Standon Calling

The Horrors and more added to Standon Calling 2015 lineup

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Today the festival invites even more names to the party including pioneering shoegazers The Horrors. With four acclaimed albums under their belts, the UK band are set to take festival-goers on a journey into blissful psychedelia with their unique sound when they take to the main stage this August. 

In keeping with the birthday celebrations, Will & The People will no doubt have Standon Calling revellers in the party spirit with their raucous mix of reggae, ska and rock. The self-funded Brighton four-piece have become somewhat of a phenomena after selling out headline tours in Europe, playing four continents and releasing three albums. Renowned for their high energy live shows, The Cuban Brothersjoin in on the celebrations over the weekend for plenty of musical numbers, breakdancing and tongue in cheek hilarity.

This year Standon Calling's own famous nightclub, The Cowshed, will be taken over each night by a different host for three very different parties. Outrageous polysexual club crew Sink The Pink invite all to lose their inhibitions with their brand new dirty disco party Savage, Bondax bring the sounds of the summer with woozy R&B-tinged house and Gilles Peterson & Patrick Forge haul their massive record collections into The Cowshed to present the legendary jazz, funk and dance sounds of the original Dingwalls Sunday Sessions, established in 1987.

Perched on the lawn next to the festival's own swimming pool is The Last Dance Saloon, where BBC Introducing are set to champion new music with upcoming local acts, while independent record labelsLoose Music and Bella Union will be showcasing their own talent across the weekend. Acts for The Last Dance Saloon to be announced very soon.

Other highlights from today's additions include one of Q Magazine's “ten DJs to see before you die” DJ Yoda, Swedish/Gambian songstress Seinabo Sey and Scottish synth poppers Prides, who closed last year's Commonwealth Games.

Alongside the music, Standon Calling has revealed a myriad of activities and entertainment on offer across the site in keeping with its new theme 'A Town of Two Faces'. Inspired by the Wild West with a twist, one can brave a visit to Dr. Leech’s Wellness Center & Funeral Parlour to take A Beginners Class in Taxidermy and learn how to survive a standoff with a rattlesnake, get up close and personal with animals from the West at Wild Wyatt's Traveling Menagerie, or try their hand at Death Drawing with Art Macabre. Festival-goers can gather in The Town Square and get their dancing shoes on at The Dance Off’s Hillbilly Hoedown or take centre stage with the ever-popular Rockaoke. At The Church Fate join Legs Akimbo who will be delivering the kind of service you won't want to miss. Plus, fresh from their smash-hit V&A show, boundary-pushing art collective The Treatment Rooms return to Standon to offer revellers the chance to mosaic their own tombstone and take The Ride of Your Life in the Voodoo Taxi Wagon. The wonderful Salon London will also return to The Last Dance Saloon to host a selection of inspiring and surprising interactive talks and classes on the subject of Dark Matters and Bright Ideas.

Little Dragon, The Dandy Warhols and more added to Standon Calling 2015 lineup

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Pop outsiders Little Dragon have never been afraid to push the envelope with a slew of sensational albums under their belts, each as unique as the rest. The band's third album Ritual Union skyrocketed them into critical acclaim, yet they've kept their heads and still continue to deliver intriguing and unpredictable music as well as an electrifying live performance that will be seen at this year's Standon Calling. The Dandy Warhols are certainly no strangers to live shows, having celebrated their 20th anniversary last year and toured with the likes of David Bowie, Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones. Standon Calling are proud to announce the Portland band will perform their only live show at this year's tenth birthday and will be an absolute must see over as they wow crowds with their favourite tracks from their eight album back catalogue along with brand new material.

Standon Calling is renowned for its eclectic musical line-up and 2015 will be no different. Roots Manuva brings UK Hip Hop and roots to the festival, house and disco comes courtesy of New Yorker Andy Butler and his ever changing Hercules & Love Affair, while Nottingham's own Saint Raymond brings a helping of folk rock. Supporting rising stars, Standon welcomes BRIT winner and Rudimental collaborator Ella Eyre, BBC Sound of 2015 rock duo Slaves, dreamy electronic dance trio Real Lies, hotly tipped soulful crooner Kwabs, Liverpool trio All We Are and more.

Basement Jaxx set for Standon Calling

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After two sell-out years Standon Calling returns for a tenth birthday celebration like no other. One of the most intimate festivals of the summer, Standon has always punched above its weight by securing the biggest acts around and 2015 will be no different. Fresh from their recent Grammy nomination for Never Never, electronic music heavyweights Basement Jaxx are the first act to be revealed for the festival. Known for their incredible live performances and hot off their recent tour, Grammy Award nomination and Guardian citing as at the 'live peak of their career’, the spectacular show featuring costume changes and incredible dancers will close Standon Calling in true style on the Sunday evening.

Speaking about today's announcement Felix of Basement Jaxx said: "It's great to end the year with a Grammy nomination and our tour finale at the O2 in London. Looking forward to 2015, we're excited to announce a headline slot at the brilliant Standon Calling festival on Sunday August 2nd".

Standon Calling will celebrate its 10th birthday in 2015. What started as a birthday BBQ and DJs with a handful of friends has become the perfect summer escape for festival-goers, offering renowned and upcoming acts, art, comedy, fancy dress and of course its own heated outdoor swimming pool. Next year will see an innovative new day-to-night programme that will see the festival embrace its dual persona of packed out fun for all by day and then more mischievous side as a myriad of hedonistic surprises are unveiled for when the sun goes down. 

A very small number of early bird tickets tickets are available at £97 and tier 1 tickets for Standon Calling 2015 are expected to go on sale any day from £117 from www.standon-calling.com with discounts available for group bookings.

Standon Calling Review 2014

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Standon Calling – The Best Bits

1. THE MUSIC 

This small festival situated in Hertfordshire had a line-up rivaling that of larger festivals. Running from the 1st – 3rd of August, Standon Calling offered music to suit all ages and tastes. Headliners Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Public Enemy and Maximo Park ensured evening on the main stage ended on a high. Other highlights included Beans On Toast’s performance amongst the crowd, Amber Run inviting members of the audience dressed as a Taco and Paddington Bear to join them during their set and Charli XCX igniting the Big Top with her latest single ‘Boom Clap’. Other standout performances came from Clean Bandit, The Cuban Brothers, Grandmaster Flash and personal favourite Saint Raymond. Unfortunately the highly anticipated Ella Eyre could not attend due to illness. 

 

2. DOGS

Its the first time I’ve been to a festival where dogs are allowed in, its literally the best thing ever. I made some lovely canine friends and owners, who are surprisingly happy to have a million people a day ask to stroke their dog! There was even a dog show which drew in a massive crowd including categories; Best Trick, Waggiest Tail and Owner most like their Dog. Attractions like this are what separates this festival from others and provided light entertainment on Sunday afternoon. Amidst the chaos in the ring, Nigel was the standout dog. 

3. THEME

‘Lost in Latin America’ was this years theme. The attention to detail across the festival blew me away; there was not a single area that hadn’t been decorated, even behind the bar the theme continued. The cowsheds which held the afterpartys had hidden rooms, which had been fantastically decorated, including a Day of the Dead shrine.

4. JOSE CUERVO

Standon Calling offered a brilliant selection of stalls across the festival. The ‘Jose Cuervo’ bar ran margarita making competitions over the 3 days, giving partakers the chance to win a £500 bar tab for making the quickest drink. I gave it ago on Sunday, and managed it in 19 seconds, I was the current champion, only to return in half an hour to see someone had smashed my time and completed the challenge in 13 seconds! Absolutely gutted, but it was so much fun and it attracted a crowd full of competitive spirit! (You also got to keep the drink you made, bonus!)

5. SWIMMING POOL

What more could you ask for? The swimming pool is something that definitely stands out at Standon Calling; they are the only UK festival offering this experience! Suitable for children and adults alike, music by poolside DJ’s provided a relaxing retreat from the bustling crowds. 

6. FOOD

Standon Calling also offered a great selection of food, excellently priced. Barnaby Sykes – Pie Maker was a personal highlight, selling pie, chips, gravy, peas and a drink for £9, satisfying you for the entire day. The pulled pork burrito by Luardos was also delicious and worth the long queue. 

7. FANCY DRESS

The theme provided excellent inspiration for fancy dressers, there really was a top notch effort by all, everyone looked amazing and it added to the atmosphere of the weekend. Costumes ranged from Sally the Llama to bottles of tequila. There was a fancy dress competition for both adults and children on the main stage, with the winners chosen by the crowd. 

8. ENTERTAINMENT

During breaks in the music, there was always something else on offer to keep you entertained. Mexican wrestling was very unexpected but so entertaining, with the wrestlers taking on different characters within the ring giving the crowd someone to cheer or boo. Trapeze lessons were also available, for either £8 for a solo swing, or £35 to swing and be caught by a professional. Crowds watched below as the festival goers took the leap of faith!

Festival goers were able to buy tickets for 2015 at a hugely discounted price, and although this offer has now ended, I would definitely pay full price to return next year, it has been a highlight of my summer. 

Photos by Mickey Cole 

King Charles, Ibibio Sound Machine and more added to Standon Calling lineup

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Standon Calling today reveals additions not just to the live line-up but also the DJ offering for 2014’s festival, 1st – 3rd August in Hertfordshire. Regular and fan-favourite King Charles will be present yet again on stage, whilst the eclectically-eared Giles Peterson takes to the decks.

Newcomers Ibibio Sound Machine will bring a heady cocktail to Standon Calling’s live stage, infusing West-African funk and disco with modern post-punk and electro, a no doubt intoxicating affair. In contrast Fat White Family promise a raucous and often provocative rock n’ roll as one might expect from six young squatters of South London.
 
Across Standon Calling’s Big Top and Cowshead stages DJs including electro pioneer Felix Da Housecat lead the charge into the twilight hours. Disco / re-edit scene favourite Greg Wilson, alumni of The Hacienda will also be heading to Hertfordshire as will hip hop turntablist and scratch master, DJ Yoda. From 80s warehouse parties to modern-day DJ royalty the next name cued up for the festival will be none other than Norman Jay MBE. Jay is a renowned house music DJ whose crate confidently veers into many sounds including jazz-funk and soul.

Back on the live stages and also returning to the festival is post-rock outfit Revere, boasting their own string section. East London might be lacking in coalmines but thanks to Hackney Colliery Band it does have a vibrant funk, hip-hop and high-octane rock inspired brass band. The group performed at the London 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony so should have little trouble rousing the boutique-sized party that is Standon Calling. Long-standing poetic rock trio The Wave Pictures are next up alongside alternative quartet Flyte. Ska-punk will be on offer in the form of Imperial Leisure and N-A-I-V-E-S are set to serve up anglo/french electro-pop sounds. Last but by no means least for the live side of Standon Calling are locals Maddox.
 
For night owls the festival’s dance music line-up expands further with the Lana-Del-Ray-remixing Asadinho, alternative urban heavyweight DJ Format and duo Heavy Hz, formed of playlister.fm’s Dan Lywood and Ben Bridgewater.

Public Enemy to headline Standon Calling

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Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Public Enemy have seen over 20 years in the music business including hits such as ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’ and ‘Fight The Power’. Members Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Khari Wynn, DJ Lord and Professor Griff will  bring  the  beats  of  Long  Island,  New  York  to  Hertfordshire  for  Standon Calling this summer. A similarly pioneering figure of hip-hop and fellow member of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame also confirmed for the festival is Grandmaster Flash. Internationally acclaimed live dance act Shapeshifters are set to take to the stage, they may be a long way from their New Zealand home but are sure to receive a rapturous welcome. 

East India Youth aka William Doyle counts Brian Eno amongst his fans, and now Standon Calling is in for a treat with his heady mix of Krautrock and ambient electronic sounds. Further hip-hop will be on offer courtesy of Young Fathers, their alternative take on the genre has received support from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne, NME and Drowned In Sound. A twin sister musical duo hailing from both Australia and Sweden, Say Lou Lou achieved a place of the BBC Sound of 2014 poll and are now the perfect ‘dream pop’ addition to the festival’s line-up.  

Elsewhere Standon Calling has bagged alternative-pop courtesy of Eliza & The Bear and duoThumpers. Indie from Norwegians Team Me, plus rock n’ roll from Domino records signing The Bohicas completes the additions for the second announcement. 

Standon Calling announce headliners Maximo Park & Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls

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Newcastle’s indie rock five-piece Maximo Park have recently scored themselves a third Top 10 album with ‘Too Much Information’. Whilst summer may seem pretty far away their headline set at Standon Calling will be a chance to celebrate the band’s continuing success.

In an opening-night headline set, Frank Turner and his band, The Sleeping Souls’ appearance at Standon Calling will be intimate compared to his recent 20,000 capacity sell out shows at London’s o2 Arena. Turner’s often politically charged songs are renowned for bringing together rousing crowds in mass sing-a-longs perfect for festivals.
 
The festivals third headliner will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
Elsewhere on the line-up Clean Bandit, riding high on their recent number one single ‘Rather Be’, will bring their electronic sounds to Standon Calling. Local girl Charli XCX is in for a home turf gig when the Hertfordshire-born singer appears at the festival. A feature on many 2014 ‘ones to watch lists’, Ella Eyre makes for another feisty, femme-pop addition to Standon Calling’s musical offering.
 
The more indie-centric side of the festival features blues-tinged sounds from The Heavy, the British neo-soul group have made a splash on both sides of the Atlantic and call legendary independent label Ninja Tune home. Also confirmed are Birmingham scene stars Peace, a return to the festival for TOY and a set from folk-tinged outfit Leisure Society. So far the best on-theme act for 2014, The Cuban Brothers will be on hand, channeling the musical spirit of Havana. Bristolian synth-pop five-piece The Other Tribe join the line-up complete with a Pete Tong seal of approval and also to take to the stage will be indie singer-songwriter Saint Raymond.
 
Standon Calling’s theme for 2014 is ‘Lost in Latin America’. Revolutionaries, Aztec ruins, Amazonian rainforests and more will be woven into the look and feel of the festival culminating including a Saturday carnival, as ever, with prizes being award to the best costumes.

Standon Calling 2014 Super Earlybird Tickets on sale now!

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A 5000-strong crowd enjoyed Standon Calling’s first ever sell out event over the weekend of 2nd – 4th August 2013 in Hertfordshire. To celebrate the success Super Early Bird tickets to 2014’s festival are now on sale at only £85 for an adult/youth weekend pass via the Standon Calling website.
 
The festival’s most successful year to date saw performances across the spectrums of pop, indie, dance and hip-hop. Headliners Digitalism, Band Of Skulls and the legendary De La Soul crowned the mainstage, whilst the Big Top saw bill-topping turns from The Joy Formidable, DJ Yoda & Trans-Siberian Marching Band and AlunaGeorge. Elsewhere fans gathered for chart-toppers Bastille and the up-and-coming trio London Grammar. Night owls who flocked to the ‘Cowshed’ and Big Top stages in the small hours were in the safe hands of Nina Kraviz, Simian Mobile Disco, Gilles Peterson and many more.
 
Standon Calling
 
Elsewhere Gorilla Circus’ trapeze school ran sold out classes for hundreds on their outdoor rig and 30 people became part of the show themselves in Standon Calling People’s Circus.
 
2013 saw the first implementation of RFID wristbands and a completely cash free site. Speeding up bar service and improving safety for all the system was fault free throughout the weekend and used, without major issue, by all festival-goers over the weekend. Standon Calling’s RFID system was installed and managed by Glownet.
 
Those wishing to sign up early for next year’s event, taking place 1st – 3rd August 2014, can now do so at Super Early Bird price. For a very limited time tickets will be £85 for an adult/youth weekend pass (12+ years) and £10 for a child weekend pass (4-12 years), infants (0-3 years) will remain free when accompanied by an adult weekend ticket holder.
 
Festival Founder Alex Trenchard said of this year’s event:
 
"Standon Calling 2013 was a huge success and the first time we've ever sold out the festival. We've received amazing feedback from festival-goers and a lot of enquiries from people asking when they can secure their 2014 tickets, so we've put them on sale earlier than planned. I want to thank everyone who made this year's festival what it was: the artists, production and art crews, local residents for their support as well as the security and Herts police who did a great job of getting the balance right to ensure that the festival went off with only two minor incidents."

Standon Calling 2013 – Sunday Review

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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 Club, Chloe Howl, London 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