Gaz Coombes

Common People Announce Big Top Line-ups

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Revealing a gargantuan cavalcade of delicious music for your dancing feet coming to Common People, we’re extremely excited to announce our Big Top line-up and lots more dance-based beatniks, who will be joining Duran Duran, Primal Scream, Craig David, Gaz Coombes, Public Enemy and many more at Oxford’s South Park and Southampton Common on Saturday 28th May and Sunday 29th May.

Common People curator Rob da Bank says: “Well, what can I say? Some of my favourite DJs, new and old, are coming to our joint Common People shebangs in Southampton and Oxford. Rodigan is a legendary party starter and reggae god, Kurupt FM are the funniest, funkiest garage crew ever and Hospitality promise to bring the jungliest ruckus… See you down the front”.

Hitting the Big Top in Southampton on Saturday and heading on to Oxford on Sunday we will have pure murkage and bare reloads from Brentford’s finest pirate radio crew Kurupt FM, plus there will be a sublime Hospitality Takeover featuring Camo & Krooked, London Elektricity, Fred V & Grafix, Etherwood and Dynamite MC, Wrec, with 130bpm bomb selection by Amy Becker.

Making good in South Park’s Big Top on Saturday and bound for Southampton Common on Sunday is reggae big gun David Rodigan MBE who will present his legendary Ram Jam with My Nu Leng, David Rodigan MBE, DJ Zinc, Prince Fatty and Venum Sound, plus there will be bassline business from recent chart stars 99 Souls, plus soulful and classy club business from local boys made good Housewurk in Oxford.

In Southampton our iconic Bollywood Cocktail Bus will play host to Junk: “Not Your Thing” on Saturday with rising Glaswegian star Denis Sulta ramping up the energy, and speaker smashers from Jordan McKinlay, Luca Pilato, Ronnie Spiteri, Caruana & Daniel O’Rourke, while Sunday’s sounds come courtesy of Deaf By Disco, Pete Callard, Foor and Little Chief.

There will be plenty of beats and bass in Oxford at the kaleidoscopic Sugar Skulls Cocktail Bar with Ben Gomori, Cornerstone Soundsystem, Ghettospheric, Mims & Thirsty, DJ Giles, Joel Kane and DJ Hecktick providing the flavour on Saturday, while on Sunday Simple Presents club wunderkind and Glaswegian house maverick Jasper James, with soundsystem fire from Em Williams, James Weston, Xavier, Time Gore, Tom Baker, Stav, Dan Gascoyne and Burt Cope.

Oxford’s South Park will also have the exalted Disco Shed on hand to keep you dancing long into the evening with Count Skylarkin (Trojan Records), Kerry & Casio, DJ FU (Freerange), Harvey K-Tel, Greg’s Greats (The Shellac Collective), Alex 19 from Wigan and Jason ‘The Cat’ King on Saturday and Peepshow Paddy, Del Gazeebo, Em Williams (Simple), Dapper Dan, Trol23, JJMaurage’s Reggae Bingo and Miss Splinters on Sunday.

Field Day 2015 Review – Sunday

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Field Day Sunday catered to a more rock and alternative following with a mix of new up-and-coming bands to legends including Patti Smith and Ride. Although the day did not sell out, it provided much more overall engagement from the artists which led to some stellar standout performances.
 

Brooklyn shoe-gaze group DIIV (named after a Nirvana song) formed in 2011 and have since released a debut LP. Looking like they just rolled out of bed, DIIV debuted some new unheard material on the Eat Your Own Ears Stage that sounded promising but slightly missed the mark. Fortunately, they redeemed themselves with playing older, more well known tracks including ‘How Long Have you Known’ and ‘Doused’, both of which received a warm reception from the crowd.
 

A quick sprint to the Verity stage left some time to catch up-and-coming London alt-rock trio Happyness who lit up the stage with their humble persona and chilled guitar sequences.
 

Mac DeMarco is known to always put on a good show and he definitely did not disappoint on the last date of their tour. The constant banter between the band-mates and the crowd led to lots of laughter and eventually to Mac crowd surfing over most of the Eat Your Own Ears stage to rapturous applause. The set did get awkward at times, especially when the band’s guitarist, Andy, got hit square in the face with an orange but this did not deter the band from delivering standout tracks including ‘Brother’, ‘Salad Days’ and a spur of the moment rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Blackbird’ by bassist Pierce (whilst Andy’s guitar was fixed). Love song ‘Together’ and a guitar solo from Andy finished off the set and left the crowd disappointed that it was over.
 

The former frontman of 90s Britpop favourites Supergrass, Gaz Coombes delivered a stellar solo set at the Shacklewell Arms tent. Having released 2 critically acclaimed LPs since going solo, it was of no surprise that Supergrass seemed like a distant memory. Tracks ‘20/20’ and ‘Break The Silence’ were met with strong appreciation and the meaningful and moving track ‘The Girl Who Fell To Earth’ cemented Gaz Coombes as a musician who is capable of anything.

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Punk-rock legend Patti Smith was a well-received addition to the Field Day line-up. Performing her 1975 album ‘Horses’, the crowd felt every emotion possible – there were smiles, hugs and even tears by the end of the set. The most tear-jerking moment was towards the end of ‘Horses’ when Patti Smith paid tribute to lost musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed and Brian Jones amongst others including John Nash. To the crowd’s surprise, more tracks were played including a splendid cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’ to finish and ultimate crowd pleaser ‘Because the Night’.
 

Another up-and-coming indie group, five-piece Londoners Gengahr filled the Verity tent with a smooth, easy listening sound perfect for the summer weather. Echoing vocals and clever time sequences showed the crowd that they are full of surprises and do not hesitate to push the boundaries, however small or large they might be. Gengahr are definitely a band to watch.
 

London’s Savages caused quite a buzz around Field Day as they had not played a UK show for quite some time but they truly stood out. Tearing up the Shacklewell Arms stage to a packed out crowd, front woman Jehnny Beth oozed confidence and cool, crowd surfing through the audience and fuelling the already rowdy crowd to get even rowdier. ‘City’s Full’ kicked off the set with new material quickly following.  Jehnny informed the crowd of a new record in the works and vented her frustration of the current political climate with a short, snappy track – ‘Fucker’ and ended the set with gritty track ‘Husbands’. From what we saw of today’s set, Savages will only keep getting better and better.
 

Dutch 24-year-old Jacco Gardner sounds (and looks) like something straight from the 60s with his echoing high vocals and psych-pop guitar melodies. Playing the Verity tent to a packed out crowd, Jacco Gardner’s vocals sadly got lost at times and therefore did not have the same effect as on record.
 

Ride’s headline set was a big deal – it was a reunion. Their debut album ‘Nowhere’ still holds the status as one of the best shoe-gaze albums (and one you should listen to before you die!). This was their first gig together as a full band in twenty years, which led to a lot of emotional people in the crowd at the Eat Your Own Ears stage. Ride played so tightly together that you never would have guessed they ever broke up. Career-spanning tracks played included ‘Birdman’ and ‘Leave Them All Behind’, which closed this year’s Field Day. 

Photos by Carolina Faruolo

Mark Lanegan Band & Gaz Coombes To Headline Calling Out stage at Kendal Calling

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Having sold out all tickets a huge 5 months in advance, Kendal Calling are announcing even more acts for this year’s huge 10thbirthday lineup.

Headlining the Calling Out stage on the Sunday night this year is none other than grunge legends Mark Lanegan Band. Having been a member of Screaming Trees and Queens Of The Stone Age as well as collaborating with the likes of Isobel Campbell and Greg Dulli and of course his work as a prolific solo artist, his distinct baritone voice places him as one of the most distinctive artists in the world.

Taking to the stage to headline the Friday is ex-Supergrass hero Gaz Coombes. Following the demise of his previous band, his solo career has gone from strength to strength not least represented in his latest album Matador, eleven tracks showing an artist at the top of his game and full of raw, powerful pop.

Kendal Calling are also excited to announced the lineup for Bondax & Friends over on the Glow Tent. Festival favourite Lancashire duo Bondax will be joined by a DJ set from beat manufacturing electronic twosome DJ Maribou State, Sheffield Black Butter signee Kidnap Kid, Grammy nominated multi instrumentalist and producer Jax Jones and young UK producer Grades.

Elsewhere, incredible English psych-rockers Temples will take the main stage for what is sure to be one of the stand out moments of the weekend and The Sunshine Underground return to the festival to headline the Woodlands Stage on the Sunday night. Also joining the lineup are Kim Churchill, Propellers, Jesca Hoop, Habitats, Francisco The Man, Gramotones, New Palace Talkies, Rhain, DRONE X VEED, Collectors Club, Steve Levine, Chadelics, Time For T, Cactus Knife, Secret Company,Bruising and Loyle Carner across the festival’s array of stages.

Spiritualized, The Horrors and more for Truck Festival 2013

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We are welcoming a truck-load of great music to Hill Farm this year; on the main stage we have the likes of Spiritualized, The Horrors, The Subways, Ash, Gaz Coombes, The Joy Formidable, And So I Watch You From Afar, and Frankie and the Heartstrings; the Market Stage hosts Dry The River, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Patrick Wolf and Public Sevice Broadcasting, while the famous (and ever so slightly fragrant) Barn stage features performances from We Are The Ocean, Rolo Tomassi and Tall Ships and the mysterious Copaca-Barna takeover. See the whole line-up and choose which bands you’re going to see using the amazing Line-up Planner app on our website, and share your choices with envious friends.
 
Truck has always liked to host a bit of a dance party of an evening, so we are glad to welcome back the Kingdom of Jamalot, bringing everything from Reggae to House to Electro-Swing to Jazz-Funk to Dub to Beatboxing to “Home Counties Hip-Hop”… you get the picture!  Jamalot are pleased to announce Live and DJ sets from: Spaceface, The Gees, Firelodica featuring King Bracket, Positive Vibes, Simple, SRS, Boogie Bros, Nairobi, Heavy Dexters, Sensible Dancehall, King Lloyd aka Sir Sambo, The Dublings, The Fridge and Bungle, Pieman, Rip/Rhymeskeemz, Mr Shaodow, and the Knights of Jamalot. Yes,Mr Shaodow is back, and we are glad!
 
Like last year, Progressively Less Elephant and Nellie B Page will be getting the night-time party started in the Market Stage, and keep an eye out for a UFO…!
As mentioned previously, we have a number of new stages, including the Veterans and Virgins tent (the best of Truck past and future) and the Saloon – live Americana and Blues in a custom-built structure which has to be seen to be believed!
 
Also new this year, we will be hosting our own (slightly silly) Village Fete on our own Village Green, including the World's Largest Tombola and the Bureau of Silly Sports, as well as rustic farm tours and tractor rides. There will be a Birthday Party on each day for anyone whose birthday it happens to be, Cake Decoration, and prizes for the Best Dressed Trucker, complete with rosettes for the winners!
Family activities will include a fully-stocked Children’s Tent, including music from Nick Cope, and theatrical performances from Oxford Playhouse. Remember, children 12 and under go free, and there is a separate Family camping area, making Truck a great family event.  
 
Our food repertoire has been greatly expanded, with a new Food Hall hosting guest stalls from acclaimed local suppliers such as the Old Farmhouse Bakery and Q Gardens Farm Shop, and serving everything from sushi to steaks to salads. Yum. Our bar will host a Beer Festival with a variety of tasty local ales, while it’s rumoured that The Horrors will be mixing cocktails, Tom Cruise-style, in the Beach Bar after their set!
 
Indeed, whatever your taste, age and persuasion, there is something great going at Truck just for you. Weekend tickets are available now priced £74. These are likely to sell out. No day tickets are or will be available.
 
Tickets are on sale from our website or in person from Truck Store, Oxford. Ticket link here (you can choose Standard or Family camping areas).

Darwin Deez, Gaz Coombes and more for Deer Shed Festival

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The initial batch of artists consists of;  New York guitar and pop maestro Darwin Deez, one of 90s Brit pop leading lights Gaz Coombes, Massachusetts singer-song writer Willy Mason, the multi-award winning ethereal folk sounds of The Unthanks, Tubular Bells for Two’ – the antipodean take on Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells as reincarnated by Daniel Holdsworth and Aiden Roberts in their 2012 Edinburgh Festival hit show, and with The Milk bringing some funk and soul to the show for the Friday night warm-up entertainment, these, along with; Stealing Sheep, Public Service Broadcasting, To Kill A King, Zervas and Pepper, Kitty the Lion,Blue Rose Code and Marconi Union complete this first dollop of mouthwatering artists for the discerning music lover!

Darwin Deez took the airwaves by storm in 2010 with his debut single “Radar Collector” and subsequent self-titled album. Back with his second album released later in 2013, Darwin Deez is set to bring his mix of sunshine pop and indie attitude to drive Deer Shed Festivals’ audience crazy with his offbeat dance routines, which will be sure to set the Saturday night Main Stage alight!

Gaz Coombes will be swinging by Deer Shed Festival’s Lake stage on Friday evening to shake off the shackles of an era and delight Deer Shed Festival’s faithful with a showcase of his delectable individual stylings and multi-instrumentalist talents in the afterglow of his first solo album Here Comes the Bombs’. Released last year his solo style was a more reflective, darker and more experimental sound then in his Supergrass days but the album remains very colourful and live Gaz produces high-octane, premier league entertainment!

Fiction records golden boy, Willy Mason will be bringing his celebrated blend of acoustic folk and roots to delight festival goers. With his long awaited third album Carry On released at the end of 2012 after a five year hiatus since his last album, 2013 is set to see Willy return to the spotlight and Deer Shed are giddy with excitement to be able to welcome this incredibly talented musician to the festival.

The Unthanks will be continuing the strong family vibe from Deer Shed’s frolicking fields onto the stage with their much loved, award winning, highly acclaimed ethereal sounds as they present Songs from the Shipyard. They will be beautifully accompanying archive footage from the height of the Shipping industry through to its decline in the Thatcher era. Political, social, with stories of hardship, pride, war, tragedy and pints of mild; A critically acclaimed audio-visual treat in front of a large cinema screen in the Big Top on Sunday.

The Milk blend classic Motown and Northern soul with modern pop to create their soulful, party-ready sound. Pulling together elements of old school R&B sounds with hip-hop, dub, and rock influences to create a style of pop that delivered big fun on every track. Their debut album, Tales from the Thames Delta, arrived in the summer of 2012 to steely industry nods and a plethora of A&R attention, but more importantly, the crowd loved them and Deer Shed Festival fans will be taken back in time to kick start proceedings on the Friday night to really let their hair down and get the party started!

Tubular Bells for Two is the five star reviewed, sell-out Edinburgh show from Daniel Holdsworth and Aiden Roberts, with such a unanimous public and professional opinion of the show, the Deer Shed audience are pretty much guaranteed an unforgettable experience and are in for a real treat! Public Service Broadcasting does exactly what it says on the tin – taking a nostalgic look back over forgotten public service broadcasts and sewing them together to create fantastic tunes to accompany the priceless collection of antique footage, this audio-visual experience is set to entertain and enthrall! Along with Liverpudlian trio Stealing Sheep, five piece ‘rousing orch-folk’ To Kill a King, the summertime soul of Cardiff’s Zervas and Pepper, the chirpy folk-pop of Kitty The Lion, the Caledonian soul of Blue Rose Codeand the ever ambient Marconi Union completing the line-up for this first wave of announcements for Deer Shed Festival 4. The 2013 musical lineup is already taking shape and looking like the best Deer Shed Festival to date!

105 bands added to The Great Escape Festival

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Songwriter and Supergrass alumnus Gaz Coombes, hard-edged indie poppers Reverend and the Makers, Uber-hip Brooklynites We Are Augustines, and LA riot grrrl sister act Haim.

Temper Trap

New additions Haim said: "We're so excited to play the Great Escape Fest! One of our dreams was to come to the UK and play cause we're such big fans of all the music from out there.

Rae Morris said: 'I played at The Hope on my first tour a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it! I'm from Blackpool so Brighton reminded me a lot of home. I'm a seaside girl at heart so can't wait to be back in Brighton for The Great Escape; i never thought i'd get to go to such a cool festival never mind play it!' 

The full list of bands announced today is: TEMPER TRAP** / BASS DRUM OF DEATH / ST LUCIA

/ PORCELAIN RAFT / GAZ COOMBES / JETHRO FOX / FILMS OF COLOUR / TREETOP FLYERS / HANNAH COHEN / CLOUD NOTHINGS / AMONG BROTHERS / BODY LANGUAGE / RETRO STEFSON / THE BLACK BELLES / BLACK MOTH / WE WERE EVERGREEN / WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS / DROP OUT VENUS / TALL SHIPS / FOSSIL COLLECTIVE / I AM OAK / NOVIKA / BUENO BROS / HANS CHEW / GABRIEL AND THE HOUNDS / ADMIRALL FALLOW / TINY RUINS / FACE + HEEL / DAUWD / ELECTRIC WIRE HUSTLE / REDINHO / LAPALUX LIVE / JAM CITY / PAULA AND KAROL / DEVIN / SOLAR BEARS / REVEREND AND THE MAKERS /

THE BARR BROTHERS / OSO LEONE / JODIE MARIE / CROWNS / THE NATURALS / WE ARE AUGUSTINES / ABI WADE / DOPE D.O.D./ JACK SAVORETTI / TWILIGHT SAD / PHILCO FICTION / RIZ MC / [ME] / TRIPPPLE NIPPPLES / GABRIEL BRUCE / JONAS RATHSMAN/ RANDOM IMPULSE / EJ / DANTE / WILD BELLE / DALEY / REVERE / ENJOYED / SWISS LIPS /

LUCY ROSE / KARIMA FRANCIS / HATCHAM SOCIAL / KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES / NEGATIVE PEGASUS  / JAPE / SAVOIR ADORE / THE BIG SLEEP / NICOLE ATKINS / THE FRONT BOTTOMS / THE CHEVIN / BWANI JUNCTION / BERNHOFT / MILK MUSIC / BOYFRIEND /

MAYBESHEWILL / ODONIS ODONIS / KING CHARLES CERCUEIL / AMATORSKI / MMOTHS

REGAL SAFARI / BLANCK MASS / BIGKIDS / THRONE / PROPER ORNAMENTS / VIRALS / HALLS / CAVE PAINTING / RAE MORRIS / PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS / PETE PHILLY / ALBY DANIELS / JIMMY EDGAR / WE BARBARIANS / FEVER FEVER / SEAMS / SYKUR / SX / ALEXANDRE DESILETS / MISTEUR VALAIRE

TGE festival-goers, can set up an affordable and perfectly positioned base at Brighton’s JOURNEYS HOSTEL for just £30 per night. Well located in relation to all TGE gig venues, a stay at Journey’s guarantees that all guests receive the lowest price possible for their stay as well as providing a better atmosphere for meeting and interacting with fellow festival goers. It’s got to be better than camping, right?

The festival is world famous for the massive acts who’ve cut their teeth on its stages: highlights include Bon Iver, Adele, Tinie Tempah, Mumford and Sons and Ed Sheeran to name a few. We’re looking to forwards to many more discoveries being made this year.

Other acts already confirmed to play The Great Escape this year are:

Africa Express Sound System**/ Maximo Park**/Dry The River / Spector / We Are the Ocean / Friends / Howler / Zulu Winter / Grimes / DZ Deathrays / Nils Frahm / A Winged Victory For The Sullen / Jamie N Commons / Django Django / Eagulls / Perfume Genius / Com Truise / Δ (Alt-J) / When Saints Go Machine / Sonic Boom Six / François And The Atlas Mountains / Bos Angeles / Young Dreams / Doldrums / Weird Dreams / Young Magic / The British Expeditionary Force / Max Cooper / Jinja Safari / College, Graphics / Slow Down, Molasses / Mojo Fury / Mallory Knox / Hawk Eyes / Peace / Yukon Blonde / Emma Louise / Juveniles / Binary / Sing Tank /The Soft / Karlmarx / Inland Sea / Half Moon Run / Owlle / Princess Chelsea / Mesparrow / Stranded Horse / Avalanche City / Trust / The Darcys / Jordan Cook / Mujeres / Me And The Bees / Seward / Furguson / Mystery Jets/ Booka Shade / Alambama Shakes / Natty / Lianne La Havas / Ema / Forest Swords / Madeon / Erros / Willy Mason / Rolo Tomassi / Foy Vance / Beth Jeans Houghton and the Hooves of Destiny / Micachu and The Shapes / Maxxi Soundsystem / We Have Band / Loney, Dear / Tanlines / New Look / Koreless/ Shabazz Palaces / Toy / Lower That Atlantis / Kwes / Gross Magic / Disclosure / Duologue / Jonquil / Exitmusic / Spoek Mathambo / Haim / Pale Seas / Foxes / Swin Deep / The Computers / The Skints / Antlered Man / Chew Lips / Hooded Fang / Pets with Pets / Tall Ships / Holy State / Wim / Rich Aucoin / Vondelpark / Milagres / Mesparrow / NZCA / Lines / Dillon / Don Broco / Boy / Odonis Odonis / Eighty and a Half / Wet Nuns / Mikill Pane / The Night / Cut Ribbons / Paws / Ben Chaplan and the Casual Smokers / I Ching / Oliver Tank / Gold and Youth / Psychologist / Hot Panda / Fiction / Step-Panther / Pikachunes / Ben Salter / Boxes / Films of Colour / Alunageorge / Flip Grater / Grass House / Husky / JD Mcpherson / Josh Kumra / Lulu James / My Best Friend / Seasfire /Shields / 22 / Jaguar Shark / Violet / Last Dinosaurs / Jordan Cook aka Reignwolf / Jackson Firebird / Massmatiks / Martha Paton

The Great Escape will return to the bustling British seaside city of Brighton from 10th-12th May 2012, presenting festival-goers with over 300 new local and international artists across 30 different venues throughout the city. Running alongside this is the Great Escape convention programme hosting a variety of insightful industry talks, panel debates, targeted networking sessions and key note interviews for industry professionals and music business fans.

**A small number of shows will take place at The Dome in Brighton. The second of the 2012 Brighton Dome Shows to be announced is TEMPER TRAP. To ensure guaranteed access at a Brighton Dome Show, attendees can top up their festival wristband for £7 per show, or purchase a separate gig ticket at www.escapegreat.com