Tag: festival review

Leeds Festivals 2017 Review

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The sun was shining at this year’s Leeds Festival. We could end our review right there considering the deluge suffered by past events, but let’s push past the obvious – unnaturally good weather aside, this was an event defined by a stellar line-up from some of the most exciting artists and acts on the planet, and it lived up to its potential and then some.

A secret set by Queens of the Stone Age kicked off Friday night, and they were expertly followed by The Blossoms – it was a big slot, but they never faltered. Charlemagne and Blown Rose went down a treat, as everyone expect they would, and sets were livened up by covers of “There is a Light and it Never Goes Out” by The Smiths and “Imagine” by John Lennon. We fully expect to see these guys headlining sometime soon.

Liam Gallagher bought predictable Britpop swagger, and the set was discretely peppered with songs from his former band alongside new hits from the man himself.

Muse headlined Friday night, and it was hard for anticipation to get any higher. This is a band infamous for phenomenal live shows, and their explosive set surpassed all expectations with a fantastic mix of new songs and past back catalogue.

Saturday saw indie band Bastille excelling in their herculean task of warming up for blockbusters Kasabian. When the Leicester lads did finally take to the stage, their fantastic setlist seemed to work perfectly whether you were a Kasabian virgin or a diehard fan. There were also a few nice surprises, including covers of Daft Punk and Nirvana alongside the band’s own superhits, such as Shoot the Runner and Treat.

Sunday also belonged to the main stage. Nu-metallers Korn blasted through their set, and their blissful unawareness that this wasn’t quite the right crowd for them somehow helped make them seem perfectly placed, especially when finishing with such a legendary metal anthem as Freak on a Leash

Major Lazer came next to perform with surprising energy considering the array of songs they packed into their set, but it was festival closer Eminem that was on everyone’s minds. Hits like “Stan”, “The Way I Am” and “Like Toy Soldiers” have lost none of their charm, and a huge set of classics ended the festival perfectly.

 

Festival Review // LoveBox Festival 2016

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LoveBox is close to our hearts for so many reasons, so don’t be surprise when we say that it was one of our top festival experiences for 2016.

For starters, let’s get the stellar location out of the way. Going to LoveBox doesn’t mean buying a ferry ticket or slogging into the countryside. Instead, you’ll find the biggest acts right in the middle of London’s East End. If so inclined, you could catch an opera at the Royal Albert Hall and then head to LoveBox after to dance it out with some of the best club tunes across the festival’s numerous stages.

But it’s not just LoveBox’s location in the capital that gets us smiling – it’s the festival’s incredible ability to replicate London’s world-famous clubbing scene within a wildly different environment. Stages for 2016 included the fabric stage, at which we checked out acts such as DJ Barely Legal and Goldlink, the Kopparberg Urban Forest Stage, complete with woodland bar and DJs such as Tom Trago, and the Corona Sunsets Stage, which brought the tunes of the Balearics.

Yup, it’s pretty easy to see how we fell in love with LoveBox. Kicking off on Friday night, we experienced London’s own Little Simz, as well as Katy B. To be honest, though, we really left our hearts with Goldie, Joris Voorn, Preditah, and Big Narstie – those acts really set the bar, and they set it high. We also couldn’t get enough of Kano, who will be headlining o2 Academy Brixton later this year and is perhaps our top pick to turn main-stage for next year’s event. We were still smitten on Saturday thanks to Oh Wonder, ODESZA, Jodie Abacus, Jamie Woon, and SG Lewis.

Of course, anybody who has attended LoveBox in the past is well aware that the musical performers are really only one slice of the fun. When we needed to chill, we headed over to The Voicebox to take in anything from poetry slams to beatboxing. If you need to rest your feet and have a bit of a laugh, we’d definitely recommend it for next year. If you’re more into kicking up the action than taking a breather, we heard great things about the BUMP roller disco.

When it comes right down to it, LoveBox kind of defines exactly what a city festival should be, and we had nothing but love in our hearts after departing this year’s event. Bring on 2017.