Festivals, gig and event coverage.
Mission Green: Boomtown 2019 will be more ecologically aware than ever. Did you know Boomtown is one of the only UK festivals to be held in a national park? This year the No.1 focus is to minimise its carbon footprint. Ways to achieve this will include: The Drastic on Plastic Pledge to which will eliminate … Continue reading Boomtown Fair 19: MISSION GREEN & The Zero Waste Goal
Mansion of Snakes are up first; an 12 piece extravaganza born in Leeds to a deep love of jazz and afrobeat. They melt these influences to produce a unique, devil-funk inspired cosmic jazz that far exceeds their disclaimer: “our shows tend to get a bit sweaty”. The opening track, On a Scale of One to … Continue reading Review: Tantz & Mansion of Snakes
“Can we get some New Orleans brothel lights in here?” asks co-lead singer Conrad Bird as Holy Moly & The Crackers prepare to charm their audience with a unique layering of rasping vocals over a wooden agogo block, trumpet, strings, guitars, “squeezebox” accordion and set of drums. The band modestly describe their sound as “gypsy folk … Continue reading Review: Holy Moly & The Crackers @ The Greystones
With the festival expanding by the year, what deserves a ring around it in the programme for 2018? These 5 acts are a good place to start...
“I'm pretty sure 95% of the population don't know this kind of thing exists” said one audience member to me at the opening of Space Cassette, the Manchester born event which beamed itself over to Sheffield's historic Abbeydale Picture House for a unique night of infinity inspired musings. Advice to Earthlings: Wear something shiny; open … Continue reading Space Cassette @ Abbeydale Picture House: Bringing The Space Skank with Henge + Age of Glass
Wild Beasts play a penultimate final show at Manchester's O2 Apollo as part of their UK farewell tour before separating for good. “We just need to get off the treadmill” says lead vocalist Tom Fleming on the band's decision to split following 10 years of touring and 16 years together. “We were always from day … Continue reading Wild Beasts Farewell Gig @ Manchester Apollo
On Saturday 11th November The London African Gospel Choir graced Plug, one of Sheffield’s most established venues that has hosted the likes of The Arctic Monkeys (no surprises!), Patti Smith and Lily Allen since it opened its doors over a decade ago. For any Sheffield student, past or present, this will be a venue close to their heart, forever linked … Continue reading Review: London African Gospel Choir perform Paul Simon’s “Graceland” @ Plug Sheffield
We visited Chatsworth House to check out their latest exhibition Five Centuries of Fashion which features garments from the 16th century right up to the present day. The Vogue curated show focuses on the glamorous women of Devonshire, bringing to life a private collection of vintage fancy dress and lavish coronation robes, including unique pieces belonging to Stella Tennant; model and black sheep of the … Continue reading Exhibition Review: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth House
As the sun set on Friday evening, Pete Doherty swaggered onto the Ponderosa stage with Carl Barat, Gary Powell and John Hassall in tow. The Libertines had arrived. It’s surreal to think that the same field to host Sheffield’s community festival Peace in The Park, just a matter of weeks before, was now welcoming internationally acclaimed artists like Primal … Continue reading Review: Tramlines Festival 2017 – The Libertines, All Saints & Primal Scream
Boomtown Fair is just as tantalising and immersive as it advertises itself to be. The festival website boasts psychedelic photos of exploding stages, actors and musicians all blended into a huge, chaotic melting pot which is near impossible to put together in your mind pre-arrival. For a first timer, you have no idea what to … Continue reading Review: What Makes Boomtown Festival “The Most Ambitious Theatrical Project In The Country”
Back for its ninth year, Boomtown Fair took over Matterley Estate with a host of three storey pop-up stages, eccentric theatre and world class musical acts narrated over a four day storyline packed full of mischief and surprises. The programme tallied up 101 venues and included everything from electro swing to techno, ska, reggae, cumbia … Continue reading Review: What Makes Boomtown Festival So Unique?
Womad aligned its 35th year with a record 35,000 person turnout at the Wiltshire festival. Despite the usual arrangement of African, Asian and American performers, there was nothing conventional about the eclectic array of music showcased throughout the weekend. West African singer Oumou Sangaré filled Friday’s 7pm slot at the Open Air Stage with a fervent funk that ignited the fully engaged … Continue reading Review: WOMAD Festival 2017 – A Record Breaking Turnout
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