Oh Wonder

Bestival unveils even more acts for The Future!

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As Bestival’s luminous dream world draws ever nearer, we have news of a host of amazing new live acts and DJs who will be dropping future sounds among the cosmic campfires, mindful escapism, intergalactic raves and Mexican wrestling when Bestival heads into The Future this coming 8-11 September at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight.  

Rob da Bank says: “As ever we aim to please at Bestival and cover all bases at our insane island party. So let’s head into The Future with one of my favourite electronic acts ever Leftfield, a-song-a-month sensation Oh Wonder and newbies Honne and Anne-Marie, plus jungle and house legend DJ Zinc and hardcore heroes Slipmatt, Billy Daniel Bunter and Altern-8!”

They’re one of the biggest and best live dance music acts ever, so we’re over the moon to announce that Leftfield will be tearing up the Big Top on Saturday night. Famed for their speaker smashing bass, and a truckload of anthems from Phat Planet and Release the Pressure to Swords and Universal Everything, they never fail to give the dancefloor a proper spanking. You don’t want to miss this one.

But that’s not all as we’ll have breathy synth duo Oh Wonder, electronic soul from Honne, Rudimental collaborator and winner of MTV’s Brand New list Anne-Marie, hotly tipped rapper Tiggs da Author. acoustic trance from The ShowHawk Duo, and post punk three-piece and Robert Smith faves The Twilight Sad.

There will be even more live music from London Music Awards’ Rising Star Espa, widescreen indie types New Desert Blues, Sunday Best’s own Alice Jemima and Xylaroo, high octane rhymesters Too Many T’s, and the incredible winner of our Isle of Wight bands competition Lauran Hibberd. 

Joining our future perfect fun on the ones and twos we have a host of forward-thinking crate diggers who’ll keep you dancing all night long including super sharp shooter DJ Zinc, the World of Rave & Music Mondays crew with History of Rave action from DJ Slipmatt going b2b with Billy Daniel Bunter and a DJ set from Altern-8, plus grime selector Sir Spyro, Radio 1’s Clara Amfo, freestyle femme fatale Amy Becker and woozy, psychedelic wunderkind Roosevelt.

We’ll also have pleasingly repetitive beats from Junk: Not Your Thing featuring Luca Pilato & Jordan Mckinlay, Bestival FM co-host and all round party phenomenon Goldierocks hosting the main stage, and dancefloor devastation from Ghettospheric, K2rah, Dr DJ, Joe Roberts Presents Ecstasy Garage Disco, Suspiciously Delicious, Bitr8 and Isle of Wight DJ competition winner Just Eden. 

Plus, there will be energetic pursuits from the amazing Reggaerobics who will be helping us blow away the cobwebs with some stirring morning manoeuvres.

There are still plenty of treats to be revealed for our Future paradise, including our Sunday night main stage headliners and much more, so head to www.Bestival.net, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram / Tumblr

The Great Escape Brighton 2016 Review

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We all know how most UK festivals work- you show up, you camp somewhere, usually muddy and wet, you sneak a few bottles under your shirt/short/hat/combination and you head to the arena for some musical action. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive festival fan, but the Great Escape is a different kind of festival altogether. It’s almost completely focused on ‘new music’, and with that tagline comes a whole new era of ‘festival’ in general. Although it is a brilliant collection of new music, with everything from up-and-coming indie bands to an underground grime scene, whether it’s festival status is truly deserved, is debatable. You don’t have the same camaraderie as camping in a field and getting wasted with your friends, it’s a completely urban environment and I can imagine for a non-brighton dweller can be quite hard to navigate.

 

For those of you who are unaware of what the Great Escape is, it’s a four day extravaganza in which various venues around Brighton host gigs and events under the same umbrella.

I grew up in Brighton, and seeing the Great Escape flourish every year has been a real beauty to behold. It puts the city in a good mood, there are loads of artists wandering around, I get to go to venues I’ve never been to before or wouldn’t go to without reason. It’s nice to promote new talent and isn’t massively overpriced for what it is. There’s a lot of nice little treats that come with your wristband, like a couple of free drinks at certain places or discounts on food and fringe events. It makes the city way more lively and you look at Brighton through rose tinted glasses, it brings a bucket load of atmosphere to my friendly city.

The long weekend itself was hectic, Some of the acts were unrefined, some were okay and some to be quite frank, some were pretty dreadful – with new music comes it’s fair share of risk – but when you get the one show that gives you the ‘I’m going to be able to brag about seeing these guys before they were famous’ feeling, it gives you goose bumps and an air of cockiness that lasts all evening, and that’s what GE is all about.

The festival is well known for its urban music vibes, with patterns showcasing Lady LeShurr in a packed out, madly energetic gig, however even with Stormzy playing a ‘spotlight show’ and music from Craig David’s new DJ act TS5, there was a very melancholic, Scandi-Pop, indie vibe to the majority of the festival, but that might be tailored to maybe the shows I happened to catch. A few favourites to call out were HER and SISKA, both French and both very different. The first was oozing sex all over the hope and ruin and had powerful vocals with highly sensual lyrics. The latter was a soulful, almost folky, bass filled vibe with some of the best vocals I heard all weekend.

Alongside all the lesser known artists, there were still some heavyweights pulling crowds to bigger venues, with Jake Bugg bringing the energy to Wagner Hall, which in itself is a masterpiece, even if a little hard to find. An amazing tucked away venue behind Saint Peters church- outdoors, fairy lights, and a cute little bar with a stage surrounded by foliage. It’s the type of place you had to stay at all day to see the one act you were actually interested in at 21:30. Mystery Jets also played a lively set, with a more prog-influenced feel than anything we’ve seen from them before at the Corn Exchange, a venue more central, capable of holding bigger crowds, and one of the best organised throughout the festival. The newly rejuvenated ‘Old Market’ also saw its fair share of action, with The Temper Trap playing a beautiful Amazon Live: Front Row gig, bringing a fresh lease of life to the venue.

 

 

Alongside the full blown Great Escape, is its rebellious little sibling that crops up all over the shop, The Alternative Escape. Although technically still a branch from the same tree, the Alternative Escape boasts something a little different, showcasing newer acts from specific labels and the Black Lion pub even hosting a few more learned events and East Street Tap remaining a hot spot for music and some definite refreshment throughout the evening.

It’s been over ten years since its humble beginnings in 2006, and although it’s continuing to bloom into a must-see of the summer, I do feel it needs to be slightly refined. They’ve got some great ideas and concepts, but the venues need to be stronger, maybe a few more outdoors stages, a few more quirky events, and just that little bit extra on top of the music. The music is great, but when you hit a three hour lull in the middle of a saturday afternoon, I can imagine those of us not from Brighton would feel quite irritable, which is the last thing you want in a crowd. But I say this from the perspective of a mum wanting to see it’s baby do well. The focus is on the music and the bands, and that’s something that gives it an edge, which can be lacking from the larger, more mainstream festivals these days. Things are only going to get better, and I for one can’t wait till next year.

 

Jack Garrett, Oh Wonder and more lead Barn on the Farm lineup

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Award winning and acclaimed Barn on the Farm Festival returns to the Gloucestershire countryside with an unstoppable line-up for what is set to be the biggest year yet. Today BOTF announces headliners as Brits Critics' Choice Winner  Jack Garratt and alt-pop Oh Wonder, who will perform their first ever festival headline slot. They will be joined by electronic-soul duo, Honne, Irelands Choice Music Prize Winner for 'Song of the Year' Gavin James, BBC Radio 1's Future Festival headliner Rationale and BBC's Sound of 2016 longlist Frances and Billie Marten. Announcing over 25 artists BOTF continues to deliver a stellar collective of musicians and remains one of the UK’s most intimate and true independent music festivals.
 
Heavily renowned for a carefully tailored line-up and predicting future success, BOTF has pulled out all the stops. Two years in a row BOTF sees Brits Critic's Choice Winners headlining the main stage. In his third time playing the festival, Jack Garratt will set the Main Stage alight on Sunday night after his hotly anticipated album ‘Phase'. It’s already been an incredible year for Jack, who said, "I've been away a lot recently because I'm lucky enough to go and play shows around the world but I already know that headlining Barn on the Farm will be one of the most important shows I play this year. The crowd there is always so welcoming, I know it'll feel like coming home."
 
Achieving unbelievable dreams, writing duo Oh Wonder, who released a song a month in 2015, will headline the Saturday night. The London pair have just come back from a sell-out North American tour after releasing their impeccable self-titled first album. The duo mentioned, "We're so excited to headline this year's Barn On The Farm! We've watched this wonderful festival grow and can't wait to join the amazing list of bands from previous years."
 
BOTF's two Main Stage headliners will be joined by singer song-writer Gavin James, who will headline the Wooden Barn Stage on Saturday, and Communion's Frances, who will headline Sunday night. 
 
The announcement today also sees Coastal Love duo Honne, vocalist and producer Rationale and singer-songwriter, years beyond her age, Billie Marten.  Continually showcasing the best in up-and-coming music, BOTF also unveils firm festival favourite JP Cooper, Liverpool quartet Clean Cut Kid, plus the distinctive and soulful sounds of Zak Abel, who has previously been guest vocalist for Bondax and supported Kwabs.
 
Completing the first announcement are Samm Henshaw, Black Honey, Dagny, The Hunna, Martin Luke Brown, Isaac Gracie, Seramic, Will Joseph Cook, Mahalia, Jessarae, Etham, Tom Walker, Rhys Lewis, James TW, Pleasure Beach and The Tin Pigeons plus many more to come. 
 
With emerging music at the heart of the festival 2016 is set to be one of the most exciting years yet and will feature a new festival layout. Born in 2009 BOTF has seen  internationally renowned artists grace the barns including Ed Sheeran, James Bay, Ben Howard, Hozier, Bastille, George Ezra, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Wolf Alice, Matt Corby, Gabrielle Aplin, Benjamin Frances Leftwich and The Staves, to name only a few. Set in the perfect setting of the Gloucestershire countryside BOTF is the perfect festival for music lovers, full of supreme personal performances from the most exciting and up-coming artists to some of the best-established musicians.