Lineup announced for Isle of Wight Festival 2019

Following last year’s momentous 50th anniversary celebrations, The Isle of Wight Festival today announces the first artists for the 2019 event, which kicks off the British festival season on  13th – 16th June.

The incredible Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds headline the opening night of The Isle of Wight Festival 2019, returning to the Festival for the first time since 2012. Chart-topping British singer-songwriter George Ezra will headline the Main Stage on Saturday 15th June, in what will be his first major UK festival headline performance, a huge milestone following an incredible few years for the 7-time BRIT-nominated artist. Special guest Fatboy Slim, making his Isle of Wight Festival debut, will keep the party going as he plays until the early hours following George’s performance. Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro bring their passionate and rousing live show to the Main Stage on Sunday 16th June, closing the 2019 Festival in what is sure to be an epic headline performance. Also joining the line-up for this year’s event are: Anne-Marie, Bastille, Courteeners, Dean Lewis, DMA’S, Freya Ridings, Gerry Cinnamon, IDLES, James, Jax Jones, Jess Glynne, KT Tunstall, Lily Allen, Madness, Miles Kane, Mystery Jets, Richard Ashcroft, Rick Astley, Sam Fender, Sigala, Sigrid, The Coral, Tom Walker and Wild Front, with Hacienda Classical returning for a second year following last year’s incredible debut in The Big Top. Tickets for the 2019 event are on sale Friday 25th January at 9am.

Bestival’s Common People Line-up Announced

Set to bring you electrifying music, entertainment and arts in the heart of two cities this spring bank holiday, Common People is back for 2018 with headliners Lily Allen andJames on Saturday and The Jacksons on Sunday in Southampton and The Jacksons on Saturday and James and Ride on Sunday in Oxford.

For just £57.50 for an Adult weekend ticket or £30 for an Adult day ticket, you can enjoy an amazing festival brimful of singalong favourites, deep-down disco delights, and all manner of amusements. Don’t miss out on two joyful days of bank holiday merrymaking brought to you with love by the makers of Bestival, this 26 & 27 May onSouthampton Common, and in South Park, Oxford. 

Rob da Bank says: “It’s been quite some ride putting together the Common People line ups for 2018. We love Southampton Common and South Park in Oxford, they’ve become two of our favourite places to throw a party… this year will be super special with none other than Lily Allen in Southampton and legendary Oxford band Ride coming back to South Park. Co-headliners James are the cherry on the cake. Our Disco Day also promises to be super funky with The Jacksons bringing their disco and soul classics, but my personal highlight has to be Prince’s unbeatable backing band The New Power Generation coming over from the States for a one-off weekend with us. We couldn’t get Prince but we will have all the hits. Add in all the local bands and DJs and a real focus on family fun and entertainment and I promise you a magical May weekend awaits”.

Back with a bunch of bangers that prove she’s still at the top of the game, Lily Allen headlines Southampton’s Common Stage, along with Manchester legends James for a singalong Saturday special, with sets through the day special guests All Saints, The Sherlocks, Jaguar Skills, The Cuban Brothers, Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana andPlastic Mermaids.

Fancy dress is the order of the day on Saturday in South Park, Oxford as we unleash disco kings, The Jacksons, basking in the dazzling reflection of the World’s Largest Disco Ball. Plus, you can fill your dancing boots with delights from The New Power Generation, Sparks, Boney M, The Cuban Brothers, Aswad, Jungle Brothers, Hak Baker, Cut Capers and Dancin Oxford.

Sunday is fancy dress in Southampton with The Jacksons, World’s Largest Disco Ball. And boogie down beats from The New Power Generation, Sparks, Boney M, Snap!, FooR, Jungle Brothers and Hak Baker. 

While in Oxford, Sunday sees headline sets from indie legends James, and hometown heroes Ride, plus Maximo Park, London African Gospel Choir presents Paul Simon’s Graceland, Honeyblood, Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana, Low Island, Chainska Brassika and Dancin Oxford. 

Our new Carnival Stage will jump to the sounds of DJ Yoda, a $hit Disco takeover with HAAi & more, Fred V & Grafix, Holy Goof, Barely Legal and more in Southampton. With laser guided love on the Oxford-based twin stage from General Levy, Fred V & Grafix, Craig Charles, and a Simple takeover with Willow, Em Williams, James Weston, Rodney P & Skitz and more.

As ever underground players and nascent rock action can be found on the Uncommon Stage hosted by The Joiners in Southampton with sets from Dream Wife, Demob Happy, Pale Seas, The Rising, Ben Goddard and many more. While Oxford’s Uncommon Stage hosted by Nightshift will see appearances from Deadbeat Apostles, Inner Peace Records, Tiger Mendoza, The August List, and many more

We’ll also have throbbing beats at Sugar Skulls in Southampton and the Disco Shed with a roster of soon-to-be-announced DJs and there will be family antics and festivities galore across our Common People wonderlands including the Kids Garden, BigTopMania, and a whole host of local family entertainment.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketline

Head to http://commonpeople.net/ for more info.

 

FULL SOUTHAMPTON LINE UP:

SATURDAY COMMON STAGE LILY ALLEN / JAMES / ALL SAINTS (SPECIAL GUEST) / THE SHERLOCKS / JAGUAR SKILLS / THE CUBAN BROTHERS / ELVANA: ELVIS FRONTED NIRVANA / PLASTIC MERMAIDS

SUNDAY COMMON STAGE DISCO DAY WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST DISCO BALL: THE JACKSONS / NEW POWER GENERATION / SPARKS / BONEY M / SNAP! / FOOR / JUNGLE BROTHERS / HAK BAKER

CARNIVAL STAGE SATURDAY: DJ YODA / $HIT DISCO TAKEOVER: / HAAI / KIWI / ARTFUL DODGER / $HIT DISCO DJS / PETE CALLARD / GOAT SHED DJs / NATHAN DAWE – SUNDAY: FRED V & GRAFIX / HOLY GOOF / BARELY LEGAL / HADDA / AARON BLYTH / SOUL45

UNCOMMON STAGE (HOSTED BY THE JOINERS): DREAM WIFE / DEMOB HAPPY / PALE SEAS / THE RISING / BEN GODDARD / SAINTS OF SIN / THE COLLISION / DEFERENCE / TOREADOR / LAURAN HIBBERD / PIONEERS / MISS VINCENT / STARTERS

PLUS, ANTICS & FAMILY FUN: SUGAR SKULLS DJs / KIDS GARDEN / INFLATABLE CHURCH / WALL OF DEATH BIG FISH LITTLE FISH / HAMPSHIRE CRICKET / KIDS BUSHCRAFT / BIGTOPMANIA: CIRCUS PERFORMANCES, FACE PAINTING, HAVE-A-GO EQUIPMENT & MORE / ALPACAS / CARDBOARD CASTLE / HAVEN FALCONRY / PUNCH & JUDY / GIANT SANDPIT / BOUNCY CASTLE & INFLATABLE SLIDES / VINTAGE FUN FAIR: SWING BOATS / HELTER SKELTER / CHAIR O’ PLANES / BIG WHEEL

FULL OXFORD LINE-UP:

SATURDAY COMMON STAGE DISCO DAY WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST DISCO BALL: THE JACKSONS / THE NEW POWER GENERATION / SPARKS / BONEY M / THE CUBAN BROTHERS / ASWAD / JUNGLE BROTHERS / HAK BAKER / CUT CAPERS / DANCIN OXFORD

SUNDAY COMMON STAGE: JAMES / RIDE / MAXIMO PARK / LONDON AFRICAN GOSPEL CHOIR PRESENTS PAUL SIMON’S GRACELAND / ELVANA: ELVIS FRONTED NIRVANA / LOW ISLAND / CHAINSKA BRASSIKA / DANCIN OXFORD 

CARNIVAL STAGE: SATURDAY: GENERAL LEVY / FRED V & GRAFIX / FINEART / BURT COPE / SIR S*MBO SOUNDS / DROP BOMB ENTERTAINMENT / NATTY MARK / LIGHT ROOTS SOUND / SUNDAY: CRAIG CHARLES / SIMPLE TAKEOVER:  WILLOW / EM WILLIAMS / JAMES WESTON / RODNEY P & SKITZ / COUNT SKYLARKIN’ / DANNY DREAD MSD / WHITE MAGIC / MR CLIVE WHITE 

UNCOMMON STAGE (HOSTED BY NIGHTSHIFT): DEADBEAT APOSTLES / INNER PEACE RECORDS / TIGER MENDOZA / THE AUGUST LIST / CANDY SAYS / DEATH OF THE MAIDEN / EARINADE / LAIMA BITE / PREMIUM LEISURE / CHRIS BARKER / KONE / BRICKWORK LIZARDS / THE GREAT WESTERN TEARS / DRORE / MSRY / LUCY LEAVE / YOUNG WOMEN'S MUSIC PROJECT HAZE / 31HOURS / GHOSTS IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS / SELF HELP

PLUS, ANTICS & FAMILY FUN: DISCO SHED / KIDS GARDEN / GORILLA CIRCUS / THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOUNCY CASTLE / OXFORD PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS ‘ONE SMALL STEP’ / THE STORY MUSEUM PRESENTS ‘THE PUMPKIN’ / PEGASUS PLAY PLACE / BIGTOPMANIA: CIRCUS PERFORMANCES, FACE PAINTING, HAVE-A-GO EQUIPMENT & MORE / TREE CLIMBING WITH BIGTREE CLIMBING CO. / COWLEY ROAD CARNIVAL DANCE WORKSHOPS / SUPERSAURS DINOSAUR / GIANT SANDPIT / SWING BOATS / JINGO GLITTER

V Festival 2014 Review – Chelmsford

This years V Festival saw 120,000 revelers over the twin site event who were in luck for some supreme delights. In its 19th year there was a whole host of different acts on offer for festivalgoers. From disco to indie to dance to good old-fashioned Rock n Roll. there was certainly something for everyone.

Dublin band Kodaline kicked off Saturday at V Festival Chelmsford with summer sing-alongs.  Setting the tone for the day with uplifting songs the crowd were in full verse by the time they belted out their well known hit ‘High Hopes’.

It’s been a long time since one man and his piano sparked such an engaged crowd as Tom Odell managed. Even though the onlookers did not seem old enough to have experienced such angst ridden relationships; Odell had them jumping along to ‘Another Love’, whilst the blues hipster passionately pounded the keys.

With all the classics, Kaiser Chiefs reminded the crowd why they were all there., to have a bloody good time. Ricky Wilson put in a performance to answer all the critics, running up and down the stage more times than anyone could count, he was back in full form, even surprising the backstage crew when he went slightly too far. Ricky’s passion could not be mistaken; he puts everything into the performance. Evidently someone is prompting him that this is to sell records as between the mosh pit inducing hits he enlightens the audience that they are the Kaiser Chiefs and that the new album ‘ Education, Education, Education and War‘ is out now. Clearly agitated from the sound of Bastille’s drums in his ear, Ricky mischievously jokes with the stagehands before lifting everyone with the ‘Angry Mob’ and ‘Oh My God’.

Meanwhile there was no mistaking the summer vibes of the Wailers on the MTV Stage, how can you resist singing along to tunes such as ‘Jammin’, ‘ One Love’, ‘Could You Be Loved’. Everyone left beaming from side to side.

Back on main stage was the penultimate act before what everyone had been waiting for.  Ed Sheeran, one man and his guitar, brought the vibe to serve as the perfect warm up act for JT.

The stage was set, the crowd were pumping, the most anticipated set of V was ready to kick off. JT certainly brought sexy back  looking suave as ever in Tom Ford suit and backed by The Tennessee Kids, could be mistaken as arrogant but no he actually looked overwhelmed at ‘how far back you all go’. Hit after hit,  in a perfectly polished fashion that you would expect from this superstar, the night was Timberlake’s.

Even festivalgoers who would not admit to being Timberlake fans were swept into it, everyone singing every song. The acoustic rendition of What Goes Around (Comes Back Around) was a highlight of the night.  Justin served what appears to now be the theme of this weekends V Festival taking a selfie with a fan.  He wowed the fans at every moment, didn’t put a step wrong and was pitch perfect. The crowd obligingly taking their part in Senorita, finishing the night with ‘SexyBack’ and ‘Mirrors’ everyone wanted to leave with you, Justin.

Sunday started with threatening skies, you couldn’t blame fans for hiding in the comedy tent. Newton Faulkner brought out the sunshine and the crowds on the gloomy Sunday. Followed by San Francisco band Train, with hits ‘Hey Soul Sister’, ‘Marry Me’, ‘If Its Love’ they even managed to get Bananaman crowd surfing.  Pat Monahan gets the award of the weekend for the most selfies taken, it would appear that everyone in the front row has a piece of photo memorabilia.

Closing the set with ‘Drops of Jupiter’ the crowd was well and truly warmed up for the party that was about to ensue Nile Rodgers and Chic.

The most lovable performance of the weekend goes to veterans Nile Rodgers and Chic. Who knew how many hits Nile Rodgers had written. He is a true legend, inspiring character, telling the crowd how he battled cancer by going out and living life. Using music the way it was intended, uplifting everyones spirits and bringing the funk to V. It was true carnival atmosphere. Too many hits to believe one man wrote them all; ‘I Want Your Love’, ‘I’m Coming Out’, ‘Like A Virgin’, ‘Lets Dance’, ‘Get Lucky’, the list is endless. No one was standing still, jiving along, doing the salsa as the legend requested. Fifty lucky punters were brought on stage for the last song and all the rules were broken. Nile Rodgers left everyone exhilarated wanting more.

Rizzle Kicks brought the largest crowd to the MTV stage, all ages, connected for ‘The Lost Generation’. Two hip-hop boys who genuinely looked like they were having a blast in the middle of this corporate festival. What a sight to see 15,000 people ‘Doing the Hump’.

Lily Allen looking svelte as ever bounded onto stage in a silver leather catsuit. Lily baffled a large number of the crowd with a stage full of milk bottles, as if people needed to be reminded she is now a mother. Allen did feel the need to quash rumours of a split with her husband, and passionately sang ‘As Long As I Got You’.  This performance felt like it was a big ‘Fuck You’ to all the critics along the way, comparing her song ‘LDN’ to a William Blake poem, this was lost on the festivalgoers.

Paolo Nutini followed in Allen’s footsteps intriguing the audience by appearing in a different world. Whilst slurring when speaking, "feeling a little bit drink" he was mysteriously in tune when singing. With hits ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’ and ‘New Shoes’ providing the perfect warm up for The Killers.

Embrace vs The Killers. The clash of the weekend. Embrace were back after an 8 year break from the festival. Whilst having one of the worst clashes of the weekend, with The Killers, the McNamara brothers attracted a 300 strong crowd . With festival favorites ‘Come Back To What You Know’ and  'One Big Family’ Embrace have certainly hit the ground running on this comeback. Fans lucky enough to have got tickets to their now infamous Secret Festival are in for a treat. Danny was very proud of his "little brother Rich" encouraging everyone to dance, with Danny himself joining the fans in an out of character dance along.

Meanwhilst completing the all American headline, Brandon Flowers of The Killers stormed onto stage in a glittery purple suit. Ever crowd pleasing, ‘Somebody Told Me’ was the first of a multitude of triumphant songs. After a few beats  everyone was set for 90 minutes of singing, word for word, all the tunes.  The classics from Hot Fuss, pulled the most promising reaction, with a handful of covers driving the audience to a new level of excitement. Jimmy Carr, comedian, introduced the band for a well received encore. The Killers closed the festival with ‘Mr Brightside’ and the obligatory fireworks.

V Festival certainly had something for everyone this year, VIP bar, posh toilets, celebrity packed Louder Lounge, hammocks, comedy, funfair, skydivers and of course a plethora of music acts. As the sun goes down on another year, the organizers set the bar high for next years 20th anniversary.

Latitude Festival 2014 Review

The 9th Latitude Festival in Suffolk, England drummed up great interest after winning Best Line-up at the 2013 Festival awards.  Trying to live up to expectations this year, they enlisted big acts like Damon Albarn, the Black Keys, Robyn & Röyksopp, as well as up and coming bands like Jungle, Childhood, and Bondax. Aside from the comprehensive bill of musicians and bands, Latitude also had a wide variety of cultural offerings ranging from theatre, comedy, cabaret, to literature, poetry, and dance. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival – Marc Sethi

Day 1

The festival opened with a huge surprise last Thursday but not exactly of the good kind.  Friday headliner and crowd favorites Two Door Cinema Club cancelled the very last minute leaving plenty of fans heavily disappointed. Vocalist Alex Trimble was reported to have collapsed at Seattle Airport en route to England due to stomach problems.  With many traveling from as far as Japan just to see the trio, the cancellation led to an uproar and a huge pile of heatbreaks.  TDCC was the first band to be announced to headline the festival– as early as December 2013. It was supposed to be their first festival headline after touring for 5 years and climbing up the ranks.   

Filling up that glorious headline slot, Lily Allen agreed to step up to do the job; but not without getting loads of backlash from disappointed festival goers.     One twitter user compared the change as paying to sleep with Keira Knightley and ending up with Susan Boyle.  Tired of the negative reaction the change elicited from fans, Allen wrote on twitter:  “If you’re going to be rude about my replacing @TDCinemaClub on here, can you just un @ me please ? I’m so exhausted by the nastiness”

Despite that, Lily Allen’s courage to still show up was commendable.  She paid tribute to the trio by wearing a Two Door Cinema Club shirt and doing a cover of ‘Something Good Can Work.’  This seems to be an olive branch offering to TDCC fans and it was gracefully received.  The main stage didn’t end up a disappointment and the night ended with the crowd chanting her name. 

At the BBC Radio 6 Stage,  festival goers were treated to some excellent show of guitar skills starting with Anna Calvi and Slowdive.  Calvi treated fans with some new songs from her album ‘One Breath’ and with classics such as ‘I’ll be Your Man’ and ‘Desire’.  There was a silence of deep awe during the last few songs, and the following band, Slowdive proved worthy of the momentum.  The band from Berkshire had their own strong following with their announcement of a comeback this year after more than a decade of absence.

Headlining on the same stage was Scotland’s well- respected guitar band Mogwai.   The set was expected to be an attack to the senses and they certainly lived up to expectations.  More than an attack to the senses though, it was also an attack to the ear drums, with Stuart Braithwaite cheekily saying “I hope any children in the audience are wearing earplugs” before playing 'Master Card.' 

Other acts to note on the first day was the surprise show by Rudimental on the main stage and the highly energized performance by the Editors.  

 

Day 2

The second day provided some dilemmas to festival goers as to which stage to go to.  It started early with Simon Amstell packing the Comedy stage with almost triple its capacity.  The Essex local gave fans a peek of the show he will be touring this coming autumn. It was slightly peppered with some past materials but it sure didn’t leave fans short of laughter. 

After that, all roads led to the BBC Radio 6 stage where the legendary duo Hall & Oates were welcomed with much gusto after almost 10 years of absence in the UK.  They started with ‘Maneater’ which got the audience and even the BBC cameramen up to their feet.  They followed it up with huge hits like ‘I Can’t Go For That’ which included a breathtaking 5-minute solo (forgive the pun)  by saxophone player Charles "Mr. Casual” DeChant.  They came back for an encore playing  ‘You Make my Dreams Come True’ which prompted mass sing alongs from the old and young alike. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival

It was also a big day for Swedish musicians, with First Aid Kit bringing sunshine to the Oberlisk Arena with some delightful harmonies from their new album and a beautiful rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’.  Swedish singer Robyn & Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp also fired up a party at the BBC Radio 6 stage.  The 2-hour set probably saw the most excitable crowd that day and they proved worthy of the adulation.  The audience danced along to  the long string of hits and went wild to ‘Dancing On My Own.’  The light show and production were far from bad too.

The night ended with some thunderstorms and with Damon Alborn capping the night by bringing Blur band mate Graham Coxon onto the stage, much to the delight of fans.  They played a captivating performance of the Blur song ‘Tender’ amidst all the lightning and heavy downpour.  Simply memorable. 

Photo courtesy of Latitude Festival

Day 3

The thunderstorms from the previous night didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of festival goers.  The last day of the festival saw the new chart-topper George Ezra croon fans at the BBC Radio 6 Tent.  The 21-year old seemed to be overwhelmed by the amount of people who came to see him, but managed to meet and beat all expectations with beautiful melodies from ‘Budapest’, ‘Cassy O’, and ‘Leaving It Up To You.’

Hardcore fans of American bands Phantogram and Tycho didn’t mind the muddy trek up to the iArena stage to watch the bands from New York and San Francisco do their take on synthpop music.  Sarah Brathel of Phantogram unleashed her inner beast and performed singles like ‘Falling In Love’ and crowd pleaser ‘Black Out Days.’  They were immediately followed by Tycho, aka Scott Hansen, which along with his band, brought his design works and projected them on the wall to accompany their music.  To say it was a hauntingly beautiful set was to say the least.

The big responsibility of closing up the festival was left up to The Black Keys.  The backdrop to this much-anticipated show was an elaborate set-up including multiple screens and painted theatre curtains.  The crowd which was eager for a great send-off sang along to hits like ‘Lonely Boy’, 'Howlin' For You' and ‘Fever’.  Although the set was mostly well-received, it was also noticeably lacking in energy compared to the previous nights’ headliners.  One festival goer quipped, “They don’t seem to have much chemistry between the two of them tonight.”

Overall, it was a successful festival. It had minor glitches and the wellies were certainly put to use, but what would be an English music festival without those? 

Glastonbury announce 2014 lineup details

The Summer Festival Guide is excited to bring you one of the first official lineup for this years massive summer event Glastonbury.

Headliners announced so far include Arcade Fire and joining them on the 5 day extravaganza are some of the biggest artists on the planet including Paolo Nutini, Jurrassic 5, James Blake, The 1975, Kasabian, Jack White, Dolly PArton, Elbow, The Black Keys, Robert Plant, Lily Allen, Lana Del Rey, Skillex, Pixies, Massive Attack, Disclosure, Ed Sheeran, Jake Bugg, Crystal Fighters, De La Soul and many many more!

Justin Timberlake & The Killers headline V Festival 2014

We have the full lineup for this years V Festival and it is massive!  Headlining the 19th edition year is megastar Justin Timberlake along with Las Vegas band The Killers.

Joining them a a first class set of musical artists including: Ed Sheeran, Paolo Nutini, Example, Lily Allen, Elbow, Axwell ^ Ingrosso, 2014 BRIT Award winners Bastilleand Rudimental, Chase & Status, Alesso, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Above & Beyond, Tom Odell, Sub Focus, Train, Blondie, Jason Derulo, Rizzle Kicks, John Newman, Sam Smith, Katy B, Embrace, Janelle Monae, Kodaline, Miles Kane, The Human League, Newton Faulkner, Starsailor, Aloe Blacc, Alex Clare, Nina Nesbitt, The Strypes, Birdy, Foxes, Ella Eyre, The Stranglers, The Magic Numbers, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbot, George Ezra, The Wailers, M People, All Saints, The Wonder Stuff, The Rifles and very special guests Chic featuring Nile Rodgers. 

Tickets go on sale at 9am on the 7th March 2014.

The Prodigy, Lily Allen and more confirmed for Sziget 2014

This years Sziget Festival expands it lineup to inlclude festival favourites The Prodigy, pop singer Lily Allen, La Roux, Miles Kane, Palma Violets, Kavinsky, Fink, and Jagwar Ma.

They join the already announced Queens of the Stone Age, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Skrillex, Placebo, Klaxons, Stromae, Calvin Harris, Imagine Dragons, & Bastille at the summer festival which takes place in Budapest, Hungary.

The Prodigy is a must-have star for any festival main stage, after 25 million sold albums and an amazing popularity through the years. Probably the most successful British electronic formation is once again performing at Sziget. Young, energetic, extravagant pop singer, Lily Allen, will also perform at Sziget Festival. She released her newest single last year in November, called “Hard Out Here”, and while she is still working on her third studio album, we already know the name of it ‘Sheezus’.

La Roux and the voice of Elly Jackson is known by all pop music fans. The synth-pop lady and her partner Ben Langmaid, the producer-songwriter-keyboard player, are one of the most popular pop music productions of the 2000s. The popular ska-punk band from Madrid, Ska-P, will also hit the stage of the Island of Freedom. There are few bands that can be so visually stimulating as they are and this year we can check them out with our own eyes at Sziget.

Miles Kane, former frontman of the The Rascals and co-frontman of the Last Shadow of Puppets, is now successfully performing his solo career. He has released two albums so far, the one released last year ‘Don’t forget Who You Are’ was a great success. Simon Green, AKA Bonobo, is an artist very much at the peak of his significant powers. His 2010 album ‘Black Sands’ was the high watermark of his career to date; a masterful record, marrying Green’s inimitable melodic genius to cutting edge electronics, bass and drums.

Palma Violets are one of the most promising post-garage rock bands today. The first single “Best of Friends”, a raucous and exhilarating blast of primal rock’n’roll, was voted NME’s song of the year for 2012. Electronic musician and producer, Vincent Belergey, known as Kavinsky, is one of the most important and creative star of the French electronic scene. His latest album, "Outrun", is received immediately as a success and he started a world live tour called OUTRUN LIVE TOUR and Sziget is a part of it.

Fink is a British singer-songwriter, who is known for his creative lyrics, sophisticated and romantic songs and his charismatic performances. He has released five albums in the last ten years and last time he visited Sziget with his album ‘Perfect Darkness’ two year ago. Jagwar Ma will be a real excitement at the Island of Freedom this year. The Australian trio of Gabriel Winterfield, Jona Ma and Jack Freeman make some kind of psychedelic dance music that mesmerizes the audience.