festivals

Glastonbury 2016

/ James Fenney

glastonbury logo

This year’s Glastonbury seemed doomed to fail. With traffic chaos, some of the worst mud in the festival’s history and even BBC coverage being affected by the EU referendum broadcasts it would have been an easy bet to back it being an utter shambles. Instead the world’s greatest festival managed to pull it off and maintain high spirits on the farm and accomplish record breaking viewing figures. Here’s a brief roundup of the best of what BBC iPlayer’s “Glastontelly” has to offer. Continue reading →

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2016

/ James Fenney

radio-1-big-weekend-exeter

Now in it’s thirteenth year, the BBC’s very own music festival this year took to Powderham Castle in Exeter to showcase the best of British as well as some of the hottest acts from across the globe. Joining the headliners Mumford & Sons and Coldplay were a few Belwood favourites including Catfish & the Bottlemen, Jack Garratt and reigning best band Wolf Alice. The weekend also included a dazzling set from aussie psychedelics Tame Impala, new music from indie folk hero Jake Bugg and a blistering performance from Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. Naturally there a always a few questionable acts, and the “In new music we trust” stage consisted almost entirely of established artists, but overall the weekend was a rousing success. Full performances from across the weekend are available on iplayer.

Festival survival and etiquette guide

/ James Fenney

Jubelnde Konzertbesucher auf Rock-Konzert

Summer is rapidly approaching, and if you want to make the most of it then any self respecting music lover will surely want to head to a festival. They are a longstanding tradition and with new festivals popping up all the time it’s no problem at all to find the perfect one for you! But this is no ordinary concert, there is so much more going on, and as such takes a greater level of preparation. If you make sure to come prepared then you’re in for one fantastic weekend, if not… well, we’ve all heard plenty of horror stories! Here’s a few top tips to remember. Continue reading →

Adele to headline Glastonbury

/ James Fenney

adele1

The British songstress has been announced as the Saturday headliner for this year’s Glastonbury festival, joining Muse and Coldplay on Friday and Sunday respectively. Following the success of her globally successful album 25, this will be her first festival performance. She announced her involvement during a concert at London’s O2 arena, although she has previously stated her reluctance to play at Glastonbury due to the large crowds. There has been some criticism around whether her music fits in with a festival format, but you can’t deny that she will be a unique headliner.

New American festival announced

/ James Fenney

panorama_festival_2016

The team behind the world famous Coachella festival have announced the first ever Panorama festival in New York. Brought about as a rival to the Governor’s Ball festival that is held at the same venue, it’s first ever headliners are Arcade Fire, Kendrick Lamar and LCD Soundsystem. As far as festivals go, the more the merrier, and with a strong debut line-up it looks like Panorama is here to stay.

Muse to headline Glastonbury

/ James Fenney

muse live

Rock power trio Muse have been announced as the Friday headliners for this year’s Glastonbury festival. They have now become the first band to headline each night of the festival, having played the Saturday and Sunday top slots in 2010 and 2004 respectively. They are sure to put on a show as their latest world tour has featured drones and impressive light displays in what the band has described as a “360-degree audio/visual sensory experience”. Although they are considered one of the best live acts around, the festival has been criticized for not selecting someone either new or exclusive to Glastonbury.

T in the Park 2016 line-up

/ James Fenney

t-in-the-park-2016-lineup

Scotland’s biggest music festival has announced this year’s headliners. The newly reformed Stone Roses, DJ Calvin Harris and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will top the bill at this year’s festival. Also appearing will be LCD Soundsystem who got back together to perform at Coachella and The Last Shadow Puppets; a collaboration between Miles Kane and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. This will be the festivals second year in the new location of Strathallan Castle, a venue that previously caused controversy due to the heavy festival traffic and the disruption of a breeding pair of rare ospreys.

Coldplay to headline Glastonbury

/ James Fenney

coldplay

Following on from their performance at America’s superbowl, Coldplay have been announced as the first Glastonbury headliner. The band, who will close the festival on the Sunday night, will now become the first act to headline 4 times having also topped the bill in 2002, 2005 and 2011. Coldplay have received a rather cold reception with the band being described as too boring and as a lazy choice by the festival organisers. The other headliners are said to also be British bands although they, along with the rest of the line-up, have yet to be announced.

Foals and Disclosure to co-headline Reading and Leeds

/ James Fenney

foals

Rising indie band Foals and dance duo Disclosure have been announced as co-headliners for this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, joining fellow headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers. Foals secret set at last year’s festivals was one of the weekend’s highlights and they are quickly establishing themselves as one of the biggest new rock bands in Britain. It is Disclosure’s first ever UK headline slot and the first time an electronic act has headlined since 2002. The third and final headliner has yet to be announced.

Coachella line-up 2016

/ James Fenney

coachella lineup

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one of America’s greatest music festivals, has announced this year’s line-up. Continuing the tradition of bringing acts out of retirement, LCD Soundsystem and Guns N’ Roses will be headlining Friday and Saturday respectively. This confirms the longstanding rumours surrounding a GNR reunion. The Californian festival will also include sets from Sufjan Stevens, Halsey, Sia, Foals and James Bay.