the specials

Over 160 acts announced for Boomtown 2017

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Boomtown have just announced their first wave of acts for Chapter 9, showcasing the festival’s signature mix of expansive genres, with unique acts spearheading a vast roster of talent. Joining previously announced 2 Tone ska legends The Specials are; hip hop pioneers Cypress Hill, world infused London M.I.A., multi award winning Arrested Development, reggae superstar Toots and the Maytals, 90s legends Chaka Demus & Pliers, sounds from cult classic film with The Original Blues Brothers Band, folk-punk star Frank Turner, Bob Marley’s eldest son and founding member of the ‘Melody Makers’ Ziggy Marley and folk-rock act Newton Faulkner.

 

The 60,000 capacity Hampshire festival is the only fully immersive music and theatrical festival in the UK and have followed up their storyline trailer for 2017 by announcing over 160 artists spanning a huge variety of genres, including reggae, folk, jazz, world, dub, dancehall, ska, house, techno, garage and a whole lot more…

 

The world's biggest reggae stage, the Lion’s Den will again host some of the largest names in reggae, dancehall and hip hop. Long coveted ska legends The Specials lead the line up, alongside multi-platinum progenitors Cypress Hill, the unique sounds of M.I.A. blending world music with hip hop for an electrically conscious set. Returning to Boomtown for the first time since 2010 Toots & The Maytals will be bringing Jamaican spirit to the Lion’s Den stage and debut appearance by Ziggy Marley sees him following in the footsteps of many of his family members by making the Lion’s Den his home… Keeping things in the family with the Bonner Brothers, in the world of reggae music few families rival these brothers’ success featuring; Richie Spice, Spanner Banner, Snatcha Lion, Sheperd Bonner & Pliers, the latter of which will be bringing along his legendary sparring partner Chaka Demus! From stalwart legends to the new wave of roots reggae coming out of Jamaica, often referred to as 'the reggae revival' The Lion’s Den will be welcoming Raging Fyah, Jah9, Iba Mahr, Runkus alongside the scene's leading figure, Protoje.

 

"We've known about playing Boomtown for some time & it's been really difficult to keep it secret. Everybody has been saying 'it would be great if you played Boomtown' & all we could say is 'yeah'. Well, we are playing Boomtown …..YEAH!!!" The Specials

 

Moving on to the Town Centre stage, which pulls in genre leaders from across all the main stages into one melting-pot; Hampshire superstar, Frank Turner, will be back on home soil after his North American tour to rouse the audience with his anthemic folk-punk. Arrested Development’s alternative hip hop will again be welcomed back; there will be sunny Californian ska punk from Sublime with Rome, chest thumping gospel and uplifting sing along tunes from The Original Blues Brothers Band. Electronic dancehall infused metal band Skindred are set to whip the crowd into a frenzy, while Reel Big Fish will be throwing back some iconic ska-punk, along with the carefree, jam-centric good times from Slightly Stoopid, And lastly, but not least, one of the first ever bands to grace Boomtown’s Town Centre stage back in 2009, the much loved and admired The Wurzels will undoubtedly be a crowd pleaser among the Boomtown faithful.

 

One of the festival’s most visually stunning immersive street sets, The Wild West transports attendees back into a Western filled with saloons and cowboys, hosting some of the most internationally renowned folk and world at The Old Mines stage. Alabama 3 fuse country with house and spoken word, while Newton Faulkner’s percussive songwriting takes folk rock to a different level. Irish folk group Kíla leave spines tingling with seamless instrumentation and Congolese group Mbongwana Star bring Afro-house to the stage mixing percussion with bass.



Back for it’s second year, The Windmill, set in tranquil and exploratory Whistlers Green, harks back to the very first UK music festivals with a largely jazz line up consisting of some of the country's most respected new forward thinking jazz trailblazers such as: Mercury nominees GoGo Penguin, Portico Quartet, Soweto Kinch, and The Comet Is Coming; Mobo Winners Sons Of Kemet and the simply not to be missed all-female septet Nérija. And topping this soulful and thought provoking stage will be the dub poetry of Benjamin Zephaniah & the Revolutionary Minds.

 

The vibrant carnival district of Barrio Loco invites attendees to lose their inhibitions in a playground of festivity. Scene shapers Ben UFO & Mr Scruff & Joy Orbison will be playing an epic five and half hour collaborative set, in a one-off outing exclusive to Boomtown’s flagship house and techno venue Vamos. The celebration of dance culture doesn’t stop there and will also be welcoming founding father of Detroit techno Carl Craig, along with one of the UK’s greatest ever techno producers, who’s been crafting classic tracks for over two decades, Dave Clarke. As well as minimal house supplied by German duo Booka Shade performing live, and fellow German, Berlin based electro producer Boys Noize heading up the jam packed line-up which also includes the House Gospel Choir, Dusky, Monki, Solardo, and many more.

 

Over in Barrio Loco’s other main venue, Poco Loco, versatility and quality are the order of the day, with newcomer Loyle Carner’s ‘sensitive and eloquent’ hip hop with grime rapper A J Tracey providing a seamless flow over trap music. Other headliners include Chali 2na & Krafty Kuts, High Focus Records’; Ocean Wisdom and The Four Owls, plus more to be announced.

 

The awe inspiring Sector 6 stage will again be captivating the crowds with its stunning architecture and pyrotechnic displays alongside a fresh new soundtrack including; genre hopping bass loving Shy FX, Radio 1 resident Toddla T spreading feelgood carnival vibes, and Shogun Audio will be bringing the underground sounds of Bristol bass scene for a four hour takeover. More acts for Sector 6 still to be announced.

 

Newly upgraded multimedia hub of Bang Hai Tower, the festival’s biggest and most ambitious stage to date, will welcome dubstep originator, Rusko, self-formed and unequivocally adept garage supergroup TQD (Royal T, DJ Q & Flava D) going B2B with the formidable Bristolians My Nu Leng and Dread MC in a never before seen world exclusive and Exit Records will be hosting the cream of electronic music courtesy of the label takeover featuring D-Bridge, Skeptical, Alix Perez, Fracture and SP:MC. More acts to be announced.

 

This first headliners release covers just a few of the acts that can be found on eight of Boomtown’s 25 main stages. Full district announcements are still to come and will be released throughout February and March.

 

LINE UP SO FAR: (More to be released…)

 

Lion’s Den

Agent Sasco & Dub Akom Band / Big Youth & U-Roy / The Bonner Brothers (Richie Spice, Spanner Banner, Snatcha Lion, Sheperd Bonner feat. Chaka Demus + Pliers) / Cypress Hill / Earl Gateshead with Dawn Penn & Soom T / Gentleman’s Dub Club feat. Taiwan MC, Parly B & Eva Lazarus / Iba Mahr & Harar Band / Jah9 / Lutan Fyah / M.I.A. / Mr Vegas / Protoje / Raging Fyah / Runkus & The Old Skool Bond / Solo Banton & Horseman with The Upper Cut Band / The Specials / Stand High Patrol & Pupajim / Suns Of Dub feat. Randy Valentine / Stick Figure / Toots & The Maytals / Ziggy Marley

 

Town Centre

Arrested Development / Eskorzo / Frank Turner / Hepcat / Hoffmaestro / The Original Blues Brothers Band / Reel Big Fish / Sam & The Womp / The Showhawk Duo / Ska’N’Ska / Skindred / Slightly Stoopid / Smokey Joe & The Kid feat. Mystro / Sublime With Rome / Sugarhill Gang with Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio’s Furious 5 / Wax Tailor / The Wurzels

 

Old Mines

Alabama 3 / Beans On Toast / The Breath / Bukahara / Chris Wood / Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band / The Furrow Collective / Heymoonshaker / Kumbia Queers / Lakuta / Mad Dog Mcrea / Mbongwana Star / Newton Faulkner / Kila / Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band / The Showhawk Duo / 47 Soul

 

The Windmill

Benjamin Zephaniah & the Revolutionary Minds / Brinsley (Aswad) Forde MBE / The Comet Is Coming / Dub FX / GoGo Penguin / Jesse Royal / Nerija / Nomade Orquestra / Portico Quartet / Mike Love / SK Shlomo / Sons Of Kemet / Soweto Kinch / United Vibrations / Wrongtom meets The Ragga Twins

 

Old Town

Crash Nomada / Los Colorados / UFOSlavians

 

Rusty Spurs

Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind

 

Hidden Woods

Nattali Rize / Nice Up! Takeover / Reggae Roast ft Brother Culture / Randy Valentine

 

Psychedelic Forest

Astrix / Ace Ventura / Berg / GAUDI / Juno Reactor / Ott & The All-Seeing I

 

Devil Kicks Dancehall

The Dreadnoughts / King Prawn / Legendary Shack Shakers / Planet Smashers

 

Chinatown Courtyard

The Dualers

 

Poco Loco

AJ Tracey / Chali 2na & Krafty Kuts / Dea Players Vs Problem Child / Donae'O / Elf Kid / Loyle Carner / MC Taiwan / Ocean Wisdom / The Four Owls

 

Vamos

Ben UFO & Mr Scruff & Joy Orbison / Boddika / Booka Shade / Boys Noize / Carl Craig / Dave Clarke / Dusky / House Gospel Choir / Monki / Solardo

 

Bang Hai Tower

Black Sun Empire / Break / Exit Records Takeover / Kill Box / My Nu Leng B2B TQD / Optiv & BTK / Phace / Redlight / Rusko / S.P.Y / The Prototypes

 

Sector 6

Butterz takeover (Elijah & Skilliam, Swindle & DJ Champion & MC Serious) / DJ Luck & MC Neat / Heartless Crew / Holy Goof / Mefjus B2B Emperor / Shogun Audio Takeover / Shy FX / The Heatwave / Toddla T

 

Robotika

Aphrodite / Caspa / Deekline B2B Ed Solo / Dub Phizix & Strategy / Freestylers / Gutterfunk Takeover (Dj Die, Addison Groove, Dismantle), Loefah / Mampi Swift / Randall / Ray Keith / Schlachthofbronx / Star.One / Storm / Utah Saints

 

Nottingham Splendour Festival 2015 Highlights

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It was a scorcher at Splendour Festival 2015 with The Specials, The Twang and Lawson headlining the mainstage. In between acts we got the chance to have a chat with Georgie, Ferocious Dog, To Kill a King, and Lawson. Splendour has a reputation for showcasing Nottingham's best young talent and again this year it didn't disappoint, with up and coming acts from Nottingham, the Midlands, and around the UK. There was no lack of things to do with the day, with fair rides, stalls, samba and a circus, it catered for the whole family. Much to the disappointment of the festival goers, the ale ran out at 5pm, however they didn't let it dampen their spirits and still enjoyed the sun, music and entertainment.

We caught up with headliners Lawson backstage, with band member Joel Peat himself originally from Nottingham, he said he loves being back in his home town and with a familiar crowd. The sun wasn't quite enough for Lawson though, who were all feeling the chill despite what we thought was a happy 22 degrees. The boys had visited the circus and the beer tent and gave Nottingham a sneak preview of their brand new single 'Lions Den'. Lawson said they love playing to a Nottingham crowd and like lots of the other local bands are inspired by, and love playing at Nottingham's own rock city. During their Splendour set it was screaming girls galore with their typical pop-rock ensemble of songs to get the crowd going. 

Ferocious Dog, on the confetti stage, have a large following in Nottingham and when we caught up with them they said that it was great to be back since they first played two years ago. The guys are hoping to play on the mainstage within the next few years as they're becoming more popular. Ferocious Dog are building up their fanbase and have played two sold out gigs at Rescue Rooms, and got to play at Nottingham's infamous Rock City which they described as 'the dream', having spent the eighties and nineties watching bands there. 

To Kill a King, have used Splendour to increase their exposure for the young band after making the main stage, being one of the first acts up, the crowd warmed to their British rock infused set. The boys have been really busy, travelling to Nottingham for Splendour follwing playing at Latitude festival the night before. They said that often festivals can be far less stressful than gigs as 'everyone's really intent on listening to what you're doing and that'll get really stressful, and you'll come to festival season and everyone's in a field, drunk, and you can basically just have a really good time with it'. Equally, the boys say they love gigging and explain that by the time festival season is over they think 'why is no one listening to me?!'. 

On the main stage Roots Manuva's set was perfectly timed with an outburst of sun much to the appreciation of the festival goers. Roots didn't disapoint with ska infused reggae to keep the crowd entertained and in the festival mood. James were recieved by one of the largest crowds of the night and the tracks 'Laid' and 'Sit Down' had to be among my personal highlights of the day, with the crowd of all ages joining in with the classics.

Local artist Indiana, tore up the mainstage with a cult Nottingham following, after being brought in to replace Jess Glyne. From her appearances on BBC introducing and In New Music We Trust, Indiana's fanbase has gradually developed in the midlands and across the UK. Her melodic, Florence-and-the-Machine-esque voice, combined with a heavy baseline went down a storm setting up the three headline acts. With the local acts out in storm, Georgie, first up on the confetti stage, was enjoying the exposure of being at a festival being an under the radar musician. Georgie says her progression in music has come as her 'voice has matured' and she's 'matured in herself'. 

Heading over to the acoustic tent, which was snuggly tucked away inside the off buildings of Wollaton Hall, Joy Mumford was singing to mellow beats as the sun went down. The acoustic tent showcased some of the best new music across the day including Hhymm, Eyre Llew, Pierce Brothers, Jamie Lawson and Molly and Jack. 

Bananarama, headlining on the confetti stage, attracted a crowd of life long fans, singing along to all of their hits including 'Robert de Niro's Waiting', 'Full Summer', and 'Really Saying Something'. They also switched it up with covers of the Beatles 'Help', and The Bee Gees 'I want you back' and 'You should be dancing'. Bananarama's disco vibes on the confetti stage and The Specials eighties two tone and ska on the main stage offered something for everyone and was a great end to a family day out.

The Specials, Samba and Skiffle – what to expect at Splendour 2015 this Saturday

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This Saturday 18th of July, Wollaton hall (of Batman fame) opens its park doors to festival goers for the annual Splendour festival. Splendour will be bursting with all sorts of family friendly entertainment this weekend including circus cabaret, samba drumming, magic and vaudeville. 

All of the set times have now been announced which you can catch at the bottom of this article and on their website. The festival opens at 11.30am with the music kicking off on the Acoustic Stage at 12pm and on the main stage with Future Sound of Nottingham winners Suspect Alibi at 12.30pm.

Splendour's official radio partner GEM 106 is bringing its award winning breakfast show Sam & Amy to soak up the atmosphere and do a special show live from Splendour between 2pm and 6pm. Listen in, to catch all the latest gossip. They'll have a free photobooth to capture lots of fun on the day, and a chill out area. 

Festival-goers will be kept on their toes by the Fun Police, out in force to make sure all are enjoying themselves responsibly. With megaphones, banner and cordons, the 'officers' will be creating silly scenarios of safety and generally being a delightful nuisance. Created especially for Splendour by Nonsuch Theatre, the roaming performers will be part of the fringe walkabout.

The Nottingham School of Samba will be taking their beats around the Wollaton Park site with drumming performances of Brazilian songs in the styles of Afro-Brasil, samba reggae and Rio samba sure to get the party started. 

Also new this year are DIY Poets, a Nottingham based poetry collective who will be bringing their dynamic brand of performance poetry to the Splendour setting for the first time. And for something completely different, check out the full kazoo orchestra brought by the DH Lawrence and the Vaudeville Skiffle Show.

As well as more walkabout entertainments this year, the fringe stage will have lots going on throughout the day. The showstopping Notts Circus will once again be thrilling the audience throughout the afternoon with three dazzling mini-cabaret performances, complete with aerial acts on its impressive eight metre rig. Marvel at the acrobatics, and enjoy free-play activities including diabolo, stilt walking, juggling and more between shows.

Swing dancers will be encouraging everyone to get involved as Swing Nouveau play modern songs performed in a retro style while detective of magic Inspector Hemslo will be discovering the most intimate secrets of those he meets.

New for kids this year is the mini big top hosted by Big Top Mania, featuring circus skills workshops including low tightrope wire, hula-hooping, diablos, juggling & unicycles. They’ll be bringing giant bubbles and crazy inflatables along too, as well as closing proceedings in the Children’s Area with Big Bear’s Big Balloon Disco.

Area Inbetween will be offering exciting workshops for young people. Alongside LP record painting on Dizzy The Bike, face painting, and recycled materials workshops, there will be games and chill-out space for socialising and hanging out, including Giant Jenga, Ten Pin Bowling and Twister. All activities are free except for a spin on Dizzy charged at 50p per vinyl.

Tickets for Splendour start at just £22 To get the latest line-up announcements and festival updates go towww.splendourfestival.com or like www.facebook.com/splendourfestivalUK or follow @splendourfest

Set Times
MAIN STAGE
21:00 – 22:30         THE SPECIALS     
19:15 – 20:15         JAMES 
17:45 – 18:45         LAWSON
16:30 – 17:15         INDIANA 
15:30 – 16:00         ROOTS MANUVA 
14:30 – 15:00         AMBER RUN 
13:30 – 14:00         TO KILL A KING 

12:30 – 13:00         SUSPECT ALIBI 

CONFETTI STAGE
19:45 – 21:00         BANANARAMA
18:15 – 19:15         THE TWANG 
17:15 – 17:45         FEROCIOUS DOG 
16:00 – 16:30         IRIS GOLD 
15:00 – 15:30         KETO 
14:00 – 14:30         THE SWIINES 
13:00 – 13:30         GEORGIE 

ACOUSTIC ROOMS STAGE
20:30 – 21:00         HHYMN
19:30 – 20:00         JOY MUMFORD 
18:30 – 19:00         EYRE LLEW 
17:30 – 18:00         PIERCE BROTHERS 
16:30 – 17:00         JAMIE LAWSON 
15:30 – 16:00         MARTIN LUKE BROWN 
14:30 – 15:00         DAUDI MATSIKO 
13:30 – 14:00         MOLLY AND JACK 
12:45 – 13:15         RJMARKS 
12:00 – 12:30         CEDRIC PETERS 

COMEDY STAGE
18:00 – 18:30         JOLLYBOAT 
17:00 – 17:30         JOHN ROBERTSON
16:00 – 16:30         ELLIE TAYLOR 
15:00 – 15:30         CHRISTIAN REILLY 
14:00 – 14:30         IAN D. MONTFORT

FRINGE STAGE 
17:15 – 17:45         DANIEL DORE.. MAGICIAN 
16:00 – 16:30         DIY POETS PRESENT.. SPLENDID POETRY 
15:00 – 15:30         SWING NOUVEAU
14:00 – 14:30         DH LAWRENCE & THE VAUDEVILLE SKIFFLE SHOW 
13:00 – 13:30         SWING NOUVEAU
12:00 – 12:30         NOTTINGHAM SCHOOL OF SAMBA

Kings of Leon to headline Isle of Wight Festival 2014

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Kings of Leon’s Grammy Nominated 6th studio album ‘Mechanical Bull’ entered the UK charts at number 1 and now they’re taking the top slot on the legendary Main Stage on Sunday 15th June.

John Giddings, the Festival’s promoter said: “It’s a rock ‘n’ roll weekend! Biffy Clyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon- rock the Wight!”

Travis said: “We’re made up that we are making a trip back to the Isle of Wight, last time was a top gig. There's a lot of rock and roll history gone down on that little island and it's great to be a part of it again.”

We’re also excited to announce appearances from a selection of the best new and established acts, including chart toppers Travis,Clean Bandit, The Specials and John Newman. What’s more we’ve got LA duo Deap Vally, half Scottish, half Swedish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt, Mercury Prize nominees The Horrors, plus the hotly tipped Gorgon City and The Strypes, all performing over the weekend.

Choral rock outfit The Polyphonic Spree, From The Jam, featuring Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler and four-piece girl groupNeon Jungle will be heading to the Island this summer.  Along with, Swim Deep, Chlöe Howl and The Selecter.  But if that wasn’t enough, we’re also pleased to have top producer and DJ Duke Dumont, indie rockers Peace, July Talk and iconic British bandTheMove all on the bill.  Finally, rounding off this spectacular list of artists we have Dappy, British pop-rock band Lawson and newcomers The Vamps…roll on June!

With an English Festival exclusive from Biffy Clyro on Friday 13th June, a UK & Ireland exclusive from Red HotChili Pepperson Saturday 14th June and now Kings of Leon on Sunday, we’re counting down the days until this incredible Main Stage line up lands on the Island.