Bestival
A question, if I may: when you think of hip, happening parts of these isles, what places come to mind for you? London? Manchester? Glasgow maybe, or Leeds, or perhaps even our fair city of Newcastle upon Tyne? It’s fairly safe to say that if you were to ask your average, stereotypical Mr Joseph or Ms Josephine Bloggs that question, the Isle of Wight would not be at the top of most people’s lists. However, for one weekend this summer, this apparently not-so-swinging bit of Britain is the place to be. What I’m trying to say, needlessly lengthy introductions aside, is that Bestival is back, and it’s in very rude health indeed.
Bringing up the rear of the festival season, from the 5th to the 7th of September, the Robin Hill Country Park will once more be the home for Bestival, returning for its fifth year here. Curated by Rob da Bank (you know, the one on Radio 1 who actually plays decent music), this year’s bill is looking quite a treat for the music fanatics amongst you. Headlining this year are dance overlords Underworld, everyone’s favourite beehive-sporting soul revivalist Amy Winehouse and (most excitingly for shoegaze fanatics like myself) the recently resurrected My Bloody Valentine, who, if all goes to plan, will probably teach all us young whippersnappers a thing or fifty about how to do this indie rock thing properly.
Obviously though, the headliners are not the be-all and end-all of a festival (well, as long as you’re not a certain long-running festival who has the pure cheek to put on someone not NME-approved apparently), and there’s many more brilliant acts to watch over the weekend. A few choice picks lower down include IDM granddaddy Aphex Twin putting in a rare appearance, indie warhorses The Wedding Present, P-Funk mastermind George Clinton and the consistently under-rated Misty’s Big Adventure, as well as the likes of Foals, Hot Chip, CSS and The Breeders, who seem to be on some grand quest to, between them, play every single festival across the land. There’s also plenty of other entertainment about too, like the self-explanatory Village area, a Solar Powered Cinema, an Inflatable Church and The Retreat Healing Area for those of you in need of some rest from it all (expect it to be packed after the Fuck Buttons set then!).
It’s been voted the best medium-sized festival for three years in a row, it’s got a fantastic line-up and it’s got a silly name: what more do you really need?
Mark Corcoran-Lettice
Dour, Belgium
As 2nd year drew to a close and I started looking forward to some dandy summer festival action a good friend of mine dropped the name ‘Dour’, a Belgian music festival that apparently was only promoted by word of mouth in the UK, as a possible place to spend a few days (this was of course last year when the UK summer abandoned the country!) As I perused the lineup on the Dour website (Digitalism, Goose, Hot Chip, The Rapture, Teenage Bad Girl, Dave Clark, Wu Tang Clan and a whole stage devoted to Ed Banger!) I realised that, at least in music terms, this festival was miles more forward-thinking than anything I’d heard of in the UK. I dashed from site-to-site booking coaches to London, Eurostar to Belgium and my ticket for said festival, with the total cost coming to no more than £150!! This being for a 4 day festival that started at noon and ended at the wee hour of 5am every day! Upon arrival I was greeted by a festival full of vigor, electricity and lively Europeans ready for a party, and this amazing vibe never let up throughout my Belgian holiday! The weather was so hot that getting up after 8am was nigh on impossible, and throughout the day the sun shone on whilst I sipped a beer listening to some great little indie bands or (especially when hungover) laid in the shade trying to appreciate some kooky European reggae! Then, at about 9pm everyday, the festival exploded with dance acts blasting out of every tent in sight. Electro, techno, DnB, dubstep, house, grime: heroes from every genre came out to play including Justice, Andy C, Shy FX, Para One, DJ Shadow, Erol Alkan... Total insanity! This year the lineup is even better with the electro/techno side covered by Boys Noize, Modeselektor, Ellen Allien, SebastiAn, Richie Hawtin, Alter Ego, Zombie Nation and many other hip names rubbing shoulders with indie-crossover favourites Foals, Cazals, Punks Jump Up and Bonde Do Role, and the deebee covered by Shy FX, Sub Focus and more! There’s something for everyone at this festival, and with it’s peaceful setting in the Dour countryside (which also hosts a beautiful lake that you can take a dip in to cool off) there’s no better setting for a few nights of mayhem and adventure.
Jimmy Asquith
Exit Festival, Serbia
How does a festival in an eighteenth century fort on the Danube river sound to you? If the idea appeals then Serbia’s Exit Festival may be the perfect holiday destination. The romantic and somewhat gothic location serves as a backdrop to a three-day party of epic proportions, featuring an eclectic panoply of musical acts that will appeal to a great variety of attendees. For the rock ‘n’ rollers, big names of today such as the Hives, the Gossip and Juliette and The Licks will perform alongside old time coronary-dodgers Primal Scream and the Sex Pistols, resulting in enough guitar solos and Iggy-style howling to convince most indie kids that its still 1969. The goth crowd will swan around the castle in big dresses to the sounds of Ministry and Nightwish, top screechers in their field. Those pesky electro kids will most probably be going crazy in hoodies for Tiga and M.I.A, and expect plenty of rave kids being entranced by the majesty of Sven Vath, Booka Shade and Deep Dish, or possibly the majesty of whatever certain criminally-minded individuals have managed to smuggle past the security gates. There is also a possibility of Björk appearing too, although ideological differences are rumoured to have caused some drama between her and the organisers; bear in mind Exit is a festival with political backgrounds, and more so than in the sense that Glastonbury is (i.e. not just some dreadlocked trust-fund kids smoking themselves chronic over a set of bongos, yeah?). As a unique festival experience Exit promises to be one of the most awe inspiring, plus the weather is hot and telling your friends you went to a festival in Serbia over summer will make you feel world-wearied and well travelled, which is an essential factor for any true student foreign festival-goer worth their weight in rolling papers. If that isn’t enough to get you turning the house upside down looking for your passport, bear in mind that Exit won the 2007 UK Festival Award for Best European Festival, so if you’re getting out of the country for your dirty tent partying this year, and you’re looking for an adventure like nothing else, the answer is obvious.
Roz Tuplin
Hovefestivalen, Norway
Hove, you say? Not that delightful town that forms a conurbation with Brighton? Well no, actually. Hove festival’s location is infinitely more exciting, set on an island outside Norway’s Arendal city. And it’s a far cry from the stereotypical notion of Norwegians only listening to black metal. Hove Festival boasts an excellent, eclectic line-up including all the bands you really should have caught this year (Black Kids, Vampire Weekend, Crystal Castles, The Teenagers, Boys Noize, Hercules and Love Affair, Foals, Santogold, Joe Lean, M.I.A., MSTRKRFT, Duffy) among greats like the mighty king of performance Beck and controversial Glastonbury botherer Jay-Z. Also thrown in for good measure is a dearth of quirky Norwegian bands, among them the charmingly named Turdus Musicus (which apparently is Latin for ‘the beautiful song of the redwing’). Brilliant!
Though Hove, at over 200 Euros, is not the cheapest festival by a long shot; it does however last for 5 whole days of fun. If you reckon that would just be too much music for you to take, day tickets are available for the faint hearted. This is only the second ever event, with 53,000 tickets sold in 2007, making it Norway’s largest music festival. And the setting couldn’t be more unique, as you’re surrounded by idyllic beaches, nature and water. Hove also boasts delicious food, never seen before films, and theatre and art claiming to be able to challenge, inspire and irritate you. It’s also doing its bit to be eco-friendly by aiming to be the world’s leading festival in terms of protecting the environment. For the nautically blessed among us, it is also the only festival in the world that boasts boat camping. Better start saving for that yacht!
All very impressive, yes, but are there any downsides? Camping onsite will set you back another 30 Euros. The beer is very, very expensive. And though we know that festivals should be all about the music, let’s face it, they’re also about the beer. And the festival, well, it’s in Norway. Nothing against Norway personally, but it’s no sunny Barcelona. Last years event coincided with the highest amount of rainfall on the island since records began. So for those looking for respite from the mud of Glasto, you’ve probably come to the wrong place. But if those bands look mighty tempting enough for you to forget the weather, head North and show Hove some love.
Alex Saggers
Latitude Festival
Call me a pessimist, but line-ups full to burst with the bands you’re dying to see ultimately result in unfortunate clashes, causing the hazy festival high to be interrupted by a weeny bit of disappointment. Rather than deliberate over Dizzee Rascal or Vampire Weekend at Reading, or worse, try and sprint between the two, I’d prefer to calmly contemplate the choice at Latitude between comedy, poetry, cabaret AND music in a wood in Suffolk through a slightly Pimm’s-addled brain. More refreshing than the mint in my Pimm’s, however, is Latitude’s absence of ‘festival fashion’ (still the weirdest concept ever to hit the pages of Grazia), passed out Goths, (despite the comedy value), and music snobbery from GCSE-finishing kids in skinny jeans. Instead, it’s pretty civilised; if you’re feeling flash you can always be a Yurtel guest and stay in the Latitude Yurt Hotel in a bamboo hammock. There’s a special festy supermarket on site too. A mere total of 20,000 attendees are spread out over a site fit for a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How about starting your day, or afternoon, let’s be honest, with a bit of slam poetry or arts cinema, heading off for some chuckles with Robin Ince or some fringe theatre, a casual falafel or two before sitting by the lake (in a deckchair!) for something you’ve never heard of before at Huw Stephen’s Introducing stage and then finishing off by partying into the early hours in a wood lit by fairy lights. Main headliners are Franz Ferdinand, Sigur Ros and Interpol; but what’s so enjoyable about Latitude is that there’s massive opportunity to see something not totally unmissable. Strange as that sounds, festivals are about the vibe, rather than who’s playing them, and Latitude totally epitomises this. I reckon you couldn’t get more once-in-a-lifetime experiences for £130, it truly is a very different festival. And before I get too hippy on ya ass, Simon Amstell and Crystal Castles are going to be making an appearance amongst the DJ fairies. Let’s just hope they don’t clash, eh?
Alice Vincent
Pukkelpop Festival, Belgium
Blimey this festival has been running since before I was born! It takes place in Belgium near the city of Hasselt and has an attendance of around 130,000. (The city is good for pubs and restaurants and has a number of historic buildings to visit if you plan on staying around and fitting in a bit of culture and/or Belgium beer. Plus there’s an Urban Fashion Museum nearby!). Originally a one day event started in 1985 Pukkelpop has steadily grown, becoming bigger and more popular each year. The range of artists they put on caters to many tastes, and looking at the line ups from over the years it’s safe to say the organisers have an eye for exciting, up and coming and innovative artists. They put on Soulwax just months after they started making music, and DJ Touché in 2000 before most people had him on their radar. They even had a Bugged Out! Stage as far back as 1999 when most of us were probably listening to The Spice Girls! (When I say most of us I’m actually referring to myself). Stages today include a Dance Hall, Skate Stage, Boiler-room and Chateau Club. As usual the headliners are not the ones that attract my attention- this year it’s Metallica and The Killers. In my opinion, the exciting acts include Iron and Wine, The Cribs, SebastiAn, Uffie and Feadz, DJ Mehdi, Late of The Pier, The Count and Sinden (live), Los Campesinos!, Benga, Yusek (live), Brodinski, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, and The Shoes. Phew. And that’s me trying to be selective. Basically this is an amazing selection of today’s most talented and electrifying acts. If I was to compile my perfect festival line up, this wouldn’t be it, but it’s pretty darn close! For the full line up see the funky official website at http://pukkelpop.be/pp/en.
Heather Welsh
Rock Ness
Legend has it that a monster lives in the deep waters of Loch Ness, with hundreds of thousands of tourists heading in that direction every year to try and spot the famous myth. On its banks near Dores in June descend thousands more to see such acts as Razorlight, Digitalism, 2 Many DJ’s, the Editors, CSS and Underworld. Quickly becoming a legend at the same Loch but for completely different reasons, Norman Cook a.k.a. Fatboy Slim, makes a triumphant return to the festival he created two years ago.
The only reason I’ve heard of Dores was that I cycled there once when I was seven – my family were well impressed as it was a twelve mile stretch from my grandpa’s house. It has a population of fewer than 300. The older generation are the stereotypical Scots that you think of; eating haggis and drinking whiskey whilst coming out with phrases such as ‘Och aye’ and ‘fit like’. The younger generation rave it up like everyone else around the country, and couldn’t be happier that this dance orientated festival has begun in the highlands.
Rockness returns for a third year and can look ahead with optimism. Sunshine both years (always an unexpected bonus, especially considering its location). The beautiful setting nestled in between Scottish mountains with the banks of Loch Ness behind the main stage. Its headline acts over the two years have been sterling, including Carl Cox, Mylo, Fatboy, the Manic Street Preachers, the Chemical Brothers, Mark Ronson, DJ Yoda, Groove Armada and Erol Alkan. This year’s looks class too.
The festival is a much smaller affair (over 100,000 more tickets are available for Glastonbury) and it’s evident. Toilets were of a pretty poor standard last year (improvements have been promised) and the amount of places to see and hear live music only amounting to four.
This shouldn’t put you off. It gives everyone an excuse to visit a beautiful part of the country and at its best. Under a brilliant sky of stars – there’s a distinct lack of pollution anywhere for hundreds of miles - expect Annie Mac and DJ Yoda to play absolute stormers after getting rave reviews from Snowbombing in Austria in March. Fatboy Slim returning to see the growth of his festival will be a special moment and there’s no way he will leave without playing “What’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster, is it a monster?” with a picture of Nessie up on the screen – the highlight of my brother’s summer from 2006.
Although Loch Ness is known to be a stunning and tranquil place, go and rock the Loch with Fatboy Slim et al, as this festival could turn out to be Scotland’s answer to Creamfields before too long.
Scott Adam
Secret Garden
A garden in the summer time does tend to have the capacity to bring enormous pleasure….the scent of freshly cut grass, colourful flowers in bloom, butterfly’s flitting around-remember Colin Craven? The sickly, gloomy character from everyone's favourite BBC series, ‘The Secret Garden’...
Through the magical properties inherent in his secret garden he transforms from the Grim Reapers biggest fan, to become a vigorous optimist…..what do we learn from this? Gardens, clearly are the elixir of the soul!
And with that what better way to introduce what will be the most eccentric and magical festival of this summer…..The Secret Garden Party!
The U.K’s ONLY Independent festival, The Secret Garden Party began in 2004 with only 1000 ‘Gardeners’ (festival goers). With just one hand-built stage, two small bars, a naked stage manager and the organisers to be found swimming in the lake at dawn, (yes, there is a lake, complete with floating stages and boats) this was no Carling sponsored corporate event.
The Garden now has 6,500 Participants but has worked hard to retain its off the wall, quirky charm, still sponsorless, “you cannot enrich your soul when you are staring at an O2 banner…” the organisers work hard to create an environment away from the cities and schedules of our much crowded Island – ‘we invite all Gardeners to reconnect with their body and soul through the weekend, be it swimming, drumming around fire circles, howling at the moon, attending sublime acoustic sessions in beautifully decorated spaces, or soaking up the scene in the ever eventful absinthe bars.
And so to the Line up… With nine main stages showcasing both classic acts and cutting edge innovators an eclectic array of the best emerging artists can be spotted performing alongside some true bona fide legends,
The first headliner has been announced as Grace Jones, and joining her will be Sons & Daughters, Glasvegas, Envy & Other Sins, Alphabeat, Morcheeba, Little Ones, Florence & The Machine, Infadels, Cage The Elephant, Officer Kicks, Married To The Sea, Elle S'appelle, Atomic Hooligan, 'Special Secret Guests', and more.
Special recommendation from me would include the North East favourite-and Billy Braggesque troubadour, Beans On Toast as well as the emerging artists Jay Jay Pistolet, and, Marcus Mumford and sons.
With other acts still to be announced, including the two other headliners keep checking the web site for details…
And of course for those dusk to dawn hours expect DJ stages, headed up by the one and only Eddy Temple Morris (XFM) - the Remix Stage got so filthy and dripping with heavy beats last year that its back to make you lose your mind in it's hectic musical maze. Down and dirty line up includes: The Shoes, The Losers, Dennis Jones, 2 Many Wedding DJs, Ali B, Eclectic Method & The Whip.
By now it should be clear that this festival is not just about the music, the amazing site and atmosphere is a further reason to dig out your tent for this one….located somewhere in East Anglia (Intriguingly the site is secret up until a few weeks before the party) Set in a 10 acre landscaped garden, bordering a river and lake, The Secret Garden is a garden-party-gone-crazy; there are tree houses and giant hammocks, mahogany bars and marooned sailors. I mean, I don’t know any other. festival's that can boast, A lake with boating piers, floating dance floors and a galleon at its centre serving rum until dawn.!
Also on offer are Shakespeare recitals around fire circles,( The fire revolution peaks with the Saturday celebration where all 6,000 will watch a central art installation burn to ashes in the centre of the lake.-amazing!) custard pie battles on the lake, sculpture building, floating dance floors an ‘alternative Olympics’. sound fun?, there’s more…such as bizarre off-the-wall pursuits, like snail racing, rubber duck shooting a Kissing Workshop (Fun) and an Action Figure camp. Don't wear yourself out too much though, the 'emotion police' will be patrolling to ensure you're showing quite enough love!
Like bestival, this festival has an ‘Annual Expression Theme’ designed to encourage vision and participation, and this year the theme is Come The Revolutions..."Revolutions of Past, Present and Future, from the physical through to the conceptual." So get your thinking hats on- the revolution is coming!
“Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o'clock is a scoundrel."- Samuel Johnson
The Party Kicks off on the 24th of July, and wraps up on the 27th…Location…SECRET ( around 70Miles out of Central London, Near Huntingdon), Tickets are on sale, priced at £125 for the four days, http://www.secretgardenparty.com/2008/
Olivia Mee
Sonar, Spain
Low cost airlines divide opinion. There are those that say cheap air travel is a bad thing; bad for the environment, leaving a huge carbon footprint and destroying the world for future generations. On the other hand, if you can live with the guilt, they can take you to Europe for less than a hundred quid return! and, with the ever increasing number of fine European festivals, why not take advantage; after all you won't be alive when armagedon hits the earth!
The Sonar festival in Barcelona has been making quite a name for itself over the last few years providing a festival experience with a unique edge, and competing with the likes of Lowlands and Exit, as continental Europe's best festival.
Acts at Sonar are varied and cover a whole host of genres from electronica and dance, from a whole host of nations, the event has a truly international feel to it. Indeed, Sonar could stand shoulder to shoulder with any 'alternative' festival throughout Europe, and easily competes with the likes of Bestival, and the Big Chill as Europe's best avant-garde music festival .
Whats more, if you can't find what you are looking for, you can always take a breath, and admire the truly gorgeous city of Barcelona, but that shouldn't be a problem. Acts this year include M.I.A, DFA darlings Hercules and Love Affair, and house music God, Frankie Knucles. There is also the chance to catch the Ed Banger and Ninja Tune stages; Two record labels that consistently fire out top notch tunes from their fine repertoire of artists. At Sonar, this will include, Justice, DJ Mehdi, SebastiAn, Daedelus , and The Heavy.
What can beat a bit of tapas, an ice cold beer and watching some of the most exciting musical talents in the world at the moment? Good weather is virtually guaranteed, and surely that beats the mud of Glastonbury.
I'll bring you all back a straw donkey and a bottle of Sangria.
Arran Collinge
Truck Festival
Truck festival is thankfully not the annual gathering of many a bearded and a tattooed male (or female) with the commonality of having driven thousands of miles of asphalt in twenty-tonne masses of steel. Rather, it is the congregation of five thousand musically aware individuals with a love for the independent and the intimate. This tiny festival situated in Oxfordshire was set up because the organisers believed major festivals to be too commercial and predictable. That’s why you’re unlikely to see fifty foot beer posters adorning the main stage. Instead, it was decided that three upturned trucks would be suffice a platform to host eclectic bunch of folksters, hipsters and dance freaks from across the globe. Now if that doesn’t spell indie credentials to you, I don’t know what will.
Previous line-ups prove that Truck festival has a knack for capturing bands on the ascent. They found The Futureheads before the chantalong math-pop of their stonking debut was released; They captured British Sea Power just as their epic single ‘Carrion’ found the hands of the well informed; and they rounded up Mystery Jets as the experimental ‘Making Dens’ hit the shelves. These are just some of the artists that make Truck the perfect place to boast your “I was there” moment.
It is this commitment to providing you with the best new music that means the organisers are pretty damn secretive with the line up. However, leaks are beginning to show in the fortress, and it has now been confirmed that underground American indie pioneers The Lemonheads will headline the three trucks providing what should be a historical rendition of their 1992 album ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’, whilst hopefully tossing in hints of their forthcoming LP. Also expect a cacophony of vibraphones and cardigans as a troupe of twee hits the town in the forms of wispy folksters Camera Obscura, the tinkling of Noah and The Whale and Emmy the Great.
And if that wasn’t enough to satisfy your leftfield desire for the up-and-coming, techno-progsters These New Puritans will be playing a barn as the sweet aroma of leftover winter manure still fills the air. Furthermore, Sonic Cathedral, the label spearheading the electro shoegaze movement will showcase mercury nominee Maps. It seems to me that a ticket for Truck Festival on your corkboard is something to be proud of, as this festival has the hallmarks of a cult classic. I mean, where else can you claim to have seen the future of music surrounded by straw and cow excrement?
