Bestival
September 8,9,10 - Robin Hill, Isle of Wight
Tagged on to the end of festival season is Bestival - a truly remarkable cultural event. Bestival is a three day boutique music festival set at Robin Hill - a beautiful leafy country park (a veritable Garden of Eden) near Downend in the heart of the Isle of Wight. The event is curated by Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot to Rob’s Sunday Best record label and club nights.
This year’s event once again offers an eclectic blend of musical talent over eight stages in a surreal setting devised and created by Josie da Bank.
Headlining the event are electro-pop stalwarts Pet Shop Boys, who are joined by punk-legends The Stranglers and The Fall.
Adding to the musical madness are Devendra Banhart, King Creosote, Jamie T, Cagedbaby, Kid Creole and The Coconuts, Nathan Fake, The Young Knives, The Sunshine Underground, Kanda Bongo Man, The Boy Least Likely To, James Yorkston and The Athletes, Fence Collective, The Aliens, My Robot Friend, Electronic Elvis, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Jeremy Warmsley, Mr Hudson and the Library, Klaxons, Tunng, Magnetophone with Sonic Boom and Kwaing Creasite, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and many more.
Aside from the live music the event offers top DJs, cabaret and super strange happenings. Supported by BBC Radio 1. There’s also the biggest fancy dress celebration ever with a circus theme.

Check out: www.bestival.net
Win tickets to Bestival 2006
Check out the competitions page in the April edition of newspaper for more details

Sunrise Celebration
June 16 - 21 - South Somerset
Sunrise Celebration is a family orientated gathering boasting five days of contemporary music and performing arts, permaculture and sustainable living.
Thirteen autonomous areas complete with six-plus stages provide a wide range of great activities, entertainment, education, information and celebration suitable for the whole family.
The eclectic line-up features Arthur Brown, Dreadzone, Incredible String Band, Eat Static, Seize the Day, Baghdaddies, and System 7 with many more acts to be announced.
Alongside the music is a wide array of activities including a circus, walkabout, mystic theatre, fire walking, multimedia displays and cinema.
Sunrise Celebration looks set to be a unique festival event for mind, body and soul.
www.sunrisecelebration.com

Hi:fi Festival
North: May 27 - Matfen Estate, near Newcastle
South: May 27-28 - Matterley Bowl, Winchester
New for 2006 is Hi:fi Festival, a double site music event which claims to be the first ever to boast a line up of both block-rocking bands and superstar DJs. Taking place simultaneously both in the North and South it will smash all pre-conceptions by giving rock and dance equal billing on a line up that will blow your mind.
The North leg is headlined by indie-legend Ian Brown who is joined by post-punkers Editors, Brakes, Forward Russia, Maximo Park and the Sound Explosion for guitar music fans. Dance fans can enjoy superstar DJs Paul Oakenfold and Erik Morillo, Pete Tong, Sasha and John Digweed, to name but a few.
The South event is headlined by Hard-fi, who are billed with pop-psyche geniuses Super Furry Animals and The Go! Team. Adding to the bill are Pete Tong, Freestylers, Dave Clark, Plump DJs and Scratch Perverts. More acts are to be announced for both sites. Find out more event information at www.hififestival.com

All Tomorrows Parties - Weekend 1
May 12, 13, 14 - Camber Sands, near Rye, East Sussex
All Tomorrows Parties spans two weekends, curated by specially selected bands who put together a line-up of their liking and caters for musical lovers with more avant-garde tastes.
This first weekend’s bands are chosen by grunge-trial-blazers Mudhoney, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and folk eccentric Devendra Banhart.
Bands at this sold-out weekend include Comets on Fire, Holly Golightly, Liars, TV on the Radio, The Blood Brothers, Espers, and Bats for Lashes.
www.atpfestival.com

All Tomorrow’s Parties - Weekend 2
May 19, 20, 21 - Camber Sands, near Rye, East Sussex
The second weekend from 2006’s All Tomorrow’s Parties has an exceptional line-up with The Shins, Sleater Kinney and Dinosaur Jnr taking the reins over the three days.
Bands include indie super-collective Broken Social Scene, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Lilys, original punks Eater, The Gossip, The Black Heart Procession, Lightning Bolt, Boredoms, Clinic, Dungen and Electrelane.
www.atpfestival.com

Metro Weekender -
Get Loaded in the Park launch Party
April 16 - Turnmills, London
Launch event for this year’s Get Loaded in the Park Festival; featuring live performances from The Cuban Brothers, Deaf Stereo and the Metro Riots. Over the five rooms the event will also feature DJ sets from Bez (Happy Monday’s), Kid Carpet, Clor, The Dead 60’s, Stereo MCs and extra entertainment in the shape of An audience with Howard Marks, The Comedy Store and The Bugged Out! Soundsystem.
The line-up for the festival will be announced on the night.
www.getloadedinthepark.com

Wychwood Music Festival
June 2,3,4 - Cheltenham Racecourse
Back for its second year the Wychwood Festival again offers a dynamic line-up over three days boasting top artists spanning world, folk, roots and contemporary music.
This year festival goers can enjoy the sounds of Billy Bragg, the dub-dance of Dreadzone, Mr Scruff, current hot-tips The Guillemots, ‘post-jazz’ band Polar Bear, Aberfeldy, north east indie supergroup Field Music, live improv-act The Bays and electro-folk band Tunng.
Visitors can also indulge in numerous cultural workshops and an on-site cinema.
www.wychwoodfestival.com

The Great Escape
May 18 - 20 - Brighton
The Great Escape is a brand new festival, taking the best bits from renowned events like SXSW and Eurosonic and bringing them to the UK with some of the most exciting up-and-coming new bands.
The Futureheads, British Sea Power, The Feeling, The Bees, The Cribs, Martha Wainwright, Brakes, Madrugda, Metric, Electric Soft Parade and many more will join the cream of new talent from around the world.
A weekend pass allows festival goers entry to all of the event’s 15 venues, which will be hosting 100 bands over three nights in Brighton.
www.escapegreat.com

Download Festival
June 9, 10, 11 - Donington Park, Leicestershire
The daddy of heavy rock festivals returns to Donington Park for another year with a bill to satisfy any rocker’s aural palette.
Headliners of the event are three legendary rock-acts.
Guns n' Roses performance will see Axl Rose (and band) bang through the classics plus material from the long-awaited new album Chinese Democracy.
With ‘the biggest metal band in the world’ Metallica, and Tool completing the headline trio these bands alone make this event a special prospect.
The bill also includes re-formed grunge legends Alice in Chains, dance-punk mentalists Prodigy, nu-metal ground-breakers Deftones and Funeral for a Friend.
www.downloadfestival.co.uk

Wireless Festival - London
June 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 - Hyde Park, London
Wireless offers a quality line-up in the heart of the capital. Indie giants The Strokes, trip-hip fore-runners Massive Attack and Depeche Mode are amongst the headliners.
They are joined by a mixed-bag of artists including the fantastic The Flaming Lips, Eels, Belle and Sebastian, Super Furry Animals, David Gray, DJ Shadow, Pharrell Williams, Beth Orton and the Violent Femmes, Gnarls Barkley and Gogol Bordello.
www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

Wireless Festival - Leeds
June 24, 25 - Harewood House, Leeds
The Leeds leg of the Wireless Festival is smaller in size than its capital counter-part and takes in many of the bands appearing in London. To date the additional bands include The Who and The Zutons.
www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

V Festival
August 19, 20 - Weston Park, Staffordshire and Hylands Park, Chelmsford
This years V Festival is set to disappoint many indie-fans, not simply because all the tickets sold in just under nine minutes, but because the event they will be missing is headlined by two of the genres legendary acts.
Former Smiths front-man Morrissey will perform cuts from his new album ‘Ringleader of the Tormentors’, other tunes from his amazing solo career and may even throw in some Smiths’ classics.
He will undoubtedly be dwarved by the sheer live quality of the event’s second headliners: Radiohead play their only UK festival date, which makes this performance all the more special. Expect to hear new material from their forthcoming new album.
The rest of the festival is a mixed bag, from the pop of the Sugababes, through dance-giants Faithless and Fatboy Slim to indie upstarts like Editors and Kasabian. V offers something for every aural pallete.
www.vfestival.com

Aerosolics
June 30 - July 2 - A secret location in Surrey
Aerosolics is a brand-spanking-new festival for 2006, which aims to be a fantastic fusion of visual and aural art. The festival hosts an interesting blend of musical acts over three themed days.
Day one is a feast of indie-rock with sounds provided by The Departure, The Feeling, The Young Knives, The Sunshine Underground and Rumble Strips. Improv-band The Bays host the second, dance day and gypsy-punk maniacs headline the final ‘alternative’ day. There is also a hip hop and reggae stage and the Drifts Stage hosted by the people that do Lost Vagueness at Glastonbury.
In conjunction with the music the festival site is fully interactive giving visitors the chance to immerse themselves in an evolving work of art. The Cable Street cinema will also host unseen underground films, graffiti documentaries and the latest releases from Manga Entertainment and Tartan Extreme.
Find out what's going down at Aerosolics at
www.aerosolics.com

Glade Festival
July 14, 15, 16 - probably near Newbury, Berkshire
Glade is a mysterious festival which concentrates on all things electronic. At the time of going to press neither the line-up nor the venue have been announced.
If last year’s event is anything to go by 2006’s gathering should be a must for lovers of electronica, house, anything beat-driven.
Keep checking the website as information is set to be released in the near future.
www.gladefestival.com

Truck Festival
July 22,23 - Hill Farm, Steventon, Oxfordshire
We love Truck! One farm in Oxfordshire, 4000 music lovers, a laid-back, intimate atmosphere and a wide selection of music from some of the best bands around make Truck a totally under-rated musical event. Truck is a true music-lovers festival.
No line-up has been announced for this year as yet, but last year’s event saw Editors, Biffy Clyro, The Magic Numbers, The Raveonnettes, The Mystery Jets, Brakes, Forward Russia, Patrick Wolf and 65daysofstatic and many more perform.
Unfortunately those in the know have already lapped up the tickets and the event is sold out.
www.truckfestival.org

Summer Sundae
August 11, 12, 13 - De Montfort Hall, Leicester
Leicester’s biggest music festival returns for another year with over 70 artists performing over four stages.
Bands this year include Belle and Sebastian, Elbow, Delays, Calexic, Buzzcocks, Adem, Baxter Dury, DJ Format, Forward Russia and The Young Knives.
www.summersundae.com

Isle of Wight Festival
June 9,10,11 - Newport, Isle of Wight
The legendary festival returns for another year, again boasting big name acts with The Prodigy, Foo Fighters and Coldplay headlining. Joining them on the island are Editors, The Rakes, Morning Runner, Goldfrapp, Placebo, Primal Scream, The Kooks, Maximo Park and the legendary Lou Reed.
www.isleofwightfestival.com

Metro Weekender - South West Four
August 26 - Clapham Common, London
August 27 - Cooper’s Field, Cardiff
The other event on the Metro Weekender roster is London’s biggest outdoor dance event. Last year’s Metro event saw DJ sets from some of the biggest in the business including Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Sasha and John Digweed.
www.southwestfour.com

Metro Weekender - Get Loaded in the Park
August 26 - Cooper’s Field, Cardiff
August 27 - Clapham Common, London
Merging with dance festival South West Four to become part of the two-day, two-site music extravaganza - Get Loaded in the park returns for another year. The line-up is not available yet, but last year’s sell-out event witnessed live performances from the likes of The Happy Mondays, Stereo MCs, The Farm, Flowered Up and The Infadels.
www.getloadedinthepark.com

Carling Weekend
August 25,26,27 - Reading, Leeds
One of Britain’s most respected music festivals. At the time of going to press no acts had been announced, but expect big names across a wide array of genres.
www.leedsfestival.com
www.readingfestival.com

Dot to Dot Festival
May 28 - Nottingham, Rock City/Rescue Rooms/Stealth/The Social
This inner-city, four-venue one-dayer returns for a second year after 2005’s amazing debut. This year a visit to Nottingham for one Sunday in May will bring you British Sea Power, Bromheads Jacket, The Long Blondes, The Automatic, the Simian Mobile Disco, Lords and many, many more.
www.rescuerooms.com