festivals

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.

Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline Reading and Leeds

/ James Fenney

rhcp

The twin festivals of Reading and Leeds have unveiled their first line-up announcement for 2016. It included Slaves, the Courteeners and the 1975 as well as headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers. RHCP last topped the bill in 2007. Their set may well include new music as the band have been busy recording their 11th album, their first in 4 years, which is supposedly “very different and unique”. It will be the second album without guitarist John Frusciante. The band is a strong booking and it will be interesting to see what other headliners are in store.

Reading and Leeds 2015

/ James Fenney

Reading_Leeds_2015

The UK’s biggest twin festivals, held at Little John’s Farm and Bramham Park respectively. have come to a close for another year. The world’s oldest surviving music festival has added another stellar year to it’s long and illustrious history. The weather may have been rubbish but the music certainly wasn’t! Thanks to the magic that is BBC iplayer you can enjoy the highlights from warmth and comfort. Continue reading →

Lollapalooza Washout

/ James Fenney

lolla2015

Lollapalooza festival has been put on hold due to adverse weather conditions. Following a severe thunderstorm warning for the city of Chicago, attendees were evacuated from the festival grounds. It is currently unclear when the festival will resume and how the scheduling will be affected.

Live Review: Barn on the Farm Festival 2015

/ James Fenney

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Eager for my first summer festival experience I decided to start small. To be honest I don’t think I could’ve picked a better place to start. This welcoming little gathering has an astonishing record for discovering new talent and it’s hardly surprising that it has won awards for best independent festival. With a line-up that for me was beaten only by Glastonbury, I set out under the glorious summer sun to see some old favourites and discover some new incredible music. Continue reading →

Glastonbury 2015

/ James Fenney

glastonbury logo It’s been a bumpy ride but the world’s biggest and most important music festival has concluded for another year. Thankfully for those of us who live too far away, those who can’t afford a ticket and those who don’t fancy trying to scale the Great Wall of Glasto; the BBC have provided tireless coverage across the major stages. The next best thing to seeing the greatest show on earth in person is to watch it warm and dry at home with a cup of tea. Here are my highlights of the festival coverage from across the weekend: Continue reading →

Live Review: Handmade Festival 2015

/ James Fenney

handmadelineup

Right when I was about to burst from stress, with only the prospect of the summer’s music keeping me going, a free pass was dropped in my metaphorical lap. Leicester’s ever growing genre-bending independent music festival was just the weekend I needed. I headed down to the O2 Academy representing LUSH Radio and it was the first time (though hopefully not the last) that I entered a venue with my name legitimately on the press list. It could technically be considered my first festival experience and I was determined to make the most of it.

Continue reading →

Final Glastonbury headliner announced

/ James Fenney

The Who Plays Brisbane

All bets are off as The Who have been announced as the third and final headline act, along with Foo Fighters and Kanye West. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will bring the festival to a close as part of their 50th anniversary tour. Glastonbury is sure to be the highlight of what may be their last major tour.