Hard rockers
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June 13-15, Donington Park, Leics The mother of British hard-rock fests
shows no sign of creaking bones. The headliners, Kiss, Offspring and
Lostprophets, are joined by a raft of new and classic UK acts, including
Judas Priest, Motörhead, Him, Big Linda and Coheed and Cambria, plus US
stars Chris Cornell and Jimmy Eat World. www.downloadfestival.co.uk
GLASTONBURY
June 27-29, Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset Traffic chaos, tedious
security checks, miles to trek, grotty toilets and rain practically
guaranteed - but only if you are the fortunate owner of a photo pass for the
UK’s most famous music festival. The breadth of the lineup is always
impressive: the Verve, Kings of Leon and Jay-Z headline (the latter the
first rapper ever to do so), but the tents are often better, and the fields
still encourage all sorts of strange behaviour. www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
T IN THE PARK
July 11-13, Balado, Kinross-shire In its 14th year, Scotland’s premier
festival has at last expanded to three days. Headliners the Verve and REM
are joined by Kaiser Chiefs and Amy Winehouse, who insulted an entire
country by failing to show for her slot last summer. As usual, there’s a
high Scottish-artist count - the Fratellis, Primal Scream, KT Tunstall -
while dance fans are unlikely to leave the 12,000-capacity Slam Tent. www.tinthepark.com
READING/LEEDS
August 22-24, Little John’s Farm, Reading/Bramham Park, Leeds If
the headliners at this year’s Glasto seem a tad underwhelming, it’s probably
because this double-header has bagged the best for exclusive performances.
Headliners include the Killers and Metallica (both in their only UK festival
appearances this summer), as well as the still mighty Rage Against the
Machine. You can also catch the revitalised Manic Street Preachers, Queens
of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend and MGMT. www.readingfestival.com
, www.leedsfestival.com
Indie kids
BEACH BREAK LIVE
June 9-12, Polzeath, north Cornwall This students-only festival was
launched by two twentysomethings who appeared on Dragon’s Den to get
funding. The lineup includes the Wombats, the Cribs, Johnny Flynn, Does It
Offend You, Yeah? and DJs Mr Scruff and Scratch Perverts. There’ll also be
Farmyard Olympics and a spoof surfing championship. www.beachbreaklive.com
ZOO THOUSAND
July 4-6, Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Kent The inaugural Zoo
Thousand bags this year’s prize for most original location. An hour out of
London, near Hythe, the park is expected to see up to 60,000 people enjoying
sets by the Cribs, Athlete, British Sea Power and Roni Size & Reprazent.
Just hope that the lions like drum’n’bass. www.zoothousand.com
BLISSFIELDS
July 4-6, Matterley Bowl, Winchester Voted Britain’s best small
festival in 2007, Blissfields has a new home in Winchester and a lineup
including Roni Size, the Whip and the reformed Wonderstuff. Best for the
acoustic tent and intimate atmosphere. www.blissfields.co.uk
LOUNGE ON THE FARM
July 11-13, Merton Farm, Canterbury The rustic Kent location - on a
working farm, where the Cow Shed stage really is a cowshed. The bands are
hardly laid-back, though: Black Kids, rock’n’rollers Art Brut, Lightspeed
Champion and Dub Pistols Sound System. A new cider has been brewed for the
event, too. www.loungeonthefarm.co.uk
SECRET GARDEN PARTY
July 24-27, Abbots Ripon, East Anglia This four-day festival has a
random music policy - folk and funk to rock and rave, with Grace Jones
headlining - and invites “creative participation” (previously, performing
Shakespeare and staging custard-pie battles). This year’s theme is
Revolutions of the Past, Present and Future. www.secretgardenparty.com
Clubbers
GATECRASHER SUMMER SOUND SYSTEM
May 24 and 25, Turweston Aerodrome, Northampton Gatecrasher has always
stood out for its quirky dress code: bikinis and furry legwarmers, anyone?
This year, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy and CSS play live, Bloc Party try
their hand at a DJ set, Guilty Pleasures preside over the cheesiest arena
and there is a celebration of 20 years of acid house, featuring Kevin
Saunderson, 808 State and X-Press 2. Other attractions include hip-hop and
rock karaoke, a ladies’ beauty parlour and Ibiza angels on massage duty.
summersoundsystem. gatecrasher.com
ROCKNESS
June 7 and 8, Loch Ness Now in its third year, and staged four miles
southwest of Inverness, on the banks of picturesque Loch Ness, Rockness
boasts a lineup that includes Fatboy Slim, CSS, Razorlight and Roisin
Murphy, as well as Scottish acts Calvin Harris, Mylo and the View. www.rockness.co.uk
GLOBAL GATHERING
July 25 and 26, Long Marston Airfield, Warwickshire This
50,000-capacity weekender takes place largely in the dark, on a
characterless airfield filled with 16 tents and arenas, so trying not to get
lost is a constant challenge. Almost every type of dance music is catered
for, with Moby, Mark Ronson, Roisin Murphy and Robyn playing live, as well
as DJ sets from Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto, Erick Morillo and David Guetta. www.globalgathering.co.uk
CREAMFIELDS
August 23 and 24, Daresbury, Halton, Cheshire The mighty dance
festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with golden-oldie DJs Paul
Oakenfold, Pete Tong and Sasha, as well as younger upstarts Simian Mobile
Disco and the Chic veteran Nile Rodgers. Kasabian make their only UK
festival appearance of the year here, Underworld show they are still going
strong and Gossip strike a rare blow for the girls. www.creamfields.com
Hippies
BEVERLEY & EAST RIDING FOLK FESTIVAL
June 20-22, Beverley Leisure Complex, Flemingate, East Yorkshire This
informal festival has scooped two of the stars of the recent Radio 2 folk
awards, Martin Simpson and Rachel Unthank & the Winterset. Dave
Swarbrick’s Whippersnapper reform specially for Beverley’s 25th anniversary,
on a bill that also includes the Buzzcocks, Chumbawamba and the Ukulele
Orchestra of Great Britain. Adult workshops teach singing and dancing, and
there are children’s activities. www.beverleyfestival.com
A DAY AT THE HOP FARM
July 6, Hop Farm Country Park, Tonbridge, Kent The man who changed the
face of British festivals in the 1990s, Vince Power, returns to the scene
with an independent, unbranded one-day event that all but admits he knows he
spawned a monster. Neil Young is the big draw for a crowd too old to
consider camping. www.hopfarmfestival.com
CAMBRIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL
July 31-August 3, Cherry Hinton Hall Grounds Renowned for its lineups
and friendly atmosphere, this 44-year-old festival has never been in ruder
health. This year, kd lang makes her only UK festival appearance here, the
Levellers celebrate their 20th anniversary and multicultural supergroup the
Imagined Village, with Martin and Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg and Sheila Chandra,
put their own spin on traditional English compositions. For younger fans,
there’ll be the Mercury nominee Seth Lakeman and the wonderful Martha
Wainwright. www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk
GREEN MAN
August 15-17, Glanusk Park, Powys, Wales This 10,000-capacity festival
stages its sixth event against the backdrop of Sugar Loaf Mountain, with
Super Furry Animals, Beirut, the Cave Singers, King Creosote and Iron &
Wine. For the stressed, there is a healing arena; for the curious, a science
centre. Children can learn how to draw or, if they’re boffins in the making,
animate cartoons. www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk
Family-friendly
WYCHWOOD
May 30-June 1, Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire The first three
years of this laid-back long-weekender were nominated for a “best family
festival” award. This year’s big draw is likely to be Duffy, who joins the
Proclaimers, Robyn Hitchcock and the Divine Comedy on the main stage. There
will also be healing gardens, a lending library for the under7s, a Whose
Line Is It Anyway? improv show and even a stall that serves tea in real
china cups. www.wychwoodfestival.com
LATITUDE
July 17-20, Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk Now in its third year,
Latitude mixes music, literature, poetry, comedy, cabaret and theatre. Bands
include FranzFerdinand, MIA and the Breeders,while the woodland-surrounded
Sunrise Arena hosts New Young Pony Club. Also appearing are the comedians
Bill Bailey and Rich Hall and the writers Iain Banks, Hanif Kureishi and
Irvine Welsh. Children get their own art and theatre tents. www.latitudefestival.co.uk
BIG CHILL
August 1-3, Eastnor Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire One of those
fortunate festivals that is almost always bathed in sunshine, Big Chill is
the choice for former clubbers who now spend their spare cash on cute
outfits for their kids. Leonard Cohen, Bomb the Bass and Nina Nastasia are
among the music acts, Bill Bailey and the Mighty Boosh the stars of the
comedy line-up,and there’ll be a film tent and DJ-helmed bars after dark. www.bigchill.net
BESTIVAL
September 5-7, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight The hippest
family-friendly festival, the lineup includes Foals, the Breeders, Aphex
Twin and My Bloody Valentine. It’s fun and quirky – an annual dressing-up
theme is always widely embraced, and unusual attractions include the Come
Dancing Spiegeltent and the Bollywood Bar. Velvet-lined bivouacs, yurts and
“podpads” are tent alternatives, and there’ll be a crèche and acrobatics for
kids. www.bestival.net
In the city
LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY
May 27-30, various venues Part of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture
programme, this four-day music festival takes place in 30 locations, from
established venues such as the Carling Academy and the Cavern to car parks
and churches. Indie labels Domino, Deltasonic, Moshi Moshi and Wall of Sound
host parties featuring their own rosters of artists, and there will be
panels with industry experts. www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
HARD ROCK CALLING
June 28 and 29, Hyde Park, London Last year’s launch event was almost
washed away by rain, but the bands and pricey rock memorabilia return to
Hyde Park for a weekend of music for the more mature fan. Eric Clapton,
Sheryl Crow and John Mayer are among Saturday’s acts, while on Sunday, KT
Tunstall and the Stranglers join the Police on the final date of their
money-printing comeback tour. www.hardrockcalling.co.uk
O2 WIRELESS
July 3-6, Hyde Park, London London’s largest, longest summer festival,
Wireless takes place over four days and nights, with headliners Counting
Crows, Fatboy Slim and Morrissey, who promises to “take Hyde Park like a
flea inhabits a dog” at his only festival appearance in the UK this year.
Other acts include Beck, Bootsy Collins and Ben Harper. www.o2wirelessfestival.co.uk
SUMMER SUNDAE WEEKENDER
August 8-10, De Montfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester This small
festival, which began in 2001 as a one-day event and is broadcast live on
BBC 6 Music, has Supergrass, Roisin Murphy, Simian Mobile Disco and,
intriguingly, an acoustic set from the Coral. There’s also plenty to keep
children entertained. www.summersundae.com
Foreign fields
ROCKET
May 16-18, Alhama de Granada, Andalusia, Spain Describing itself as
Europe’s answer to Burning Man, the freaky US festival, Rocket is for those
prepared to swap the cosy comforts of commercial festivals for a
mountainside adventure. Drum’n’bass stars Pendulum headline a bill of ska,
electro and hip-hop acts that includes Bad Manners and the Nextmen. There
will also be circus, cabaret acts – and, for those brave enough, extreme
sports. www.rocketfestival.com/en
SYNCH
June 13-15, Athens, Greece Billed as “an innovative music, moving image
and new media festival”, Synch takes place in Athens. The music is mostly
electronic, with Roisin Murphy and Yo La Tengo among this year’s acts.
Integral to the event are digital movies and audiovisual and art
installations; pencilled in is the work of Tony Light and Graffiti Research
Lab. www.synch.gr
ROSKILDE 3-6 July, Roskilde, Denmark Going since 1970, and one of the
three biggest festivals in Europe, Roskilde has bagged Radiohead to
headline, plus Neil Young, Slayer, Enter Shikari and Duffy. The events also
raises huge sums for humanitarian causes and arts charities. www.roskildefestival.dk
EXIT
July 10-13, Novi Sad, Serbia A spectacular setting in the grounds of
the ancient Petrovaradin fortress, clean camp sites with internet access and
phone chargers, unusually good acoustics, big-name bands and extremely cheap
beer have made Exit eastern Europe’s coolest rock festival and a magnet for
world-wide fans. Gossip, Gogol Bordello, MIA, Ministry, the Sex Pistols and
Primal Scream play live, and there are DJ sets from Sven Vath and Deep Dish. www.exitfest.org
BENICASSIM FESTIVAL
July 17-20, Benicassim, Spain The beachside location, good weather and
late starts give Benicassim the atmosphere of a hip holiday camp with
excellent entertainment. This year’s acts include My Bloody Valentine, Jose
Gonzalez, Babyshambles, Beirut, Richard Hawley, Siouxsie Sioux and
Spiritualized. www.benicassimfestival.co.uk
Britain's 20 best summer music festivals
