What festivals are you looking forward to in 2012?
- By Adam Holden -
- Apr 06, 2012
Are you looking forward to festival season? Here's a blog on what to look out for this musical summer...
From V Festival to Coachella, Reading to Latitude, there are some amazing festivals in store this summer. However, there are some fantastic alternatives to the bigger festivals. Here is my top five festival and gig wishlist for 2012:
5. Bestival – Situated on the Isle of Wight, Rob da Bank organises a family-fun-fuelled weekend that accommodates for all ages, with a diversity of music. Having always been put off by the endurance mission it would take to drive to the Isle of Wight from my house, not including the ferry across, I have always postponed my visit and sadly never been to the festival, despite always hearing nothing but superlatives from the festival-goers. Although this year Rob da Bank has secured The XX, a band I have always wanted to see, yet hardly ever perform. They are back at Bestival and are a prime example of a festival using a band that will most definitely allure and entice fans.
4. Big Beach Boutique – If you have not heard about this particular festival, it is being hosted and headlined by Fatboy Slim, and will take its venue at Brighton Football Club's Amex Stadium. There are two separate days being hosted by Fatboy Slim, with the inaugural gig on June 1st, being predominately a house event, with special guests The 2 Bears, Luciano, Maya Jane Coles and Radio 1 legend Carl Cox. The second night on June 2nd will be more dub step orientated with DJ Fresh, Annie Mac, Jaguar Skills and Nero making up the line up. Of course Brighton born Norman Cook will finish both nights' entertainment. These two separate all day events are a result of Norman hosting Big Beach Boutiques on Brighton’s seafront in previous years, but he declared that the gigs were too expensive to put on with all the road closes and safety regulations. At £60 a ticket, it is quite pricey, but should be one to remember.
3. Jay-Z and Kanye West - Unless you hate music or have been living under a rock, you will probably know that these two heavyweight rap artists will be in town this summer to blow up the O2 Arena. Jay-Z is due in the capital already this year, with the New Yorker headlining Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Hackney. With Jay known for his professionalism and Kanye known for his eccentric and random behaviour, the show is set to be huge. Expect fireworks.
2. Swedish House Mafia - The Mafia, consisting of Steven Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Axwell have been given the prestigious honour of being the first electronic artists to headline an all-day event at the Milton Keynes National Bowl. With over 65,000 people expected, this should be one of the best days out this summer, if incredible house music is your thing. The venue is incredible, with natural-grass slopes (hence its name), every fan has a perfect view from all directions and angles. If the Swedish House Mafia isn’t your thing, keep an eye out next year to see who is headlining the Bowl, as it provides a setting no festival can offer.
1. TomorrowLand – Another festival that needs to be ticked off the bucket list. TomorrowLand is an electronic festival held in Antwerp, Belgium, and its promotional video from last year has been such a hit, it currently has nearly 30 million views on YouTube. The only way to describe this is as a fantasy festival. Imagine Disney Land being headlined by David Guetta, Faithless, Swedish House Mafia and many more. I know many of you will say the Secret Garden Party has a fantasy-like feel to it, but my only argument would be, watch the YouTube video and tell me you don’t want to go. An excellent piece of promotional work by the festival, although whether it can live up to the hype, is yet to be seen. I hope so!
What festivals are you looking forward to this year?
By Adam Holden.
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