- Festival Reviews
I am back from Glastonbury and back at work but haven’t quite come down yet. Every year again the festival manages to make you feel that a kinder, more positive and more colourful world is possible. I am not sure why five days in uncomfortably hot weather, walking crazy distances and hardly sleeping at all would make one feel that way, but everybody who has been to the festival can attest that it has that effect.
- Festival Reviews
Last weekend I attended the Download Festival for the first time. I work two festivals a year as an Oxfam volunteer, and since Womad was having a year off, I had to look elsewhere. Always good to broaden the horizons and this is how I ended up at "the spiritual home of rock".
- Festival Reviews
The second edition of this city centre festival in Southampton, this year expanded to 2 days. A packed agenda with bands across three venues: Heartbreakers, Joiners, The 1865. A bit of a walk between the latter venues so it was sensible to cluster our choices in groups of two or three. Fortunately, we were blessed with good weather so the straw between venues was welcome respite
- Festival Reviews
Well...we've managed to make it to Saturday, the last day of our SXSW 2025. It's a quiet morning of walking around Austin and breakfast. Not a lot of shows today that we were interested in but one show, over at Lazarus Brewing featured Campfire Social so I decided a great craft beer and show would be nice today.
- Festival Reviews
Another lovely morning here in Austin. Have a little sleep in and a walk before it gets too hot. Today's options are many but we decide to focus on events that have indoor elements to it as, this would be the hottest day of the week and a patio in the sun would be too much.
- Festival Reviews
Despite the late night it's up for another run and then breakfast and then prepare for a full day showcase. Paste magazine puts on a yearly showcase over three days. Two outdoor stages and one indoors means the show rotate from one stage to the next. It's a full day.
- Festival Reviews
Good morning Austin. Despite a late night, we were able to go for a run and than have breakfast this morning and that prepared us for a long day ahead
- Festival Reviews
Well...here we are again. Months of planning, and a lot of debate has got us here.
With the current relationship between the US & Canada imploding and getting worse every day, it's hard to truly describe the level of discomfort we had going to Austin. With that being said, we had young Joseph & Francesca to meet up with and Austin is a reasonably safe Democratic bubble in a Republican state so off we went.
Flight done, bag dropped at hotel, wristband acquired, we are off to enjoy some music!
- Festival Reviews
This early January festival at Butlins, Bognor Regis has always delivered great value for money and this, our fifth visit, was no exception. A change in the staging this year saw the larger ‘Studio 36’ arena coming into play which certainly suited some of the larger headline names like Spiritualised and Leftfield.
- Festival Reviews
Our second visit to this fantastic micro festival held in the grounds of The Lake District’s Muncaster Castle, and curated by Sea Power. With only 1500 people in attendance the event has a wonderfully intimate feel throughout and seems to punch above its weight in term of bands on the line up, which includes Sea Power playing two full sets as well as a session of Jonathan Richman covers through their side-line ‘The Modern Ovens’.
- Festival Reviews
When I opened my tent on 2 September I saw little more than fog. I could barely make out the toilet and shower blocks at the end of the sloping field in which I was camping. It was as if the weather was saying, "The festival season is over".
Many artists preforming over the weekend made a point of mentioning that the End Of The Road is their favourite festival and how grateful they were to be there. I felt it really made me end my summer on a high note, and I went home with new music, new discoveries, new ideas.
- Festival Reviews
The 2024 festival season is in full swing and times are changing. Some festivals are struggling while others (Glastonbury, Green Man, Beautiful Days) are still selling out. Towersey and Underneath The Stars have announced that this will be their last year. Larger sections of festival sites are now set apart for glamping. For some festival-goers the rising cost of everything means that they have to choose which festival to attend.