The pioneering Ibiza Rocks brand will travel to Zrce Beach to once again revolutionise the music holiday format with Croatia Rocks on 19th – 23rd July 2015. The festival marks a decade at the forefront of the Ibizan music scene for the group. Working with the team behind the monumental Hideout Festival and with Ibiza Rocks’ Musical Director Zane Lowe at the helm, Croatia Rocks will welcome a handpicked selection of live and DJ heavy hitters and newcomers from the world-famous Rocks & W.A.R! stages.
By day, Croatia Rocks teams up with the biggest clubbing brands on the planet as revelers are treated to a myriad of DJ talent against the backdrop on the stunning Adriatic coastline. By night, The Rocks and W.A.R! stages deliver the best of live and electronic music into the early hours as the crowds party with the biggest names and hottest upcoming talent.
Live highlights at the inaugural Croatia Rocks include the standout live act of 2014 Clean Bandit, the funk-inspired Jungle who bring their extensive live show to the beautiful surroundings of Zrce Beach. Kwabsbrings his exceptional vocals and anthemic songwriting to sun-kissed revelers, while lyricist Kate Tempest, the hotly tipped Shura, Brighton-based surf-rockers Black Honey and high-energy London lads The Bulletproof Bomb, all fly the flag for innovative new UK music.
Croatia Rocks will also host DJ sets on the sandy beaches of Pag from double BRIT winner Fatboy Slim, who returns for the first time in three years to Croatia. After the roaring success of their number one debut album 'Home' Rudimental will fire up the Croatia Rocks crowds with a very special DJ set as well as a plethora of electronic music’s finest including Wilkinson, Hannah Wants, Blonde, B.Traits, Soul Clap,Monki, Shy FX, Friend Within, Karma Kid, Waze & Odyssey, DJ Luck & MC Neat, Doorly, Mak & Pasteman, Eton Messy DJs, Jaymo & Andy George, Tom Shorterz and Lxury.
Festival fever was back in business with the popular dance event We Are Fstvl playing hosts this late May bank holiday weekend. Reported weather weeks before the event claimed of a heat wave across the weekend but that couldn’t have been further from the truth with the early Saturday afternoon seeing Upminster Essex covered in heavy consistent rain that increased the Poncho sales dramatically.
However this didn’t dampen the spirits of the many thousands of ravers in attendance. All eyes were directed to the VIP Village where Shadow Child was on the decks at the MK & Friends tent. The well-known dance shuffle was the crowd favourite dance move and was certainly helping combat the wet weather, oh to be in Ibiza! The VIP Village was a nice touch for the extra money paid for VIP treatment with hot tubs and other added bonuses to add to your weekend.
The sun finally decided to rear its head and the Saturday was setting up nicely. Stages such as the ‘We Are Fstvl Main Stage’, ‘Defected In The House’ and ‘Paradise’ boasted big names such as Jamie Jones, Disclosure, Infinity Ink, Guti, Hot Since 82 and Ritchie Hawtin who was headlining the main stage. For the fans of the more up tempo electric music, the We Are Elctrnc stage served all that you needed to get a bit more bouncy and intense.
Earlier sets from Syn Cole, Hard Rock Sofa and Kryder were just the start on what was a great line up on the We Are Elctrnc stage. Thomas Gold was also a highlight with a lively stand out set on the decks. Up next was Dirty Dutch DJ Chuckie who electrified everyone with his take on the dirty house scene, a genre that is wild and showcased We Are Fstvl as a great festival for different genres of dance music.
With each stage having its main headline act, you were spoilt for choice. A big focus again was on the electric stage where former Pendulum members Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen threw in their current project Knife Party with such velocity it blew off the faces of the ever loving crowd. This was achieved through dramatic music played and also the quite frequent jets of fire that added even more of an edge to the amazing visuals on the electric stage. Always an exciting experience seeing Knife Party, who have announced there will be a new Knife Party album coming soon as well as a new Pendulum album, the first one in almost five years. Roll on day two.
With the first day being a success, you could sense the anticipation of another day of great music and good times. The weather being beautiful from the start insured big smiles, more sun cream and the disregard of the wet weather gear! Getting in nice an early this time avoided the heavy queues that would increase later in the day and allowed the early risers to head over to the ‘Cocoon’ stage where Julien Bracht was playing some nice live vibes, something that may have been needed for those with a sore head from the previous day!
A wander round the festival site saw two tents that couldn’t have been more separate in taste of dance music, but were equally as great as each other. One of them being the ‘Andy C Presents Ram’ tent saw the BPM tempo rise above the 160 mark which also could be said the same for your heart rate. A very energetic tent that emphasised the MC role to give the building crowd a bit of interaction. Switch over to the ‘Toolroom Knights Ibiza’ tent which explains itself in the name. Shut your eyes and you were in Ibiza in what was a much needed Balearic sounding change up. Names on the line up were Weiss, Tensnake and Mark Knight.
With the Sunday in full swing, the focus switched to the best stage of the day. The suitably named ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ main stage boasted a massive line up with the likes of Riva Starr, Tiga, Solumun and a second appearance of the weekend from Amine Edge & Dance. By 7pm the main stage was packed with dancing humans and the spinning duties were handed over to Duke Dumont who provided a fantastic set. Finally as the sun started to set over Upminster Essex, the biggest names of the weekend were set the task of continuing the party atmosphere. Annie Mac fresh from Radio 1’s Big Weekender was first up before the legend Fat Boy Slim! Playing hits such as 'Praise You' and the main stage namesake 'Eat Sleep Rave Repeat' it provided an electrifying finale to a great weekend and a great festival.
The world famous Electric Daisy Carnival returns to the UK for its second year and the Summer Festival Guide has the details for what ECD have in store for 2014.
Firstly, EDC will now run over 2 days from the 12th – 13 July and will move from last years London location to the iconic Milton Keynes Bowl. The bowl will be transformed into a brand new world. It provides the perfect setting for Electric Daisy Carnival UK and everything that comes along with it, including a line-up that boasts the brightest dance music stars, with stages including Kinetic Field, Circuit Grounds and Cosmic Meadow.
This years artists are some of the biggest EDM artists in the world and the lineup includes the likes of Avicii, Steve Angello, Steve Aoki, Nicky Romero, Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim, Nervo and many more!
The festival will feature its signature creative elements including state-of-the-art production and specialeffects, roaming costumed performers and interactive art installations. EDCUK will be a vibrant hub of creative energy and activity, taking fans from day into night. Expect an unrivalled visual experience, as Electric Daisy Carnival UK presents the biggest LED show, never seen before in the UK for one weekend only, and takes pyrotechnics to a whole new level.
The line-up is as impressive as ever, reading like a who’s who of electronic music. On Saturday July 12, arguably the biggest and most successful global star of 2013, Avicii, will take over the decks of the KineticField, while house music hero and one of the most prominent acts in the history of electronic music, SteveAngello, will also play, as well as US electro house star SteveAoki, plus NickyRomero, chart-storming MartinGarrix and bombastic brothers Showtek.
CircuitGrounds presents a list of heavyweights on July 12 who epitomise the trance genre. Undisputed trance master Paul van Dyk travels to Milton Keynes Bowl, alongside the unique FerryCorsten, progressive head ØrjanNilsen, captivating Brit SimonPatterson, the multi-talented BenGold, and a very special guest appearance from the daddy himself PaulOakenfold.
On July 12 CosmicMeadow represents techno’s leading artists. Italian techno ambassador and Music On man MarcoCarola heads a line-up that includes electronic pioneer Dubfire, house hot property Hot Since 82, figurehead and innovator Davide Squillace and the always-electric Timo Maas.
The UK’s very own CalvinHarris takes to the KineticField stage on July 13, along with legend FatboySlim, the unstoppable Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, dancefloor-destroying duo NERVO, Dutch DJ of the moment R3hab and Carnage. The focal point of the festival, the KineticField stage will be bigger than ever, with all the out-of-this-world production that can be expected from an EDC event.
The Circuit Grounds stage will be transformed on July 13, hosting some of the leaders and up-and-comers in dance music. Electro hotheads Blasterjaxx join new-gen DJ Dannic, and chart topper DVBBS. Dyro brings his breakthrough sounds, wunderkind DJ and producer JulianJordan appears, LaidbackLuke provides unparalleled mayhem, Rebecca & Fiona supply high energy revelry, and Sander van Doorn raises hands.
And on July 13 the Cosmic Meadow stage takes things harder and heavier, with genre-bending turntablist A Trak, BBC Radio 1 bass connoisseur B.Traits with MCJuma, HARD Events head honcho Destructo, moombahton pioneer DillonFrancis, bassbin-shaking GorgonCity, dynamic electronic mixing duo Jack Beats, moody house outfit My Nu Leng and Shift K3Y drops garage-infused beats.
Expect fireworks, foods from around the world, dancers, performance artists, costumes, sound, light and creative energy. There will be carnival rides and dramatic décor and fans are encouraged to dress up and make this their most special day.
An experience to remember forever, Electric Daisy Carnival UK is the very best of days.
Tickets are on sale now. Early bird tickets are priced at £55 (+ booking fee) for the day, and £100 (+ booking fee) for the whole weekend, and are available for a limited time.
Line-up: Saturday July 12 Kinetic Field Avicii Steve Angello Steve Aoki Nicky Romero Martin Garrix Showtek
Cosmic Meadow Marco Carola Dubfire Joris Voorn Hot Since 82 Davide Squillace Timo Maas
Circuit Grounds Paul van Dyk Ferry Corsten Ørjan Nilsen Simon Patterson Ben Gold Special Guest Paul Oakenfold
Sunday July 13 Kinetic Field Calvin Harris Fatboy Slim Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike NERVO R3hab Carnage
Circuit Grounds (alphabetical order) Blasterjaxx Dannic DVBBS Dyro Julian Jordan Laidback Luke Rebecca & Fiona Sander van Doorn
Cosmic Meadow hosted by HARD (alphabetical order) A Trak B.Traits feat. MC Juma Destructo Dillon Francis Gorgon City Jack Beats My Nu Leng Shift K3Y
We have the complete Creamfields 2014 lineup here which features headliners, Avicii, Tiësto, Calvin Harris, deadmau5 and many many more!
Its the who's who of electronic dance music that will perform in the fields of Daresbury in Cheshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend, joing the above headliners will be the likes of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Dirty South, Armin Van Buuren, Hardwell, Ferry Corsten, Paul Van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Duke Dumont, Booka Shade, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Fatboy Slim, Eric Prydz and many many more, see the complete lineup below!
Headlining Saturdays South Stage is Avicii, this Swedish born DJ/Producer has raised the bar with his epic live shows over the last 12 months following his sell out ‘True’ tour, in addition his studio skills have turned this 24 year old into a household name and one of the world’s most in demand producers, following the release of his track ‘Wake Me Up’ which topped the charts in 22 countries and was the 2nd most streamed song in the world on Spotify last year. Over on the North Stage we welcome Canadian born electro pioneer deadmau5, this dance music phenomenon has gone from an emerging underground talent to an internationally recognised superstar in but a few years, with a penchant for headgear and famous for global hits including ‘Ghosts n Stuff’ and ‘I Remember’, expect a mesmerising performance of some classic deadmau5 and music from his soon to be released new album.
Proceedings continue on Sunday with an unmissable performance from chart topper Calvin Harris. The Grammy award winner and multi-talented DJ, producer, singer, songwriter returns to headline the North Stage. Whilst over on the South Stage we welcome back Creamfields favourite Tiësto, always a guaranteed crowd pleaser with his renowned productions and stage show, expect an all new feast for the senses this year.
The Swedish flag continues to fly high at Creamfields this year, first up we have ‘Departures’ from Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso who will be unveiling their brand new arena at this year's Creamfields, playing back to back to finish the summer in style. They will be joined by the likes of Alesso, Dirty South, Otto Knows and Oliver Heldens. Departures was born last summer on the White Isle at Ushuaia Ibiza where Axwell and Ingrosso played to sold out crowds every Wednesday at the infamous poolside venue. This year they touch down on UK soil to play a staggering 10 thousand capacity, 360 production tent taking over Sunday at Creamfields. Next up we haveSteve Angello who returns on Saturday with his Size Matters Arena bringing with him an array of talent from the Size stable including AN21, Max Vangeli, Third Party, Tim Mason Qulinez, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman. Renowned for their unique and visually creative performances these guys have gone down in dance music history and we can expect the same high level of production and SFX to be unveiled across these arenas this summer.
A key part of Creamfields success is keeping the format fresh, and this year is no different with the introduction of 5 new arenas, as well as Departures on the Sunday, we are pleased to announce that the flag bearer of the trance movement Armin van Buuren will be debuting his own arena ‘A State Of Trance’, joining this Grammy nominated dutchman will be Aly & Fila, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Rayel, Ørjan Nilsen, Jochen Miller and Marlo to name a few. Another new arena unveiled on Saturday is ‘Revealed’ hosted by Hardwell who will be performing exclusively for Creamfields this year, this will be the first of 2 performances across the weekend. Over the last decade Hardwell has risen up the ranks to be crowned the world’s #1 DJ in the 2013 DJ Mag Top 100 poll, cementing his position as the electronic scenes newest superstar DJ and becoming the youngest ever winner of the coveted award, he will be joined by friends W&W, Dyro, Dannic, Deorro, Sick Individuals, Jordy Dazz andThomas Newsom to name a few.
Everyone’s favourite Clubbing bible Mixmag return once again as hosts across the weekend, Sunday’s all new Mixmag Presents arena will bring performances from trio Above & Beyond, Duke Dumont, Booka Shade (DJ Set), James Zabiela, Tenshake, Andrew Bayer plus special guest Redlight and Saturday they’ll be playing host to the Residents featuring performances from the unsung heroes of dance including Andy Mac, Alan Hartley, Jemmy, Sean Hughes, James Dutton, Paul Nunn andJames Glover to name a few.
Another new addition to this year’s roster of new arenas and debuting their first soiree out of the capital is London Warehouse Events aka LWE who for the last few years have been making waves across the London clubbing scene with their forward thinking events, bespoke production and diverse line ups, representing them will be Seth Troxler, Adam Beyer, Better Lost Than Stupid aka Martin Buttrich, Davide Squillace and MatthiasTanzmann, the Martinez Brothers and Magda whose ethos of avoiding all of the rules has enabled her to create a niche sound.
Joining Avicii and completing Saturday’s line up on the South Stage will be a UK festival exclusive from Grammy award winning DJ/Producer Afrojack, an iconic name in electronic dance music whose become an outdoor stage regular of recent years, future hero Martin Garrix whose 2013 breakout international single ‘Animals’ climbed to the #1 spot on Beatport and impressively held the spot for four weeks, along with Cazzette, Rebecca & Fiona and Syn Cole. Whilst joining deadmau5 and completing the line up over on the North Stage will be Steve Aoki whose acrobatic crowd surfing stunts and debauchery add to the party atmosphere (prepare to be caked!), Showtekwhose electrifying performances and unique sound has turned these brothers into an act producers far and wide want to work with, BBC Radio 1 supremo Zane Lowe, GTA and Gareth Wyn.
Completing Sunday’s North stage line up and joining Calvin Harris will be everyone’s favourite party DJ Fatboy Slim returning to Creamfields after a 5 year hiatus no doubt with a bucket load of bells and whistles, he’ll be joined by Belgian duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike who undoubtedly delivered one of last year’s stand out performances. Whether its wreaking havoc across the globe, showering fans with seemingly endless bottles of champagne, or ripping up the music charts with immense original tracks, unbelievable collaborations and huge remix cuts from the A-list elite, this duo have become one of the leading lights in the new wave of international dance music currently taking the planet by storm and bringing some much needed girlie glamour to the stage Nervo.
Joining Tiësto on Sunday’s South Stage is the world’s #1 DJ Hardwell for his second performance of the weekend, Danny Avila, Moti plus Grammy and VMA nominated producer Tommy Trash, now a Creamfields regular and with Platinum records around the world, singles on labels ranging from Axtone to Fools Gold, from Refune to Mau5trap, every new instalment of his diverse floor filling productions lay testament to the pride this Aussie takes in his blazing musical legacy.
Eric Prydz returns on Saturday with his Pryda arena with a contingent of friends to complete what will be one of the most eclectic arenas on site this year, which includesMaceo Plex, Scuba, George Fitzgerald, Jeremy Olander and Fehrplay who will be performing back to back plus special guest Maya Jane Coles. Queen of the airwaves Annie Mac is back with her arena jam packed full of acts that are guaranteed to get you rocking including Skream, Breach which is the alter ego of Ben Westbeech, Paul Woolford, Route 94, Friend Within, Karma Kid and Monki. Whilst King of the airwaves Pete Tong returns with a cutting edge line-up that includesSasha, Joris Voorn, Claude von Stroke, Hot Since 82, Justin Martin, Jaymo & Andy George.
Other highlights across the weekend include the colossal Cream Arena which returns in all its glory with a back by demand line up of dance music stalwarts including Cream Ibiza resident Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Markus Schulz, John O’Callaghan, Rob Harnetty plus special guest Paul Oakenfold. Dust off them superhero outfits because Laidback Luke’s Super You&Me Arena is back with performances from Dirty Dutch sound pioneer and double MOBO award winner Chuckie, DVBBS, Blasterjaxx, D.O.D and a debut performance from rising stars Ibranovski & Badd Dimes + more to be added.
Always at the forefront of fresh new music BBC Radio 1’s Mistajam is back with his Speakerbox Imprint featuring an eclectic mix of music including a debut performance from arena headliners Gorgon City, expect heavy hip swinging rhythms and butt-shaking bass for a set celebrating the very best aspects of the mid-tempo melting pot that makes girls wriggle and boys giggle, joining the party will be MK, Jaguar Skills, Shy FX, a performance from one of the original pioneers of the UK’s garage movement which has seen a huge revival in recent years DJ EZ feat. Majestic , Wilkinson, B.Traits and All About She + more.
For those who like worshipping at the alter of Hard dance, then Goodgreef Xtra Hard will be your church with performances from Kutski, the Tidy Boys who will be delivering a classic set celebrating 15 years of Hard House along with Alex Kidd, Andy Whitby, Steve Hill, Mark EG vs Proteus and Cally Gage to name a few.
Disco Kings Hed Kandi are back as Hospitality arena hosts which will put a smile on the faces of all those who prefer a more luxurious festival experience, so get your hands in the air and get your souls fired up for the mother of all VIP parties!
As if all of this isn’t enough to get you salivating we’ve yet to reveal the Friday night line up which will be coming soon, however, we can tell you that as well as the world’s biggest silent disco returning on the Friday night which sets the fun factor level for the weekend, this year will also be the first year Friday night will have audible arenas – Boom!
Annie Mac, Fatboy Slim, Solomun, Doorly, Duke Dumont, Friend Within, Riva Starr, Tiga, Tom Staar
The Big Outdoors – Cocoon
Raresh, Sven Väth, Ricardo Villalobos, Adam Beyer, Ilario Alicante, Julien Bracht (Live), Andrea Oliva
RAM
Sub Focus, Noisia, Andy C, Loadstar, Calyx & Teebee, Delta Heavy, DC Breaks, Hamilton, Mind Vortex, Frankee B2B Chords. Hosted by: GQ, 2Shy, AD, Visoinobi
Kehakuma
ZIP, Nina Kraviz, DJ Koze, Levon Vincent, Jus Ed. Plus support from: Javi Bora, The Organ Grinder, Prince Club, Marino Canal, Johnny Bloomfield
We Are WHSE
Steve Lawler, plus in alphabetical order: dOP Live, Ellen Allien, Guy Gerber Live, Laura Jones, Miss Kittin, Nikos, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set), Tube & Berger
Toolroom Knights
Mark Knight, Tensnake, Jaymo & Andy George, Weiss, Tough Love, Mark Storie, Pete Griffiths, LongPlay
Luciano & Friends
Luciano, Carl Craig, Guillame & The Courtu Dumonts, Mirko Loko, Cesar Merveille, Gianni Callipari
Main Stage VIP – Circo Loco
Apollonia (Dyed Soundorom, Dan Ghenacia & Shonky), Black Coffee, Clive Henry, Davide Squillace, Kerri Chandler, Matthias Tanzmann, Tania Vulcano, Timo Maas
As the late summer nights begin to draw in and the end of the festival season is in sight, while many have packed away their daisy dukes, the Bestivalites are suiting up sailor style for the magical mayhem of HMS Bestival 2013 – Robin Hill park is adorned with swaying flags, the ferries are full and the campsites are primed for partying.
Thursday’s foray into the mad world of Rob Da Bank’s imagination sees a brand new area – Temple Island (which we managed to explore before it all burnt up – apparently part of the act not an act of pyromania) and a host of new ‘bubbles’ with a stage, chill out areas and sculptures as well as a heap of amazing places to eat (our particular favourite is Anna Mae’s Mac n Cheese).
Heading into the main arena past the giant illuminated Big Wheel, the Big Top is already chocka with people for The Correspondents. Mad frontman Mr. Bruce is spinning wildly in his humbug-harlequin frilly getup during ‘What’s Happened To Soho?’ before launching headlong into heart thumping jungle tunes, to which the crowd goes mental. Yelling “This is about as dirty as a gentleman like me gets on a Thursday” before leaping onto the sea of arms in the audience, Mr. Bruce crowd surfs to the halfway point in seconds as DJ counterpart DJ Chucks lays down the beat. Calling out “I’ve gotta be honest, this is overwhelming…” Mr. Bruce isn’t kidding – for anyone who hasn’t seen The Correspondents before; they usually play to pretty tiny crowds, and tonight The Big Top is overflowing and going top notch wild. Elsewhere, Tankus The Henge bring a punky edge to the adorable Polka Tent and every single person we pass has a giant grin plastered on their chops.
Friday sees drag spectacular Sink The Pink (usually found gyrating at The Grand Palace of Entertainment) joined on the main stage by members of The Royal Marine Reserves for a thoroughly jolly workout session, “On behalf of the armed forces, we thank you” and “On behalf of transvestites we thank you” are not two sentences you expect to hear at a festival on a Friday afternoon but it did make us giggle. French electro band Caravan Palace are a surprise with their interesting mix of what’s being termed ‘gypsy jazz’ alongside some proper swing-dancing, but the crowd really draws in for the hotly anticipated return of American hip-hop crew, Wu-Tang Clan. Despite the fact that pretty much everyone only knows one song, the band manage to produce enough hype to get the crowd jumping, before busting out 2001 mega hit ‘Gravel Pit’. DJ Mathematics pops off his shoe and proceeds to work the mixer with his foot to the chant of “When I say Wu-Tang, you say forever…” as a mass of ‘W’ hand signs are thrust skyward in appreciation. Though their set seemed to a lack a bit of punch overall, the nostalgia factor made up for it.
A quick jaunt to check out new area The Port reveals it to be a giant boat with Diablo acts, fire poi spinners and a massive mermaid, alongside some banging music from DJ’s atop the structure and a huge crane providing an aerial dancer a place to do crazy tricks above the awestruck crowd. It’s sort of reminiscent of our beloved (missing) Arcadia from the last couple of years, and really comes into it’s own at night, with regular fireworks, flame cannons and an amazing DJ lineup.
Over in The Big Top, Sinead O’Connor pokes her signature shaved bonce out onto the stage to a decent crowd for a stirring rendition (with added crowd participation) of her iconic Prince cover of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, giggling, Sinead says “Thank you, you sang beautifully”. Main stage veterans The Flaming Lips are as bonkers as ever, with frontman Wayne Coyne cradling a baby-doll atop silver spheres, in front of a light-waterfall before spinning a flaming orb around his head like a talisman. Amid the madness and glitter ticker-tape, it’s actually a decent set, but the bafflement on the faces around us suggest they’ve gone a step too odd/dark for the Bestival crowd this time.
The Big Top welcomes Belle & Sebastian with an almighty roar for ‘Cuckoo’, and their soft melodic rock lights up the rammed tent, as the rain begins to pour outside. Joking “I hope you haven’t taken all your drugs at once, remember it’s a marathon not a sprint” frontman Stuart Murdoch launches into ‘Another Sunny Day’ and grabs a host of lucky fans from the crowd to join them on stage for ‘Boy With The Arab Strap’. The Scottish Belles definitely put on one of the best performances of the whole weekend.
Despite the extreme soaking the thousands at the main stage just received, the crowd is going absolutely hyper to the sounds of Fatboy Slim’s Bestival Birthday Bash (See main review for full details), with lasers, fireworks, a great AV show and absolutely banging beats. Norman Cook was absolutely made for Bestival and it’s great to see him filling up the main stage instead of either getting crushed in the Big Top or on the fringe watching the fun happen from the outside. ‘Right Here Right Now’ and ‘Rockafella Skank’ are just absolutely massive, heart pounding, raving beasts of tunes and the whole arena is jumping and waving glowsticks like there’s no tomorrow.
At Bestival, the headliner isn’t ever the end of the action – if you go back to your tent, you’re missing out on the most magical hours at Robin Hill. Staggering about the Ambient Forest, with it’s Chinese lanterns and kids play areas, tiny stages and secret hideouts is honestly like being a kid again. Stick on a forest dwelling animal onesie and you may as well have been dropped into Where The Wild Things Are. It’s totally surreal. As if that wasn’t enough, sneaking past Bollywood and The Port, the top left corner of the forest has a hidden jewel in the form of The Ampitheatre. During the day, this plays host to a huge array of acts (notably, Scroobius Pip’s Satin Lizard Lounge of amazing spoken-word artists) but at night they show bizarre and melon-bending movies for the drunk and delusional. Tonight’s effort is an 80’s hip-hop spectacular ‘Beat Street’. The movie itself is kind of confusing and terribly acted, but the atmosphere of the dark benches hidden in the trees, the bunting and the secret snuggling is what The Amphitheatre is all about, oh and the really exceptionally drink-and-or-drug addled couple falling all over people on their 30 minute attempt to leave – comedy gold.
Friday headliner, superstar mixmaster Fatboy Slim ascends the dizzying heights of Bestival’s main stage to the tune of Happy Birthday, for Bestival’s ten year anniversary spectacular. A ram-jam arena and deafening screams confirm that Rob Da Bank has made the right choice booking beat-tastic Norm for the job, as he drops into an aural assault accompanied by an awesome AV, laser and light show.
Remixing summer’s big hit from Daft Punk ‘Get Lucky’ has the crowd grooving along, and a little of Zombie Nation’s ‘Kernkraft 400’ goes down well with the 90’s kids, but it’s Fatboy hit ‘Right Here, Right Now’ that spins the arena into a frenzy of flailing limbs, especially when a host of white beach balls are released onto the dancing masses.
With somewhat disturbing images of Norman’s face in an array of facepaints, the hypnotic ‘Eat Sleep Rave Repeat’ encourages some proper old school rave moves like the sprinkler being busted out, and a quick blast of ‘Simply The Best’, complete with images showing ‘Simply the Bestival’ is met with guttural yells of agreement from the entire arena. Iconic ‘Praise You’ brings out the best of circular congas (if you haven’t seen the video, to be honest, you’ve failed at your generation.) and is accompanied both chorally and by Rob Da Bank himself on piano.
Bursting back on stage wearing a Titanic life vest to fireworks and glitter cannons, Fatboy Slim goes out with a bang, to the tune of anthemic ‘Rockafella Skank’ – and yes, we’re all doing the dance from She’s All That, shame on us.
Bilbao festival, in its eighth year takes place on top of the Kobetamendi mountains just north of Bilbao. For those that aren't camping be prepared to wait up to 40mins to jump on the free shuttle bus that takes you up most part of the mountain. Unfortunately the buses don't drive to the top so be prepared to walk for another 20 minutes. Once on site the festival is conveniently laid out. In total you have a choice of 4 stages- Bilbao stage, Heineken, Live and the Vodafone stage. All within easy walking distance and no clashes, which is rare at any festival.
If you're looking to feed your stomach then I would suggest eating out in the city centre to avoid disappointment. Unfortunately the food options and quality lacked in choice and flavours. The bar however had a great choice of drinks, most of which are served in litres! One of the drinks on offer was a local drink called kalimotxo, also known as cocavino. Half a litre of red wine, half coke and some ice, which surprisingly tasted good!
On Thursdays line up saw the likes of Alt-J, Toy, Billy Talent, Editors, Biffy Clyro, Depeche Mode and closing were Two Door Cinema Club. Like most of the crowd I thought that the main stage closing act should have been the Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. And when the Irish pop rockers concluded their set, there was very little to chose from unless you headed to the Vodafone stage, which hosted an array of European DJ's spinning their acclaimed tracks that had the spaniards jumping up and down with joy.
On Friday the audience were looking forward to seeing Spector, The Vaccines, Klaxons, Kings of Leon and Public Image Ltd, but half way into The Vaccines set the heavens opened and thunder and lightening struck which led to the band walking off stage. There was an uproar from the crowd but before long everyone hurried into what little shelter they could find, myself included. At one point the rain was so bad that a majority fled the site to find shelter whilst others resumed to finding solice in a portaloo. The crowd were uneasy and unsure of the festival continuing, but through sheer determination the majority stuck around with the hope that the festival would go on. And after 2hrs of heavy down poor the Klaxons made an entrance onto the Heineken stage and the festival goers disended to watch a money well spent set. They played all the classics including Echoes, Golden Skans and Gravity's Rainbow. And whilst the hardcore Klaxons fans watched a faultless performance the Kings of Leon were re-opening the Bilbao stage, pulling in the biggest crowd they had a soaked audience singing along to all their hits ending on Sex on Fire. And shortly after their set the anticipated Public Image Ltd took to the same stage. Working the crowd was legendary and ex Sex Pistol John Lydon. It was a shame that they didn't have a big audience but they were an outfit worth seeing.
By day three the site was looking a lot more crowded The Hives entered the stage looking equally as eccentric as each other. The great thing about these guys was their striking outfits. The swedes hyped up the crowd with their impressive Spanish, and had the crowd cheering for more as they finished their set. A difficult act to follow but next on the bill were Green Day, they played a two hour set including some favourites from Dookie, along with American Idiot. Half way threw the set saw Billie Joe Armstrong pull an audience member from the crowd onto the stage, to which he had to dive bomb into the crowd, one of the most spectacular dives off a stage that I have ever seen!
And finishing up the festival was Fatboy Slim. The got the crowd pumped and played a faultless set to a very satisfied audience.
All in all I found Bilbao Festival a lot of hard work, the long waits for the bus plus the climbing up the mountain were challenging, especially in the heat. But once on site the chilled out vibe made the festival worth going to.
ONE WEEK TO EXIT: FINAL ACTS AND MORE STAGES REVEALED! The excitement is building after the festival's 14th birthday party brought the main square of Novi Sad to stand still as CeeLo Green performed to 30,000 people. With only a week to go, festival goers will have 5 days of music, fun and sun to look forward to from 10th – 14th July 2013. Taking place in the magical Petrovaradin Fortress overlooking the river Danube, EXIT continues to deliver the most adventurous and value for money festival experience, with a diverse and cutting edge line up, cheap food and drink onsite and over 600 artists, performing on 20 stages connected by cobbled streets, ramparts and tunnels.
EXIT OPENING PARTY! EXIT's first night features a stint in the city of Novi Sad followed by a performance at the fortress by legendary hitmaker Nile Rogers, the man behind the chart topping Daft Punk hit 'Get Lucky' kicking things off in disco dancing style with his original band CHIC on Wednesday 10th July. CHIC, is one of the most notable pop and disco sensations of all time with their their hits, "Good Times", "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Everybody Dance", "I Want Your Love” and “Le Freak” being recognisable all around the world. Not only that but there's performances from Arcadia, AREA51 and AlterNacija.
DANCE ARENA SUNDAY FINALE! EXIT Dance Arena reveals the final names for the Sunday closing party extravaganza with legendary Kerri Chandler, Guti live and George Fitzgerald who now joins Scuba b2b as Scuba is sadly now unable to perform his live show. Smashing the walls of the fortress, Sunday is always the loosest of nights, with local heroMarko Nastic closing the arena with his crazy antics.
HAPPYNOVISAD – LOVE FOR THE UNDERGROUND The HappyNoviSad Stage features the most progressive styles of alternative electronic music, testing the boundaries of creativity and without compromise. Kicking off the proceedings with one of the leading world's underground labels, the legendary Dutch label Clone, with DJ Serge being the mastermind behind it all. Founded all the way back in 1993, this label drew public attention in a short period of time thanks to the fresh approach to classic sounds and beats of Chicago house, Detroit techno, electro, disco and italo-disco. Clone's flag at the festival will be flown by Gerd, Alden Tyrell and Dexter. Saturday features Leisure System with Dopplereffekt, Ikonika and Visionist. Leisure System has been claiming the famous Berghain in Berlin its home for years now, safe to say we can't wait for some of their tunes to echo through the fortress walls. Om Unit, Dawn Day Night and dBridge, who at the same time celebrates the 10th birthday of his famous label Exit Records, which was created as Darren White’s (dBridge) token of love for music. Since its launch in 2003, Exit Records became the leading name in the progressive electronic music and raised the production, as well as material presenting standards.
FLOWTHING – AFTER HOURS For those of you who still want to party each morning after the Dance Arena and Main Stage close, we are putting on special afterhours on the boat Club Cristal featuring club partners FACT, JUNK, BlahBlahBlah, Musika, Colours in Music, Shapes, Spacestation, Idiosynphonic and Sublow plus surprise guest DJs from the festivaL…kicking off from 7am-2pm.
FINAL LINE UP Artists include; Atoms for Peace, Bloc Party, Chic feat. Nile Rogers, David Guetta, Fatboy Slim, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Snoop Dogg aka Snook Lion, The Prodigy, Chase & Status DJ Set, Eric Prydz, Jeff Mills, Steve Angello, Diplo, DJ Fresh live, Dubfire, Pan-Pot, Mark Knight, Rudimental Live, SBTRKT Dj Set, Seth Troxler and many more! View full line up here.
Joining a Saturday (31st August) Main Stage line up that already includes Fatboy Slim, The Cribs and Clean Bandit are disco legends and one of the most talked-about groups of 2013, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. One of the defining artists of the 1970s disco explosion, New Yorkers Chic are true icons of pop music, with some of the most instantly recognisable disco classics of the 20th Century including ‘Le Freak’, ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘I Want Your Love’ and ‘Good Times’. Cited as an influence by such a diverse range of artists as Queen, Blondie, Daft Punk, Duran Duran and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Chic’s legacy is very much secured and the band were inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Guitarist Nile Rodgers, who founded the band in 1976, went on to become one of the world’s most successful producers, producing Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’, David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’, to name just a few, and this year added his magic, as guitarist, to the biggest hit single of 2013, Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ – a collaboration that has exposed Rodgers and Chic to a whole new generation of fans. We’re ecstatic to have Rodgers and Chic bringing a touch of New York disco glamour to the Jersey Live Main Stage.
Another addition to the Main Stage’s Saturday line up is folk singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, who made her Jersey Live debut at last year’s festival. The 18 year-old Scottish musician has enjoyed a huge year subsequently, embarking on her second UK headline tour last winter and releasing three EPs with Island Records, leading to her biggest chart success to date, her second single ‘Stay Out’ which reached number 21 in the UK Singles Chart in April this year. Having been catapulted to national attention after supporting Ed Sheeran and Example (who discovered her acoustic version of his track ‘Stay Awake’ on Youtube), on tours in 2011 and 2012, Nina has this year truly come into her own as an artist and performer. Her heartfelt lyrics, pure voice and breezy, infectious melodies are sure to be given a warm welcome to Jersey Live again this year, and we’re certainly delighted to have her back.
Set in the lush countryside surrounds of the Parish of Trinity, Jersey Live is the UK’s southernmost festival and with more sunshine than any other part of the British Isles, and one of the warmest, friendliest festival audiences you could hope to encounter, it’s the perfect festival destination.
Keep your eyes peeled for more line up announcements across the seven stages, to be made in the coming weeks! For more information, please visit www.jerseylive.org.uk
FULL INTERNATIONAL LINE UP TO DATE: FATBOY SLIM / EXAMPLE CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS / BASTILLE / THE CRIBS THE ENEMY / PETE TONG / TOM ODELL / GABRIELLE APLIN / THE 1975 DEAP VALLY / NETSKY & MC DYNAMITE / JOHN COOPER CLARKE NINA NESBITT / NEVILLE STAPLE BAND / HOWARD MARKS / SHLOMO ZEDS DEAD / DOCTOR P / DUSKY / PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING HOT SINCE 82 / CLEAN BANDIT / WAZE & ODYSSEY / LEWIS WATSON / WOLF PEOPLE RUSS CHIMES / SKIP & DIE / SIMON EVANS / CRAIG CHARLES / KANKA / COUNT SIZZLE / MANY MORE TBA
