NASS

NASS Festival 2015 – Our Festival Round Up

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With this years NASS festival now being over a week ago, for many people the infamous ‘festival depression’ is slowly starting to sink in with many already looking forward to the next dose of the drum and bass festival next year.  We here at Summer Festival Guide had the chance to attend the festival for the second year running, documenting the event through images and words. Attempting to compare the two trips to the festival is almost indescribable, with team NASS stepping up their game so much this year there NASS 2015 will definitely be one of the main highlights of our festival season.

 

 

Opening the weekend up on the Friday’s main stage, We Are The Ocean (3.5) started of on a mellow tone trying their best to get the drum and bass lovers to swap their addictions for beats and drops for guitar and drum solos. Managing to draw a few in for the crowd favourite ‘Young Heart’ the band performed a strong set to a very inactive crowd. Moving forward, Modestep (5) got the crowd going from the first tones presented to them. With ‘Sunlight’ and ‘Freedom’ sending the participants into a frenzie, the NASS three day party was well and truly underway. Being one of the controversial headliners, Enter Shikari (4) drew in a medium sizes crowd for their set, however this didn’t stop the band giving it their all to win over the few still sitting at the back of the field. Clearly catering their setlist towards the festivals drum and bass roots, the band moved away from their rock genes with focusing on the more electronic tracks in the bands backlog with ‘Anaesthetist’ generating the most crowd participation.

With ‘The Slammer’ possibly being considered as the outcast stage from the others with the acts originating in the rock genre, many of the bands received a less than deserved minimal crowd. Saturday’s line up including Shvpes, Heck and The One Hundred with each of them putting on a strong set despite the almost empty tent. Many of the bands involved on the stage except the headline act for each day experienced the lacking crowd, and with that we sympathise as had it been any other festival each of them would have had a good sized crowd which the more than deserve with their individual talents.

The Summer Festival Guide favourite Wilkinson (5) returned to NASS Festival for yet another performance at the festival. Playing the crowd favourites ‘Too Close’ and ‘Dirty Love’ to close the set, the crowd reaction alone can easily prove why the festival promoters keep bringing back Wilkinson, with the guaranteed party that he puts on the table for all festival goers. Heading over to Lower Than Atlantis (3.5), the comparison between the two is non existent. Despite having a good sized crowd gathering for their set, the band played a setlist which was far too short for a headlining set, containing only seven songs the band performed an average set which could easily be improved if the sound quality within was controlled. Rebel Sound (4.5) being the side project of Chase and Status left many wondering what the hour would hold with this being their first festival headlining performance. Producing their own remixes on the crowd favourite ‘Stay With Me’ by Sam Smith and a lighting show brighter than any other, Rebel Sound will never be forgotten in the history of NASS.

With the closing day of NASS almost being a complete wash out, many of the festival goes seeked refuge within the covered Southbank and The Slammer stages. Giving everyone a dose of much needed pop punk, ROAM (3.5) brought their usual high energy to the stage hoping to lift everyone's spirits, earning a lot of bobbing heads and even their mini mosh pits. Hactivist (4) also managed to almost fill the tent with their rock infused version of the ever so popular Jay-Z track ‘Paris’. Closing the weekend, the chilled out Public Enemy (3.5) managed to secure a crowd despite many waiting for the highly anticipated set from popular DJ Hannah Wants. With a stage show based performance, the act was one that many would agree should not have closed the festival main stage with the major comparison to the popular Rebel Sound and the crowd pleasing performance that they delivered.

 

Agreeing that this is the best line up NASS have produced, with a few lineup changes in terms of the closing set at this years event, the festival would be one that more than many would not forget, however ending the festival on a mellow note on the main stage could have improved the overall weekend. Bring on NASS Festival 2016!   

Public Enemy to headline NASS 2015

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Straight from the Terrordome, hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy will be headlining the outdoor main stage at NASS 2015. The godfathers of political rap return to the UK to 'Bring The Noise’ with a full live show featuring the deep and resolute rhymes of Chuck D, the euphorically delivered hype of Flavour Flav and the militant dance moves of the S1Ws. Smashing out hits including ‘Fight The Power, Shut Em Down, Public Enemy #1 and Yo! Bum Rush The Show’ and with a catalogue spanning over 26 years, Public Enemy deliver an intense and electrifying performance every time they rock a crowd. 
 
Public Enemy join already confirmed headliners ENTER SHIKARI on the main stage – watch this space for a further third headliner still to be announced… 
 
Joining Public Enemy at the top of the bill is D’n’B duo Sigma; fresh from collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Groove Armada and Skepta, the boys will be turning it up with their carefully selected tunes.  
 
Next up is UK based Hannah Wants. Notorious for her hard hitting and unique live-shows, self-taught DJ, Hannah Wants will be dropping bass heavy bangers from behind the main stages’ decks. Hannah’s sets feature an extensive, genre-crossing music collection combined with raw talent, creativity and an impressive ability to read the crowd. 
 
Also just added to the huge 2015 line up are renegade futuristic skankers the Dub Pistols who have been adding a much needed rock & roll swagger to the UK dance scene for years. Their full live shows have a tendency of tearing the roof off and more often than not they bring a few ‘friends’ along for the ride..not to be missed! 
 
Then we have UK institution Mike Skinner. Bringing his unique style and intelligent lyricism to the main stage – the rapper/dj/producer will be dropping a set filled with classics, new material and his unmistakeable blend of UK garage, grime, hip hop and d’n’b. 
 
Rodney ‘Roots Maunva’ Smith will also be exploding onto the stage with his unique dub and ragga influenced hip hop sound. With recent performances including full live bands and a string of collaborators from across the globe – we are excited to see what Roots  Manuva brings to this year’s NASS

NASS Festival Review – Saturday 2014

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Saturday

As the sweltering heat filled the whole of the site, everyone was eager to get into the showers which were scattered throughout the site,  which one festival goer seemed especially happy when walking out of one of the blocks and seeing the hairdryer and straighteners stall situated next to it as she excitedly told all of her peers.

With most acts not starting until late, the first band to play that caught peoples eye was Slaves on ‘The Slammer’ stage. With the two piece Royal Blood alike band, glided onto the stage with pride and with one in an interesting outfit, which resembled pyjamas. With the festival predominantly being an EDM/Dubstep festival, the Rock bands weren’t receiving a great reception, as there was a crowd of possibly 40 people in the tent, if that. However, this didn’t stump their performance as the quirky duo still entertained the crowd with their questioning of what NASS means, which lead onto ‘Nescafart’ and ‘Farty coffees’ which pleased the crowd as a few chuckles spread here and there. Should the crowd of been larger, then the atmosphere would have been incredible, as they carried out a performance to the greatest of their potential, despite receiving little from the minute crowd there.

Sonic Boom Six played The Slammer next, and with the gum-chewing female vocalist bouncing onto the stage in a bra-let and patterned leggings. As the crowd was filling up about a third of the tent, it was a shock to still see people joining the band in there as it wasn’t expected. The energetic front woman was punching the air between her outstanding vocals which formed excellent harmonies with the male vocalist of the band. An excellent set from an extremely underestimated band.

Despite the glorious weather earlier on in the day, once it hit 6pm the rain was flooding down, causing the outdoor skateboarding qualifiers to be postponed until Sunday.

As the rain was still coming down a little bit, The Bronx came on to the Main Stage, with a decently sized crowd welcoming them. Despite not entirely fitting into the line-up, it didn’t mean that they didn’t give it their all, even with bassist troubles at the beginning of their set. With an extremely energetic photographer almost egging on the crowd who could see him, the band was excellently received as there didn’t seem to be one person who didn’t enjoy it!

Cypress Hill received an overwhelming response by the whole of the festival, with the Main Stage filling out causing the queue to get in being over an hour long and ultimately being closed off. With the act definitely being lower down on the line-up as they should have been, they created an insane atmosphere throughout the whole of the crowd. The crowd joined in with the chant of “if I say Cypress you say Hill” to an extraordinary volume which overpowered the backing track.

Funeral For A Friend received a full crowd for their headlining set in The Slammer as everyone headed over to see them due to the queue to see Cypress Hill and the rain. An unfortunate reason to have a crowd, but nonetheless, they still welcomed everyone there and potentially gained some new fans outside of their genre. At the start of the set Frontman matt Davies-Kreyes vocals seemed to be weak, however as the crowd grew and the set went on, his vocals dramatically improved. The thankful frontman threw out a speech thanking the crowd for spending time with “the granddads of the emo movement” rather than Cypress Hill, to which a failed crowd surf followed. The alcohol fuelled mosh and circle pits were continuous throughout the whole set, which unfortunately, included crowd killing as well. However, although everyone was out of their face, it didn’t stop everyone looking after each other if someone fell on the floor, which unfortunately did include myself as a result of a group of guys crowd killing, yet six people helped me to get back up, which restored the faith of everyone in the crowd. With the frontman asking everyone to sing because “I’ve got a fucking stitch”, everyone seemed more than happy to help. Interestingly and absolutely brilliantly, at the end of their last song, a 50+ woman who had been moshing all night, jumped the barrier and joined the band on stage before being escorted off by the security that had jolted to remove her from the stage.

Review by Kelly Maxwell

NASS Festival Review – Friday 2014

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NASS Festival features the most up and coming DJs, skateboarders and Rock bands over the three day weekend at the Bath & West Showground. With Headliners of the Main Stage including Let’s Be Friends, Mistajam and Wilkinson, the crowds were indefinitely going to be filled with drug fuelled party goers who seemed to be pretty closed minded about the other stages there, for example ‘The Slammer’ which was sponsored by Kerrang!.

Friday

Upon arrival on Friday, the overall festival vibe was clear to all. Everyone just wanted to have as much fun as possible, whilst listening to a few of their favourite DJs.

With the festival still filling up at 10pm on the Friday, more chanting and Hip-Hop was filling the campsites as everyone was eager to pitch their tent so that they could start their weekend.

As you walked into the Main Stage Warehouse for Andy C, there was no questioning what the crowd would be like during the set as they welcomed Andy C on stage.  They were chanting his name religiously. The light show fuelled the energetic crowd who were ‘skanking’ vigorously to the drops in the songs. The multi-coloured lightshow fuelled the crowd as it was partially on them, which was more than the MC did as there was no crowd interaction.

With Let’s Be Friends headlining the main stage with their remixes, it was very difficult not to sing along as they kicked off the set with a Swedish House Mafia remix, enticing the half full crowd to sing along and move closer to one another and the front of the warehouse. Shouting “Let me hear you say Hey!” to the crowd, it instantly was clear why they were headlining as the crowd’s reaction to any interaction between them and the act was phenomenal. Dizzee Rascals ‘Bonkers’ seemed to be a huge crowd pleaser as “Put your fucking hands up” was screamed through the microphone as the crowd started to jump up and down moving forward to let the ever growing crowd to join in. The crowd was incredibly dependant on the light show and the songs that were on. As if the original was popular in the charts, then the more that the crowd would enjoy it and dance along too. Thanking the crowd for being there came towards the end as “This is a raving start to the summer, and it’s all thanks to you guys” was spoken the most calmly out of the whole set to which the crowd cheered at an incredibly high level as they clearly had a lot of love and respect for the act.

Overall, the few hours that music was on during the Friday, the atmosphere was ever growing, as was the manic crowd. There was a lot to be expected of the music and sport filled Saturday…

Review by Kelly Maxwell

NASS 2014 lineup complete!

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NASS will once again present a phenomenal music feast with some of the sickest names in the music industry on the billing – from Cypress Hill, Netsky and Andy C to Reel Big Fish, The Bronx and Funeral for a Friend. 

With so many more acts confirmed this is already one of the most anticipated stage line-ups in NASS history but the insane music offering doesn’t stop there with American rapper DJ Proof, grime heavyweight Isaiah Dreads, DJ Jonezy, Astroid Boys and Magnus Puto now additionally locked in to play Main Stage. 

For those who like it loud, drum & bass and dubstep heavy hitters Harry Shotta, Mampi Swift & Carasel, Sinprint & Crisis, Maxxi P, Premise, Catalyst, Tuskan, Techture ft J Man, Deeper Connection, NuEra, ReDefeat & Grudge, Dosage and Ben Remember b2b Rektchordz will be bringing some serious beats to NASS 2014, but that’s not all…

With the Rock Stage back with with a bang, 2014 sees some massive rock, punk, ska and alternative acts taking to the stage including Gallows, Trash Talk, Cerebral Ballzy, Blitz Kids, Sonic Boom Six and Decade to name a few. Joining these loud and lively acts will be The Hell, Slaves, Brawlers, Only Rivals, Boy Jumps Ship and Remember December for one hell of a lively weekend. 

If this wasn’t enough, underground collective SIKA STUDIOS will be bringing the cream of their UK grime, hip-hop and grubstep DJs, acts and MCs to the Showground with the likes of Gardna, Dirty Dockerz, Influx, Subzee, Smalls Deep, Dj Shottie featuring MC Kuedon, Flash Harry, Babylon Destruction Unit and many more gracing NASS with their presence. Hailing from Bristol, the Sika Studios collective is a big favourite with the NASS crowd and this year won’t prove any different. 

NASS 2014 Day by Day lineup details

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It’s 3 months to go until NASS, the biggest action sports and music festival in the UK, lands in Shepton Mallet. With some of the leading names and hottest upcoming talent in the music and action sports industry already confirmed, the 2014 is shaping up to be the biggest in the history of NASS.

With so many hip hop, drum & bass, dubstep, rock and alternative heavyweights in the line up it could take some serious planning to catch every act you want to see. Luckily for you, NASS has just released a day-by-day breakdown of the line up so far…

Friday: Netsky Live and ‘The Executioner’ Andy C, plus Friction & Friends ft P Money, Crissy Criss, Linguistics and special guest, Let’s Be Friends and Monki.

Saturday: Cypress Hill, MistaJam, Funeral for a Friend, The Bronx, Krept & Konan, TC, Fred V & Graffix & MC Felon, Black Sun Empire & Codebreaker MC, Nicky Blackmarket, Rockwell, Trash Talk and Sonic Boom Six.

Sunday: Noisia, Wilkinson, Reel Big Fish, Gallows, Hannah Wants, DJ EZ, Roska, Dismantle,Cerebral Ballzy, Random Hand, Blitz Kids, Decade and Verses,

 

Massive Drum & Bass additions for NASS 2014

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Sports and music festival spectacular NASS returns in 2014 and adds some of the worlds top Drum & Bass acts to a lineup that already includes Cypress Hill, Netsky and more!
 
In the world of electronic music there are few bigger names than 'The Executioner' Andy C.  Pioneer in drum and bass and one of the greatest DJs ever to touch a turntable, the Ram Records founder needs little introduction. A true NASS veteran, Andy C has blown the minds of thousands of NASS fans in previous years and 2014 will be no different with the music mogul bringing some serious drum & bass flavour to the party. 
 
 
After last years killer performance, seasoned NASS fans will be pumped to also see the return of 1Xtra's resident DnB maestro Crissy Criss. The youngest DJ to date to broadcast nationally on BBC Radio One, Crissy Criss will no doubt deliver an outrageous and energetic drum and bass mix. 
 
Alternative lovers fear not as there is plenty of rock, punk and indie on the NASS menu with Funeral For A Friend, Decade, Random Hand and Reel Big Fish already announced for the 2014 line up. Joining these deafeningly loud and lively acts with massive riffs, crazy moshing and manic dancing will be: the Gallows, with their punk rock fury and aggressive sound; British rock band Blitz Kids, who promise one hell of a lively gig and hailing from LA and hardcore punk band The Bronx, a group that consistently pushes the boundaries. All playing the festival for the very first time, these acts, PLUS 80's hardcore and punk rock band Cerebral Ballzy, thrashing quartet Trash Talk, American indie rock band Versus and many more will be taking to the Rock Stage, absent for the last year but back with force for this July!
 
Additionally new to the NASS line up is five-piece Manchester band Sonic Boom Six whose electric mashup of ska, pop, grime, dubstep and metal sound, frantic live shows and love of good times will be right at home at the showground. 
 
Music aside, NASS will once again present the cream of action sports competitions with a host of international skate and BMX athletes going head to head on the industry's biggest and best pro course park. Look out for Logan Martin (NASS '13 BMX champ), Greg Illingworth, Matt Priest, Tom Justice and more on the BMX circuit and battling it out for the £12.5K skate purse are Danny Leon (NASS '13 skate champ), Dannie Carlsen, Ben Grove, Denis Lynn with more confirmed and more to come! 

NASS announce more acts for the 2014 lineup

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With Cypress Hill, Netsky Live, Noisia, Reel Big Fish and Mistajam just a few of those already on the menu, NASS 2014 is set up to be one insanely immense weekend.

But the line up doesn’t stop there as joining this already star-studded line up are Monki, Wilkinson, Funeral For a Friend, Lets be Friends, Borgore and Fred V & Grafix & MC Felon to name a few. 

Celebrated underground tastemaker and Radio 1 girl of the moment Monki will hit NASS fans with a bagful of big hitters from grime and drum & bass to dubstep. At the top of her game this chief DJ will no doubt have the crowd pumped when she steps up to the decks.

Musical genius Wilkinson will also be taking to the NASS stage to whip the crowd into a drum & bass frenzy. On unstoppable form since the release of Need To Know at the beginning of 2013 Wilkinson has since smashed charts with the biggest D&B breakthrough tune of the year Afterglow cementing him as one of the hottest D&B producers and new electronic artists in the UK.

With something for everyone, rock lovers will not be disappointed with Funeral For a Friend confirmed to take to the NASS stage. Hailing from Wales and with over 12 years on the scene under their belts, this band will give the NASS crowd a mix of hardcore and energetic punk songs to be remembered. 

The line up doesn’t stop there… in just 12 months, Lets Be Friends have managed to capture the imaginations of fans and influencers worldwide and have gone from unknowns to playing the main stage midnight set for Global Gathering NYE and this year NASS! 
Set to unleash a slew of new music and crazy remixes that’ll reinforce their position as heavyweight producers of their own brand ‘full flavor dance music’.

Hailed for thinking outside the box, Borgore continues to push the boundaries of dubstep, electronic music, metal and everything in between. A worldwide headliner, Borgore's bass-in-your-face frenzy performance complete with crowd surfing, mosh pits and crazy stage presence ticks all the boxes for NASS. 

Fledgling stars Fred Vahrman and Josh Jackson a.k.a Fred V & Grafix will also be returning to NASS 2014 for one hell of an energetic set. Signed to Hospital at the end of 2011 the two have been making huge waves ever since producing an abundance of epic musical drum & bass gems and this March 17th sees the release of their debut album Recognise giving NASS fans a glimpse of what’s in-store for their massive July set.

Also joining these epic acts for NASS 2014 are Friction & Friends ft P Money & Lingustics, Roska, Rockwell, Dismantle, Random Hand and Decade. 

With such a phenomenal music feast on offer there wont be a dull moment at the Bath & West Showground this July.

Music aside, NASS will once again present the cream of action sports competitions with international skate and BMX athletes going head to head on the industry’s biggest and best course.  

BMXers confirmed so far include Logan Martin (NASS '13 BMX champ), Greg Illingworth, Matt Priest, Tom Justice, Luke Padgett and Todd Meyn to mention just a few of the biggest names on the International BMX circuit that have signed up to take on the UKs biggest comp – the NASS Pro.

Battling it out for the £12.5K prize purse for skate are Danny Leon (NASS '13 skate champ), Dannie Carlsen, Ben Grove, Denis Lynn, Josh Young and Kelvin Hoefler. After the supreme tricks and runs witnessed at the 2013 event, the bar is set high for those thrashing it out for the 2014 win and money.

Cypress Hill to headline NASS 2014

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CYPRESS HILL! That's right!!! We've got the CYPRESS HILL taking on the Main Stage at NASS. It's their ONLY show in the UK in 2014, so if you want to see the gods of hip hop performing live, better buy your tickets now and get your asses down to the Showground in July. KEEEEEN!

You're insane in the brain if you thought for a second we'd miss out some D+B big dogs in the first announcement, NETSKY LIVE – with his entire live band – and NOISIA are both in.

We've also got… MISTAJAM, KREPT & KONAN, DJ EZ, BLACK SUN EMPIRE, TC, HANNAH WANTS, MY NU LENG and NICKY BLACKMARKET confirmed!

That's just the first announcement for NASS 2014, and there's a ton more on the way.