Category: Review

The Funking Barstewards – Hastings Fish and Wine Festival 2018

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The Funking Barstewards have been putting smiles on the faces of festival crowds since they first graced a big stage at Phoenix Festival back in 1993. Still funking it up after all these years with a greatest hits back catalogue of disco classics, the Barstewards’ most recent foray into festival land was at the annual Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival. Headining the Saturday night they lit up the tent with a set that kept young and old alike dancing from start to finish

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The Sweetchunks Band – your new favourite festival experience

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We pride ourselves in knowing a thing or two about what makes a great festival act. And The Sweetchunks Band tick all our boxes. After 25 years of walking the fields and experiencing all of the highs and lows of festival life there’s no questioning that we’ve seen and heard some truly awful stuff in our day. Inappropriate bookings like Daphne and Celeste at Reading Festival spring to mind. And then there have been moments when global megastars have been caught out doing really bad karaoke…don’t remind us about the Kanye West cover of Bohemian Rhapsody… URGH… So whenever we find something magnificently authentic and utterly original we pause to celebrate – because festivals are about discovery…and when you find […]

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Boomtown – the machine that won’t be stopped (2018 reviewed)

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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, Boomtown – we salute you! [by John Bownas and Ali Ryland] In a day and age where festivals are seemingly popped out of the same-old jelly moulds to a Jamie Oliver 30-minute recipe, Boomtown excels in delivering a dish of unknown pleasures that Heston himself would be proud of and that feels as if has been years in the planning. So what if the weather was unkind for this chapter of the story…we stood in the biblical downpour and revelled in the majesty of Fishbone. We careered and cavorted as our clothes became saturated and stuck to our skins because we knew THIS was a special moment. And when the sky […]

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Y-Not 2018 : rocking your socks off…

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Sunshine, a heroes return for reverand and the makers, Razorlight and a banging ...

The sun is shining, there’s plenty of glitter, beer and band T-Shirts and everyone seems suitably excited for four days of indie/rock/alt-action at this years Y-Not Festival in Derby.   The weekend boasts an impressive bill featuring the likes of Jamiroquia, Catfish And The Bottlemen and Kaiser Chiefs to name but a few of the 100+ bands on the line up.   Following a shaky 2017, the pressure is on this year for the festival to deliver and, despite some atrocious weather, suffice to say Y Not 2018 fulfils its promises this time around.   Opening up the Giant Squid Stage on Friday were Newcastle’s Ground Culture. One of the heavier bands on the bill, they blast through their set […]

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Into the Wild 2018 – a little slice of perfection

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If the big festivals are starting to leave you feeling bloated and overwhelmed it might be time to consider something a little lighter – because a little less is sometimes a whole lot more. And Into the Wild (not to be confused with Into the Wild Gathering) could be just what the doctor ordered…but do watch out for 2019 tickets and grab them quick, because this a strictly limited capacity affair. Set on a large estate just a short drive out of North London, Into the Wild beckoned quietly to us as a warm-up to next weekend’s Latitude extravaganza. With a line-up scattered with familiar festival favourites such as Beans on Toast, Will Varley, Oh My God, It’s The Church, […]

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Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival 2018 – retrospective

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It’s safe to say that this is one fringe with real benefits… principle amongst which are (1) it’s in Hastings (2) it’s 99% free entry and (3) the quality of the acts is top notch. Hastings Fringe Comedy Festival is a real labour of love for it’s organisers. Run on a shoestring, it somehow manages to pack a serious punch without any sense of corners being cut. Venues are small and intimate – which is always a plus (unless you are the shy and retiring audience type who doesn’t fancy getting picked out for some gentle ribbing from time to time) and the only risk you run is that popular ones may fill up quickly. Running over four days in […]

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Long Division: Warehouse 23, 2018 (review)

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Steve White writes… So, after a week of almost constant sunshine Saturday decides to be wet, windy and miserable. Wakefield is damp and grey when we arrive but beginning to brighten up both weather-wise and event wise. Long Division Festival started in 2011, is an annual event (although organisers took a break from duties in 2017) and over the years has played host to The Cribs, British Sea Power, The Fall, Gang of Four, Ash and a whole load of others. Spread over five days the festival features a diverse range of music, spoken word and exhibitions with the main events being Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The heart of the festival is Saturday which saw almost 100 performances and events taking […]

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The Magic Numbers and Penelope Isles: Brighton Old Market

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Opening up for The Magic Numbers at Brighton’s Old Market are a starry-eyed young band called Penelope Isles. Somewhat confusingly none of the band members are called Penelope Isles – but two of them are called Jack. One of the Jacks is the brother of Lily, and then there’s Becky to make up the magic number four. Penelope Isles have a strong Brighton following, but the hark from the Isle of Man – until now best known as the birthplace of The Bee Gees. As well as the brother/sister thing, musically they share a lot in common with the Magic Numbers. Tight harmonies, sonic shapes, crafty lyrical hooks, and an ever-changing atmosphere as they wind the tempo up and down […]

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