Shellac Collective, plus we’ll have Big Swing Soundsystem, Balearic Brothers, DJ Dapper Dan and our old friends the Mix It UP DJ Kru.

Bollywood won’t be the only place to cut some rug during the weekend though, you’ll be able to go wild on a sound safari across the site with off the wall behaviour atCaravanserai with Chris Tofu & friends, channel hopping, sing-along-a-madness at the Silent Discos with the Sunday Best Allstars, enjoy naughty After Hours Party Tunes at the Blue Coats Clubhouse and boogie on down to the Showmany Calliope’s Daily Discos!

We know that the kids love nothing more than busting a move or fifty, so we’ve got plenty of dancefloor madness in store for them (and, let’s face it, you), too, with Kids Discos in Bollywood. Featuring daily doses of afternoon fun from Big Fish Little Fish, Friday b-boy shenanigans with Fun DMC, and a series of workshops from Carnival Dance to the lowdown from the BRIT school, it’s all going off!

I Am Global 2015 lineup annoucement

I Am Global launches in June 2015 with its 1st ever festival in one of Europe’s biggest water parks, the ILLA FANTASIA.

A festival that aims to musically encompass and embrace the multi-diverse cultures that can be found right across Europe, giving it a home in the historic heart of Barcelona. The IAG Festival is a mixed genre event that will showcase a spectrum of music from some of the world’s most renown acts and finest rising stars across 3 stages, taking place over 5 days between the 4th and 8th of June.

12,000 PEOPLE, 200 ACTS, 5 DAYS, 4 NIGHTS, 3 STAGES, 1EXTRAVAGANZA

Located in the Vilassar de Dalt region, with over 20 different water attractions within 10’000m2 of parkland, a stellar line-up has been programmed across 3 stages. The Main Stage, a Pool Stage and a former bull ring converted into an amazing 3000 capacity Auditorium arena will play host to this spectacularly unique aqua raving affair.

This fun-filled experience will be expanded beyond the waterpark with a boat party, after parties and a party on the Platja Gran Calella beach giving partygoers the ultimate festival experience.

I Am Global Festival will be bringing the biggest and hottest acts from across the world with music styles ranging from EDM, House & Techno, Hip Hop, Reggae, RnB to UK Garage. 

Our first release line-up includes

RAE SREMMURD
FATMAN SCOOP
COYU
DJ EZ
DAVID RODIGAN
CHARLIE SLOTH
DOORLY
RUSS YALLOP

ADAM COTIER, ALICE ROSE, BARBER, BOBBY NOODLEZ, BUSHKIN, CARLOS ARIES, CERI, DEATH ON THE BALCONY, ESKUCHE & NUSKY, FLAVIO RODRIGUEZ, HORATIO, JEZTA, DJ MASTIE, DJ PACJAM, DJ ELEY, DJ LIMELIGHT, DJ PIONEER, DJ S.K.T, DJ SPRINGA
DJ YODA, KUNTA K, LEE B3 EDWARDS, MAJESTY, MANNY NORTE, MR PLAY, PLAYTIME, SIR DJ COREY, RIAZ DHANANI,
SAM SUPPLIER, STEVEN CEE, STYLO G, THE MEKANISM, THE MISTTA, X5 DUBS

With more to be added in the coming months

First lineup announcement for Festibelly 2014

Reggae DJ icon David Rodigan is amongst the first names to be confirmed. For over 30 years David Rodigan has been the top dog in Britain’s reggae dance-halls. The key to his success has been an unsinkable passion for reggae music, which first took a hold of him as a schoolboy when he heard ska music in the early ’60s. His esteemed career has heard him broadcast from BBC Radio London, Capital Radio, Kiss 100 and most recently BBC Radio 2 and his weekly BBC 1Xtra show – with accolades including an MBE for his services to broadcasting, a Sony Radio Academy Gold Award and induction into the Sony Radio Academy Hall Of Fame.

Joining David Rodigan on the dub themed Saturday afternoon will be Bristol collective Jus Now and ‘Belly favourites Reggae Roast.Festibelly’s first announcement also includes hotly tipped Femme and Mighty Oaks and welcomes back raucous folk troubadours Skinny Lister and electronic-soul trio Dems.

Keen to feature artists before they break big (BastilleGhostpoet and Willie Moon have all graced the ‘Belly main stage in previous years), Festibelly tip MausiWild SmilesGinger & The Ghost and Lexy & The Kill as names you will soon hear a lot more from.Now in its sixth year, Festibelly has established itself as one of the UK’s most charming, intimate and grassroots festivals. A handful of lovingly crafted venues will play host to new and emerging musical talent alongside a kaleidoscope of theatre, comedy, fine food and interactive nonsense galore.
 
2014 sees the addition of a brand new bar stocked with fine festival tipples, from craft ales to decadent cocktails. A new dining experience will be offered for those wanting to get off their feet and indulge in an extravagant three course feast, prepared and hosted by some of our favourite New Forest foodie institutions, alongside culinary masterclasses and belly-rumbling bake offs. The Owlery, a space dedicated to wee Festi-critters, returns bigger and better in 2014 ensuring the future festi-goers are well looked after throughout the weekend.
 
On top of the festival’s two days and nights, Sunday morning will see the festival spring back to life for a final few hours before the journey home. A welcome distraction from that sore head will come in the form of a Great British Brunch, a New Forest farmers market, kids fancy dress finale, and most importantly the chance to put your feet up with a paper.

Snowbombing announces teaser DJ lineup for 2014

ANJA SCHNEIDER / ANTONY NAPLES / B-TRAITS / BEN PEARCE / BICEP / BREAKAGE / CARL COX B2B NIC FANCIULLI / DAVID RODIGAN MBE / DISMANTLE / DJ EZ / DUSKY / GORGON CITY / GEORGE FITZGERALD / HORSE MEAT DISCO / J.G. WILKES (OPTIMO) / JAMES ZABIELA / KIDNAP KID / MIDLAND / MISTAJAM / PAUL WOOLFORD / PBR STREETGANG / PSYCHEMAGIC / RODRIGUEZ JNR (LIVE) / ROMAN FLUGEL / SCUBA / SHY FX / SPECIAL REQUEST / WILL SAUL / YOUSEF

As a special ADE treat, Snowbombing has released a small snippet of what to expect at next year’s festival, to whet your whistle. With more announcements to follow, including one of the most exciting headline acts to date, the initial DJ line-up already reads like a ‘Who’s Who?’ of the crème of global turntable talent.

After rating Snowbombing as one of his “2013 highlights”, Carl Cox is returning, with a brand new twist up his sleeve. For 2014 Carl will play back to back with Saved Records boss and Grammy nominated, Nic Fanciulli. The double act will battle it out in a three dimensional boxing ring placed slap bang in the middle of the Racket Club.

Carl Cox said “I can’t wait to play one of the most important festivals of the year again, I was waiting to play Snowbombing for so long, as so many amazing Dj's and live acts have played there and had an amazing time with the party people. If you love the snow and enjoy all kinds of fantastic music, this is the only one. I loved it in 2013, and I cannot wait to go back”

Carl Cox

Reggae royalty David Rodigan MBE and his soundsystem will also make a welcome return for Snowbombing 2014. After hosting last year’s Street Party, Rodigan is no stranger to the alpine air and we can’t wait to have him back.

Having been in the industry for over 10 years, the four man DJ collective Horse Meat Disco, are making their long awaited snowy disco return for 2014. Jim Stanton said:

“We’re super excited to be throwing a party at Snowbombing with some of our favourite DJs.

“It’s one of the most unique events I can think of, blending the best in skiing and snowboarding with the best electronic music in the world”.

Also confirmed and bringing back the old school, is the legendary DJ EZ. He will be joined by one of the biggest names on the German electronic music scene, Roman Flugel who will make his first Snowbombing appearance. Redlight is also returning andwill be joined by turntable technician James Zabiela, “perpetual motion machine”, Anja Schneider and BBC Radio 1xtra and Snowbombing’s loving uncle MistaJam.

Hot Flush head honcho Scuba along with Purp & Soul’s main man Ben Pearce, Digital Soundboy Shy FX, New Yorker Antony Naples and Bonar Bradberry and Tom Thorpe AKA PBR Streetrgang will also be on hand to shake the snow from the trees.

Other outstanding artists joining the blizzard of bookings are B-Traits, Bicep, Breakage, Dismantle, Dusky, GorGon City, George Fitzgerald, J.G Wilkes (Optimo), Kidnap Kid, Midland, Paul Woolford, Psychemagic, Rodriguez JNR (Live), Special Request, Will Saul and Yousef.

With an avalanche of exciting live acts and more DJs soon to be announced, watch this space as Snowbombing 2014 looks set to be biggest show on snow to date!

Snowbombing is also delighted to welcome back both Resident Advisor and Mixmag as media partners for 2014. Let the good times roll!

Prices start at £219 for accommodation and all the entertainment. So don’t be shy, secure your place at the World’s greatest and wackiest show on snow. And, hold tight deposits are only £125 – what at steal!

Lounge on the Farm 2013 Review

LOTF is your typical local festival and the title of the festival explains it all, you lounge on Merton farm and enjoy great music!  So much so, there were sofas dotted around the farm for festival fans to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.  As well as this, a variety of street food stalls from Indian, Mexican, Thai and even local Merton burgers from the farm were available.  Not only was there music to enjoy over five stages, there was also a family funfair and craft stalls where  sewing classes and craft classes were available should you wish to partake.

To kick Friday off, the line-up included, amongst others Coco and The Butterfields, who gave a quirky performance with their mix of hip-hop and folk sound; Beans on Toast, who sings about sex, drugs and politics… nevertheless, you cannot ignore the man’s witty song writing abilities which had the crowd both laughing and singing along at the same time and Lucy Rose who gave a chilled out performance, which captivated the audience and certainly had everyone excited for Friday’s headliner.

Whilst waiting for Seasick Steve to arrive on stage the crowd were surprised suddenly by a flash mob style brass band who started playing amongst them.  The band played contemporary hits, with their own twist.  They made several appearances over the weekend popping up all over the festival in various places to play their set to the festival go-ers.

Seasick Steve @ Lounge on the Farm

Seasick Steve was the first headliner to perform on the main stage at LOFT.  Performing with his many customised guitars and accompanied by his drummer, he gave an intimate and relaxed performance.  His set included hits ‘Self-Sufficient Man’, ‘Don’t Know Why She Loves Me But She Do’ and ‘Started Out With Nothin’, which rounded off a great first day on the main stage.

However the festival still carried on until the early hours of the morning, so I checked out DJ legend David Rodigan’s performance in the Hoe Down tent.  The tent was packed with people of all ages raving out to Rodigan’s selection of Reggae and Dancehall hits.

Saturday arrived and with it euphoric indie band, Eliza and The Bear, Tribes who rocked out the main stage, Willy Moon who gave a classy performance, which involved his hit ‘Yeah Yeah’, which most people would recognise from the Apple iPod advert.  By the time Man Like Me took to the stage, the heavens opened and Lounge on the Farm was flooded with torrential down pour and thunderstorms.  However this didn’t stop the crowd enjoying Man like Me’s energetic performance.

Although the wellies had to come out, by the time Jessie Ware graced the stage the rain eventually stopped, which topped off her performance.  The up and coming star sang all her hits from her debut album ‘Devotion’ including ‘Wildest Moments’, ‘Imagine It Was Us’ and ‘If You’re Never Gonna Move’.  Ware mentioned that LOTF was the first festival that she has headlined, with this in mind, I though she gave an excellent performance and was one of the highlights of the whole weekend.

Lounge on the Farm

After Jessie Ware’s performance and for a change of scenery I checked out the Boom and Bang Circus feat. Kitty Bang Bang.  The show consisted of eccentric and show-stopping acts, including burlesque dancing, comedy acts and fire-eaters to name a few.  It certainly was a different style of entertainment to see at a festival, but nevertheless extremely entertaining.

The last day of the festival arrived all too quickly and I must admit, I was a little sad by this point but excited at the same time as the last day consisted of a few musical legends.  The day’s line-up included indie/rock band Siblings, Art Ferguson’s Big Blues Band, who gave an amazing show that had the crowd dancing merrily, Reggae legends, Aswad who gave a jammin’ performance and Dub Pistols, a lively show that had the crowd jumping and dancing throughout their entire set.

Soul II Soul feat. Caron Wheeler closed the festival.  Despite the late start, the group gave a performance worthy of their closing spot and rounded off the end of the festival nicely.  Their set including their renowned hits ‘Keep on Movin’ and ‘Back to Life’ which had the older members of crowd dancing and singing along to their heart’s content.

It was hard to fault LOTF, it has the whole package for a small festival.  I particularly liked the real local festival vibe, which some big festivals sometimes lack due to their size and the size of the attending crowd.  Despite this year’s headliners not being as ‘renowned’ as the festival’s past headliners (Ellie Goulding, Emelie Sande, The Streets), I still feel the headliners this year gave top-notch performances all round and were worthy of their spots.  The only criticism I could possibly give the festival, is the distance between the main stage and the crowd was unnecessarily wide, so much so Jessie Ware and Seasick Steve to name a few even complained at how far away they were from the crowd.  This almost defeated the point of the intimate feel small festivals are meant to give, so let’s hope this is an improvement that is made for LOTF 2014!

For images of Lounge on the Farm 2013 please click here.

Seasick Steve, Soul II Soul and more for Lounge on the Farm Festival

SEASICK STEVE // SOUL II SOUL // DAVID RODIGAN // MARSHALL JEFFERSON // SIMONE FELICE // DJ FORMAT // DJ ALFREDO // INLAND KNIGHTS // LUCY ROSE // DUB PISTOLS // ASWAD // BOBBY LANGLEY // JON DASILVA // NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS // EASTEND DUBS // RAE MORRIS // MARIKA HACKMAN // TREETOP FLYERS // STEPHEN K AMOS // TOM LAW // BEN SPALDING // CHARLIE LAKIN // MK

The 8th instalment of Lounge on the Farm promises to be even more deliciously scrumptious than ever before. Heading it up will be a truly diverse and jaw-dropping line up of legends including Seasick Steve, supported by Lucy Rose, Soul II Soul with full band, and Caron Wheeler flying in from the States especially for us.

Seasick Steve

Lounge on the Farm’s very own ‘house band’, The Dub Pistols, are back and so is one of the UK’s top reggae bands Aswad, giving Soul II Soul a warm up guaranteed to have feet stomping.

We’ve let you in on the secrets of two of our days on the Main Stage, with more exciting main stage announcements to follow!

The FarmFolk is playing host to the harmonious sounds of Simone Felice, Treetop Flyers and Marika Hackman. The London House super-brand Connected make the trip down south to the Farm for 2013. Their Saturday night do features American super-producer MK and young upstarts No Artificial Colours. Meanwhile, South London party-starters Get Low make their third appearance, bringing everyone’s favourite rave pensioner David Rodigan, The Heatwave and much more!

On The Farmhouse stage we’ll have the best of bands and DJs – first announcements include DJ Format, DJ Alfredo (Cafe del Mar) and band Police Dog Hogan, made famous by member and columnist Tim Dowling of the Guardian.

Lounge has always been about more than just the music, and you don’t have to spend all your time dancing in a field. It’s everything else that makes Lounge so special – places you can escape to and blow your mind on the magical mayhem that is all around.

LOTF’s most comfy and kooky hang out, The Playhouse, will once again welcome the weird, the wonderful, the surreal and the downright absurd. From sunrise until the early hours, revellers will find themselves immersed in a unique brand of high octane, leftfield entertainment. Expect to see side splitting stand-up, variety performances, circus, contemporary burlesque, captivating spoken word, and wild, dark and heartfelt music from the best-loved musicians of the cabaret scene.

All this will be hosted by The Boom Bang Club, with comedy from TV favourites Stephen K Amos and Tony Law, and late night soirees from Patty Plinko and Tankus the Henge. We’re also proud to announce that Roots Manuva and Rob da Bank favourite Kate Tempest will head up Spoken Word curated by Tongue Fu, one of London’s liveliest spoken word nights. It’s poetry, but not as you know it.

Kids won’t be disappointed either, with The Science Museum, Shlomo Beatbox Adventure, Chatback Kids Comedy Club, NCT Sensory Room, Bushcraft and headliner to be announced later!

Lounge on the Farm was the first festival in the world to put food in the limelight alongside the music. This is grass-roots and personal cooking of an exceptional standard, proudly championing seasonal, local produce and low food miles. Expect lovingly crafted and carefully refined recipes demonstrated by a host of critically acclaimed chefs in our Kitchen Theatre.

With the site revamped and redressed, expect to get a little lost in its newly discovered nooks and crannies, all the better for escaping into. We’ve got a Victorian funfair in association with The Dreamland Trust; a Spa and Create area in amongst The Orchards where you can have a Swedish massage or learn a new skill depending on your mood; and secret restaurants far from the madding crowd. Last year’s big hitter, the Roller Disco, is back along with Lounge favourite The Groovy Movie Solar Cinema, Auntie Nora’s Jumble Sale, Vintage Market, and much, much more besides!