Festival

Southside 2024 Review

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Friday

Back at it again at Krispy Kreme Southside. Unlike the scorching sun of yesteryear, we were treated to showers as we approached the site. However, the weather gods were kind (for now) and cleared the sky for our arrival so we had a nice soft ground for tent pegs, a dry inside tent and cool splatter paint job on the car. With provisions (earplugs, painkillers, battery pack) packed, it was time to head to the arena. So we thought. Opening was delayed by over an hour as organisers monitored the approaching storm clouds. Luckily the securities were super nice and chatty so there wasn’t much stress.

Once the arena opened the top priority was obviously merch, because there’s always a design that sells out and its usually the best one. This year it was a tie-dye shirt. And it was sold out. Shaking my fist at the Thursday arrivals. Sea Girls were delayed on the green stage so I took the chance to go round all the merch stands in the faint hope of tracking down this elusive shirt. No such luck. Settling for different design, it was time to go watch some bands.

Sea Girls had a shortened set of about five songs, including All I Want To Hear You Say and Do You Really Wanna Know? which were the two I knew. Great, upbeat opener to the festival, they seemed to have a good time on stage and were very grateful to be playing at all. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for UK dates near me. Turns out, having written that and then checked, they’re on UK tour in autumn. Wonderful.

Quick chance to grab lunch before returning to the Green Stage for IDKHOW who I did not know were American. The aviators in the rain should have given it away really. I found the song Nobody Likes The Opening Band thoroughly endearing, especially as there was a growing crowd braving the rain. They played a heavier version of Do It All The Time which worked really well. Their set was also shortened to make up for the time lost to the delayed arena opening, but the singer said he’s been on the stage crew side of things, so he got it.

The stage now had a water feature running down the front but luckily the increasingly dense crowd kept the rain exposure to heads and shoulders. As Feine Sahne Fischfilet’s pre-show songs started playing, including She’s Kerosene by The Interrupters, the crowd started moving and evaporating any rain that tried to reach us. I think there’s generally a divide about this band’s shows, personally I think they’re great and their crowds are a rowdy party in all the best ways. Endless mosh pits, smoke flares and chants. The opener was a bit of a slow one, but the second song definitely got the crowd going. From then it was full on for the set with only a brief respite while an emotional front man sang about how much he loves his parents and the fact they stuck with him through his rebellious youth. Toward the end of the set there was a generous distribution of free (plastic) bottled beer into the crowd with the encouragement to get on shoulders to catch it. Suddenly I was surrounded by a forest of people and the rain was replaced with beer showers as the bottles started flying. Beer was shared around, and the atmosphere was on point. The set was finished off with a huge wall of death with the lead singer in the middle.

Feine Sahne Fishfilet in 2019

Heading over to the Blue Stage for Editors, I realised how much Feine Sahne Fishfilet cleared out the rest of the arena, I arrived for the start of the set and walked into the second row unimpeded. The Blue Stage was not blessed with runway tarmac to keep us safe from the growing swamp, but if I’m honest it’s preferable to the dust bath of last year where breathing was precarious at times and mosh pits a guarantee for dusty lung disease. The rain was back in full force and a fuller crowd would have been nice for rain protection. Editors played a great set including old and new songs with an acoustic opening to Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors. Front man, Tom Smith, delightfully contorting himself around the stage as he is wont to do, thanking the crowd in German and blowing kisses into the mic. Unfortunately, the sound was very bass heavy and it was hard to hear the melodies at times. I think it got better as the set went on, but it was a shame as the band has some great riffs.

Editors in 2018

Arriving at Sum 41 about 20 mins into the set the crowd was jam packed so it looks like Editors got a bit unlucky with their line-up slot. Sum 41 really bought the skate-punk vibe, jumping around on stage and generally being really fun and energetic. I have to admit that I missed them in my youthful emo phase, so I’m late to this particular party, but all the better to enjoy them now. The crowd went predictably wild for the classics and there were fireworks on the stage, like next to the drummer, for Fat Lip along with fire and smoke along the front. The set included a cover of We Will Rock You with the obvious sing along from the crowd. For all the fun of the set, it was a bit anticlimactic when the band just kind of went “ok, thanks, bye” and finished quite abruptly with 5 minutes left of the time slot. But either way, a lot of energy both on and in front of the stage.

Keeping the vibe going, The Offspring were next. I’ve missed these guys, they are so much fun and their music lends itself so well to singing, jumping and moshing. All the hits were covered: You’re Gonna Go Far Kid, Self Esteem and of course Pretty Fly (For A White Guy). We were also treated to a bunch of True Facts™ like that there was a world record breaking 1.9 million people at Southside this year and that this show was the greatest thing to ever happen in rock’n’roll. Which doesn’t sound right but I don’t know enough about rock’n’roll to dispute it. There was 6 billion large beach balls thrown into the crowd during Why Don’t You Get A Job, normally great, however their mud coating meant that every time they bounced overhead you got a little mud shower and I was doing so well at keeping mud below the waist line…

The Offspring in 2019

Much of the crowd stayed in place for the Green Stage headliners Bring Me The Horizon. I recognised some of the front row from the start of the day, so one presumes they have not moved from there since 3pm. Some of the people were struggling a bit during the wait time. One young woman was handed water and a sweet by the securities, another was lifted out before things got started. The woman next to me had an impromptu whistling lesson from the guy next to her, so the wait passed quickly as the stage was set up. Red velvet curtains were draped along the edges of the three teered stage and a group of firemen got a tour of what I assume would be the ensuing pyrotechnics.

Bring Me The Horizon in 2022

The show started strong with DArkSide, front man Oli Sykes, remaining in the shadow of the stage lights. Three songs in, after MANTRA, the band suddenly walked off stage and stayed gone for a long time. The screens stayed on and the lights were cycling through as there appeared to be a mic check. Luckily, whatever the issue was, it was resolved, the band came back on stage, blamed it on gremlins and the full moon and launched into Teardrops. They had a fan on stage to sing Antivist, who was so nervous but did such a good job, death growls and all. The stage show was fantastic, but then I am a sucker for gothic church and cyberpunk aesthetics. There was plenty of pyro and fireworks, especially for the closing Throne. For the whole show, Sykes was skipping along the stage all smiley and the band were clearly having a great time, jumping and spinning around. It was an amazing show, I do have one criticism though: throughout the day I thought how much phone recording seems to have gone down, like the occasional photo or bit of song or crowd videos. The crowd for BMTH was having none of this “living in the moment” nonsense. I was a few rows from the front and had to crane my neck a lot to be able to see around the many phone screens held aloft. And I get it, you want a record of the show. But maybe not all songs and maybe less held above you.

I missed out on UK tour earlier this year but thought the band might go on tour again when the delayed NeX GEn album is out. I think the only new song to the setlist at Southside was top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd, which to be fair, is a banger. Fingers crossed for an extended album tour when they’re back from Asia and South America.

Closing out the night, Deichkind finished up on the Blue Stage midnight to 2 am. I missed the first few songs moving over in the throng of people from BMTH but there was still plenty of dancing left to do. It’s hard to describe a Deichkind show in words and do it justice. It’s more like an absurdist art project with a banging soundtrack. I can’t say for sure how many band members there are, Wikipedia says four, but there were between one and about eleven people on stage at any given time and like 15 people took a bow at the end, so who is to say. There were loose but really fun choreographies, there was a giant barrel full of band traversing the crowd, there was office chair races. There was a giant selfie stick with matching giant IPhone, there was a song sung from a climbing portaledge, there were mini trampolines. One of the band members was replaced with a robot arm at one point. Of course, the robot arm kept up with the choreography. A good amount of the songs were different from the studio recordings, with various samples or style changes that worked superbly with the live show, really getting every last bit of energy out of the crowd. To finish it all off, the night concluded with a naked, masked man in y-fronts atop a giant inflatable ring bouncing over the crowd while emptying a huge sack of feathers upon the masses. Like I said, hard to really convey the mayhem, but an absolute spectacle. Even if you don’t understand the words, Deichkind is an infectious band with a one-of-a-kind show.

Deichkind in 2022

As thoroughly drenched and partied-out crowds trudged back to the campsites, mud solemnly squelching under hundreds of feet, I picked my way back home by torchlight, around guide ropes and past camping tables laden with empty beer cans. Once I was excavated from my mud coating it was time for bed amongst the sound of gentle snoring from the neighbours, ABBA playing in the distance and (to my dismay) the dawn chorus of birds.

Saturday

Saturday morning started with beautiful weather, perfect for lazy coffee in the sun without being boiled alive in the tent. The trip for washing up and water re-fills was a fun slip and slide. Some might say walking through a muddy field in flip flops is a questionable decision, I say it’s a rejuvenating mud mask for your feet. Clouds were moving in and there was a queue of people filling up 10l+ water canisters at the taps. I made it back inside my tent just in time for the heavens to open, thwarting my plans for second coffee for reasons like “lack of airflow” and “carbon monoxide poisoning”, sounds fake, but ok. I’m glad the festival app cheerfully informed be of the sunny weather because the increasing fervour of the rain beating down on the tent would have fooled me into believing otherwise. Now trapped in the tent by what I assume was the end times, we thought it best to wait out the worst of it rather than go from 0 to 100 in the moist department. Just as the rain began to ease the app announce impeding heavy rain. I hoped it was a delayed message. It was not.

Opting today for a more rain proof ensemble, I was surprised to find that wellies and a waterproof jacket actually kept you dryer than my previous thick hoodie and trainers approach. *Meryl Streep voice* Groundbreaking.

I didn’t really know The Gaslight Anthem previously and the studio recordings didn’t grab me, but as I joined the crowd for Handwritten the high-spirited audience dancing in the rain together had that wonderful festival vibe where most music is actually great and life is too short to not enjoy yourself.

The swamp at the foot of the Blue stage had expanded and deepened into a lake by the time that Irish post punk band Fontaines D.C. took to the stage. All dancing now resembled that scene from one of the most beloved movie sequels of our time: step up 2 the streets. But with mud. Frontman Grian Chatten, rocking 90s vibes in bright green plastic sunglasses and a light blue adidas jacket, wandered up and down the little catwalk attached to the centre stage. The setlist spanned the bands discography, finishing on Starburster.

More punk vibes with working class sentiment were on offer from Idles over on the Green Stage. Truly a man of the people, lead singer Joe Talbot was sporting one of the red rain ponchos from a festival stall. Idles had a bit more of a beat going on compared to Fontaines D.C. and definitely more political anger. Correspondingly, the crowd was more mosh than dance, though lyrics like “Best way to scare a tory” may have gone over the heads of the crowd. With the guitarist rolling across the crowd when I got there and announcements like “Andale you f*cking animals” launching songs the set had a riotous energy that absolutely got the crowd moving.

As we were waiting for The Kooks it was announced that the blue and green stage headliners were going to be streamed on the other stage which was a great idea as it would reduce the massive one-sided crowding of the arena at the end of the day. The crowd was singing along joyfully with the intermission songs including Don’t Stop Believing and Sweet Caroline before the band took to the stage. Starting off with energetically with Always Where I Need to Be the set drew a bigger and bigger crowd as time went on. I never know which UK bands are well known in Europe, turns out The Kooks have a long history with Germany and Southside festival. This was evident from the amount of crowd sing alongs, especially for the closing Naïve. The band also announced a new album coming soon, playing a new song Sunny Baby. Everyone clearly had a great time, frontman Luke Pritchard showing off his best dance moves and the sound was much better than yesterday.

I can imagine the sombre sound of The National being great in the sunset, but alas we had all cloud. But at least it was dry so a good time to queue for dinner. The usual roaming beer and ice cream sellers were replaced with troops equipped with back pack hot coffee dispensers and side pouches of those little milks you get in hotels. The crowd management was really good this year, the walkway between the first and second zone was being used to fill the front of stage area from both sides very efficiently, so it was no problem getting in even though it was busy. The soulful voice with the gentle brass section accompaniment made for a calm evening performance up to the point that lead singer Matt Berninger walked into the crowd. Normally not unheard of at a festival. Berninger made it interesting by using a cabled microphone that had multiple stage crew reeling out wire while not choking anyone along the route. The second time Berninger made any indication of walking off, the roadies sprang into action immediately.

The crowd changeover between The National and Ed Sheeran was chaotic with people trying to leave while others rushed towards the middle. But once everyone was in, we settled in to wait the 75 minutes.

A group behind me were entertaining themselves with their own sing along with hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, Backstreet Boys and a fair bit of High School Musical. Ed Sheeran came on stage by himself and launched straight into Castle on the Hill, with fireworks exploding in front and behind the stage for every chorus. Sporting an official Southside hoodie he explained the loop pedal set up of the performance, how he builds up the songs bit by bit and that they are deleted after every performance. At one point he messed up a section and had to restart the whole song (“that’s how you know it’s live”). The stage was backed with a floor to roof screen that accompanied the set with bright, colourful visuals that paired perfectly with the acoustic feel of this headlining set. Besides all of his hits, the set included Love Yourself,which he wrote and gave to Justin Bieber, and Eyes Closed in memory of a close friend. I have to be honest, I was expecting an overproduced show of an overplayed radio star, but it was an endearing, earnest performance.

Kontra K in 2022

In contrast, with Kontra K finishing up on the Blue Stage today it was very hard to tell what was irony and what we were supposed to take literal. On the one hand, knuckle duster microphone and gangster rap with all the associated attitudes, on the other hand he told people to share their feelings and love one another. There were bits that reminded me of self-help podcasts but then I figured it out, what was actually happening was fairly shallow platitudes that contained buzzwords that linked to the next song title. It was certainly an impressive stage show, and I think if you turn your brain off and go with it, it’s good fun. The show finished with a costume change, donning a big coat with the correct number of buckles (more than 5) he was set alight for the final song. Like I said, impressive to look at and the crowd was definitely here for it, just not my cup of tea. The show finished with the whole extensive crew on stage as he thanked them which was sweet.

Once back at the tent, the gentle embrace of sleep was accompanied by the dulcet tones of my neighbours trying to remember the name of Wallace and Gromit and discussing how it scarred their childhood. Perfect way to end day two.

Sunday

Sunday morning started with the app informing everyone about how to get out of the thoroughly soaked car park fields, encouraging everyone to help each other push, that there’s free rescues for those who can’t get out and asking for patience. There was hope that a dry Sunday night might make it easier to leave tomorrow morning. The drizzle set in as I frantically gathered stuff together and made it into the arena just in time for Danko Jones opening appropriately with Guess Who’s Back. What followed was an invigorating 45 minutes morning (2pm) workout of classic sex, drugs and rock’n’roll complete with little circle and mosh pits. The crowd started small but grew bigger and bigger despite the rain. The band was towelling down their guitars in between songs and pointing out the precarious decision to play in in a downpour surrounded by electrical equipment. Representing the first of the Canadian contingent of today’s line up, the band loudly declared their intention to have a Good Time,finishing the set with My Little RnR.

Slowing back down a bit, Bombay Bicycle Club on the blue stage played a relaxed set to a fairly loose crowd. Their backdrop of colourful streamers was swaying lazily in the breeze and the sun briefly peeked out behind the clouds. Before I could fully form a thought about suncream the sky disavowed that notion by getting back the scheduled rain. The arena had been generously covered in straw overnight, but the most travelled paths had already returned to the primordial soup. Crew was working hard emptying wheelie bins of wood chips in front of the stage so at least the securities and photographers could keep dry feet. After my personal favorite, Eat Sleep Wake it was time to head back to the green stage for Simple Plan.

Sunday Canadian act 2 out of 3 came on to the Star Wars theme then jumped right into I’d do anything. The sun was fully back now, and the tarmac actually dry in places, perfectly timed for Summer Paradise. The accompanying beach balls still had a light mud coating though, upgraded to a thick slathering after it fell in the mud at the side of the crowd so any contact with the crowd resulted in an unceremonious shower. The muddy threats were subsequently violently rejected by the masses. Turns out I’m Just a Kid is legally an adult now, so it made sense that the lead singer’s shirt got an update with kid crossed out and adult added. The back held true though. Life is a nightmare. As a mid 2000s limewire kid, Welcome to My Life bought the teenage angst flooding back in full force. Judging by the crowd response, I was not alone there. Besides the hits the set included covers of All Star, Mr Brightside and Scooby Do. Towards the end, the drummer, sporting a German football shirt, swapped round with the singer and went for a swim in the crowd. The set finished with Perfect, first verse and chorus being played on acoustic guitar before the frontman launched it across the stage to be deftly caught by the neck by the roadie. The band clearly had a great time and the crowd even more so.

Those who had a little more foresight and packed sunscreen today kindly shared it round while we waited for Leoniden to start. The band went way heavier than I expected for the intro with the guitarist swinging his instrument wildly by the strap and then the mic by the cable to the point where it’s a miracle he didn’t take out his bandmates. The band declared that they had a day off tomorrow so they would hold nothing back today. They really weren’t lying. Part of the show took place in the crowd, with both piano and percussion being carried into the masses at different points. The set included covers of Take on Me, Teenage Dirtbag and Smells like Teen Spirit. There was plenty of crowd interaction from the classic “sit down and jump up” through to “8 jumps left and right a la Dutch football fans”. A giant pink shark was leading one of the mosh pits, so really, how could I not? The band also announced the band mobile phone number to message with pictures, comments and to get exclusive merch. The second time they read out the number the crowd joined in. Next to Feine Sahne Fishfilet, this was definitely the most ecstatic crowd and the liveliest party of the weekend. Leoniden sing in English and are coming to London in December, I would highly recommend checking them out.

Jungle was hosting the  perfect dance party in the evening sun as I went to get dinner before heading into the crowd for Avril Lavigne, giving The Hives a miss this year (they’re way more likely to be back than Avril Lavigne).  The stage was adorned with pink hearts and skulls along with a selection of different coloured bejewelled microphones, exactly what you would expect from the icon of 2k teenage girl rebellion. Rocking a stunning punk rock outfit complete with skater skirt, high boots, patches and an over sized hood Avril came onto the stage to an instrumental intro before kicking things off with Girlfriend. The set was leaning heavily on the older albums including I’m with you, He wasn’t and Loosing Grip along with all the classics: Complicated, Skaterboi and Happy Ending. Simple Plan joined on stage for I’m Addicted, completing the Canadian triumvirate for the day beautifully. The flooded arena floor still made jumping a risk, so everyone was mainly swaying and singing along but all in all it was a great show from an artist I never expected to see live.

I stopped by the toilets/water taps for one last refresh before the final straight of the weekend. Clearly that was a very original idea as the area was rammed, but everyone queued nicely, and the infrastructure held. Turnstile finished 10 min ahead of schedule, but I still caught a bit of the set sitting on the tarmac by the stage. The area was already filling up for the final headliner of Southside 2024, so respite was brief as the crowd piled in. Somehow a group had enough internet connection to put the football onto their phone which was graciously held aloft, Swiss and German audience members reaching across the aisle with amicable respect. As the sun set there were a few medical issues, but crowds parted and helped carry wherever needed. I guess the sun had come a little unexpected, so heat exhaustion probably crept up on people.

K.I.Z in 2022

K.I.Z. last played Southside 2022, moving up into the top slot this year. The stage got a do-over, now consisting of three massive crystals in the centre surrounded by smaller crystals at the base. Throughout the show the crystals were filled with smoke, contained band members or had mesmerising laser shows on or through them, it looked fantastically alien. Wasting no time, the set unexpectedly started with Ein Affe und ein Pferd, a popular older one, which whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The whole arena became a mosh pit, with more people moshing than those standing in their isolated islands of relative safety. The band’s developed a bit since the last show, still boasting a dark humour buried so deep shock value that (hopefully) no one takes it literally and the occasional straight-laced line, the newer material had a lot more biting social commentary and solemn themes still delivered with a highly sarcastic sting (eg “of course we’re pro peace, but first we have to win”). Though the crowd went hard for the pretty much the whole set, there was a levity to the performance as well, the group was joking around on stage and making each other laugh. I knew they’d be good; I was not expecting the show to be THAT good. Admittedly, the language might be a barrier to entry here and googling some of the lyrics may land you in trouble with office HR at a minimum, but to be honest, I think the crowd carries the vibe across the language barrier pretty damn well. In an incredible contrast, the show finished with hyper violent BOOM BOOM BOOM into the incredibly sombre Goerlitzer Park, a song about the disenfranchised of a famous park in Berlin.

Red taillights lined the horizon as I got back to the campsite, so it looked like cars were getting out of the mud ok. Monday morning treated us to a beautiful, crips dawn and what was possibly the best shower off my life. The ground had dried up a little, so we managed to get the car out with only minor slippage. This was probably the best organised Southside I’ve attended to date, an absolute joy. See you next year.

Highfield 2023!

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With Highfield’s 2024 Line up announcement complete, let’s take a look at how 2023 went, and what might be on the cards for this years summer festival

Friday

It was gonna be a stupidly hot weekend, and I will be complaining about that throughout this review. Better stupidly hot than torrential rain though, so no hard feelings. We managed to find a small corner to pitch our tent, a sweat inducing activity. Neighbourly introductions were made followed by a quick trip to the merch stall because the best stuff always sells out quickly. There was a really good selection of designs this year, including tank tops, which were obviously going to be needed in good supply this weekend. To recover from all that very arduous work, we went to cool down in the lake, which was covered in weird grass balls this year for some reason. Luckily those balls made good throwing entertainment for the many many people also looking to cool down.

We caught Stand by Me from California punk band Pennywise on the way into the arena and made it to the stage just in time for Bro Hymn. Admittedly the only one of their songs I know, but I’m glad I made the effort. The energy from the crowd made it a great start to the weekend of live music, with the song’s chant lasting well past the finish of the set. The arena has isolated puddles in places and a brewing swamp on the way out of the front of stage area of the Green stage. Apparently, a heavy thunderstorm had passed over the area just before the festival, pretty fortunate timing.

We hoped to see Yaenniver on the Blue stage after, but there seemed to be some technical issues. About 20 minutes late, someone came to address the modest crowd, letting them know they’re still trying to figure things out. I got my Duolingo done for the day. At 25 minutes, there was a birthday celebration near the front of the crowd, with bubbles and every birthday song they could think of (two). This devolved into drinking songs and then a woman took charge from the shoulders of a friend, directing the chants and keeping us entertained. The act started just as Roy Bianco & Die Abbrunzati Boys started on the Green Stage, which sounded like a silly fun time, so I headed over there. It was a shame about Yaenniver, I was looking forward to seeing her solo stuff.

Von Wegen Lisbeth were going for a “padded cell but make it zesty” look this year, an inflatable orange cushion making up the majority of the backdrop. All instruments were in matching orange, it looked great once the sun set. They played Wenn du tanzt, one of their most famous ones, as second song in the set, mentioning that they might regret it. The crowd was clearly up for it, and after a hell of a lot of dancing and singing, still stuck around for the rest of the set. So, the bands worries were unfounded. I think more bands should play their big stuff sooner, it definitely gets the crowd going. For their song Bitch, the band declared they would no longer be singing that word as part of the chorus and invited the crowd to fill in their own single syllable word, preferable a non-discriminatory one. It’s a nice way of continuing to play older (I mean, is 2016 older now??) songs that you’ve grown past in one way or another, while avoiding the aspects that aren’t up to your standards anymore. The stage was bathed in a rainbow of lights for Meine Kneipe, which was followed by Elon at the end of the set. I don’t know if the latter was put in at short notice because there was time, it felt a little anti-climactic after the fun of the former. But the crowd seemed to disagree with me, so what do I know *shrug emoji*. Either way, great show, these guys have been steadily climbing the line-ups over the years, so we’re sure to see them again in future years.

On a personal note/complaint, there was a pair making their way through the crowd, giving people branded red baseball caps and then taking fake candid shots. Would have been fine, you know, live and let live. HOWEVER, they had a super bright light with them to illuminate the groups definitely candidly wearing their merch. Unnecessary and annoying. And the volunteers/victims didn’t even get to keep the hats.

The Dropkick Murphys set was a hearty combo of foot stomping, pyro and mosh pits. A four-man crab mosh pit had formed around one of the primordial soups that had become part of the arena as the day went on. I managed to dodge the mud puddles to get close enough to feel the extensive fire emanating from the stage. The stage set-up was fairly straightforward otherwise, no fancy screens, only a black backdrop with the and name on it, making it feel more intimate, like a pub with 35,000 patrons, and also fire. Lead singer, Ken Casey, came down into the crowd for Rose Tattoo while the crowd chanted along. The final part of the song was accompanied by a waterfall of sparks cascading down from the top of the stage, meeting the flames shooting from the bottom. It was beautiful and impressive to look at. I wanted to look up some of the song names and found that setlist.fm was being updated in real time, clearly some very dedicated fans in the crowd. The show finished with Shipping out to Boston with all the rambunctious moshing you would expect followed by the more emotional We’ll Meet Again which had people swaying arm in arm.

After grabbing dinner, it was back to the Green stage for tonight’s headliner K.I.Z. The hip hop trio came out all in white with the logo of a fictional psychiatric hospital in green on the back. The matching building on the stage was complete with ambulance. The sign and inside of the building changed throughout the set: from hospital to night club to liquor store to gun shop. Definitely more of a guilty pleasure band, the content is far from politically correct. But if you squint with a healthy dose of irony it’s really good fun. The show was high energy from start to finish, an insane amount of moshing and probably the most consistent crowd participation. It’s cathartic to sing inappropriate stuff sometimes. A superb start to the weekend.

Our tent was pretty much exactly between two late night DJ stages which made for an interesting lullaby by the time we finally got back, but to be fair, we were so spent that it didn’t matter.

Saturday

To no one’s surprise the tent was stupid hot in the morning. Held together by spunk, moxie and ibuprofen I managed to get the desired liquids (coffee) in and the undesired liquid (pee) out of my body, ready for the day. First order of business as always: lake time. The shallows were mad busy so we swam out to the buoys and hung out for a bit. Kind Kaputt were playing on the Beach Stage so we lingered for a while because it was immediately too hot out of the water. Once we braved the sun, got back to the tent and showered the sand and lake gunck off we were ready for day two.

Querbeat were up first on the blue stage. The brass-pop band consists of 13 members, basically a marching band but with more pizzazz. It was so hot I was actually dripping with sweat from very mild swaying. The band had immaculate summer vibes, with giant inflatable flamingo races across the loose but committed crowd. The band wandered into the crowd for a great brass medley including Industry Baby, Hips Don’t Lie and Crazy in Love. Pride and Climate action flags dotted the crowd and the loose mosh pits were more akin to dance floors.

You Me At Six played on the Green stage to a modest crowd. Lead singer, Josh Franceschi, came on in a suit jacket over a white t-shirt. He was excellent at animating mosh pits. Last night’s swamps had been filled in with woodchips giving it a weird doughy texture, but that was better than the dry dust over at the blue stage. It was a good show, but the weather was clearly taking its toll, a lot of patrons stayed in the few remaining shade rather than braving the arena.

Sondaschule are a staple of German festivals and never disappoint. High energy ska-punk from the first note celebrating life and comradery. I managed to keep up for the first few songs, but the heat got to me, and I had to have a little sit down. The lady near me had no such qualms, dancing with gay abandon, not noticing or caring about her beer’s successful escape attempts. The circle pits had several wheelchair users joining in with the festivities. Endless crowd surfers were welcomed with open arms by the securities at the front. For the last song, Bist du Gluecklich?, the band asked everyone to wave their hats. The number that went up made me feel double stupid for forgetting mine at home.

Enter Shikari have steadily grown on me across several festivals. Starting off with a firelarm ringing into Set me on Fire. Juggernauts was accompanied with a slow count up of the years since the late 1800s to now, each year’s average temperature being represented by a colour from blue to dark red. I know it’s not a new image, but there’s something more threatening about seeing it slowly build up and get so red, so quickly. I’ve written myself into a bit of a downer here with no obvious way back, so denial it is: the lead singer had an ungodly amount of energy given he was wearing a leather jacket in this heat. He did some magic show shenanigans, taking his top off and pretending to jump into a cube of screens that made it look like he jumped into water, only for him to appear at the centre barrier with leather jacket and starting into Bloodshot. He stuck around for a while, walking around the crowd and climbing the media tower. His microphone cut out a couple of times but generally it was a really good show and I look forward to their inevitable return.

Tokio Hotel are the epitome of mid 2000s emo in Germany. I didn’t realise they still existed until I saw them on the line-up. They’ve actually kept releasing music semi-regularly since their debut in 2005 but this was their festival debut. Their hit from way back when, Durch den Monsoon, is a cornerstone of any German emo kid so clearly that one had to wait until later in the set. The stage was draped in gold, matching the high school prom vibe of what I was expecting. But instead of an emo band, I was greeted by Bill Kaulitz, the lead singer, in a purple and blue be-sequenced cowboy get up, complete with fringey tassels, hat and assless chaps. Consider me surprised but not disappointed. Bill had a platform filled with fans so that he could a) keep cool and b) give his blond curls the blowing in the wind aesthetic that frankly, we all need in our lives. The set included several outfit changes, all sparkly, all wonderful. The rest of the band stayed in their clothes and looked like a standard rock band. You know, like that Elton John carpool meme. You get it. The show was pretty good, but the new stuff didn’t really grab me which was a shame. The crowd seemed pretty lukewarm as well, also a shame. The actual show was good though, so maybe the music will grow on me.

I arrived over at Giant Rooks in time for Tom’s Diner. Everything was bathed in warm light and the stage felt so warm and inviting. The instruments and amps were all white against a black curtain backdrop. The band cancelled last year due to mental health struggles, so it was wonderful to see them back again. It looked like they were having a great time, smiling and dancing across the stage. The set included the new song Somebody Like You and was generally just a really nice indie show. The crowd sang along so so loud and cheered even louder. The lead singer came down into the crowd for Wild Stare and the set finished on Watershed with a beautiful crowd chorus.

The front of stage area was packed solid for SDP, even the photographers had to wrangle their way through security. The anticipation was building when the curtain finally dropped, revealing the number one party boys of the German festival circuit’s return to Highfield with all the expected energy and flare for hosting an ecstatic night of dancing, singing and jumping. The giant beach balls quickly came out, and by giant I mean giant. The accompanying inflatable ducks were quickly boarded and surfed across the jubilant crowd. Bela B of Die Ärzte (set to play an hour later on the green stage) came on for his feature on Das Lied. Really cool considering SDP grew up with Die Ärzte’s music, must have meant a lot to them. For some reason, as the set went on Vincent and Dag thought the crowd looked like an inviting place to be, not the hot sweaty mess we were. As they made their way through, they quickly realised. Luckily, they made it to the middle barrier unscathed and continued to play several songs from the middle to “the new front row”. A short break after returning to the stage, they ran back on to another set opening song (from previous tours) with all the same energy they had 45 minutes earlier when they first started. And they went on and on until the fireworks finale. Even if you don’t understand every word, or even any, I’d highly recommend these guys, always a highlight.

Die Ärzte are one of Germanys oldest punk rock bands, originating in 1982, they’ve thankfully been more active in recent years, with tours and festival sets. Definitely a more unique set up, the three band members were on equal ground at the front of the stage, Farin on guitar, Bela B on drums and Rod on bass. The stage backdrop was made up of deep red curtains with a giant A made of hexagonal lights. No strangers to self-deprecating humour the opening statement asked if we were ready for two hours of cringe. What followed was two hours of shit talking, missed drum intros and general tomfoolery. The trick to punk is not taking yourself too seriously and it’s clear these guys have decades of experience in that. I think it tried to rain at one point, but it felt like most drops evaporated before they hit the packed crowd. There was a little switch around for Rod to play guitar and sing while Farin took over bass and later in the set Bela B played a solo song. One song was stopped because something had happened in the crowd and the band saw people waving for attention, so they waited until things were sorted out. I didn’t see what was going on, but apparently one guy took a photo of the incidence, which was called out by Bela B and booed by the crowd, rightly so. With things sorted out, the barrage of silly punk continued. It was a long gig, two and a quarter hours, which was hard work for the end of a long, hot Saturday, but worth every second. If you want to put your German to the test, or just enjoy some catchy riffs and great energy, this is definitely the band for you.

Sunday

Sunday morning was a little overcast hinting at a cooler day, but no such luck, the clouds cleared pretty quickly, and the relentless sunshine continued.

The sun was still low enough for the Blue Stage to cast a shadow as we arrived for Lostboi Lino. Festival goers perfectly filled every last remaining bit of shade as if the light was deadly (to be fair, it felt like it by Sunday). Lino came on stage, pink hair, pink puffer jacket, pink trainers, jean shorts. His voice was distorted as he launched into the opening of his 30 minute set. The coat quickly went, revealing a hand drawn white tank top with “Highfield Lino 2023” written on in in fluorescent pink. He was accompanied by a drummer and guitarist, both looking like they were having a great time. There were some technical problems with the microphone in the middle of the set, which Lino used to check we were all drinking enough water. His “lets hear it from the ladies, lets hear it from the gentlemen” calls went on to include those between and outside (the aforementioned categories) before launching into Maenner about defying gender stereotypes, while wearing a dress himself. The microphone issues came back so the set finished with him in a circle pit while the crowd sang the last choruses. It was a lot of jumping and moving for an opening act, really good fun.

Kaffkiez jumped onto the line-up last year after Giant Rooks no longer being able to make it led to some timetable re-arrangements that left a gap. Going from a last-minute opener to 1630 on a Sunday is a pretty good trajectory. The stage was set up like a rural bus stop, complete with bench, postbox and cigarette dispenser. During the indie set, the lead singer asked for whom this was their first festival. After a few people raised their hands, he explained the rules for the biggest declaration of love a group can make, the mosh pit. Hands to yourself, help each other up when someone falls. A little pit opened in front of me and in jumped a group of people who looked like they were still at school or just left. They were mainly women, and it was the softest, friendliest mosh pit I’d ever seen (affectionate).  They were having such a good time and it was heart-warming to see this rite of passage for festival goers. Time to accept that I’m one generation in now, the youth are coming up and it’s wonderful to see.

While the overlap between Kaffkiez and Nothing But Thieves was a shame, there was a sweet spot between the two stage that meant I could catch the end of Nie Allein while waiting for Nothing But Thieves and could head straight down as Welcome to the DCC started playing. These guys have been growing on me the more I see them at festivals and I’m glad I made the time for a whole set this year. The lead singer, Conor Mason, was saying they had played some gigs in the area and had some more dates coming up, declaring his intention to win over anyone who wasn’t going yet. Going back to east Germany might be a bit of a trek, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for UK dates in future, so his mission had a minimum success of one. It was a good pallet cleanser to have something more rock after a fairly relaxed start. There were some great mosh pits going on much to the Mr Mason’s delight. They finished on Amsterdam and it was great. Also, there was now a bit of wind, also nice.

I went to get a little sweat treat during Nina Chuba, my sugar levels were dipping, and we still had some high energy acts to go (gotta fuel correctly). Nina Chuba’s set had a wonderful tropical vibe to it in the light of the evening sun, the crowd was huge and really enjoying themselves. Light on her feet as she danced across the stage, she was chatting with the crowd, inviting them to sing along and generally having a fun time.

Swiss of Swiss und die Anderen expressed confusion as to why people were with them instead than over at Nina’s show. That felt like a sign of unironic, deep admiration coming from a rowdy, far left punk like Swiss. Their show started with a dramatic build up, but suddenly fell silent, prompting some roadies to come rushing on to stage and start pressing buttons. The band came on to unclimactic silence, acknowledged that their intro was epic and got straight to work. The line-up was generally less political this year compared to previous years, which was bought into sharp focus just by virtue of Swiss und die Anderen standing out through their political statements this year. Same with flags and flares in the crowd, looking back, those were more common in the past. Maybe security is tighter, maybe there’s still a post pandemic sleepiness to more dramatic behaviour. I think a good smoke flare is never out of place at a punk gig (as long as it’s outside and safe etc etc blah blah caveat caveat). I digress. The show was a raucous good time, with mosh pits and clear stances against the far right and pro refugee rescue. It included a cover of the anti-nazi song Schrei Nach Liebe by Die Aerzte and a dingy race between two women from the crowd (because guys always break the boats according to Swiss) across the crowd and then generally round in circles. Apparently, Bloodhound Gang had sued the band for copyright because they ripped off one of their songs (Swiss’s words) but luckily, committing crimes is more fun together and there will be a collection going round for the infringement fine later, so they played Vermisse dich anyway. Which, now they mentioned it, is very similar to Bloodhound Gang’s Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo.

Heaven Shall Burn was the heaviest band on the line up. Complete with long haired headbanging, fire and death growls. Clearly it was time for the pros because this crowd had the fastest circle pit I’ve seen, complete with someone holding a roundabout road sign. Very German, all labelled correctly and probably (German) OSHA compliant. The securities were super into it too, jumping along as they were waiting to pull the crowd surfers across the bar. Having avoided a dust bath up until now, this crowd loosened up the ground to no end, partly obscuring themselves in the process.

Blue stage headliners Beatsteaks started strong, with lead singer coming down to the crowd after just one song. They asked phones to be put away so they could play a gig like the good old days. Surprisingly, people complied, to the point I felt bad for wanting to take a quick video of the ecstatic crowd and their dancing and singing. Maybe it was because the average age of the crowd seemed a little older. The set contained both English and German songs, both of which the crowd was singing along loudly. I could never get into the band when listening to studio recordings, so I was definitely enjoying them vicariously through the people around me. Maybe they’ll click more with me in the future, the live show was definitely great for fans.

Green stage headliner Marteria was definitely one of my highlights. Starting off with the trance-y Paradise Delay through the smoke and flares of Bengalische Tiger and the mesmerising Verstrahlt. As we were on the final straight of the festival I indulged in a little wall of death (as a treat) for Adrenalin. We were all equal parts sweaty and ecstatic from the weekend, a perfect chance to burn every last bit of energy. After having seen him at Southside earlier this year, it’s clear that he belongs in a headliner slot. Not sure if the crowd was watered down with people waiting for the subsequent headliner at Southside Festival, but there was definitely more energy here at Highfield. Marteria’s alter ego Marsimoto made a brief appearance on the screen, announcing his last album for the next year. The show (and thereby the whole festival) finished 10 minutes early, bit disappointing as the vibes were immaculate and the party could have gone on for a few more hours, no question. A fan in a Rostock football shirt (Marteria’s team) was invited to join on stage for the final celebration which was very sweet. For the crowning finish, Marteria dropped the mic aftergingerly asking if he was allowed given it was the end of the festival.

It feels like there’s more international bands returning the Highfield after the pandemic break and they’re all happy to be here. I get the impression that those bands have a dedicated followers in Germany, as well as having fans who will follow them anywhere. As always, it’s been a great festival, the swimming lake was up there as MVP of the weekend. A great line up with plenty to see and relatively light on having to compromise between acts. See you next year Highfield (Tickets went on sale the Monday after).

Truck Festival 2023

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Truck Festival is a one of our firm favourites on the festival calander and this years did not disappoint at all. Located on Hill Farm in Oxfordshire the festival offered a huge line up with some of the hottest bands around. Headlining the weekend was The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J and Royal Blood. Every band who performed put on a cracking performance and put all their energy into their sets. The festival had plenty to offer including food and drink stalls, kids activities, gameshows, yoga, karaoke and more. Unfortunately the weather was a typical British type for a festival. Saturday was a downpour which made the site into a slippery mud bath but that did not dampen any ones spirits.

Our photographer Kane Howie was at the festival to document the weekend. You can see a selection of his images below.

2024 tickets are on sale now and are selling fast! We will definitely be returning for next year!

P!NK at BST Hyde Park – Sunday 25th June, REVIEWED!

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(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media

Due to excessive traffic issues and poor time management, we are entering BST Hyde Park much later than planned this fine sunny Sunday afternoon. Luckily we grab our wristbands and a drink just in time to get a good spot in front of the Great Oak stage for my 90’s manic-pixie-dream-girl crush Gwen Stefani (pretty sure she was everyone’s 90’s celeb crush actually).

Were you even a 90’s kid if you didn’t have that one No Doubt centre-magazine poster on your wall? You know which one I mean. It just occurred to me that kids now probably don’t buy physical magazines… what are they decorating their rooms with…

Anyway, Gwen bounces onto the stage resplendent in a disco ball inspired outfit for opener ‘The Sweet Escape’ right into No Doubt classic ‘Sunday Morning’, like there hasn’t been a single minute between the day she wrote it and now. Yelling “I don’t think you guys understand the love I have for London Town… let me pinch myself, THIS IS MY LIFE!” before busting out another classic – ‘It’s My Life’ (Talk Talk cover).

In a curious revelation about the inner workings of her mind, she blurts out “I was thinking about my life. Most of the time when I’m singing the songs, I’m thinking – what am I gonna have to eat later? Thank you for listening to my music all this time” which comes across a little odd, a little nonchalant, given her previous emphatic affectations about her work.

Nevertheless, ‘Underneath It All’ brings the groove back, admittedly with a small side of cringe these days – the ska/reggae overlap has always been part of Stefani’s music but it is one of those things that we’ve gradually distanced ourselves from since the early noughties. It would be remiss of me to write about Gwen Stefani without joining the chequered commentary about cultural appropriation vs. appreciation over her recording history, and the inclusion of controversial ‘Harajuku Girls’ and iconic ‘Rich Girl’ give me awkward pause for thought. Bringing on stage rapper Eve for a duet/cover of her song ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’ was extremely welcome though, being immediately transported back to 2001 in the opening notes.

After what looks like a slight bra malfunction, Gwen returns in yet another skirt/trouser combo that also smacks of very firmly Y2K vibes, but that ska checkerboard pattern will never not appeal to me – even the dancers are rocking matching jumpsuits. Oh and she’s being wheeled around on a giant throne, also fun.

‘Don’t Speak’ is where this set truly comes alive for me again, from there it’s a hit parade of core memory songs, with ‘Wind It Up’, and ‘What You Waiting For’ into ‘Spiderwebs’ which I screamed at the top of my extremely limited vocal range for.

‘Just A Girl’ is everything I want, remember and enjoy about Gwen Stefani. Her unique vocal sound seems unchanged by time, and it feels like such a treat for teenage-me to finally end up here, hearing it the way I did dancing with my friends in the living room to MTV. To cap it off, the slightly ridiculous ‘Hollaback Girl’ features dancers wielding giant bananas while she gads about in a sparkly cape – big Gwen energy.

(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media

There’s a pretty decent time gap before tonight’s main act, due in part to the absolutely insane stage set up being hastily squashed into view, so we have a little reprieve to check out some of the food options here at BST. For a relatively small festival footprint, you can pretty much find cuisine from most corners of the earth – but still settle for basic bitch buffalo loaded fries if you want to (and I did) but you better believe I’ll be sampling my way through as many outlets as possible over the coming weeks of BST gigs. They were delicious anyway. Though I didn’t make it around the rest of the site today due to time constraints, it’s nice to note that the site has lost none of its vibrancy from last year – there is colour, decoration and things to pique your interest everywhere you look. More exploration required.

With the sun beginning to dip over Hyde Park, it’s time to settle into our spots for tonight’s headliner, the incomparable wonder woman that is P!NK. Every single person I’ve met who has been to one of her shows assures me that she is incredible and possibly superhuman, so I’ve got a lot of hype and anticipation for this one – and it seems I am not alone. It’s a huge crowd tonight (and yes, a good percentage of that is potentially people who did not get Glasto tickets this weekend but we won’t dwell on that) but it is also a very female centric crowd too with a wide and enviable age range. I think if you’re the kind of performer who can appeal to three generations of women at the same time – you’ve kind of hit the jackpot, and that’s what I’m seeing here.

So when the stage screens light up with Pink’s AI avatar to introduce her Summer Carnival, I am understandably already enthralled to see the bottom of her sparkly silver boots hiding away up in the canopy of the stage, behind a giant Rocky Horror style mouth. The mouth opens to reveal Pink herself wearing a gemstone-encrusted leotard, who then plummets to the stage on a bungee cord before styling it out into something between circus and x-games. I have no desire to do such a thing personally, but I truly could watch her do an entire set up there, she is SO FUN.

(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media

Obviously the opening line is “I’m coming out” from ‘Get The Party Started’ because that is quite literally the perfect point to hurtle towards the audience with the sheer glee of someone with seemingly zero inhibitions or fear. Iconic.

‘Raise Your Glass’ will forever hit the spot with lyrics that celebrate the ‘underdog’, I think this is why the entire crowd tonight bar absolutely no-one, is singing along with wild abandon. It’s true that P!NK sits apart from other artists of her time, unlike the polished teen aesthetic of Britney and Christina, Pink had tattoos and short hair, swore and leaned into a grittier rock vocal sound. The genre-straddling appeal teamed with often inspirational and introspective lyrical content, has firmly rooted Pink in a place where we are appreciating her work throughout her career instead of just waiting for those early-days hits.

Oh and her wardrobe is beyond enviable honestly. I would 1000% try and steal that studded and glittery leather jacket if I saw it in a dressing room, watch out Alecia. Taking a quick pause to chat to those in the front rows Golden Circle area, she addresses a young fan “Happy birthday you’re 10, double digits, you’re gonna save the world… can’t wait!” and jokes “So many kids here.. oh god I’m such a mom now” before busting out classic ‘Who Knew’.

During ‘Just Like A Pill’ Pink is presented with an unenviably awkward situation, that I really feel she handles with incredible grace. Over the last few months we have witnessed Harry Styles being asked to do gender reveals on stage, Elton John’s farewell Glasto set the same night had cameras diverted to a couple getting engaged in the crowd… all sorts of interesting fan interactions. This though, feels like an absolute violation.

As Pink takes a small mid-song reprieve and walks down the runway, she is showered with gifts like flowers and soft-toys – cute right? Less cute is the Ziploc bag of ashes that is next to be hurled into her path. “Wait, is this your mom? I don’t know how I feel about this…” a clearly stunned Pink exclaims whilst gingerly picking it up and placing it carefully by one of the speakers. She then returns to singing but there’s an obvious wobble in her voice for those first few notes, and upon ending she quips “Well… that was a first” whilst looking uncomfortable. I get the sentiment of wanting to symbolically take your loved and missed person to something important to you, but truly this is intrusively unhinged behaviour, to actually throw human remains onto a stage. This moment will undoubtedly be filed in the same zone as Ozzy-biting-the-head-off-a-bat in rock’n’roll history I’m sure, but it speaks to the ever closing space celebrities are able to hold between themselves, and what fans think they’re entitled to.

Consummate performer that she is, Pink returns in a sparkly checked shirt and joined by a beautiful male duo dance performance for ‘What About Us’, followed by an aerial performance of her own – but not without a technical hitch. “Stop. Can we re-set? It’s too low. We just need six inches…” has the entire crowd giggling. “I’ll just do an Interpretive dance if this doesn’t work, I’ll tell jokes! Ok, go back into the sexy serious thing we were trying to do…” before performing ‘Turbulence’ whilst spinning around on a rope swing. I have no clue how she is managing to sound this good, doing that.

Back on solid ground once more, Pink heads to the piano saying “There are so many songs I wish I wrote… oh look at the sunset! I wish I wrote ‘Spiderwebs’… ‘Just A Girl’… ‘Don’t Speak’. My absolute She-ro Gwen Stefani is over there, you don’t get cooler than that” pointing stage side where Gwen is watching the show. “I also wish I wrote Baby Shark. I could buy everyone here a yacht” she laughs before performing a gorgeous cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’.

In another big moment, someone in the front decides to propose to their partner during this, which she notices “Did someone just pass out or propose? Was it a yes? Wooo! The first 20 years are the hardest” before going into the beautifully soulful ‘Just Give Me A Reason’.

‘F**kin’ Perfect’ sees Pink in yet another extremely steal-able studded biker jacket, this time in eponymous baby pink, before she changes into the early noughties revival outfit that we are now seeing on ASOS (RIP my youth). More rip-than-material crystal studded jeans and a leopard print corset were the lifeblood of Y2K teens. Add a diamante-butterfly backed g-string and you’ve hit peak Paris and Nicole.

With barely a break, we head into the third stage of this this epic show, with an acoustic ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’ and bringing her daughter Willow on stage to join her for the adorable ‘Cover Me in Sunshine’ in front of a glowing sun stage set, mirrored by the setting sun behind us.

“You know them right, First Aid Kit? These beautiful sisters… they were nice enough to write me this song” Pink leads in for ‘Kids In Love’ which is unmistakably First Aid Kit in composition. It’s a deliciously sweet twilight song, the kind you’d use as a backing track for a campfire scene, it’s going on my summer playlist.

The phone torch lights are out in force for ‘When I Get There’, she signs stuff for front row fans during ‘I Am Here’ before diving into protest anthem ‘Irrelevant’ “When I sing this song, you all have permission to lose your last marble”. In a post-Roe world we need more voices, and yelling “girls just wanna have rights” everywhere she goes is positive platform action.

“Yall ready to dance?” she yells, as the dancers whip off their velco trousers to reveal classic 80’s bodysuit-and-legwarmers gym wear, as she arrives back on stage in a silver bomber jacket doing fitness-video moves for ‘Runaway’.

Album namesake ‘Trustfall’ is highlighted by an amazing stairs/trampoline show where acrobats fell and popped back up in time to the music, before ‘Blow Me One Last Kiss’ in contrast featured dancers dressed in kinda creepy lips costumes and we dance our socks off to ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’. Finally, yelling “I’m coming to see you guys at the back” we get to see what the four giant cranes flanking the stadium are there for, as Pink is hoisted up into the air over the crowd during ‘So What’. I don’t know how she sings like she does while flying around above thousands of people but it truly cements her line “I’m still a rockstar” for me. What a bloody legend, please come back soon.

(C) Dave Hogan / Hogan Media

We Belong Here Festival announces more acts

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In addition to Kaskade and Lane 8’s 3 hour headlining sets, new additions include James Hype, Gioli & Assia, Yotto, Themba and many more

 

 

 

A new kind of festival experience is fast approaching when Common Ground Presents: We Belong Here expands to two days from the 25th to the 26th of February 2023. This boutique gathering at Miami’s stunning Virginia Key Beach Park today announces headliners Korolova, Themba, Kaskade Redux (3 Hour Set), Lane 8 (3 Hour Sunset Set), James Hype (Sunset Set), Gioli & Assia, Calussa b2b Malone, Francis Mercier, Chapter & Verse, Yotto, Luke Alexander, Bryan Softwell and Lucky Rose with more to come. Tickets start at $159 for full weekend VIP Admission and are available here. 

 

Not only is the breathtaking location one of the stars of the cultured and classy Common Ground Presents: We Belong Here, but so too is the sophisticated production and attention to detail across the site. There is a unique circular stage known as the first ever 360 Experience which puts you right in the heart of the musical action, surrounded by sound and up close and personal with like-minded music lovers. As well as that, there are lux amenities for all, lounge seating, trailer style restrooms and expansive wetlands and sweeping views of the bay and the Atlantic which add extra atmosphere and beauty to the whole festival. 

 

We Belong Here is all about radiating positive, uplifting and feel-good vibes and that is reflected in the line-up which is genre diverse yet melody focused across the house and techno spectrum. Themba, the South African king of Afro house and a master of spine tingling house lines up to represent the genre he has taken onto the world stage, while artful Italian pair Gioli & Assia make a debut Miami performance having become viral sensations with over 1 million YouTube followers.

 

 

Deep Root Records’ founder Francis Mercier will be returning to the main stage after a year of massive records, there will be a special b2b set from Miami’s own Calussa and Malone, who are both founders of one of the hottest Afro-House labels in the world – Hurry Up Slowly. James Hype has just been picked as the Beatport artist of the year so will be giving fans a treat with his unique skills behind the decks while Kaskade plays a special 3-hour Redux set which will see him explore everything from future to classic to deep house. Lane 8 will play a sure-to-be stunning 3-hour sunset set with more from Chapter & Verse, Yotto, Luke Alexander, Bryan Softwell and Lucky Rose. As well as the return of the ever popular beach stage, there is also the addition of a brand new, third stage with over 40 more artists are still to be announced.

 

With We Belong Here 2023 coinciding on the same weekend as the prestigious South Beach Food and Wine Festival, We Belong Here is expecting to be the hot spot afterparty of the culinary world’s A-list. As such Smorgasburg will be launching a first of its kind festival pop-up with a 15+ vendor immersive food experience right on the beach and you can also look forward to the world’s largest outdoor food market. It has a prestigious reputation for the highest quality and most creative eats and having started in New York, it’s grown to a few major cities including Wynwood, Miami – where its recent popularity has skyrocketed. 

 

Accommodation options are vast and varied with hotels, villas and even yacht charters all available via a partnership with Miami-based travel-tech company CrewFare. 

 

Common Ground Presents: We Belong Here is now fast approaching so make sure you get your tickets before they sell out. 

 

 

 

ABOUT:

 

The proudly independent team behind We Belong Here has, in the past and with various brands, promoted events in leading clubs around New York City, The Hamptons and Miami. They live by the motto “by the people for the people” and launched We Belong Here in Halloween 2021 with a takeover of the first-ever New York Stock Exchange (now Cipriani Wall Street) headlined by MEDUZA. The 2022 single-day festival was a massive success featuring the likes of Nora En Pure, Purple Disco Machine and Don Diablo, leading to a 2023 expansion in partnership with Common Ground Presents.

Legendary imprint Garage Nation celebrates 25 years as Albert Hall

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JBM Music is delighted to announce the return of ‘Garage Nation’ to the iconic Manchester Albert Hall this winter, bringing a stacked lineup of garage heavyweights to the venue from 21:00-03:00 on Saturday 3rd December 2022.
‘Garage Nation’ will welcome garage lovers for a night of floor filling performances from some of the genres finest acts, including garage royalty DJ Luck & MC Neat, the duo behind the UKG anthem ‘A Little Bit Of Luck’, and Sweet Female Attitude, creators of the noughties classic and UK #2 hit ‘Flowers’.
Heading to Manchester’s beloved Albert Hall for another instalment of the renowned ‘Garage Nation’, this all-star lineup looks set to bring yet another phenomenal night to a capacity crowd of party people in the northern capital. With performances from DJ sets from Matt Jam Lamon, 24 Hour Garage Girls Ft Shosh,Girl’s Don’t Sync & a special live performances from Lisa Mafia & Romero from So Solid Crew! Further support comes from UKG favourites Kele Le Roc & Nay Nay
With Garage Nation returning for 2022 to join the abundance of widely popular events by UK brand JBM Music, the long-standing company continues to deliver a diverse range of events to party goers across the nation. Raising the industry standard within the UK dance scene throughout the years, JBM Music have quickly become a formidable force renowned for bringing big names with the venues and production to match on every occasion, with Garage Nation continuing this trend for its winter return at the Albert Hall. With tickets already on-sale and available here, garage ravers should grab their passes ASAP for what will undoubtedly prove to be another sold-out Albert Hall special.

NHOAH reveals “Don’t Get High” Toilet Rave Exclusive Video from his “TUNE” LP

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“Don’t Get High” is the second single from his upcoming album out at the end of the month 

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A critical understanding of electronic music heritage, combined with his continued experiences in clubs around the world, means NHOAH is able to construct tracks that are informed by his lineage, while also offering a glimpse into the future. The delicate balance in his music creates moments of exhilaration, harmony and pure, undiluted dance floor energy.

Although he’s already got a few years under his belt, the new album will feature music that can and will determine future nuances in club music in 2022. A bold statement perhaps, but indicative of his prophetic approach, ‘flashbacks to the future’ as he calls it.

Artist(s): NHOAH

Title: TUNE

Record Label: R.O.T Records

Cat.Number: ROT0140

Release Date: 28th October 2022

Tracklist : 

1) We Are All The Same feat. Ina Viola 

2) RAVE22

3) Don’t Get High 

4) When We 

5) Life Like A Breath 

6) The Whistle 

7) Welcome To A New World 

Club Chinois announces new October parties and extra closings

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Matthias Tanzmann, Davide Squillace, Rhadoo, Tucillo, Tania Vulcano, Ida Engberg, Luciano

https://www.instagram.com/clubchinoisibiza
https://www.clubchinoisibiza.com/

The nights might be drawing in but Club Chinois continues to burn bright with a new run of parties announced on top of some extra closing events. Between now and a special Halloween Performance by La Troya on October 21st, new events including Moon Harbour with Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace, Trip with Rhadoo, Eclud and Tucillo, La Troya Closing, Ethereal with SIS and more and Una Mas all come next to final gatherings for season residencies from Ida Engberg, Satori and Pablo Fierro and an overall Club Chinois Closing Party.

Club Chinois had a historic debut season. The club brought all new musical and decorative style to the White Isle with innovative bookings from across the house, Afro and techno spectrum. In what was formerly known as Heart Ibiza, this meticulously designed club offered warm lighting for knowledgeable music lovers who wanted something more intimate.

Events kick off with Satori who closes down his season on the 6th with SORA, Guy Laliberté and Clint Lee, then Pablo Fierro hosts We’re Here on the 7th with Megablast, Eribertho Cruz, Santiago Garcia and Bruz.

The Trip party is set to line up three times – first on the 8th October with minimal techno innovators Rhadoo and Eclud and local hero Tuccillo, then again on the 22nd with line-ups come and on the 29th October with Tania Vulcano, Tuccillo, Cesar Vicent, Isbel and Eclud.

As well as hosting the Halloween party on October 31st, La Troya have one last dance on the 10th with Oscar Colorado, Lunnas, Franco Moiraghi, Felix da Funk and Manuel Frias and 11th October sees Ethereal take over for the first time with world class house and techno from Sis, Eduardo Marvaso, Maricha and Iban Mendoza,

The rest of the month has Boho by Camilo Franco on the 13th October and a day after on the 14th is the closing of Pablo Fierro’s sublime season with Francis Mercier, Mounters and Juan Fierro. On 16th October some of the season’s favourite DJs return for the Club Chinois closing with Luciano and Ida Engberg joined by house talents Clint Lee, Sara Araujo and Manu Gonzalez adding their own unique sounds. Una Mas then return on the 18th October with Cici and more.

LINEUPS

06.10.22 SATORI CLOSING PARTY
LINE-UP:
Satori
SORA
Guy Laliberté
Clint Lee

07.10.22 WE’RE HERE – PABLO FIERRO
LINE-UP:
Pablo Fierro
Megablast
Eribertho Cruz
Santiago Garcia
Bruz

08.10.22 TRIP
LINE-UP:
Rhadoo
Eclud
Tuccillo

10.10.22 LA TROYA CLOSING PARTY
LINE-UP:
Oscar Colorado
Lunnas
Franco Moiraghi
Felix da Funk
Manuel Frias

11.10.22 ETHEREAL
LINE-UP:
Sis
Eduardo Marvaso
Maricha
Iban Mendoza

13.10.22 BOHO BY CAMILO FRANCO
LINE-UP:
Camilo Franco
TBA

14.10.22 WE’RE HERE CLOSING PARTY – PABLO FIERRO
LINE-UP:
Pablo Fierro
FRANCIS MERCIER
MOUN
JUAN FIERRO

16.10.22 CLUB CHINOIS CLOSING PARTY
LINE-UP:
IDA ENGBERG
LUCIANO
CLINT LEE
MANU GONZALEZ
SARA ARAUJO

18.10.22 UNA MÁS
LINE-UP:
CICI
TBA

22.10.22 TRIP
LINE-UP:
TBA

29.10.22 TRIP
LINE-UP:
Tania Vulcano
Tuccillo
Cesar Vicent
Isbel
Eclud

31.10.22 HALLOWEEN PERFORMANCE BY LA TROYA
LINE-UP:
TBA

   

ENDS:

About Club Chinois:

In Summer 2022, the team behind Park Chinois, London’s most iconic and luxurious Asian restaurant, launched their new high-octane and immersive nightspot Club Chinois. Ibiza’s newest destination concept is housed in the Ibiza Gran Hotel, enticing global music talent and hedonistic souls, where late nights come alive with escapism and adventure.

Radiating in richness, colour and energy, Club Chinois is comprised of golden sculpted columns, opulent textiles, elaborate wall art and sensory surprises around every corner. The sophisticated setting hosts up to 1000 revellers and offers an innovative cocktail list, five-star hospitality and superb service.

Upcoming events
https://www.clubchinoisibiza.com/events

Opening hours
22:00 a 6:30

https://www.island-hospitality.com
IG: @Island_hospitality
https://www.clubchinoisibiza.com
IG: @Clubchinoisibiza

Progressive house & techno duo Tinlicker bring their new LIVE set to Manchester on Friday 3rd February at Un:titiled Studio!

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Utrecht based duo Micha Heyboer and Jordi van Achthoven have been crafting their computerized soul together since 2013. And even during those early days they were no rookies, having individually honed their skills as part of world renowned drum ‘n bass act Black Sun Empire (Heyboer) and as producer, songwriter and music editor for many artists (Van Achthoven).
All this previous experience showed from day one, resulting in an impressive string of highly mature and deeply emotive tracks. Ever since they began working together they’ve quickly become a household name in the
world of electronic dance music with releases on labels such as Anjunadeep, mau5trap and Armada.
Jordi and Micha’s productions like their song ‘Because You Move Me’ or dancefloor anthems ‘Lost’ and ‘Less Than A Minute’ have racked up millions of streams. Their reworks of Robert Miles, deadmau5, James Zabiela and Reflekt’s iconic ’Need To Feel Loved’ together with their collabs with Ben Böhmer, Lane 8 and Helsloot have become indispensable ingredients for the world’s biggest radio and DJ shows.
Tinlicker will kickstart 2023 with a tour of their brand new LIVE set in Manchester on Feb 3rd 2023.
Tickets available:

Epic Pool Parties to Debut at Art Basel with 5 days parties on South Beach.

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After success at Miami Music conferences over the last few years Epic Pool parties will now host parties at Art Basel

November 30 – December 04

www.theepicpoolparty.com
https://www.instagram.com/epicpoolparties/

Electric Ibiza, Jonathan Cowan Productions and the Sagamore Hotel once again collaborate to bring you an unparalleled 5-day pool party series during this year’s influential cultural gathering Art Basel in Miami. Expect carefully curated lineups of the world’s most sought after DJs. They will be performing on a festival style main stage, with full production and special fx, cutting edge audio and visual technology, food outlets, elevated bottle service and enhanced VIP options including pre reserved Tables, Private Cabanas and Beds all serviced by our tentative hospitality team.

All this happens during the iconic Art Basel, a leading global platform connecting collectors, galleries, and artists with an annual event on Miami Beach. It is all about helping grow and develop local and global culture but in a new and contemporary way that transcends the concept of the classic exhibition with a much more open-plan approach and of course some world-class parties.

The always unforgettable events go down at The Sagamore Hotel, an art deco architectural celebration and the centrepiece of Miami beach with a glistening pool and this time even more space to dance, lounge in comfort and soak up the winter sun rays.

Tickets for all parties are now on sale, choose a 5-day pass with re-entry permitted and come and go as you please or a single-day ticket.