Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Skrillex and more added to Sziget lineup

Joining the already announced Queens of the Stone Age, Placebo, Klaxons, Stromae, Calvin Harris, Imagine Dragons, Bastille the full list of new names are…

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are one of the most celebrated and shiniest stars on the hip-hop map of the United States. Their charismatic music is followed by millions of fans and this year their work has been sealed with four Grammy Awards. They received the award for 'Best New Artist', 'Best Rap Performance', 'Best Rap Album' and'Thrift Shop' received the award for 'Best Rap Song'. Skrillex is one of the most well-known electronic musician today. He will definitely make everyone crazy with his very exciting and massive sounds.

Extraordinary talent British singer-songwriter Jake Bugg, will also perform at the 'Island of Freedom' with his direct, honest and unique folk rock sounds. Die Fantastischen Vier are also coming to Sziget. The German rap and hip-hop quartet will tour with their new album Rekord. Electro-trip-hop trio from Nottingham, London Grammar, has an emotional and melancholic feeling combined with great lyrics and a unique sound.

Tom Odell has a passionate, romantic and irresistible voice merged together with great talent. Arriving from Southern-England, the twenty-three year old singer-songwriter will hit the stage of Sziget this summer. Also coming from the UK, Michael Kiwanuka, will make his performance memorable with his sophisticated, characteristic, sensitive soul music with some folk and jazz tunes. His debut album, Home Again, has been nominated for Mercury Award in 2013.

Two performers with a unique perspective in the world of electronic music, Darkside, will be a real exciting act of this year's Sziget. They will not only address e-music lovers, but also those fancying jazz. It's hard to categorize the music of The Big Pink, but it is simultaneously intimate, unsettling and noisy. Check out for yourself!

Borgore is a real EDM-hooligan, DJ and producer from Israel, who is known by everyone in the international dubstep network. True party person, who focuses on massive drum bases and heavy metal sounds what he just calls gorestep. Coming from Australia, Brody Dalle, wanted to do music similar to Nirvana, the Hole or PJ Harvey. Now she is ready to conduct a party anywhere in the world. She will perform at Sziget on August 12th, Day 0, the same day her husband, Josh Homme will play with Queens of the Stone Age.

Biffy Clyro, Miles Kane and more added to Rock Werchter

The Summer Festival Guide can announce that Rock Werchter adds six new artists to its lineup over the weekend of the 3rd July to the 6th July.  Bastille, Miles Kane, Biffy Clyro, London Grammar, Midlake and The Wombats will perform over the weekend.

Biffy Clyro

An overview of the bands announced so far for each day of Rock Werchter 2014:

  • Thursday 3 July: Metallica, Placebo, Damon Albarn, Skrillex, Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters, Dropkick Murphys, Miles Kane, The Wombats, London Grammar, Valerie June
  • Friday 4 July: Arctic Monkeys, Ellie Goulding, Major Lazer, Jack Johnson, Crystal Fighters, The 1975, The Naked and Famous
  • Saturday 5 July: Pearl Jam, The Black Keys, Pixies, Triggerfinger, Imagine Dragons, Biffy Clyro,  Haim, Agnes Obel, Midlake, Kodaline
  • Sunday 6 July: Kings of Leon, Stromae, Franz Ferdinand, Bastille, Babyshambles, MGMT, Birdy, Foals, Passenger, Metronomy

Foals and Beck to headline Bestival 2014

Commenting on their headline set Foals said: “We couldn't be more excited & honoured to be part of Bestival this year; it's the perfect end to our touring for Holy Fire. We promise a night of madness, mayhem & good times!”

Topping the bill on Thursday 4th September is the exalted Beck! With Morning Phase, his first album in six years, just about to drop and another one rumoured to be already done and dusted, Beck has a wealth of fantastic new material, as well as a treasure trove of favourites spanning R&B, hip-hop and folk at his command but no matter what he unleashes on us, you know it’s going to be a perfect start to our Desert Island Disco. A mercurial talent with an uncanny knack of pulling at the heartstrings, Beck is guaranteed to get Bestival 2014 off to a flyer!

Dynamic sibling duo, Disclosure, have gone about this conquering the world malarkey in breathtakingly swift fashion and their return to Bestival is a reflection of their meteoric rise. Playing our Main Stage on Friday night before OutKast, the brothers will, no doubt, take the crowd to fever pitch and beyond with their already overflowing armouring of big hitters and dancefloor detonators, lifted from their number one album, Settle. One of the biggest attractions aboard HMS Bestival last year, you can bet that Disclosure are going to get our Desert Island Disco bouncing. Don’t miss them.

Also guaranteed to send the Main Stage crowd into total frenzy, but this time on Sunday evening, will be the incomparable Major Lazer! Playing before our as yet to be revealed Sunday night headliner, Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire will be bringing the big cannons, firing off lashings of dutty dancehall and bountiful booty shaking bass. With their Apocalypse Soon EP due to drop later this month, you can expect plenty of super fresh and upfront behaviour to get you Pon De Floor from one of dance music’s most adventurous live acts.

We’re not stopping there though; this Desert Island Disco is just getting started! Joining in the throng of cool castaways will be the perfectly transfixing London Grammar, whose life-affirming brilliance really needs to be seen by absolutely everyone; Cumbrian four-piece Wild Beasts, whose imminent fourth album is already getting those in the know very hot under the collar; BBC Sound of 2014 winner Sam Smith, who will be returning to Bestival following a sensational set aboard HMS Bestival last year; genre-dodging sonic adventurers Caribou, whose main man Dan Snaith is in the form of his life; chart toppers Clean Bandit, whose electro-classical fusion is making them one of the most talked about bands around; synthpop trio Chvrches, whose beguiling pop hooks will captivate all our island’s tribes and delectable chanteuse Laura Mvula, whose psychedelic tinged soul has already made her one of the UK’s brightest new stars.

Snoop Dogg & Foals to headline Parklife Weekender

US West Coast hip hop megastar Snoop Dogg and UK homegrown indie rockers Foals will headline the fifth edition of the Parklife Weekender in Manchester.

Also joining them is West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar with a UK Festival exclusive show, club legends Soul II Soul, UK favourites Disclosure, Nero, Moderat, Bondax, Rudimental, Maya Jane Coles, Duke Dumont, High Contrast, Julio Bashmore, Redlight, SBTRKT, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ), Cyril Hahn and Seth Troxler and more!

Crossing the Atlantic this summer is one of hip hop's greats Snoop Dogg, who will make his Parklife debut on Saturday 7th June 2014. Having sold over 30 million albums worldwide Snoop 'Doggy' Dogg will no doubt have festival-goers jumping with hits from his incredible back catalogue as well as tracks from his Snoop Lion alter ego. 

One of the UK's top performers and winners of the Q Award's Best Live Act 2013, Foals, will take to the Parklife main stage on Sunday 8th June. Innovative and ambitious, the Oxford quintet have three stunning albums under their belt and are a rock force to be reckoned with.

Foals

The weekend festival has an eclectic line-up that spans dance, indie, pop, and hip hop, and is a true testament to Parklife's dedication to new and established artists. Giving a nod to Manchester's deep dance heritage, club legends Soul II Soul will be delivering the old school sounds that launched the group to critical acclaim at the tail end of the 80s. With a finger firmly on the pulse of modern day dance culture, Parklife's offering of electronic acts is unrivalled and features the likes of Brit nominees Disclosure who have been the biggest thing to happen to dance in recent years. Plus heavyweights such as NeroModeratBondaxRudimentalMaya Jane ColesDuke DumontHigh ContrastJulio BashmoreRedlightSBTRKTTotally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ), Cyril Hahn and Seth Troxler will also be at this years Parklife Weekender. 

Parklife's hip hop offering has grown year-on-year and this year the festival is proud to welcome one of the genre's recent success stories, Kendrick Lamar. Set to cause a stir in 2014 with his raw lyrical delivery is one of rap's most original artists, Danny Brown, who will no doubt have Parklife roaring from the infectious energy of his live show. Pusha T performs over the weekend and Flying Lotus will appear not once but twice as he brings the elusive Captain Murphy to a Parklife stage.

Returning to Parklife is one of the country's most forward thinking female pop stars, Katy B, who'll be showcasing tracks from her highly anticipated sophomore album 'Little Red'. Current number one band in the UK Clean Bandit also join the bill in addition to B-TraitsGold PandaJamie xx, funk duo Chromeo and master bassist Thundercat.

Parklife 2014 returns to the legendary Heaton Park which has played host to some of the most iconic performances of the decade, including Oasis, the seminal Stone Roses and now one of the greatest and best value for money festivals in the UK. 2014 will see new stage installations including a 20,000 capacity outdoor dance stage known as The Temple. 

Today's news follows a string of announcements that saw Jon HopkinsAnnie Mac,MKBastilleSam SmithBen UFO & Pearson Sound and Warpaint revealed as acts for Parklife 2014 and as if the line-up could get any better, the festival are set to announce even more artists over the coming months. Having sold out every year, The Parklife Weekender is the fastest growing festival in the world. Launched in 2010 by heavyweight dance music promoters The Warehouse Project, the festival continues to push boundaries and keeps the illustrious music heritage of Manchester alive.

Camp Bestival 2013 Review

The sixth annual Camp Bestival came to a close this weekend, and married with ideal weather, a fantastic array of food stalls, and a friendly vibe, the musical line-up far exceeded expectations.

The action kicked off on the Castle Stage on Friday with the Jaipur Brass Band playing their infectious traditional Indian music among a splash of colour, followed by the impressive Kate Bush imitator Fake Bush.

The main stage action really picked up with a string of top performances; The Correspondents, Camp Bestival favourites, whipped the crowds up with their zany mix of hip-hop, drum 'n' bass and funk; The Farm took the whole field back to 1990 with a set including 'Stepping Stone' and the anthemic 'All Together Now'; and Irish rock royalty Ash played a fantastic career spanning set of hits including the wide-eyed innocence of early breakthrough 'Girl From Mars', 'Shining Light' and the all-out stomper 'Orpheus'.

Camp Bestival

Getting out of the welcome sun, we headed to the Big Top, and caught Max Romeo, late replacement for Toots & The Maytals, mid set. A raucous crowd lapped up the Reggae legends set, and the roof nearly came off for 'I Chase The Devil'.

Staying in the Big Top, London Grammar, the first of the weekend's true up-and-coming new bands, took to the stage, and the three-piece's beautiful and moody set was one of the highlights of the festival. Hannah Reid's vocals reminiscent of Florence Welch, and a musical undercurrent with hints of The XX and Massive Attack, their impending album is now a must buy.

Veering away from music for a while we stayed to watch John Cooper Clarke, and while the legendary Punk Rock Poet was in fine form, his set was slow to begin, blighted by a bleed of sound from the Bollywood Dance Tent – a disturbance which blighted many of the acts in the Big Top.
Friday's headliner was guitar icon Richard Hawley, fresh from having headlined Bridport's Electric Palace the night previous. We went back to the main stage with muted expectations, and it made what followed even more special. Hawley's languid and soulful vocals, and sublime guitar, made for a low energy but fully engaging set, with 'Tonight The Streets Are Ours' a real festival moment.

On the way back to the tents we stopped off for a late night treat in the form of the dark and humorous Filthy Boy, the young group show a sound and style beyond their teenage years, and single 'Waiting on the Doorstep' was a particular stand-out.

Saturday, as usually is the case, had the strongest line-up. The day began with kids' hero Mr Tumble delighting the packed main stage field, followed by the Horrible Histories show. Using the kids entertainment as an excuse to explore the other entertainment and food on offer, we took in some of the extreme sports in the Freesports Park; walked through the Dingly Dell; cleared our heads with fresh coconut water; and proceeded to eat brunch at the incredible Young British Foodies. The tent was a popular stop for meals at any time of day, offering everything from smoothies and waffles, to sushi and venison burgers.

Saturday's musical offerings kicked off with american songstress Lissie, whose bluesy LA rock was the perfect accompaniment to the rapidly rising sun.  Next up was one of the sets of the weekend. Gabrielle Aplin, who last year played the bandstand stage at Camp Bestival to around 100 people, has jumped into the public eye following a Christmas advert hit, and subsequent number 2 album. The 20-year-olds main stage set included a breath-taking cover of 'The Power of Love', as well as hit singles 'Panic Cord', 'Home' and brilliant cover of the Fleetwood Mac favourite 'Go Your Own Way'.

Camp Bestival favourites The Cuban Brothers were next up, mixing hilarious quips from frontman Miguelito with high energy latin-flavoured party funk. The rapidly growing Castle Stage crowd were at once laughing hysterically and dancing madly!
Spinning his wheels of steel, Grandmaster Flash took the generation-bridging crowds hip-hop, jazz, rock and more.
The church silence allowed for a break from the searing heat, and on the way back to the tent from Grandmaster Flash, I managed to catch the last few songs from country blues newcomer Valerie June. The Tennessee native performed some of the fantastic roots-inspired tracks from her brilliant debut album 'Pushin' Against a Stone'.

Returning to the main stage, Camp Bestival's 'special guest' Mark Owen mixed songs from this new album 'The Art of Doing Nothing' with Take That classics, including what has become his signature tune 'Shine'. Surely a highlight for many of the mums in the field!
Heading to the Big Top for the last time on Saturday, Clean Bandit produced a set of set of unique dance music, incorporating huge club beats with classical string parts. The Cambridge quartet had the crowd eating up every track, and seem destined for big things.

Closing off the main stage on Saturday, Kid Creole & The Coconuts return to the Camp Bestival stage for a 30s and 40s inspired party set, channelling the spirit of Cab Calloway, and leading into main headliner Levellers.
The festival favourites produced a set of high-energy folk-rock, with 'Beautiful Day' a soundtrack anthem for a sun-drenched Saturday.

The Castle Stage kicked off with cider swilling old boys The Wurzels, and was followed by the shanty-singing Skinny Lister, who joined the crowd in a drink and a good dance.
Sunday afternoon really got going and went back to the 80s with Nik Kershaw, playing hits including 'The Riddle', '
I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me', and 'I Am The One and Only', the hit Kershaw wrote for Chesney Hawkes. Heaven 17 followed Kershaw, performing a rapturously received set kicking off with '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' and also featuring 'Penthouse and Pavement', and huge hit 'Temptation'.

Camp Bestival favourites Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip return for their first performance for three years in the Big Top next. Their unique combination of Pip's spoken word/rap/poetry and Le Sac's bass and beats went down a storm, although the set was slightly marred by the Bollywood bass once more.
Before closing act Labrinth, we stayed after Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip for comedy headliner Alan Davies, and support from Ian Stone. Stone's near-the-knuckle repertoire was well received, and Davies' hilarious parental anecdotes were the perfect material for 'family-friendly' Camp Bestival.

Labrinth @ Camp Bestival

The finale for the 2013 event began on the Castle Stage with Labrinth, – Sunday's musical headliner – who delivered a surprisingly good set featuring singles 'Earthquake', 'Beneath You're Beautiful' and a cover of Tinie Tempah's 'Pass Out' (a track Labrinth collaborated on). The Castle Field was at full capacity at this point, awaiting the always popular firework spectacular, and the show didn't disappoint. Son Et Lumiere's show, projecting a wonderful animation based on the festival's 'Around The World' theme, was brilliantly interspersed with a pyro display to match any other.

By Rob Larcombe

Photos by Simon Emmett

Standon Calling 2013 – Sunday Review

Having sold out of the 5000 tickets that were on sale for this years Standon Calling, we were pretty excited about seeing what this small little festival based in Hertfordshire had to offer.

It was the first time since its inception that Standon Calling has sold out, and it had good reason to!  The lineup was no short of spectacular with Bastille, Digitialism, De La Soul, Band of Skulls, DJ Yoda and more performing across the stages over the weekend.
On top of that, this years theme was “Running from the Circus” and there was a number of circus based activities taking place through the different arenas.  The wonderful trapeze school provided a number of “ohhhs”, “ahhhs”, “woohooos” and other reactions from the crowd as the punters took their hand at all sorts of acrobatics on the learning Trapeze structure.
Walking around the grounds we could see that a number of people made the effort to dress up in their favourite circus acts.  There were plenty of face painted kids running around, lots of shiny and tight lycra pants and a other circus costumes.
Being quite a small festival, it was no effort walking around to check everything out.  There was plenty of food and drink selection for everyone.  This year Standon Calling implemented a cash less transaction scheme whereby each festival goer was given a wristband on entry which was then topped up via Cash and used to purchase food and drinks.  Personally I thought this was a good system, it saved having to go through wallets for money and it seemed to make the process of buying things quite streamlined.  At the end of your weekend a cash refund was given for any remaining money.
There is a huge family friendly tag associated to Standon Calling and the kids had plenty to keep them entertained.  A swimming pool, arts and crafts and children dedicated area’s like “The Little Den” made sure that there was something for everyone!
Musically, there is plenty to see.  De La Soul closed out the main stage for this year with a smashing performance.  Having being slightly delayed due to some sounds issues, Kelvin, David and Vincent aka De La Soul came out full of energy to a huge crowd which had descended to the main area to catch the hip hop legends.  Getting the crowd involved by asking the audience “Who wants to hear some hip hop” and ripping straight into their massive back catalogue of tunes such as “Take it off“, “Oooh“, “Me Myself and I“, “Stakes is High” and more, they had the crowd waving their hands in the air and bouncing about during the entirety of their set.
One of the most memorable parts of De La Soul’s set was when they requested that everyone (and I mean everyone) put one hand up in the air.  They even had all the photographers and security waving hands up and down whilst they videoed the reaction from their phones on the stage.  Having seen them years ago, De La Soul were a pleasure to watch again bringing to a close what was quite a spectacular year for Standon Calling.
De La Soul @ Standon Calling
Earlier on in the day, we checked out London Grammar whom I had never seen live before and was really impressed.  Hannah Reid has amazing vocals and managed to pack out the Big Top with the crowds running in to catch this new band perform hits from their debut EP ‘Metal & Dust‘.  London Grammar were ecstatic to see just how many people were in the tent, even mentioning very young kids which were up on the shoulders of parents watching.
Alunageorge also took to the Big Top stage to show why they are in so much demand this year after their massive hit ‘Attracting Flies’ smashed the charts around the world.  Having been nominated for the Brit Awards, this musical duo had the crowd shuffling  their feet to their electronic infused sound.
Gentlemen’s Dub ClubChloe HowlLondon Afrobeat Collective and Rotten Hill Gang also performed on Sunday to a crowd which had witnessed a number of great performances over the weekend.
As small festivals in the UK go, Standon Calling has to be one of the best festivals we have ever been to.  Everything from the music, to the facilities, and the organisation of the event was spot on.  It has a little something for everyone and still has that independent festival vibe running through it that just makes it something more special.
Check out more photos from Standon Calling 2013 here

Bestival adds new Temple Island arena for 2013

In keeping with our 10th birthday spectacular celebrations at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight from September 5th to 8th, the amazing gifts keep coming as Bestival HQ is buzzing with news of another brand new arena for 2013 –Temple Island. Taking its place among more than 20 stages in 10 fields of wonderment with mega soundsystems, non-stop parties and 24 hour escapism, you’ve got to explore it before it burns to the ground! Plus we have line-up news for two of Bestival’s most off the wall destinations, Club DaDa and the Polka Tent.

Rob da Bank says: “Bestival has almost 30 stages of live music, DJs, poetry, cinema, drag acts, ultraviolet ping pong and general mayhem going off in 2013. Club Dada and the Polka Tent programmed by the insanely creative and madcap Chris Tofu is always ahead of the curve and we've been proud to host the first festival stages of gypsy punk, electro swing and many other underground genres. As ever, Señor Tofu has pulled it out the bag with his line ups for 2013. 

“Never looking backwards and always embracing the future I'm so proud to unveil Temple Island – a brand new totally ace fusion of styles from festivals like Burning Man and Portugal's Monegros festi with a cutting edge global electronic DJ collective… half hippy, half techno warrior. Roll on September”.

Chris Tofu says: “Bestival is so amazing for us, it’s been the first festival in the UK with a venue dedicated to the 1000 year old festival music Polka, wall to wall, crazy Gypsy Music and Hoedown, makes this the natural festival music hangout. Club Dada has always been like a mad feast of Brass and Vintage Remix and this year’s no exception with killer Electro Blues and Electro Swing, crazy remixing Carnival bands and so much more, the perfect music for a tent where 70 years ago Marlene Dietrich performed in. Bestival stands unique with more killer and closely curetted music per square inch than anywhere else, big up to Rob and Josie and the team“.

New for 2013, Temple Island is a lucid dreamland of beguiling saturnalia where acts like London GrammarDJ Falcon and Karma Kid come to play. Around them, fantasy and reality fuse in a haze of bio-sculptures and an eclectic collection of some of the tastiest foods in the country. It’s a beautiful place. But nothing is what it seems…

If it looks like a sculpture, it may really be a chilling cocoon that sings to you when you step inside. You’ll find them hidden in a sparkly part of Temple Island, away from the stage. Creatures here may be actors in disguise who lead you to a mystery trail of street art by fast-rising artist My Dog Sighs . 21 pieces are yours to keep, if you find them. The first person to complete the entire My Dog Sighs Treasure Hunt will take home a £2,500 masterpiece! Feeling inspired by all that artistry? Try your hardest to create your very own twisted structure with amazing Willowtwister artist Sara Holmes and crew.

That’s not all though, Bestival’s darkest secrets are gathered on Temple Island’s confession wall. It’s hungry for yours. Confess… if you dare. Party until the small hours in The Doghouse, the secret part of Temple Island you’ll stumble upon, find exactly what you’ve always been looking for, and never, ever, want to leave. But beauty dies fast. So, late on Sunday, Temple Island will go up in flames. Before that, there’s dancing to be done, coconuts to be drunk, gourmet banquets to be eaten and art to explore.

Temple Island will play host to sets from some of the most havin’ it acts currently spanking dancefloors worldwide. Opening on Thursday night there will be music from south Florida future music mogul Henry Krinkle, heads down house purveyor T.Williams and uncategorisable bass merchant Karma Kid. Cranking it up on Friday, there will be Gallic grooves from Daft Punk collaborator DJ Falcon, ethereal digital dance moves from Chrome Sparks,  the previously announced siren-fronted trio London Grammar, bass-led bombs from Shadow Child, genre-swerving threesome Dark Sky and future garage manoeuvres from Maribou State.

Saturday will tickle your guilty pleasures with the previously announced Cyril Hahn, plus there will be sets from Bristol based collective Eton Messy, drum n bass wonder Wilkinson, woofer worrying beat tycoon Run Riot andKashii who will be smashing-up house, techno, garage and bouncing UK bass into something glorious. And finally Sunday will see the Eton Messy crew return as hosts for the entire day. Catch it while you can because when the rest of Bestival has you shipwrecked, Temple Island will have you back on your feet; in ways you never thought possible!

From the makers of Shangri Las Glastonbury and long term residents of festival fields Continental Drifts, Club DaDa always offers a warm welcome with music that floats in your ears like honey. Expect crazy Vintage Remix and brass brass brass! Thursday night shenanigans kick off with Robby’s Choice Cuts featuring captain of our ship Rob da Bank going head to head with Tayo & Nerm reprising their Prince tribute, plus Bestival favourite Beans On Toast, laughter, dancing and head-nodding good vibes from Too Many T’s, DJ Moneyshot & Rackabeat’s brand new sampled funk, psych, hip-hop and rock outfit The Allergies and the man himself, DJ Chris Tofu. Friday sees the The Dawn Of Electro Blues a night dedicated to the new sound of electro blues – from The Delta to dance, with an array of electro blues masters CyborgsHeymoonshakerDJ Nick HollywoodThe Future Shape Of Sound and King Lagoon’s Flying Swordfish Band.

Saturday is all about White Mink’s French Electro Swing Special. After hosting the world’s first 1920s to 1950s remixed electro swing night at a festival, Club DaDa had to bring it back. Curated by White Mink, it’s boasts a quality line-up including Shore Leave, Le KKC Orchestra, Smokey Joe and The Kid, Dutty Moonshine, Max Pashm Electro Swing Ensemble and DJ Dodgy Style.

Keeping it fully on the boil for Sunday, Club Dada had to make their amazing Brass Special happen again, as a fitting end to what is destined to be a legendary weekend. Highlights of the night will include Joe Driscol and Sekou Kouyate, Old Dirty Brasstards and, wrapping things up, the annual DJ Chris Tofu Closing Party squeezing the last of your energy into a mash-up maelstrom of madness, with special guests.

The Polka Tent is the most fun and unusual musical set up in any festival. There’s only one place you can find this rare and wonderful thing. Get ready for some Gypsy Punk and Hoedown mayhem. From Global Local – the maddest thing the arts council ever funded. 

Opening night action in this musical world like no other includes King Lagoon’s Flying Sword Fish Band, Tankus The Henge and king of the gypsy remix DJ Kobayashi. Friday night is the Polka Party with Hallouminati, Gypsy Hill, Discount Orchestra, Gypsy Fever, Penny Metal, Karauke, Cut A Shine and Gypsy Disco.

Saturday in the Polka Tent goes from Gypsy Punk to Stomping Kleizmer with Buffo’s Wake, Tantz Klezmer Band, The Turbans, Maniere Des Bohemiens, and more from Gypsy Disco and Karauke. Finally the Sunday Hoedown – With Two For Joy celebrates the Polka Tent’s fifth anniversary with a whole day dedicated to jumping nu folk and demented old hoedown! Helping the celebrations go down in style will be City Shanty Band, Ramshackle Union Band, Katy Carr and Gorgeous George, plus there will be special surprise guests and DJs all weekend long.

Standon Calling add London Grammar, Lucy Rose and more!

Folk songstress Lucy Rose has today been announced for Standon Calling, which takes place in Hertfordshire 2nd – 4th August. The London-based artist and Bombay Bicycle Club collaborator is set to mesmerize festivalgoers with her beautiful vocals and emotive songwriting. Also joining the line-up are London Grammar who, since the release of their internet debut ‘Hey Now’ at the end of last year, have continued to impress with follow up releases and a Disclosure collaboration currently all over the airwaves. They are sure to do the same when they take to the stage this summer.
Across the festival, organisers have also added Chlöe Howl to the line-up, she’ll be telling it like it is with her sparky brand of electro-pop. Local girl Mary Epworth, whose mix of folk and psychedelic has music critics swooning will be a home turf highlight for the festival. Other additions to Standon Calling include Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Dancing Years, Lazy Habits ft Baby Sol and Lips Choir.

Standon Calling is excited to reveal three exiting new collaborations on the Lordship Stage on the lawns of Standon Lordship manor house. The Crypt Sessions, Loose and Folkstock Arts Foundation will all be handpicking a select lineup of exciting acts to come and wow crowds at the Hertfordshire festival.
 
Lucy Rose heads The Crypt Sessions’ line-up followed by Guardian New Band of the Day, Sivu and Annie Mac’s folk-favourite Emily & The Woods. Also on the bill will be Thomas J Speight, The Title Sequence, Lowpines, Gibson Bull, Aley Lenz and Matthew Neal. The Crypt Sessions' online video channel have been bringing stripped back, intimate performances from music’s finest into our homes for over three years and are now set to do the same on the Lordship stage.

Lucy Rose

Leading European Americana and Roots label Loose invite Folk-rockers Danny & The Champions Of The World to the Lordship Stage with further performances from Treetop Flyers, the guitar wielding married duo Trevor Moss and Hannah-Lou, The Rockingbirds, solo singer-songwriter Peter Bruntnell, The Dreaming Spires and Case Hardin.

Blissfields Festival announce its next wave of live acts

With their most recent track ‘Hey Now’ scoring 400,000 plays online in a matter of weeks,London Grammar’s The XX-like delicate intricacy is matched with a big female vocal akin to Florence Welch or heady 70’s soul performers. They’re joined by 18-year-old singer-songwriter Chloe Howl who’s infectious pop has been likened to a 2013 Lily Allen with the sharp edge of I Blame Coco, described by Pitchfork as having a “wicked lyrical bite”.
 
Josef Salvat’s quirky rhythmic croon with grand, eccentric sweeps of noise has found him compared by the Guardian recently as being “this year’s Gotye”, with an intelligence felt best on tracks ‘Hustler’ and ‘This Life’, he makes  a Blissfields debut ahead of what will surely be a well monitored summer by music fans and industry alike. He’s complimented by the Mixmag-approved “feel good production” of Bondax who also join the festival this year alongside FamyGeneral Roots, and a Blissfields favorite under a new guise, The Listening Party, formerly known to fans as SixNationState.
 
With many more acts now also now confirmed to join headliners Bastille and Mystery Jets it makes for possibly the most diverse and exciting line-up the festival has ever been proud enough to present, mixing the articulate nu with a firm, fun festival atmosphere.
 
Under the banner ‘The Director’s Cut’, the award-winning Hampshire festival will be celebrating all things film in its 13th year, from the early talkies to VIP Hollywood parties. Expect a weekend full of red carpets, interactive games, popcorn-throwing dance-offs, film screenings, the best soundtracks, visual treats, hidden treasures and all the usual fun that Blissfields has become synonymous with… topped by an incredible music bill.
 
Saturday Day Tickets are SOLD OUT, however Friday Day Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website at www.blissfields.co.uk priced at £38. Tier One and Tier Two Weekend Tickets are also sold out, however Tier Three Tickets are now available priced at just £85 for an adult weekend ticket, and £59 for a youth ticket. 

JUST ANNOUNCED:
LONDON GRAMMAR ~ CHLOE HOWL ~ JOSEF SALVAT
BONDAX ~ FAMY ~ GENERAL ROOTS ~ LISTENING PARTY ~ THOMAS TANTRUM
ARTFUL & RIDNEY ~ BEAT CLEVER ~ BEN PAUL ~ BIG FIN (MATT REYNOLDS)
CHARLEY MACAULEY ~ CHROMA TOUCH ~ DANZAI ~ DAVE MIATT
DIARMO & L'AUBAINE ~ ELLA JANES ~ FLOELLA GRACE ~ HABITATS
HARPER ~ HASH ~ IAN WILKINSON ~ IS BLISS ~ JAMIE PARISIO ~ JERRY
KOIN DJs ~ LUCY KITCHEN ~ LUKE FERRE ~ LUXE ~ MATT JARVIS 
MAXIN DJ's ~ MEGAN THOMAS ~ MR HUW ~ NEON M3
PAUL DIELLEO ~ REX DOMINO ~ SAM BROTHERS ~ SAM SALLON ~ SEB MARX
STONE THEM CROWS ~ THE CRAMATICS ~ THE HARLEQUIN ~ TOM JAMES
VISULANTE ~ WUB WORLD
 
TO JOIN THE ALREADY ANNOUNCED:
MYSTERY JETS ~ BASTILLE
THE DOT FEAT MIKE SKINNER + ROB HARVEY ~ FRIENDS ~ MATT CORBY
THEME PARK ~ MAN LIKE ME ~ THE STAVES ~ CLEAN BANDIT ~ DUB PISTOLS
FAR TOO LOUD ~ SAM SMITH ~ ZION TRAIN FEAT PERCH + DUB DADDA ~ ARLISSA
POST WAR YEARS ~ DRENGE ~ PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
MARIKA HACKMAN ~  THE OTHER TRIBE ~ SUBGIANT ~ SUBSOURCE
TRANSGRESSIVE SOUNDSYSTEM ~ THUMPERS ~ BLAENAVON
JIM LOCKELY & THE SOLEMN SUNS ~ ALLY WOLF ~ ALEX THE KIDD & ENVIOUS MIND ~ ALEX WALKER ~ ANDY COMLEY ~ ANIMAL
AXIS MUNDI ~ BEANS ON TOAST ~ BELLYEYESMILE
BEARD OF WOLVES ~ BELLIGERENCE ~ BEN GODDARD ~ BITR8 ~ BOMBS
BOSCH STACEY ~ BOULE ~ BRYONY MARIE FRY ~ CHARLIE AYLIFFE
 CHARLIE FOX ~ CHOLOMBIAN ~ DAN HAYES, ANGRY & DAN MUNRO ~ DEADPROUD
DEM HUNGRY ~  DISCO'S OUT MURDER'S IN ~ DJ GREY JUMPS 
DR. STRANGELOVE'S BURLESQUE DISCOTHEQUE
ELIZA SHADDAD ~ EDDY ROCKSTEDDY ~ FILTHY FUNK FUNK ~ FISH HOOK
FLIGHT BRIGADE ~ FLYING ALEXANDERS ~ FERVENT ~  GALLERY 47
GILES WHITELEY ~ HAMMY ~ HAIRY HANDS
 HEATHWARD ~ HOLY VESSELS ~ HOOCH DJ ~ IT'S A SIN DJS ~ JACKO HOOPER
JAFR0 ~ JAY B ~ JETPACK ASSASSIN ~ JOE RAYGUN ~ JOSH SAVAGE
KASSASSIN STREET ~  K1R3Y ~ KEMP ~ KILL EM DEAD COWBOY ~ LITTLE CHIEF
LOVELESS DJS ~ LUCA PILATO ~ MARY MISS FAIRY ~ MATT CLARK
MATT PERRIMENT ~ MATTY LAH ~ MORGAN HISLOP ~ NATHAN LAMBERT
NELLY B PAGE ~ NICK TANN ~ ONE STEP TOO LATE ~ PHAT PAT  ~ PSYCHEDLIA DJS
THE QUICKANDTHEDEAD ~ REMNANT PSYCHE ~ REVENTURE ~ SEAN MCGOWAN
SHUDDERVISION WITH DIGITS MCPHEE ~ SOUNDTRACKS ~ SO8L ~ SUICIDE PARTY
TERMINAL FEAR ~  TROPICS DJ ~ THE CADBURY SISTERS ~ THE GREAT ONE
THE RAGED ~ THE WIDOWMAKER ~ TOM LOWMAN ~ TYDE ~ UPON THE SHORE
WILL CHUMP ~ WILLOW ~ WINTERHOURS  ~YOUNG SKIN ~ ZENTHETIX