Togetherfest

Featuring female artists from across the globe, Togetherfest is one of the most vibrant and engaging festivals around, and it promises an outstanding line-up for 2017. Here are just a few of the acts you can expect.

Brazzabelle

Exploding onto the music scene after the success of her Haddaway‘s dance classic “What Is Love” cover, Brazzabelle was named an “Artist to Watch” by BPM Network and the DJ List, and she has become known as one of the industry’s most promising new DJs.

Dani Deahl

DJ, producer, journalist, and blogger, Dani Deahl is an electro powerhouse. Apart from interviewing legends like David Guetta and Tiga, she’s played Lollapalooza three times and a produced a Billboard charted track.

Little Boots

Since emerging in 2008 and leading the BBC Sound Of poll just one year later, Little Boots has become known for her first white label release ‘Stuck On Repeat’, and she’s since worked with some of the biggest names around.

UNiiQU3

The leading lady of the Jersey Club movement, UNiiQU3 has worked with Givenchy, Red Bull Sound Select, H&M, MTV, and Boiler Room, quickly cementing her status across the world’s most prestigious festival and club sound systems.

TT The Artist

An emerging female recording artist able to engage with visual language just as easily as she does with catchy tunes.

Club Aerobics

This LA-based collective has made fantastically received premieres via Anna Lunoe’s HyperHouse on Apple’s Beats1 Radio, Complex UK, NestHQ, and Dummy Mag, and there’s no better trio to get you moving on the dancefloor.

Von Kiss

Von Kiss is a true crowd-pleaser, with a gift for spanning genres as diverse as Tropical Bass and Classic Throwbacks across a single unique and inimitable set. Having electrified crowds in New York, Miami, Toronto, Las Vegas, Paris, Korea, just to name a few, Von Kiss is set to be one of the most eagerly-awaited performers at this year’s TogetherFest.

Blimes Brixton X Micahtron

Micahtron brings influences such as Janet Jackson, M.I.A, Nas, Andre 3000, and Santigold to create powerful pieces of music that epitomise an exceptional approach to the musical medium. As a lyricist, singer, and songwriter with a contagious passion for her art, Blimes Brixton is the perfect musical teammate.

BITCH PLZ

From the MC skills of MISS HAZE to the madcap creativity of CORRINE, these internationally recognised DNB GIRLS throw hard basslines and ragga jungle, so expect a lively dancefloor.

Roundhouse Rising 2017

The Roundhouse Rising Festival 2017 will take place on Saturday 11th to Sunday 19th of February, and promises to introduce visitors to tomorrow’s headliners.

Following the phenomenal week enjoyed by the 2016 event, this will be the seventh iteration of The Roundhouse Rising Festival, which will bring you nine days’ worth of live music spanning numerous genres, from the popular to the niche. No matter your interests, you’ll find yourself taking in the work of some of the country’s most exciting fresh talent, and there are even a whole host of further events. If you ever need a break from the music, just take in one of the panels, live demonstrations, workshops, and talks from some of the biggest names in the business.

Select acts include:

  • Catholic Action: This Glaswegian four-piece will be kicking off the festival.
  • Swimming Girls: Delivering dream-pop.
  • Calva Louise: Purveyors of ferociously inventive modern grunge
  • Mista Silva: MOBO nominee and noted afrobeat artist.
  • SumoChief: Outstanding hip hop collective.

Even better, this will be the first every Roundhouse Rising Festival to look back on its roots and celebrate the success currently enjoyed by some of the artists that helped the event make a name for itself. Returning guests include rapper Little Simz. Little Simz will be coming back with special guests, such as hip hop sensation Mick Jenkins.

Of course, the Roundhouse Rising Festival difference is the kind of exposure that these acts are able to benefit from. The Roundhouse has ever been a hotbed of creativity through which emerging artists can find inspiration and find their feet. Giving young people the opportunity to engage with the arts through music, performance pieces, and media has been central to their message from day one.

Founded by Sir Torquil Norman CBE, the Roundhouse Trust had been helping to foster the creative spirit in 11 to 25-year-olds for years, providing particular support for those young people who have felt marginalised, disadvantaged, or excluded. During 2015/16, over 55% of those who took advantage of the program had experienced personal, social, or economic disadvantages in one form or another, so it’s great to see the Roundhouse Trust encouraging their burgeoning talents through the Open Access Programme, International Youth Programme, partnerships with local schools, and the Roundhouse Youth Advisory Board.

When you attend any Roundhouse event, including the fantastic Roundhouse Rising 2017, you’ll be able to witness the raw power of talent that these young artists have been able to harness, so this one should definitely be on the calendar of any music fan interested in where the industry is heading next.

Secret Garden Party Dates Announced for 2017

The Secret Garden Party, or SGP if you’re in the know, is one of the most unique arts and music festivals around. Located on part of the grounds of a Georgian farm house, it boasts its own lake, river, and landscaped gardens, and was launched as an alternative to established mainstream events. Truth be told, it’s getting a little more mainstream itself, at least in terms of numbers. From 1,000 visitors in 2004 it has grown to play host to 35,000 revellers during 2016.

Fans shouldn’t worry though –  SGP has certainly retained its own kooky appeal. This was the first time in years that the event didn’t sell out, but a fusion of fantastic weather, great acts, and a perfect theme all ensured that the 2016 event hit the ground running and never let up.

The theme this year was ‘Gardeners Guide to the Galaxy’. As you might expect, the event was crowded with plenty of aliens, spacemen, astronauts, and a dazzling array of other intergalactic wonders given human form. Other concerts might encourage a little make believe, but SGP stands out thanks to the enthusiasm of its attendees; those costumes were really something.

Thursday started this year’s SGP off with unexpected energy, with Hot Since 82 and The Martinez Brothers delivering some lively house and techno. Friday saw The Skints taking to The Great Stage and utterly charming the crowds with ska and punk overtones; the Little Comets and the Future Disco takeover were also standout hits of the 2016 SGP. The By the Rivers were highlights of Saturday, and Hot 8 Brass Band provided a welcome set on Sunday, even bringing their extended version of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing.

Even without the musical acts delivering so magnificently, SGP would have been one to remember. True to form, there were plenty of eye-catching additions to the grounds, including a red-eyed, robot-tailed fox, a plane wreck next to the Next Stage, claws digging out from the ground near the Great Stage, and, towering above all of them, an immense tricoloured pyramid that shot lasers up into the sky. Finally, The Paint Fight – an SGP signature – saw the whole venue infused with colour.

All this bodes well for The Secret Garden Party 2017. The dates have just been confirmed as Thursday 20th– Sunday 23rd July, and early-bird tickets are now on sale. Expect it to be just as immensely entertaining as 2016’s phenomenal event.

Leeds Festival 2017 Dates, Line Up, Tickets and Map

Leeds Festival organisers have just announced early bird tickets for the 2017 event. Leeds Festival 2017 will be taking place at Bramham Park from 25th – 27th August, and you can snag your weekend pass right away starting at just £213. If you’re hoping that Leeds Fest will be the first thing you mark on your 2017 calendar come Christmas time, you’re not alone. The 2016 event just wrapped up to general acclaim.

Of course, Leeds will never want for attendees. With 12 stages and a whole host of acts to grace them each year, the festival has become a rite of passage for anyone in the North who likes music. The likes of Oasis, Green Day, and the Foo Fighters have topped the line-up over the years, and the headliners continue to be drawn from rock’s A-List.

Never say that Leeds doesn’t roll with the changes though. One of this year’s most popular acts was Disclosure, representing the ascension of hip-hop and dance with the younger generation. Other stand-out acts included Little Simz, Anderson, and Bugzy Malone, and there were plenty of big name bands to steal the show.

Blossoms were chief among them. They’ve just launched an incredibly successful debut album, so these guys have really been turning things up across the festival circuit this summer. Coming to Leeds on Sunday afternoon, they entertained a capacity crowd with tracks such as Honey Sweet, Charlemagne, and At Most A Kiss.

Anyone who checked out Blossoms were surely in attendance for The 1975, who topped the bill on Friday night and cranked out single after single from I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It.

Attendees were able to transition from young up-and-comers to legends of music thanks to the festival’s diverse line-up. The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nas both put on phenomenal shows in front of immense crowds. Nas blended a selection of classics with fresh new tracks, while the LA funk rock icons offered generations of hits to a field of fans who all seemed to know every word by heart.

Leeds 2017 is expected to draw the same fusion of old and new, and you can get there via coach, TransPennine Express, car, or by train and shuttle. Make sure you grab your pass early for the best deal.