With only 3 weeks to go until crowds of music fans descend upon its gates, V Festival 2013, sponsored by Virgin Media, announces that John Newman, Idris Elba, Naughty Boy, Seasick Steve and Lawson will join this year’s stellar line-up. V Festival takes place across two sites, on 17 &18 August and is headlined by Beyonce and Kings of Leon.
Brit singer John Newman shot straight to the top of the charts earlier this month with the hit single ‘Love Me Again’, and is ready to bring some soulful vibes to crowds at both sites. He’s joined by man of the moment Idris Elba, who is taking time out from leading roles in the forthcoming blockbuster ‘Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom’ and BBC detective series ‘Luther’ to perform at this year’s festival. The Brit, Golden Globe winning actor and critically-acclaimed musician will make a debut festival appearance bringing some hip-hop, dance grooves to crowds.
Fresh from a string of highly anticipated summer appearances, Naughty Boy will be making his way to V Festival, and Seasick Steve returns for a second time to perform his brand of blues/rock. Popsters Lawson have also been announced performing hits including their recent Top Ten smash ‘Brokenhearted’.
V Festival prides itself on the quality of artists that perform each year, aside from headliners Beyonce and Kings of Leon other incredible acts across the weekend include Stereophonics, The Script, Emeli Sandé, Calvin Harris, Beady Eye, Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, Jesse Ware, James, Rita Ora, The Courteeners, FUN., Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Rudimental, James Arthur, Little Mix, and Laura Mvula.
2013 once again sees a wide spectrum of acts playing across the stages, guaranteeing yet another year of unforgettable appearances. The popular Glee Club Comedy Tent will also make a return this year, with side-splitting performers to be announced. There is something for everyone at V Festival.
Bilbao festival, in its eighth year takes place on top of the Kobetamendi mountains just north of Bilbao. For those that aren't camping be prepared to wait up to 40mins to jump on the free shuttle bus that takes you up most part of the mountain. Unfortunately the buses don't drive to the top so be prepared to walk for another 20 minutes. Once on site the festival is conveniently laid out. In total you have a choice of 4 stages- Bilbao stage, Heineken, Live and the Vodafone stage. All within easy walking distance and no clashes, which is rare at any festival.
If you're looking to feed your stomach then I would suggest eating out in the city centre to avoid disappointment. Unfortunately the food options and quality lacked in choice and flavours. The bar however had a great choice of drinks, most of which are served in litres! One of the drinks on offer was a local drink called kalimotxo, also known as cocavino. Half a litre of red wine, half coke and some ice, which surprisingly tasted good!
On Thursdays line up saw the likes of Alt-J, Toy, Billy Talent, Editors, Biffy Clyro, Depeche Mode and closing were Two Door Cinema Club. Like most of the crowd I thought that the main stage closing act should have been the Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. And when the Irish pop rockers concluded their set, there was very little to chose from unless you headed to the Vodafone stage, which hosted an array of European DJ's spinning their acclaimed tracks that had the spaniards jumping up and down with joy.
On Friday the audience were looking forward to seeing Spector, The Vaccines, Klaxons, Kings of Leon and Public Image Ltd, but half way into The Vaccines set the heavens opened and thunder and lightening struck which led to the band walking off stage. There was an uproar from the crowd but before long everyone hurried into what little shelter they could find, myself included. At one point the rain was so bad that a majority fled the site to find shelter whilst others resumed to finding solice in a portaloo. The crowd were uneasy and unsure of the festival continuing, but through sheer determination the majority stuck around with the hope that the festival would go on. And after 2hrs of heavy down poor the Klaxons made an entrance onto the Heineken stage and the festival goers disended to watch a money well spent set. They played all the classics including Echoes, Golden Skans and Gravity's Rainbow. And whilst the hardcore Klaxons fans watched a faultless performance the Kings of Leon were re-opening the Bilbao stage, pulling in the biggest crowd they had a soaked audience singing along to all their hits ending on Sex on Fire. And shortly after their set the anticipated Public Image Ltd took to the same stage. Working the crowd was legendary and ex Sex Pistol John Lydon. It was a shame that they didn't have a big audience but they were an outfit worth seeing.
By day three the site was looking a lot more crowded The Hives entered the stage looking equally as eccentric as each other. The great thing about these guys was their striking outfits. The swedes hyped up the crowd with their impressive Spanish, and had the crowd cheering for more as they finished their set. A difficult act to follow but next on the bill were Green Day, they played a two hour set including some favourites from Dookie, along with American Idiot. Half way threw the set saw Billie Joe Armstrong pull an audience member from the crowd onto the stage, to which he had to dive bomb into the crowd, one of the most spectacular dives off a stage that I have ever seen!
And finishing up the festival was Fatboy Slim. The got the crowd pumped and played a faultless set to a very satisfied audience.
All in all I found Bilbao Festival a lot of hard work, the long waits for the bus plus the climbing up the mountain were challenging, especially in the heat. But once on site the chilled out vibe made the festival worth going to.
The line-up for this year's Open’er Festival is ever expanding as more outstanding major acts confirm for 2013’s edition.
Each year, the Grammy Award ceremony needs it's quiet, surprising hero. In 2012, it was Bon Iver, while at this year's ceremony the role was played by Miguel, a 28-year-old Los Angeles singer. With the surprising five nominations, until the ceremony, known only to a small handful of fans, he gave a fiery interpretation of his hit single "Adorn", later receiving a Grammy award for it as Best R’n’B Song. He was just a little short from returning home as author of "Song Of The Year", yet, the American market wasn't ready for him yet.
Miguel Pimentel debuted in 2010 with a decent, yet unnoticed album "All I Want Is You”. While the LP gained its faithful listeners, its high quality deserved a far better reception. In 2011, Miguel broke the contract with his label at the time, signing to the renowned RCA Records, who understood the potential in the young singer. In October 2012, he released "Kaleidoscope Dream", deemed one of the best albums of the year straight away. Perfected to the last detail, sung in a way to strike only one comparison – Prince, the album did not only gather words of praise, but also checked in at top positions in the charts. The comparisons to Prince appear in nearly all "Kaleidoscope Dream" reviews, as Miguel has another advantages but exquisite songwriting: good looks and untamed stage antics.
Hip-hop beat and the use of rock instruments make Miguel not only one of the creators of the so-called "new r'n'b" (along Frank Ocean or The Weeknd), but also an artist to refresh the entire genre, while keeping faith to the classical sound. It is acknowledged by the growing crowd of fans, award juries and the greatest stars. We believe that on July 6, the Open'er audience will acknowledge it too.
Kings of Leon will headline Tennent’s Vital on Wednesday 14th August, Tennent’s Lager& MCD are thrilled to reveal. The Southern rockers are the first act to be announced for the 2013 festival, which returns to Boucher Road Playing Fields in Belfast this August, with details of the second date and more exciting line-up news set to be unveiled by organisers next month.
After a two year hiatus, Kings of Leon are back and ready to make their long awaited live return to Europe this summer. The band posted images of their return to the studio on their official Facebook page last week, fuelling excitement amongst fans, with anticipation for details of their 6th album rapidly growing.
The Followills made a big impression when they burst onto the scene in 2003 with their debut releaseYouth & Young Manhood. Since then, they’ve sold out arenas across the globe and cemented their status as one of the world’s biggest and most in-demand rock bands. The band have a slew of number 1 platinum selling records under their belt plus an array of accolades including BRIT Awards for Best International Band and Best International Album (Only By the Night) plus Grammys including the prestigious Record of the Year (Use Somebody) as well as Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. Their epic, soaring anthems and incredible energy make them one of the greatest live acts on the planet, and their return to Belfast is sure to be the hottest ticket of the summer. Cue mass singalongs at Boucher Road Playing Fields.
Nicola McCleery, Head of Marketing for Tennent’s NI, comments:
“We are thrilled to reveal the first details of Tennent’s Vital 2013. We’re incredibly excited that Kings of Leon will be taking to the stage at the festival this August, as we’re sure our fans will be. They’re one of the finest bands in the world and a phenomenal live act, and I’m sure they’ll treat us to an unmissable set. Since its return in 2011, Tennent’s Vital has sealed its place as the highlight of Northern Ireland’s music calendar and we’re delighted that our partners at MCD have secured another huge international act for this summer. We’ll have more news on the rest of the line up next month with many more top acts in store – details will be revealed very soon!”
Tennent’s Vital 2012 saw the likes of the Foo Fighters, The Stone Roses, The Black Keys and Florence and the Machine play to 60,000 music fans at Boucher Road Playing Fields, and this year’s event will once again bring some of the best musical talent on the planet to Belfast for an unforgettable festival experience.
Fans can get their hands on tickets for Wednesday 14th August, headlined by Kings of Leon, when they go on sale this Friday (12th April) at 9am from www.ticketmaster.ie. Fans of Tennent’s Vital on Facebook can get exclusive priority access to the Tennent’s Vital pre-sale from 9am on Tuesday 9thApril – join www.facebook.com/tennentsvital to find out how to reserve your ticket before they go on sale to the general public.
AN EXCLUSIVE NIGHT WITH BEYONCE HER ONLY EUROPEAN FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE OF 2013 PLUS AMERICAN ROCKERS KINGS OF LEON HEADLINING
STEREOPHONICS, THE SCRIPT, EMELI SANDÉ, CALVIN HARRIS, BEADY EYE, JESSIE J, TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, THE VACCINES, BASEMENT JAXX, OLLY MURS PALOMA FAITH, RITA ORA, THE COURTEENERS, FUN., LABRINTH, ELLIE GOULDING, KENDRICK LAMAR, JESSIE WARE, RUDIMENTAL, JAMES ARTHUR, LITTLE MIX AND MANY MORE ALSO CONFIRMED
TICKETS ON SALE AT 9AM FRIDAY 1 MARCH
This will be her one and only European festival appearance this year. Multi-million album selling American rockers Kings Of Leon are also confirmed as headliners. V Festival takes place across the weekend of August 17 & 18 at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire.
Tickets go on sale Friday March 1 at 9am, available at www.VFestival.com
V Festival, prides itself on the quality of artists that perform each year, more incredible acts announced today for 2013 are Stereophonics, The Script, Emeli Sandé, Calvin Harris, Beady Eye, Jessie J, Two Door Cinema Club, The Vaccines, Basement Jaxx, Olly Murs, Paloma Faith, James, Rita Ora, The Courteeners, Jason Mraz, FUN., Labrinth, Ellie Goulding, Kendrick Lamar, Of Monsters And Men, Maverick Sabre, Travis, DJ Fresh/LIVE, Jessie Ware, Maximo Park, Lianne La Havas, Rudimental, James Arthur, Scouting For Girls, Deacon Blue, Little Mix, Ocean Colour Scene, The Fratellis, Gabrielle Aplin and Laura Mvula. Many more acts will be announced in the coming weeks across the stages at the two festival sites.
V Festival is now in its 18th year and is renowned for bringing the very best in popular music together for one epic summer weekend. Last year saw electric sets from headliners The Stone Roses and The Killers with other show stopping performances from the likes of David Guetta and Ed Sheeran. V Festival has an unrivalled music pedigree, previous headliners have included groundbreaking performances from Coldplay, Radiohead, Oasis, Eminem, Foo Fighters and The Arctic Monkeys. V Festival is now established as the biggest festival in the UK with over 170,000 fans attending across the two sites and was the first festival to establish rotating acts across two sites.
2013 once again sees a wide spectrum of acts playing across the stages, guaranteeing yet another year of unforgettable appearances. The popular Glee Club Comedy Tent will also makes a return this year, with side-splitting performers to be announced in the coming weeks. With many more great artists to be announced, there is something for everyone at V Festival.
V Festival is one of the hottest dates on the UK cultural calendar. From the moment the gates open each area of the festival comes alive and a truly remarkable weekend of music and enjoyment ensues. V Style camping is set to return this year giving festival fans the chance to get the best of both worlds. They can dance the days away with their favourite artists and then chill out in luxury in ready built Pod Pads, Cloud Yurts, Hearthworks Tipis and pop-up hotel rooms.
Festival Directors Bob Angus, Simon Moran and Dennis Desmond commented: We’ve worked hard to bring fans an exciting and diverse line-up, securing Beyonce for an exclusive European Festival appearance and Kings of Leon as headliners is a great achievement. These acts along with one of the strongest bills in V Festival's 18 year history is something we are very proud of. We have a reputation for bringing fans the best world class acts and breakthrough artists, 2013 is set to be another sensational year.”
With many more exciting V Festival announcements to come be sure to keep up to date with all the latest news at www.vfestival.com
Tickets go on sale on Friday 1 March at 9am fans should visit www.vfestival.com, for official outlets details. V Festival organisers stress to fans that purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.
VIP upgrades are available and include:
A relaxed and spacious environment offering a wider choice of exclusive food and drink outlets not available in the main festival arena.
Cash bar with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating areas.
Post-festival late bar with DJs on Saturday & Sunday nights.
Arctic Monkeys have delivered four seminal records since they broke onto the scene in spectacular fashion in 2006 and are one of the most revered live acts around. They will perform on Thursday 4th July. They are the latest exciting addition to what is already an outstanding bill joining Blur, Kings of Leon and Queens Of The Stone Age, who will take to the stage in Gdynia on the north coast of Poland for four days of exceptional entertainment at incredibly affordable prices. Many more artists will be announced to perform over six music stages.
The Open'er festival has grown enormously since its inception in 2002 and has established a reputation as one of the premier festivals in Europe. Open'er has brought the world's biggest bands to Poland, many for the first time and has recently broadened its cultural remit to promote a distinguished programme of arts, culture and fashion.
Further information will be released in early 2013
EARLY BIRD TICKETS: Until Jan 15, 2013, while stocks last 4-day tickets (03.07 – 06.07) -PLN 370 (approx. EUR 91) 4-day ticket w/6-day camping (02.07 – 07.07)-PLN 450 (approx. EUR 110) Ticket prices after Jan 15, 2013: 4-day tickets (03.07 – 06.07)-PLN 470 (approx. EUR 115) 4-day ticket w/6-day camping (02.07 – 07.07)-PLN 550 (approx. EUR 135) day tickets–PLN 189 (approx. EUR 47) Please note: exchange rate is correct at the date of publishing (Dec 13, 2012) but subject to change. Tickets available in ALTERSHOP and in Ticketpro outlets.
Kings of Leon, who are currently working on their next album to be released in 2013, will be offering their only Spanish festival performance at Bilbao BBK Live next year. Brummie band Editors also joins the line-up of the event.
After 2012’s record-breaking attendance with performances by Radiohead and The Cure and the launch of the popular third stage, Bilbao BBK Live keeps growing and attracting the biggest names in music today. Previous editions of the event have included headliners such as Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode, Jane’s Addiction, RHCP and Suede.
Three Day Early Bird tickets to Bilbao BBK Live, including camping, are now on sale until the 11th of December, for just £70 on See Tickets and Ticketweb.
From the Isle of Wight website (www.isleofwightfestival.com) we have the following statement:
“The first major festival of the summer, the iconic Isle of Wight Festival today announces Kings of Leon as the first of its headliners. Taking place from Friday 10th – Sunday 12th June 2011 it is sure to be one of the hottest weekends of the summer and goes on sale this Friday 19th November. Watch this space, as more acts will be announced this week….
It’s the only UK major festival performance with the Tennessee four piece this year. Kings of Leon’s 5th album ‘Come Around Sundown’ became their 3rd consecutive album to debut at No.1 when it topped the UK charts upon release. The second single from their album, entitled ‘Pyro’ will be released on December 6th.
John Giddings, the Festival promoter, says; “We are proud to bring one of the world’s biggest rock bands to the island on our tenth anniversary. It is an incredible way to start the weekend, I can’t wait!“
2011 is an extra special year for the festival as it celebrates its 10th birthday in style. The Isle of Wight Festival is renowned year on year for its eclectic & electric line-up, mixing iconic artists with up and coming acts to make a truly original festival that appeal to all types of music lovers and this year will be no exception.
Each year the Isle of Wight Festival brings together free spirited festivalgoers, in a simply beautiful setting. It is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and best-loved festivals on the calendar and the three UK Festival Awards for ‘Best Major UK Festival’, ‘Outstanding Greener Festival’ and ‘Outstanding Contribution to Festivals’ (awarded to John Giddings) are proof of just that.”
