Category: Festival

Festival – Dark Arts 2024 (Leeds)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Review

Dark Arts Festival at Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds, 2nd March 2024

Took a trip to Leeds for the latest instalment of Dark Arts, the biannual showcase curated by Super Friendz for ‘punk, left-field electronica and outsider indie music’. Leeds has a host of great venues set up to perfectly showcase emerging artists, and arts hub Belgrave Music Hall is no exception. Saturday saw 10 acts lined up to play across the day, and kudos to the bookers in putting together a line-up that never waned.

Highlights included an early set from Velkro – those of you wondering what happened to Priestgate can find most of them here with new vocalist Rosie Donoghue, all the energy of their past incarnation with more focus on the sound and a nod to the heady days of goth and shoegaze.

Velkro

Mini supergroup Miss Tiny are formed of the multi-talented Ben Romans-Hopcraft (Childhood, Warmduscher) and all things Speedy Wunderground Dan Carey. The project sees Ben on vocals behind the drumkit and Dan on guitar, the wealth of experience from both parties culminating in something quite captivating.

Miss Tiny

Two bands on the bill both taking electronica to a different level were The Itch and Ebbb. Interestingly, again both are made up from other well respected bands (The Itch – Lazarus Kane, Yassassin, Opus Kink, Regressive Left, and Ebbb – Butch Cassidy, Enter Laughing, Kyoto Kyoto). Collaboration seems to be the vehicle for musical creativity as each push further forward in amalgamating their respective sounds.

The Itch

Ebbb

The room got considerably busier for the arrival of VLURE’s first outing of the year. With people travelling from Europe to catch them, it’s clear that the buzz around this band is going nowhere. I’ve seen them play on many stages and have to say the Leeds crowds are up there in terms of displaying pure enjoyment at their sets. It’s a privilege to see them in places this size, surely it won’t be possible for much longer but be assured they can upscale and hold a bigger venue with ease. The perfect melting pot of pounding electro-dance tracks, astute production, and a connection with the audience that bigger names can only dream of.

VLURE

Headliners Bo Ningen have remained a constant on the psych scene for  many years now and still offer up as animated and intense a show as ever. A fitting end to the day, and a showcase from the promoters to be proud of.

Bo Ningen

Full line-up: The 113, Velkro, Miss Tiny, The Itch, Mui Zyu, Maria Uzor, (SUEP had to pull out), Ebbb, VLURE, Bo Ningen

Belgrave Music Hall | Super Friendz

Words and photos by Siobhan

Published 5th March 2024

Preview – Victorious 24 (Portsmouth)

Posted in Festival, Preview

Victorious Festival, Portsmouth, 23rd – 25th August 2024

With the line-up ever growing, this year’s Victorious has a huge assemblage of artists ready to take the stage. Alongside daily headliners Fat Boy Slim, Jamie T and Biffy Clyro, there are newer names who will doubtless also bring in big crowds, such as Wet Leg, The Murder Capital, Panic Shack and Personal Trainer.

The event takes place on Southsea Common, though you would barely recognise it as the festival village sets up adjacent to the sea – castle and museum included. Offsite camping was introduced a few years ago, and loads of family friendly activities make this a popular choice for all ages.

If you haven’t grabbed your tickets yet now would be a good time, as the last tier of early bird prices closes on 4th March – link for daily and weekend tickets here, and the full line-up is here.

Words and header photo © Siobhan

Published 21st February 2024

Preview – End Of The Road 24 (Dorset)

Posted in Festival, Preview

End Of The Road Festival (EOTR), Dorset, 29th August – 1st September 2024

Festival line-up announcements coming in thick and fast now and, although a big player on the circuit, EOTR manages to retain a certain sense of intrigue and respect. Its line-up may well feature some better known names but also always includes a huge chunk of emerging talent, some of whom will doubtless go on to become household names. On the higher end of the bill this year (announced so far) are the likes of Slowdive, IDLES and Baxter Dury, with Bill Ryder-Jones, CMAT, Sprints and English Teacher not far behind. Lots more names to check out too, including the varied mix of Gurriers, Sarah Meth, Big Special, Jess Williamson and Freak Slug.

Very much worth your while keeping an eye on the ‘more to be announced’ list, but plenty here already to justify a ticket purchase. See poster/website for full details of artists confirmed so far and check the link for ticket purchases.

End Of The Road

Words by Siobhan

Published 14th February 2024

Festival – Icebreaker 2024 (Portsmouth)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival

Icebreaker Festival, Portsmouth, 3rd February 2024

Always a ray of light in the winter months, Icebreaker Festival is now well established as a showcase for a wide range of over 100 artists across multiple genres. And as the venues on Albert Road and Elm Grove opened their doors up for the event once again, Hannah Mesquitta was there to capture some of the highlights for us, gallery below…

The Machete

WREX

Belmondo

Rats! Rats! Rats!

Seething Akira

WYNT

Van Gosh

Wren

Photos © Hannah Mesquitta

Published 12th February 2024

 

 

Preview – The Great Escape 2024 (Brighton)

Posted in Festival, New Music, Preview

The Great Escape Festival, Brighton, 15th-18th May 2024

It’s getting close to that time of year again when the streets of Brighton are heaving with new musical talent, as The Great Escape creeps up on the horizon once more. With another 100 artists just announced, the line-up is building nicely, and the range of genres and styles from across the UK and internationally is set up for you to find your new favourite act (or three). Names added last week include Frost Children, The Dare, Fcukers, Muireann Bradley, Jambinai, Tamara & The Dreams, and many more.

We’ll be keeping an eye on further announcements and taking a listen to the new additions but, for now, here are a few artists already on our recommended to see list…

Saloon Dion – Jagged round the edges but sweet in the middle, Bristol’s latest export manage to sit in the Fall/Killing Joke-esque corner while bringing an original twist to proceedings. 2024 looks set to be a very good year for them.

Kuzi Cee – Hailing from Canada, a singer, songwriter and rapper with a voice that will lull you through layers of emotion that seem to run a little deeper than many of his contemporaries. This could be the chill out set of the festival.

Nightbus – Big fan from what I’ve heard already, and definitely keen to see them live. The band exude the lighter side of goth, a fusion of  Banshees/Creatures style vocals and electronica meets jangly guitars. Another fine Manchester collective.

Sailor Honeymoon – Hints of Sonic Youth from the Korean punk trio, who look like they’re having lots of fun along the way to indie stardom. I reckon theirs will be a set not to miss.

Cardinals – Irish acts have really met their potential over the last few years, and this may be the next band to do just that. Alt-folk seeped in tradition and combining friendship with musicianship surely has to be a winning formula. Check them out.

Tickets for the Great Escape, along with details of the full line-up to date, can be found here

Words by Siobhan

Published 5th February 2024

Tiffcuff Festival 2023 (London)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music, Review

Tiffcuff Festival at The Roundhouse, London, 2nd September 2023

A festival with no need to worry about the weather or your favourite artists clashing, Tiffcuff set up home at Camden’s legendary Roundhouse on Saturday. With two stages and each set scheduled to start as the last one finished, there was an opportunity to catch all the acts from an impressive line-up. Something for everyone with performances on the day from (deep breath) Hongza, Manny, Kitty Trigg, Slaney Bay, Shelf Lives, October Drift, Snake Eyes, The Pale White, Sad Boys Club, Spector, Wings of Desire, Glasvegas, Another Sky and The Cribs.

October Drift

Snake Eyes

The Pale White | Sad Boys Club

Another Sky | Wings of Desire

Of the bigger names, Spector raised things up a level with a bunch of crowd singalongs and plenty of stories to tell in between to keep the crowd entertained. It’s no surprise that they have legion of fans who have stuck with them from early days.

Spector

Following on from them on the main stage, to have Glasvegas and The Cribs on the same bill was an absolute pleasure, and both bands gave immaculate performances.

10 years to the day since the release of Later… When The TV Turns To Static, Glasvegas left no doubt that they have become a force majeur on the music scene, every show a thing of beauty, every song a pull on the heart strings. Nobody else does what they do; an inspired booking.

Glasvegas

And speaking of inspired bookings, The Cribs never disappoint live and an incredible set-list full of songs old and new had the crowd bouncing from the outset to the end. A masterclass in no-nonsense, straight down the line perfect indie tracks, the Jarman brothers are a class act – always have been, always will be.

The Cribs

Big thanks to everyone involved for a great day – look forward to seeing what comes next from the Tiffcuff crew!

Tiffcuff Festival

Words and photos © Siobhan (16 Beasley St Photography)

Published 5th September 2023

 

Preview – Tiffcuff Festival 2023 (London)

Posted in Festival, Preview

Tiffcuff Festival, The Roundhouse London, 2nd September 2023

Post-festival blues kicking in now most of the summer events have passed? Wait just a second because this coming weekend sees an impressive line-up heading to Camden for Tiffcuff Festival, a surefire way to end the season on a high.

Doors open at 2pm and things kick off soon afterwards with performances from Hongza, Snake Eyes, Manny, Kit Trigg, The Faux Faux, Shelf Lives, Sad Boys Club, Slaney Bay and Wings of Desire.

Following last year’s acclaimed LP release I Don’t Belong Anywhere, October Drift will doubtless be offering up their usual animated live set, while late addition Another Sky bring captivating vocals and staging to the mix. And with a new album pending, it will be interesting to see what The Pale White have in store.

But that’s not all… the big three for the day start with indie stalwarts Spector, expect songs old and new and a fair sprinkling of humour.

Reason enough to grab a ticket on their own, Glasvegas remain a consistent light in the industry, no matter what trends come and go their music is powerful and beautiful, and their live performance not to be missed.

Taking the headline slot, The Cribs never disappoint live and have such a huge back catalogue of incredible tunes that they make the perfect fit to close the event. There are still a few tickets available; if you don’t have yours yet you can grab one here and we’ll see you there!

Tiffcuff Festival

Words by Siobhan

Published 29th August 2023

 

Seaview Festival 2023 (Bexhill)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music

Seaview Festival, Bexhill on Sea, 8th July 2023

Brought to life by Austerity Records, the first (hopefully of many) Seaview Festival took place on Saturday on the lawns of  the prestigious De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill.

The early slot at any festival can be a tough one, but if the crowd needs a little motivation then Office for Personal Development are the act to provide it – their office planner included children in suits, a water cooler doubling as a stage light, a pot plant and beach balls. Well crafted pop songs mixed with motivational speeches made for a fun start and saw the lunchtime rain off for the rest of the day.

Next up, Winter Gardens took to the stage, it’s interesting to see how their sound has evolved and they seem to have found their niche, adding heavier layers to their baseline shoegaze sound. Ironically and happily, the sun came out and we had summer gardens from thereon in. 


Time to get lively as punk trio SNAYX gave the Bexhill crowd a taste of what’s giving them a reputation as a must-see live band. A change in vibe with some early afternoon moshing, and thankfully no-one fell down the slope at the back of the stage area. There weren’t too many people wearing music T-shirts in attendance but, largely speaking, those who did were repping SNAYX loud and proud.

On to Pale Blue Eyes, and it’s difficult to describe their sound as it weaves through different eras and influences. From Ian Brodie undertones on the opening track to shades of Joy Division towards the end of their set, it was definitely worth waiting to see how things evolved. There’s a subtle optimism to their sound, and it won a lot of people over on the day.


Lots of industry buzz around the next act, and Heartworms made a strong impression – intense and intriguing with a delicate precision to the songs and performance, nudging towards art school poetry and reminiscent of the sardonic delivery of Audio Books at times. Edgy with a soft edge if you will. Ones to watch for sure.

And so to a much anticipated slot on the line-up from local heroes Aircooled – if anyone can be described as ‘musicians’ musicians’, this is the band. Lots of love for these guys from some huge names in the music business and deservedly so. Their combined CVs are enough to leave you in awe, their talent undeniable and best of all, they look like they’re having an absolute blast. 

The penultimate act of the evening came in the shape of BC Camplight, complete with full band playing together for the first time. The soundcheck was a curious mix of their array of instruments interspersed with a DJ driven Bollywood-esque backdrop. Thankfully overcoming initial obstacles, the Pavilion lawns were soon complimented by the mastery of deftly written songs old and new, a great fit for the ambience of the location.

So how do you end a day filled with the eclectic pot of talent that’s come before? Whoever booked Warmduscher made a seriously great decision in answering that question. Non-stop relentless talent, no dips, no filler, Warmduscher deliver every time and showcased what a solid band they are, popular of course but still way under-rated. The perfect headliner for a remarkable day by the seaside.

Seaview was a really well planned event – a beautiful location, an outdoor festival with indoor facilities (game changer), a fine line-up with no clashes, some inspired between-set tunes spun by James Endeacott, and a lovely space to catch up with friends and hear/see some excellent music. All in all, a great value day out and everyone left happy – let’s hope for more of the same next year.

Review/photos by Callum/Siobhan

Published 10th July 2023

 

Colours Festival 2023 (Bexhill)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music

Colours Festival, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 24th June 2023

Sunshine, an excellent line-up and an impressive backdrop all combined to make the first Colours Festival a huge success. Bexhill’s iconic De La Warr Pavilion played host to a mix of talented bands and artists yesterday, treating the crowd to a day filled with great music and performances from UK and international acts, with a nod to showcasing some of the vast local talent on offer.

Mike Burnell caught every set; check out our gallery below.

Bellza

CIEL

Hot Wax

Emily Barker

Porridge Radio

Katy J Pearson

The Big Moon

Weyes Blood

Photos © Mike Burnell – iso400.com

25th June 2023

Preview – Colours Festival 2023 (Bexhill)

Posted in Festival, Preview

Colours Festival, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 24th June 2023

While many bigger events still struggle to veer away from predominantly male line-ups, Colours Festival sets out ‘to celebrate and elevate female talent across a whole day of live music’. And the list of artists performing is impressive, with the ethereal sounds of singer-songwriter Weyes Blood taking the headline slot.

Also on the main stage, Mercury nominees Porridge Radio and The Big Moon make appearances, alongside Katy J Pearson fresh from international dates supporting Yard Act and shows at SXSW, and respected musician and composer Emily Barker.

The De La Warr Pavilion is fast expanding its musical profile with some great new events this year to compliment the high profile names showcased throughout the year. It’s a stunning setting for a day out on the coast, and the Music’s Not Dead stage will showcase some favourite local acts in the shape of Hot Wax, CIEL and Bellza, with DJ sets from Brighton’s award winning record shop Resident.

The weather’s looking good for a day on the beachside lawns, so why not join the inaugural Colours Festival by grabbing remaining tickets here.

Colours Festival

Preview by Siobhan

14th June 2023

 

The Great Escape Festival 2023 (Brighton)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music, Review

The Great Escape, Brighton, 10th-13th May 2023

Every May the streets of Brighton are heaving with creativity as the Festival, Fringe and the biggest showcase of new music in The Great Escape all hit the city. With hundreds of artists playing showcase events at venues big and small, this year brought as eclectic as ever a mix of music from across the world.

Hard to know where to start but the first of three shows from Jessica Winter seemed as good a place as any on Thursday. With the crowd singing and dancing along so early in the day, a lasting impression was made that involved catching two more of her sets across the weekend.

Next up, The Umlauts and I swear each time I see them they try to add more band members onto the stage. Given that the stage at Revenge isn’t that big they did well to reach 9 people not to mention multiple instruments – novel to listen to techno at 3.15 in the afternoon rather than 3.15 in the morning, and a fun time for the crowd.

Following a recommendation to catch New York’s cumgirl8, it seemed the hype was widespread as they filled out not just the main room at Volks, but had probably as many people again watching from the bar. A popular choice for sure.

Another recommendation took us to The Paganini Ballroom for some dreamy shoegaze from Whitelands opening the BBC Introducing stage in style. Some strong choices from Steve Lamacq as they were followed by an accomplished set from Nottingham’s rising stars Divorce.

Whitelands

Divorce

The next act on stage was the mighty VLURE – the first of two outstanding sets from them over the weekend. To say all I want to say about them would realistically take over the review, so head on over to our separate feature here for more from Glasgow’s finest.

VLURE

On to Brighthelm for another tightly packed stage with The Joy Hotel and some serious musical talent on display. And for the third Glaswegian act in a row, Dylan John Thomas impressed everyone with some powerful yet understated vocals and melodies to finish the night – definitely one to watch.

The Joy Hotel

Dylan John Thomas

Friday started with a couple of ‘unofficial’ sets, always worth popping into some of the local pubs and breweries to see what’s happening. At Unbarred, Mary of the Junkyard kicked off another busy day with a deft mix of guitar riffs and violin, while The Pipeline opened with the silky vocals of Rosie Alena.

Mary of the Junkyard

Rosie Alena

On to Charles Street Tap and a smoke machine that wouldn’t have been out of place on Stars in Their Eyes. Once the haze cleared, singer-songwriter Childe held a rapt audience, the calm before the inevitable upcoming storm as next up VLURE were back to notch things up several levels with another stand out performance.

Childe

VLURE

Over at Revenge, Jessica Winter finished her excellent run of shows at the Gay Times showcase, GT written on her back in tape in homage. Then over to Komedia Studio for the beautiful soundscape of Pozi, the trio melting together their unique blend of calm and chaos.

Back to the mounds of dried ice at Charles Street Tap for one of the weekend’s most hotly-tipped acts in Heartworms. Some tech issues that seemed to run throughout the set didn’t stop a captivating performance, particularly impressive under the circumstances.

Heartworms

After a full day it’s easy to pack up before the later slots. However, worth the late night, PPJ definitely restarted the party bringing French house (more château than maison), Eurodance and donk to the table; a high energy end to Friday at Komedia.

No let up in the energy stakes on Saturday as Yabba took their hard-hitting, in your face act to the dark sweat box of Volks. Then over at The Hope & Ruin bar, although not technically part of the official TGE line-up, we were introduced to Dutch psych group A Fungus, who warmed things up nicely for the mayhem of Personal Trainer and surely one of the most packed and interactive sets of the day.

A Fungus

Personal Trainer

Continuing the fun at Inn on the Square, bigfatbig’s enthusiasm was infectious and ably backed by the sun streaming through the windows – a sunny day at the seaside finally joining proceedings.

Some much needed relaxation next as Canada’s Ellevator played in the fabulous setting of One Church, delicate tunes sweeping into something bigger and certainly memorable.

bigfatbig

Ellevator

With a list of production credits as long as your arm, it was James Ellis Ford’s time to take the spotlight at Chalk performing his own music with backing band. Everything blended well and the music was cleverly put together with a sense that you couldn’t quite put your finger on what some of the exact sounds were, a sax sounding like a synth just one of the many enigmas.

Staying at Chalk, Flossing offered up a confident stage presence and brooding tunes, while the room was unsurprisingly busy for the ever-popular PVA.

A stroll down the pier saw Holiday Ghosts bring their freshly released new album to their adopted home city in a packed out Horatio’s – a no nonsense fun time for all. And the latest incarnation of near locals Traams followed up, now playing their Krautrock inspired sounds as a five piece.

A strong finish from Nuha Ruby Ra at Revenge brought our Great Escape to a close with her traditional double mic set up, lighting befitting of underground nightclub status and an unexpected bugle – a fairly conclusive way to end proceedings.

Nuha Ruby Ra

Another successful year for Brighton’s annual festivities, another bunch of favourite artists revisited and new ones discovered, and now some sleep…

If you’re already thinking about next year’s TGE, earlybird tickets are available here.

Words/photos by Callum/Siobhan

16th May 2023

Live – VLURE at The Great Escape

Posted in Festival, Gig Gallery, Live Music

VLURE, The Great Escape 2023, Brighton (11th May at Paganini Ballroom / 12th May at Charles Street Tap)

One of the joys of a festival is discovering new artists. However, there are times when you know you’ve already discovered the best artist there so why look elsewhere. After stealing the limelight and taking the roof off at Horatio’s in 2022, VLURE were back with two shows this year, once again blowing everything else out of the sea.

First up, at the invitation of Steve Lamacq and BBC Introducing, Paganini Ballroom saw justifiable queues down the street. As always, an intense and beguiling performance – made for the radio but fit for any media channel you’d care to pick. Dating back to the 17th century, Paganini offered a classy venue for a class act.

Over to Pias hosting at Charles Street Tap for show number two, a venue not without its tech issues throughout the day. Whatever problems were flagging up during line check were happily forgotten as another faultless set kicked in. With a multitude of genre-crossing sets happening all across Brighton there was a lot of talent on display at TGE, but the crown remains firmly with VLURE. Those who were there will come back, those who weren’t should make it their mission to be there next time.

VLURE

Our full Great Escape review can be found here

Words and photos by Siobhan

16th May 2023

Preview – Seaview Festival 2023 (Bexhill)

Posted in Festival, Preview

Seaview Festival, Bexhill-on-Sea, 8th July 2023

New festival anyone? By the sea and in touching distance of one of the most iconic Modernist buildings on the south coast? You’re in luck, as the inaugural Seaview Festival takes place this summer on De La Warr Pavilion’s South Lawns beachside plaza.

Brought to you by austerity records, as well as a fine mix of live music you’ll find DJs and DLWP’s very own record store Music’s Not Dead, along with a pop-up shop from the lovely team at Bella Union. With a range of food and drink options, and a great view, there’ll be plenty to keep you busy in between sets.

And speaking of the music… a great line-up including purveyors of disco-punk Warmduscher (a band we once described as ‘a hybrid of genres meshed and held together by sheer talent and an occasional disco ball’), storyteller in song BC Camplight and, fresh from touring with Suede, local supergroup Aircooled. The rest of the bill is equally as strong, featuring Heartworms, Pale Blue Eyes, Snayx, Winter Gardens and the wonderfully named Office For Personal Development. If you’re not familiar with any of these artists, now would be a good time to change that; they’re all cropping up as ones to watch with quality live performances. Looking forward to this one; come and join us there.

Remaining tickets available here

And you can find more from austerity records here

Preview by Siobhan

12th May 2023

 

Preview – KITE Festival 2023 (Oxfordshire)

Posted in Festival, Preview

KITE Festival, Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire, 9th – 11th June 2023

Amongst the newer UK festivals, KITE looks to find its USP by ‘reimagining the festival space as it curates a journey of cutting-edge debate and a rich programme of ideas‘.

Offering a literary and conversational flavour to its core activities, KITE brings big names from entertainment and journalism to present In Conversations (long-form interviews), ThinkIns (smaller group discussions), KITE Lessons as well as panels, debates, live podcasts and comedy. And with the list of those taking part including the eclectic mix of Dame Joan Collins, Susanna Hoffs, Dylan Jones, Dave Gorman and David Baddiel, the range of subjects covered looks set to be as eclectic as its participants.

Then of course there’s the music. Drawing some big artists, this year’s line-up features Hot Chip, Suede, The Pretenders, Baxter Dury, Candi Staton, Django Django, Ezra Collective, DJ Sofia Kourtesis, Sarathy Korwar and Lynks – all playing across different stages with a historic backdrop.

KITE takes place in Kirtlington Park, overlooking the Chiltern Hills near Oxford, from 9th – 11th June. If you’re looking for something different to kick start your summer, remaining tickets are available on the link below.

KITE Festival

Preview by Siobhan

3rd May 2023

Preview – Boomtown 2023 (Winchester)

Posted in Festival, Preview

Boomtown – Ch. 2 The Twin Trail, Winchester, 9th – 13th August 2023

In an ever expanding festival calendar, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. But Boomtown aims to do just that, setting out to collide ‘the best parts of festivals, theatres and gaming to create a parallel world where the only limit is your imagination‘, and reviews from last year suggest it hits the target in style.

With eight themed districts where you can plunge yourself into treasure-hunting, puzzle-solving, live-action role-plays and immersive theatre, Boomtown offers a collective of emerging and established artists playing live and plenty of opportunities to dance the night away in your new found community.

Their approach to the music is also very different to most events that try to pull in numbers with big name announcements. The website advises, ‘We’ve made the decision to keep most of the line up a secret until just before the festival. There are many aspects to the way the music industry is run that simply don’t work for festivals. We have always been a creatively led festival and people attend Boomtown because of the overall experience, we will continue to book incredible artists, and all the festival favourites, but by approaching our programming announcements in this radical way, we can create lineups that are even more phenomenal and diverse than we have ever been able to before’. Known for representing the world of reggae, you’re also likely to find an array of genres encompassing punk, metal, ska and folk, so the gamble is mitigated.

If you’re looking for something a bit different this year, Boomtown offers an adventure, not just an event. More details and tickets here.

Boomtown

Preview by Siobhan

17th April 2023

Takedown Festival 2023 (Portsmouth)

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music

Takedown Festival, Portsmouth Guildhall, 8th April 2023

Takedown Festival returned at the weekend after an 8 year hiatus, and it’s pulling no punches. With a huge line-up of alternative rock and metal names, the event moved to its new multi-stage home at Portsmouth Guildhall, bringing over 30 artists to the coast, and leaving no doubt that it’s back in style. Takedown‘s comeback is part of a new partnership between Divergent Festivals and The Guildhall Trust. Photo gallery from the day by Mike Burnell here…

Sleep Token

Skindred

Loathe

Palm Reader

Jamie Lenman

InMe

As December Falls

Saint Agnes

Fearless Vampire Killers

The Bottom Line

Seething Akira

CLT DRP

Red Method

Slackrr

Dendera

Autumn Fires

Takedown Festival

Photos © Mike Burnell (iso400.com)

10th April 2023

The Great Escape 2023 – New Artists Added

Posted in Festival, Preview

The Great Escape, Brighton, 10th – 13th May 2023

Another announcement this week from the team at The Great Escape brings 140 more artists to the streets and stages of Brighton in May – and it incorporates a veritable list of musical talent.

Following the surprise addition to the bill of new wave/rock stalwarts The Pretenders, newer artists joining the festival and well worth getting along to see include Moonchild Sanelly, Coach Party (oh yes, there’s more than one great band on the Isle of Wight), Future Utopia, Sprints and BG favourites / last year’s show stealers VLURE.

With an increasingly formidable and eclectic line-up, as always the festival will run in multiple venues across the city and host a 3-day conference featuring big music industry names. Don’t leave it too late to grab your tickets, 2023 is looking like a good one, full list of additions on the poster and complete artist menu on the TGE website link below.

The Great Escape

Words by Siobhan

30th March 2023

 

 

 

Preview – The Great Escape 2023

Posted in Festival, Preview

The Great Escape, Brighton, 10th – 13th May 2023

Heading up the spring/summer festival party, Brighton’s The Great Escape is long established as a front-runner in championing great new music, and 2023 looks set to be no exception. With almost 300 artists already announced, and around half as many again still to be confirmed, this truly is an eclectic, international line-up where you’re sure to discover something fresh and new. 

Latest additions to the bill include Sorry, The Murder Capital, Dolores Forever, 86TVs (new project from Felix and Hugo of The Maccabees), PVA and Dylan John Thomas.

With previous announcements taking in a plethora of acts to look out for  – Anna Erhard, Bibi Club, Divorce, Freddy Merkky, Peaks, Redolent, Skinner, The Last Dinner Party to name just a few – it’s never too early to start planning for this year’s event. Head over to The Great Escape website for the full line-up so far and to check out ticket options. And for a flavour of what to expect, you can find our coverage from last year here.

Preview by Siobhan

13th March 2023

Lewes Psychedelic Festival 2023

Posted in Event Gallery, Festival, Live Music

Lewes Psychedelic Festival, 4th February 2023

There are few events that will sell out almost instantly, whether or not the line-up has been announced, but this annual festival in Lewes is certainly one. An eclectic gathering of all things psychedelic, via folk, electronica, indie and classic psychedelia, it’s a veritable magic carpet ride for the senses .

The converted church setting of All Saints Centre is the perfect venue and, as much as instore performances in bigger record shops are great, it’s always a pleasure to find people squeezing into the smaller ones for the most intimate of performances, in this case Union Music Store.

Brought to you by Melting Vinyl and Innerstrings (also responsible for the incredible visuals), check out our gallery for a taster of this year’s celebrations.

Sairie

Oddfellow’s Casino

MEMORIALS

Karma Sheen

Acid Klaus

TVAM

Lewes Psychedelic Festival

Words and photos by Siobhan

6th February 2023