Maximo Park

Bingley Music Live Review by Karen Creighton

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BML
 
Bingley Music Live (BML) started in 2007 and although it is only in its 5th year BML has been a sell out for the past 2 years. With weekend tickets only costing £35 I was very surprised at how good the line up was, definitely value for money, and they also seemed to have something for everyone with the line up having a variety of music types, from the folk-pop sound of Eliza Doolittle to the drum and bass sounds of Chase and Status.
 
The festival is also very keen to help bring money into its local community and does this by not having its own campsite and instead allowing local business’ with land to offer camping at a small cost to festival goers. However I must admit that when we first heard that the festival did not have its own camping we were slightly worried, but once we arrived at our campsite (which we found through the BML website) we soon forgot about our worries, the campsite was spacious, had food stalls and simply the nicest toilets I have ever seen at a festival campsite.
 
The main festival site was only a 15 minute walk from the campsite and once on site I was a little bit surprised at the size of the arena as I expected it to be bigger for the 15,000 festival goers that would be attending over the weekend, however no one appeared fazed by this and the size of the arena must have been deceiving, because once the crowds came in to enjoy the music and atmosphere it was never too crowded (unless you were in the mosh pit).
 
Bingley Music Live
 
Friday – BML hosts a free day on the Friday, where you can go and enjoy the music without having to pay to enter the arena. You would think with there being no charge for the day they would put on less than great acts but with the acts for the day being Alice Gold, Young Guns, The Go! Team, Skindred, and Fun Lovin’ Criminals, this was far from true and the day was a big success.

Saturday – With the arena being small we decided to check out Bingley’s town centre on Saturday and it was clear that many were doing the same, with the shops and restaurants being full with other festival goers. After grabbing some lunch in a little café we then headed over to the arena. We missed the first two acts but got there in time to catch the end of Dionne Bromfield’s set. We spent the rest of the day watching the other bands with Feeder being a big hit with the crowd. We were especially looking forward to seeing Maxïmo Park, and once onstage, though we personally thought they started off not so great they definitely got better to the end of their set, playing their better known songs, they put a great end to a good day. There were also some fireworks to watch before heading back to the campsite so all in all a really good day was had, even the rain had held back with only the odd drizzle earlier in the day.

Sunday – Started the day with a full English breakfast in one of the local cafes that opened on the Sunday especially to be able to feed us festival folk. It was another day with a chilled out atmosphere during the day with most just sat with a drink watching the first lot of bands and enjoying the sunshine. Sunday held a special treat for those who had access to the VIP/hospitality area; this was because Dynamo, the illusionist/magician had flown in from America to perform some tricks at BML. He even did a small performance just for press and posed for pictures.

My favourite act of the day had to be Eliza Doolittle, she sounded great and was the best kind of act to just relax in the sun and listen to. She even spent some time backstage posing with fans for pictures. The highlight of the evening though and what everyone was looking forward to was Chase and Status, and the crowd went crazy for them. They were definitely the best act to end the weekend, and just like Saturday night, the day was ended with a fireworks display.

Crowd

 

My personal experience of BML was great and I will definitely be going back. It has to be the best value for money festival around and although it is not a big festival and you didn’t get a true festival feeling from it, BML still had a friendly and fun feel to it.

Blingley Music Live update

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Regardless of the temperamental summer weather, you’re going to have to dig out your Ray Bans to get your peepers round the glittering line-up of acts heading to Bingley Music Live this summer – from reggae-metal, blistering alt-rock and indie to bubblegum pop, Motown soul, grime and chart-topping dubstep.
 
This all-embracing attitude to great music is what makes Bingley Music Live so unique. Where else are you going to find SKINDRED and ELIZA DOOLITTLE on the same bill? Answers on a postcard, please…
 
So let’s see. Who’ve we got? First and foremost, there are the headliners. New York funk-rockers FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS will top the FREE Friday night bill. Saturday night sees Geordie art-rockers MAXIMO PARK apply some pressure, and the mighty CHASE AND STATUS will bring the weekend to an explosive close.
 
Dishing out the beats over the weekend will be rising grime star DOT ROTTEN and collaborator RUSSO, British hip-hop heroes STEREO MCs, Example’s Unorthodox pal WRETCH 32 and Brighton’s wild style hip-pop guitar-rockers THE GO! TEAM.
Then there’s the sun-kissed pop of ELIZA DOOLITTLE, young soul sensation DIONNE BROMFIELD and the psychedelic pop-rock delights of ALICE GOLD.
 
Plugging in and rocking out will be YOUNG GUNS and SKINDRED, and  FEEDER, THE CORAL, ATHLETE, MYSTERY JETS, THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND, and JON FRATELLI will provide the indie hits.
 
Scooby Snacks? Connected? Wires? Buck Rogers? Dreaming Of You? Skinny Genes? Going Missing? Warning? Time? Whoever helps you get your groove on, there’s going to be a huge sing-along festival moment in there for everyone.
 
Over the last four years, music legends like THE BUZZCOCKS, HAPPY MONDAYS, JAMES, and PUBLIC IMAGE LTD and upcoming new artists and some of today’s hottest acts like EDITORS, THE BLACKOUT, EXAMPLE, THE FUTUREHEADS and KASSIDY have played to crowds of around 15,000 each day at Bingley Music Live.
 
We dare you to find a festival which focuses as much on family-friendliness and value for money as it does on the great acts to grace its stage. Bingley Music Live is about getting together and having a great time before the summer calls it quits once again.
 
Weekend tickets are available from HMV stores around Yorkshire, Crash and Jumbo in Leeds, Attick in York, Leeds Visitor Centre and TICs around Yorkshire, and online at www.seetickets.com, priced £35 (plus booking fee).  For more information, visit www.bingleymusiclive.com
Bingley Music Live

Bingley Music Live Festival lineup gets bigger

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SEPTEMBER 2-4 2011
THE LINE-UP GETS BIGGER AND BETTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

 

Regardless of the weather, you’re going to have to dig out your shades to get your peepers round the dazzling line-up of acts heading to Bingley Music Live this summer. From reggae-metal, blistering alt-rock and indie to bubblegum pop, grime and chart-topping dubstep, it’s a blast through the sonic spectrum, guaranteed to see the festival season off with a bang.
 
Chase and StatusSo let’s see. Who’ve we got? Well, first and foremost, there’s the headliners. New York funk-rockers FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS will top the FREE Friday night bill. Saturday night sees MAXIMO PARK apply some pressure, and the mighty CHASE AND STATUS will bring the weekend to a close.
 
Providing the beats over the weekend will be rising grime star DOT ROTTEN and collaborator RUSSO, Brit hip-hop heroes STEREO MCs and Example’s Unorthodox pal WRETCH 32. And bathe in the sun-kissed pop delights of ELIZA DOOLITTLE.
Plugging in and rocking out will be YOUNG GUNS and SKINDRED, with THE CORAL, ATHLETE, MYSTERY JETS, THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND and JON FRATELLI dishing out the indie hits. Dreaming Of You? Wires? Young Love? Put You In Your Place? Baby, We’re Refugees? Whoever gets you dancing, there’s going to be a huge sing-along festival moment in there for everyone.
 
Over the last four years, music legends like THE BUZZCOCKS, HAPPY MONDAYS, JAMES, and PUBLIC IMAGE LTD andupcoming new artists and some of today’s hottest acts like EDITORS, THE BLACKOUT, EXAMPLE, THE FUTUREHEADS and KASSIDY have played to crowds of around 15,000 each day at Bingley Music Live.
 
It’s a secret that it quickly getting out and tickets are already getting snapped up. With a few more acts to be revealed, the line-up is already massive. And it’s only going to get better…
 

Weekend tickets are available from HMV stores around Yorkshire, Crash and Jumbo in Leeds, Attick in York, Leeds Visitor Centre and TICs around Yorkshire, and online at www.seetickets.com, priced £35 (plus bf).  

 

For more information, visit www.bingleymusiclive.com. Like the festival at www.facebook.com/bingleymusiclive, or follow us at www.twitter.com/BingleyFestival