Jake Bugg
Evolution Festival 26 & 27 May 2013
Since 2002 Evolution Festival, known locally as “Evo” has changed format several times starting as a multi venue event and moving locations around the Quayside.
Evolution is now a two stage event based around the Spillers Wharf area of the Quayside next to the River Tyne. This means everything is closer together and there is less walking time between the Spillers Wharf stage and the Ballast Hills stage which is great when there are so many acts to enjoy!
Arriving in Newcastle on Sunday, the festival location was easy to find as there were large groups of people wearing UV paint to follow! The weather set the scene for a beautiful and rare sunny Bank holiday Sunday in the UK and helped make a brilliant atmosphere even better!
After walking through the main entrance, the first thing I noticed was the lively atmosphere, the fun vibe and smiling faces. There were plenty of places to eat and drink, we headed straight for the pork and stuffing batches and then found an area amongst the revellers to enjoy our food and check out what was going on around us before deciding it was time for the bar. The main bar served a selection of wine, beer and cider and the Keglevich Cocktail tent was next door if you fancied a fruity alternative. The bar service was excellent and there were no large queues like you would normally experience, this remained the same whenever I went to get a drink during the two day festival.
Opposite these, was the Red Bull tent where DJ’s spinning some great sets in between bands stopped people in their tracks and created an impromptu dance floor!
We then made our way to the Ballast Hill stage to enjoy Loadstar, the atmosphere at this stage was really lively with dancing and moshing, everyone was there to enjoy themselves and make the most of the music. Other acts we enjoyed at the Ballast Hills stage on Sunday were Lethal Bizzle and Modestep who if possible, got the crowd going even more! I couldn’t help but smile being around all these people having such a good time.
As we moved to the Spillers Wharf stage, the crowd were slightly older and there was no moshing but still an amazing atmosphere. We enjoyed Rudimental who played all of the best songs from their album and surprised the crowd with a brilliant cover of the Fugees “Ready Or Not” halfway through their set.
Next up was Ellie Goulding who, playing at the festival for the second time opened her set with 'Figure 8' and sang her rendition of Elton John’s 'Your Song'. Ellie finished her set with some more of her well known songs: Lights, Starry Eyed and I Need Your Love accompanied by the majority of the crowd singing every word with her.
Headliners The Vaccines who recently performed to a sell-out crowd at Newcastle’s O2 Academy were extremely popular, it seemed as though the majority of people who sang along and danced throughout had come specifically to see them.
When we left the festival at around 11pm the atmosphere was still buzzing with everyone still wanting to dance, probably heading to Digital in Times Square where the official after party was held.
The weather not quite as sunny on the Monday but that didn’t dampen anyone’s sprits as we enjoyed a breakfast on the Quayside and watched the UV painted crowds of people heading towards the festival site.
We arrived in time to see Gorgon City on the Ballast Hills stage and the atmosphere today seemed to be even crazier than it was on Sunday!
We switched between the Spillers Wharf and Ballast Hills stages a lot on Monday as there were so many acts we wanted to see, this was made possible due to the great layout and organisation of the festival.
Considering I hadn’t heard of Lulu James, I thought she was one of the best acts at the festival. She enjoyed a great reception from the crowd and looked amazing in a legless black leather body suit and an enormous collar.
AlunaGeorge, made up of Aluna Francis on vocals and George Reid on the decs were probably less well known than other acts on the Spillers Wharf stage but they still played to a good sized crowd who really came to life when they performed White Noise, recognising their most well-known track.
Zinc and Mista Jam were both brilliant acts to have on the Ballast Hills stage as they played exactly what the crowd had come to enjoy with almost everyone singing along to all the tracks they played. Mista Jam filmed the crowd doing the Newcastle version of the Harlem Shake, even getting an eager young lad on stage to dance alone until the beat dropped. It was great to be part of the crowd for this one and I will be watching it back on You Tube.
Bastille drew a large crowd and finished their enjoyable set with a cover of 90s dance classic 'Rhythm is a Dancer'.
Jake Bugg followed, playing almost everything from his debut album. Jake really knew how to work the crowd alternating his slow and lively songs.
We just made it in to the Ballast Hills area for Sub Focus just before it reached capacity, their set was energetic and despite the fact most of this crowd had been dancing all day they still went crazy
Paloma Faith’s headline performance on the Spillers Wharf stage was a delight to watch and listen to. She had great stage presence and chatted easily between songs, at one point stopping for a cuppa, commenting on the cold and the amount of denim knicker wearers in the crowd! Also performing a cover, Paloma sang her version of INXS 'Never Tear us Apart'.
Overall, Evolution Festival was well organised with good security and police presence. Despite the festival attracting a slightly younger audience than others I’ve been to, it is still an enjoyable place to be with a friendly vibe, plenty of big names to watch and brilliant music to dance to!
The Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys & Mumford & Sons to headline Glastonbury
Also joining the lineup is Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Kenny Rogers, Ben Howard, Rita Ora, Jake Bugg, Chase & Status, The Foals, Public Enemy, The Weekend, Major Lazer, Hurts, Bastille, Nas, Hot Natured and many many more, see the lineup poster below!
Jake Bugg, AlunaGeorge + more for Beach Break Live
Not content with changing an entire industry, Beach Break Live has also assembled a phenomenal line-up of artists, which includes the likes of Jake Bugg one of very few UK festival performances this year, AlunaGeorge, Devlin, Lulu James, Lucy Rose and Foreign Beggars. For the first time ever, Beach Break Live is also collaborating with some of the UK’s biggest labels, curators and promoters includingHospitality, Rinse FM, Digital Sound Boy, The Bedford, SB.TV, Emerging Icons and many more for what promises to be one of the most diverse music programmes this summer. From20th – 24th June 2013 Beach Break Live will take over the streets, bars, clubs and beaches of Newquay to transform the entire surfing town into the ultimate festival carnival mash up. With tickets starting at just £40, Beach Break Live promises to be the most exhilarating experience at the most affordable price available anywhere in the world. For tickets and further information see www.beachbreaklive.com
Eve Wooldridge, BID Manager for Newquay says:
“We are working with Beach Break Live this year to ensure that the event is beneficial to all businesses across Newquay from hotels to retailers, we want to make sure that businesses understand the event and how they can get involved to maximise on the additional footfall that will be in Newquay for the event. The concept of the event has changed and the organisers want it to work for Newquay and we have to embrace this opportunity”
ALEX DAVIES / ALICE JEMIMA / ALUNAGEORGE / ANDY H / ANNACA / ASTROID BOYS / AUCTION FOR THE PROMISE CLUB / AUDIO SLEAZE/ BEAR ARMS / BEN JAMES / BENJI BOKO / BIM / BLAIR & THE MACKICHAN BAND / BREAKAGE / BRIDGES / BROWN BEAR / BROWSE / BUDOS / CALLUM BEATTIE / CAPTAIN BACKFIRE / CHAKA CHAKA / CHLOE FOY CORP / DAVID RODIGAN / DANNY BYRD / DEEP MEDI / DEVLIN / DISMANTLE / DJ DEMONISE / DJ DUBMAN / DJ FORMAT / DR KOTCH / DUB PISTOLS / EATS EVERYTHING / EMERGING ICONS / EMILY & THE WOODS / ERIN K/ FELIZ HAGAN & THE FAMILY / FOREIGN BEGGARS / FRENCH WIVES / FRISKY NIPPA / GARETH LEE / GHOULS / GIL DECH / GLOT / GRETA ISAAC / GRUDGE / HIDDEN RIDDIM / HIGH CONTRAST / HONG KONG PING PONG / HOSPITALITY / IMPERIAL LEISURE / INJURED BIRDS / JACK LIGHT / JACKMASTER / JACK WALLEN / JAKE BUGG / JARKARTA CLUB / JASPER IN THE COMPANY OF OTHERS / JAY BEE / JAY PARSONS (TBC) / JELLO / JMAN / KEZIA / KILLAMONJAMBO / KOLA / LAGO / LEANNE SMITH / LEROY / LFM & MALI / LITTLE ARROW / LOVELIGHT SOUNDSYSTEM / LUCA / LUCY ROSE / LUKE RITCHIE / LULU JAMES / MAGNUS PUTO / MARK NICHOLS / MARTIN VITAL / MATT ANDERSON / MISTAJAM / MODU / MORIATY / MYSTERY / NEIL HALSTEAD / N.U.M.B. / NU:TONE / NU LOGIC METRIK / OBLIQKA / OLEE & MR MORRI / PHRIZUS / PLANES / POLAR CAPS / PROSPERO'S JUDGEMENT / RECKLESS / REDEFEAT / RINSE FM / ROGUE ELEMENTS / ROSIE & THE VANDALS / ROSKA / SAM BEETON / SCRATCH PERVERTS / SHARK BAIT / SHY FX / SKREAM & SGT POKES / SOUTH / SPY / STEVE MOORE / SUITENOIR / SWISS ELF / TANKUS THE HENGE / TEN STORY / THE ATTIC PROJECT / THE BEDFORD / THE DAYDREAM CLUB / THE ICARUS YOUTH / THE KIND REGARDS / THE NEXTMEN / THE OXBOX / THE SOULD CIRCLE GANG / THE STANDARDS / THE VERTIGOS / THE WINTER OLYMPICS / THEY SAY JUMP / THIS CALAMITY / TOM AUX / TOM BRADLEY / TOM BRADY / TOM DIBB / TOM FIGGINS / TOM GALL / TOM JAMES / TOM STANIFORD / TRICK THE FOX / TRUE AND FALSE / TWO FOLD / VENDETTA / WAYLAYERS / WHISKY JAX / WILL & THE PEOPLE / WISEMAN / WREC & DYNAMITE MC / XANDER RAWLINS / XHOSAH / YANNICK
Ellie Gouding, Dizzee Rascal, Rizzlee Kicks and more for Ibiza & Mallorca Rocks
Ellie Goulding is undoubtedly one of the UK’s most singular and compelling songwriters. In the two-and-a-half years since releasing massive debut album Lights, Ellie has secured huge global success including the USA where she’s sold over 3m albums. Back with new album Halcyon and lead single, Anything Could Happen, Ellie shows a new immersion in electronica and dance beats, producing a fascinating collision between the clubbing scene and Ellie’s love of folk-pop soundscapes. These gigs are perfectly placed and it is a huge honour to have one of the worlds most successful female solo stars take centre stage for her debut at the Rocks Hotels.
Ellie Goulding said: “I’m really excited to be in Ibiza this summer. Ibiza Rocks is something I've always wanted to play and the crowds have a reputation of really bringing it! Performing to people is my favourite thing and being able to do it somewhere I absolutely love is a bonus. See you there!”
After tearing up the new year in style with the release of DirteeTV.com The Mixtape Vol.2, Dizzee Rascalreleases featured track Bassline Junkie this month, a taster of what’s to come from Dizzee’s forthcoming fifth studio album and his headline gigs at Rocks. It’s been almost 10 years since Dizzee released his debut single and Rocks is proud to have been on an incredible journey with the East London MC turned worldwide legend who has just been chosen by Muse to appear as a special guest on their UK Stadium tour. Having first headlined Ibiza Rocks in 2008, Dizzee’s love affair with Ibiza began and headline gigs followed in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Back to the Balearics to his home away from home, Dizzee will once again bring his genre-fusing musical genius to the famous open-air Rocks stage with a full new live show.
Dizzee Rascal said: “I can’t wait to get back to Ibiza Rocks this year, I’m looking forward to a big party! It always goes off on that island, I love vibing off the crowd – those guys know how to rock it!”
Since performing at Ibiza Rocks in 2011 just as they released their debut album, London indie-rock outfit The Vaccines have smashed the live scene, released No.1 follow up album Come of Age and become one of the most sought after bands on the festival circuit. Having sold out London’s Alexandra Palace and 02 Arena within 6 months of each other and currently on a European Tour, the guys will be Balearic bound once more for back to back headline shows in Mallorca and Ibiza before continuing stateside where their success has also soared. Support on this show comes from Palma Violets, who have just completed the NME Awards Tour and are arguably the most hyped band since The Libertines. A special show guaranteed.
Justin Young, The Vaccines said: “'We still have incredibly fond memories of the first time we played Ibiza Rocks. It was so much fun. It was in the middle of our first busy summer playing festivals and the whole thing felt like a holiday. So much so, that we're coming back. We're already excited at the prospect.”
Since supporting Dizzee Rascal & The Streets at Rocks two years ago, Rizzle Kicks success has gone stratospheric. There’s a mutual love between Rizzles and Rocks – they even filmed their video for ‘Dreamers’ at Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes last summer. Having hooked up with Norman Cook and Neptunes super producer Pharrell Williams on their forthcoming new album and currently touring the U.S with fellow Rocks headliner Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks will bring BIG things back to the famous open-air Rocks stage this summer.
Rizzle Kicks said: “We can't wait to play Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks again. We've supported twice so being back to headline is going to be huge. The sun is shining and everyone is in holiday mode. The gigs have a real party atmosphere with people dancing on their bedroom balconies all around the stage. It's a pretty unique experience…you really get up close to the fans and we cant wait to get back"
Rocks will kick off the season in style in with the unique swagger and sound of Jake Bugg – BRIT award nominee for Best British Breakthrough Artist and one of the most hotly anticipated singer/songwriters of this generation. Previously announced artists also include Example who will make a triumphant return to the Balearics with his full live festival show for headline gigs in both resorts, supported by acclaimed DJ/Producer Redlight, who will also showcase his new live show at Ibiza Rocks. Arguably the ‘must see’ live band of the moment Foals will headline the Ibiza Rocks Closing Party, supported by newly announced Sydney based duo Jagwar Mar who are hotly tipped as ‘ones to watch’ for 2013.
Ibiza Rocks Group is also pleased to announce a new broadcast partnership with MTV, to screen live performances, exclusive artist interviews and all the highlights from the 16 week long series of outdoor gigs from the Mallorca Rocks and Ibiza Rocks Hotels this summer broadcast on MTV Live HD and flagship channel MTV Music. Eight shows will be broadcast in total, with 4 x 30 min artist specials from Ibiza Rocks, 2 x 30 min artist specials from Mallorca Rocks and 2 x 60 min (multi-artist) compilation shows incorporating live track selection and exclusive interviews. Coverage will also feature interview footage from Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel, the legendary rock ‘n’ roll Ibiza retreat where the headline bands stay. London based production company, JJ Stereo, will produce all content.
More ‘must see’ solo stars, bands and cutting edge DJ’s will be announced over the coming weeks, so fans can forget the mud and rain this summer and start looking forward to the gig, and holiday of a lifetime in the sun-soaked Balearics.
Offering a choice of quality accommodation options at exceptional value, Mallorca Rocks every Tuesday from 04 June – 17 September and Ibiza Rocks every Wednesday from 05 June to 18 September. Announced so far below, with much more to come:
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Paloma Faith & The Vaccines to headline Evolution Festival
Paloma Faith is the queen of retro soul and sassy pop and this this complete (and petite!) performer commands the stage with her rabble rousing shows.
Biffo Clyro announced as 2nd headliner for Reading & Leeds Festival + more!
Expect to hear hits from the band’s extensive catalogue as well as tracks from their current Number One double album ‘Opposites’. With a recent NME Award nomination for ‘Best British Band’ and ‘Best Live Band’, 2013 is set to be an incredible year for Biffy Clyro. Reading & Leeds Festivals, the biggest rock festivals in the UK, are the perfect place to witness the band in action.
Emeli Sandé joins T in the Park 2013 bill
Last week, organisers revealed that a glitteringly diverse array of acts will be heading to Kinross for the 20th year of T in the Park, with headliners Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and The Killers, plus The Script, Two Door Cinema Club, alt-J, Paloma Faith, Jake Bugg, Of Monsters and Men and Azealia Banks offering fans a taste of what’s in store over 12th – 14th July.
Two Door Cinema Club and Azealia Banks added to T in the Park 2013
They join a glittering array of acts announced by organisers earlier this week, with headliners Mumford & Sons, Rihanna and The Killers, plus The Script, alt-J, Paloma Faith, Jake Bugg and Of Monsters and Men already confirmed to play T in the Park’s 20th year edition over 12th – 14th July.