UK: The Great Escape, the UK’s largest festival for new music, will open the UK festival season as it returns to Brighton from May 19 – 21 2016 to transform the city into a mecca for emerging talent. The festival will present 450+ of the hottest up and coming acts from across the world in 30+ venues across the seaside town of Brighton, spilling future sounds into the city’s streets, bandstands and open spaces. The Great Escape has announced Songhoy Blues as the second Spotlight show at Old Market, supported by Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara. An additional 100 artists will…
Author: Festival Insights
UK: Ahead of its very first foray into the festival world, LWE has revealed the line-up for Junction 2 – a collaborative project curated by three respected establishments: Drumcode, The Hydra and Closer. Taking place on June 4 at a never before used London location, announced names for the techno-focussed festival include Adam Beyer, Dixon – who will make his only London festival appearance in 2016 – plus Alan Fitzpatrick, Âme, Carl Craig, Ida Engberg, Mano Le Tough, Marcel Dettmann, Move D, Mr. G, Nina Kraviz, and Scuba, with a clear message that’s centred on great sound, high-end production and…
Jim Webb came to the United Kingdom from his native New Zealand over 20 years ago to start a career in the music industry. For many years he was the Stage Manager for the Pet Shop Boys, Moby, Peter Gabriel, Rihanna, and Queen. He has also spent time organising the logistics of some large group events in the UK and abroad, more recently getting involved in a series of festivals run by Mumford and Sons in the capacity of a Production Stage Manager. When Joe Sanchez of eighteentwentysix asked me if I would be up for running the stage production…
Since its inception in 2012, London’s Vault Festival has hosted over 250 productions – from comedy to political theatre and film from Britain’s most exciting emerging artists. Commencing January 27, the festival will return for six weeks to deliver an international array of performances exploring themes such as gender, mental health, and conflict, to name a few. Insights spoke with Tim Wilson, one of the directors of Vault Festival, about its origins, the challenges of family programming, its food offerings, and more. Festival Insights: Tell us about the space(s) that Vault Festival utilises. The name would suggest that using a…
UK: James Bay is the first headline artist announced for this year’s Mouth of the Tyne Festival in Tynemouth. The Grammy-nominated English singer, songwriter and guitarist will perform an outdoor concert at Tynemouth Priory and Castle on July 9. Bay’s 2014 single ‘Hold Back the River’ has now been certified platinum. His debut album Chaos and the Calm followed last year along with achieving the Brit Awards ‘Critic’s Choice’ prize. In December, he received three Grammy Award nominations including Best New Artist. Taking place from July 7 – 10, Mouth of the Tyne Festival is a four-day cultural celebration of…
PORTUGAL: Lisbon’s NOS Alive has confirmed that Radiohead and Arcade will headline its 10th anniversary event, set to take place from July 7 – 9. Joining them will be The Chemical Brothers – the seminal British dance act who have been instrumental in pushing electronic music to the forefront of popular music culture, and fellow electronic live music pioneers Hot Chip, who are renowned for their infectious dance music and incendiary live shows. Also announced are Australian synth-space-rock band Tame Impala, fellow Australian Courtney Barnett, American singer-songwriter John Grant, and the British rock band The 1975. Already confirmed for the…
SPAIN: Barcelona’s Sónar has announced a selection of new acts for its 2016 festival, set to take place from June 16 – 18. Foremost in the latest reveal is the French electronic music icon Jean-Michel Jarre, with an undercard comprising James Blake, Flume, Kelela, Roots Manuva, Howling, Bob Moses, David August, plus seven-hour sets from Laurent Garnier and Four Tet. Other additions include Nozinja, Jackmaster, John Talabot, Boys Noize, The Martinez Brothers, Mano Le Tough, Red Axes, Tuff City Kids and Magic Mountain High. There will also be a Raster-Noton showcase at the festival, with Alva Noto, Byetone and Cyclo…
UK: Field Day has revealed a multitude of line-up additions that will be joining the likes of Skepta, PJ Harvey, Beach House, Four Tet, Deerhunter, Orchestra Baobab, John Grant, GOAT, Optimo, Floating Points, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Youth Lagoon, and the Thurston Moore Band for its upcoming edition from June 6 – 7. Joining the Field Day Saturday bill are: Yeasayer, Sleaford Mods, Metz, Girl Band, Gold Panda, Tale Of Us, Jackmaster, Gerd Janson, Bicep, Plastician, The Black Madonna, Novelist, Frisco, Slimzee, Little Simz, Nao, Kelela, Gillbanks, and Wooden Wisdom & DJ Fitz. Jason Williamson, frontman of Sleaford Mods, commented…
DENMARK: The reunited LCD Soundsystem will grace Roskilde Festival this summer, and Danish popstar MØ will play an exclusive show on the iconic Orange Stage. The festival has also announced that Tame Impala, Ghost, Chvrches and Destroyer will perform. With today’s additions, 53 acts of a total of 175 have been announced, revealing what is already a diverse line-up. New Order, PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wiz Khalifa and Tenacious D are just some of the acts already announced for Roskilde Festival 2016. They will be joined by LCD Soundsystem, MØ, Tame Impala, CHVRCHES, Savages, Destroyer, Ghost, Floating Points…
NETHERLANDS: Awakenings, the Netherlands-based outdoor techno festival, has announced the dates for this year’s edition. From June 25 – 26, Awakenings will take place at Spaarnwoude Houtrak for the 16th time. There will be eight different stages, including two spacious open air stages, representing the broad variety of techno music – from traditional techno to fusion styles and back. As always, the newest and hottest techno kids on the block will perform next to the legends of the scene, resulting in almost 100 different artists and live acts performing over the course of two techno-packed days. On the second day…