Eyeball Kid - UK and Ireland Festival Round Up 2004


	FESTIVALS
	Use this drop down to jump to the Festivals that interest you: HOMELANDS WHAT? The one-day Homelands dance festival is now the traditional kick-start to the festival season. For some reason the organizers are insisting on calling it ‘We Love Homelands’ but that just sounds too sycophantic to us. But to be fair we do mainly due to a wide variety of live acts and DJs, covering all bases from house to hip-hop. This year there’s eight music arenas as well as a fairground and all the usual food and drink facilities. It goes on until six in the morning and you can’t leave the site while it’s dark so bring something to keep yourself warm. WHERE? The Bowl in Matterley Estate, near Winchester, Hampshire. WHEN? Sat 29 May 2004 from 1pm – 6am. WHO? On the live stage Faithless headline, while there’s a nod to the indie kids with the only festival appearance this year from The Music, plus Lamb, Scissor Sisters, Dizzee Rascal and the latest additions Freestylers, with more live acts to be announced. The DJs are as usual spread out over the themed arenas where you can catch the likes of Roger Sanchez, Felix Da Housecat, Groove Armada, Yousef, Roni Size, DJ Marky, Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, Mr Scruff, Erol Alkan, Paul Van Dyk, Jon Carter and Richard X. HOW MUCH? £54, plus booking fee. MORE INFO www.welovehomelands.com Check out our review of last year’s event, plus our Homelands 03 photo gallery. Back to top DOWNLOAD WHAT? There seems to be a trend towards giving festivals stupid names, such as We Love Homelands or Oxegen, but Download is the worst case. Where once Donington Monsters of Rock did exactly what it said on the tin, Download is liable to be mistaken for a computer programmers conference. But whatever it’s called Download remains the principal festival for lovers of hard rock everywhere, with the biggest names in metal over two stages. This year as well there’s an additional smaller festival in Scotland to cater for the northern demand, though there is no overnight camping at this. The Donington festival will have the usual camping and food and drink facilities, plus limited camper van access, as well Club Kerrang!, a fully functioning rock club that will stay open late. WHERE? Donington Park, Leicester; Glasgow Green. WHEN? Sat 05 – Sun 06 Jun 2004: Donington Park; Wed 02 – Thu 03 Jun 2004: Glasgow Green. WHO? Headliners Metallica and Linkin Park, and very special guests Iggy and the Stooges appear at both festivals along with Korn, Slipknot, Lostprophets, and The Distillers. Plus at Donington Park you can catch The Hives, Turbo Negro, Sum 41, Electric Six and many more. HOW MUCH? Donington: £49.50 per day, £88 weekend, £104 weekend and basic camping Glasgow Green: Wed £48, Thu £43, both days £79 (plus bf). MORE INFO www.downloadfestival.co.uk Back to top ISLE OF WIGHT ROCK FESTIVAL WHAT? Small island in the sea gets bands to play at festival. Great idea, nice place to visit and how many festivals do you get a ferry to? Plus this one’s got history –T Rex and Jefferson Airplane were among the line-up of the inaugural event in 1968 –and was resurrected in 2002 after a 28-year absence. The festival actually takes place over two weeks but the highlight is a three-day rock music event. There’s the usual camping and catering facilities, ATMs and a funfair. WHERE? Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight WHEN? Fri 11 Jun – Sun 13 Jun 2004 WHO? Old Ziggy Stardust himself, David Bowie headlines on Sunday with The Charlatans and The Libertines among the other acts. More old boys on Saturday with The Who headlining and more excitingly Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel due to play, along with Manic Street Preachers and Jet. The opening night is headlined by Stereophonics with Super Furry Animals and a live set from Groove Armada. HOW MUCH? £90 weekend with camping; £75 weekend; £35 per day; £75 for camper vans MORE INFO www.isleofwightfestival.com/nokia.asp Back to top MELTDOWN WHAT? The annual London based festival taking place over two weeks in June with all acts chosen by a celebrity curator. What started out as a classical music event now covers a broad spectrum of music. This year is the turn of Morrissey to pick his fantasy line-up. The former Smiths frontman has recently returned to the music scene after a lengthy absence with a new album ‘I Am The Quarry’ out in May. Speaking about the event Moz said “Some of you have Ipods, I have Meltdown”. WHERE? South Bank Centre, London WHEN? 11 – 27 Jun 2004 WHO? No details have been released regarding the line-up as yet, but we’re assuming Morrissey himself will feature somewhere. Other acts rumoured to be playing include Franz Ferdinand and Elton John. HOW MUCH? Usually between £10 and £30 depending on the night and seats. Check the website when the full details are announced. MORE INFO www.rfh.org.uk/meltdown Back to top FLEADH WHAT? Bejesus it’s back. Having taken a year off last year the quasi-Irish music festival is back with a vengence. Having struggled to attract crowds on previous years due to a lack of big Irish bands as headliners the organizers have gone the Irish football team route and found someone with an Irish granny. Actually it’s unlikely that Bob Dylan has anything other than Irish whiskey in him but the craggy old genius is headlining anyway. This announcement has been the rejuvenation act the festival needed and London’s longest running day event is back in Finsbury Park (much to the delight of the residents who had to put up with Limp Bizkit fans last year) for another day of drinking and dancing. WHERE? Finsbury Park, London WHEN? Sun 20 Jun 2004 WHO? There’s not much more that you can say about Bob Dylan. The man was a folk-firebrand and psychedelic poet in the sixties and instead of dying young, like most of his contemporaries, he’s continued touring, writing and singing in that whiny voice. His live shows can be hit and miss but the man’s a legend so stop complaining. Other acts at the Fleadh include Counting Crows, Delays, the fabulous Irish folk singer Christy Moore and Kathryn Williams. HOW MUCH? £38.50 (plus booking fee) MORE INFO. www.meanfiddler.com Back to top GLASTONBURY WHAT? The mother of all festivals, Glastonbury has been around since a bunch of hippies got together back in the sixties on a farm in the Westcountry to get high and listen to music. Now the biggest annual event of the English summer, Glastonbury is firmly in the hands of corporates and all the quirks of its past like overcrowding, fence-jumping and general mayhem is gone, and replaced by a more efficient well-run event. However it remains one of the most unique of the festival experiences where the music often comes second to the massive village experience, the new age antics in the Stone Circle and the general air of hedonism that permeates its every aspect. If it rains it can turn into a mudfest and there’s never enough toilets but where else would you rather be this summer. There’s all the usual camping, campervan, car park facilities as well as a full range of services, including phones, ATMs and anything you might need. As usual all the profits will be donated to various charities. WHERE? On a massive farm owned by Michael Eavis, near the village of Pilton in Somerset. WHEN? Fri 25 – Sun 27 Jun 2004, though the site opens at 9am on 23 Jun. WHO? Glastonbury famously never announces the line-up until a couple of weeks before the event as it’s supposed to be about more than just the music, man. However there have been some confirmations already including old saggy face himself, Paul Macartney and the resurgent teen idol Morrissey. On the rumours front it looks like the familiar Prince whispers are again untrue but Oasis, Kings of Leon, Goldfrapp, Muse, Amp Fiddler and, presuming he’s not doing prison time, James Brown are all but confirmed. Of the more intriguing rumours The Magic Band, minus Captain Beefheart, might be there, as could Ms Dynamite and we can but hope that the mighty Outkast might deign to show up as a duo. HOW MUCH? Well you’re probably too late as tickets sold out at the beginning of April in the massive fiasco that saw tickets sold only via one phone number and one website. Needless to say there was an overwhelming demand led to people staying up all night attempting to get through on the phone or online. The organizers eventually announced that the festival sold out within a day or two. All tickets are individually named and you’ll need ID with you to get into the festival site, in an attempt to crack down on touts and Ebay sellers, not that this seems to have stopped them. MORE INFO www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk Back to top MOVE WHAT? Not so much a festival as four days of big outdoor gigs in Manchester, Move still delivers some quality music. There’s no camping or much of a village experience so this one is strictly for the headliners. WHERE? Lancashire County Cricket Club, Manchester WHEN? Thu 08 Jul – Sun 11 Jul 2004 WHO? Morrissey returns to his hometown to headline the final day, while other comeback kids Pixies are playing the Saturday along with Stereophonics and Goldfrapp. The Cure and Elbow are penciled in for the Friday while the opening day sees Madness, Ocean Colour Scene and The Stranglers all confirmed with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and The Zutons rumoured to be playing. HOW MUCH? £30 per day; £85 all four days MORE INFO. www.wayahead.com for tickets Back to top T IN THE PARK WHAT? Ok so you may have you Donington Scotland now but T In The Park has been servicing Scottish festival crowds for 11 years. And the event continues to pull in a top line-up alongside its excellent camping and catering facilities, plus the recent addition of a fairground has helped it grow every year. There’s now more arenas, seven in total, including the growing legend of the Slam dance tent, the Ceilidh Tent and their unsigned bands initiative. WHERE? Balado, near Kinross and Perth, Scotland WHEN? Sat 10 – Sun 11 Jul 2004 WHO? Wu Tang Clan have confirmed their only UK festival date so far this year which could be worth a trip to Scotland alone, but you also get the reformed Pixies, David Bowie, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Darkness, Muse, Goldfrapp, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, Massive Attack, NERD and Starsailor. In the dance arena, hosted by local techno bods Slam there’s a live set from The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, Felix Da Housecat, Jeff Mills and Josh Wink. HOW MUCH? £88 weekend with camping; £75 weekend without camping; £42.50 day ticket MORE INFO www.tinthepark.com Back to top OXEGEN* Click here to read our review of Oxegen 2004 WHAT? It used be Witnness and now it’s Oxegen. As you might guess from the continued poor spelling not much has changed and the young event is fast becoming Ireland’s top festival date. There’s not too much going on besides the music though there is of course the regular camping and food and drink facilities, with the campsite open on the Friday. WHERE? Punchestown Racecourse, Nass, Co Kildare WHEN? Sat 10 – Sun 11 Jul 2004 WHO? After the disappointment of the White Stripes cancelling last year, the organizers are not relying on one big headliner, they’ve got in loads. It’s a pretty spectacular and diverse line-up with David Bowie headlining, The Cure playing their first live date in over a decade in Ireland and Wu Tang Clan playing their first date ever. In addition there’s The Darkness, NERD, The Chemical Brothers, The Strokes, Pink, Kings of Leon, PJ Harvey, Massive Attack, Keane, Scissor Sisters, The Rapture, Franz Ferdinand, Muse, Black Eyed Peas and Basement Jaxx. So if there’s not something there that floats your boat, you probably don’t like music. HOW MUCH? €100 both days; €130 both days plus camping; €59.50 one day. MORE INFO www.oxegen.ie Back to top GUILFEST* WHAT? Essentially Glastonbury for your mum, Guilfest has been around since its inception as a one-day festival in 1992. The focus is firmly on the music with nicer facilities those offered by the more traditional festivals. It’s very child-friendly, in fact all under-10s go free, with all the usual camping and catering stuff. WHERE? Stoke Park, Guilford, Surrey. WHEN? Fri 16 – Sun 18 Jul 2004 WHO? Not many acts confirmed yet but the headliners announced will make you think time stopped still in 1988. The fabulous Blondie are on the Friday with The Stranglers, while Simple Minds and UB40 headline Saturday and Sunday respectively. In a nod to the slightly younger generation Ocean Colour Scene, The Levellers and Katie Melua are also playing. HOW MUCH? £80 for the weekend with camping, £70 without; £50/£40 for under 16s. Camper Van tickets is £50 extra. Daily tickets are £32/£20(u-16) per day. MORE INFO www.guilfest.co.uk Back to top THE BIG CHILL WHAT? So laid back it’s almost horizontal, The Big Chill is the antidote to most of the summer’s mud-slinging, hedonistic festival action. Set in the beautiful estate of Eastnor Castle the event brings together the best in chilled-out electronic music with top class facilities that aim more for the upper end of the consumer market. The food is festival gourmet, there’s hardly ever a queue at the bars and the campsites aren’t too crowded and easy to negotiate. The lack of teenagers is disconcerting as is the high level of good behaviour but if you’re looking for somewhere to listen to nice music and read the Sunday paper you can’t go wrong. WHERE? Eastnor Castle, Malvern Hills, Herefordshire WHEN? Fri 30 Jul – Sun 01 Aug 2004 WHO? They don’t really do headliners at the Big Chill but the big names due to play include Lemon Jelly, Coldcut, Bent, Four Tet and Bonobo. Aside from all the live acts there’s lots of DJs on board including Norman Jay, Tom Middleton, X-Press 2, Gilles Peterson, Orbital’s Phil Hartnoll. Plus there’s lots more acts to be added. HOW MUCH? £110 weekend ticket plus camping (inc. booking fee); £27 addition for camper van; £27 children’s ticket (inc. booking fee) MORE INFO www.bigchill.net Back to top V FESTIVAL WHAT? One of the newer one the V Festivals is basically Richard Branson’s Virgin label branching into music festivals. With a similar format of the same festival taking place in two venues on the one weekend it hasn’t been able to shake its Reading for grown-ups tag yet. Of course taking place a week before Reading it’s going to be hard to do this. Still they’re fighting back this year with a big line-up. Besides that there’s the usual camping and camper van facilities. Alcohol is done via an annoying token system and there’s plenty of food, cash points and toilets. Altogether it’s fairly small with only three music arenas but V has been getting consistently better and this could be one of the best yet. WHERE? Hylands Park, Chelmsford; Weston Park, Staffordshire WHEN? Sat 21 – Sun 22 Aug 2004 WHO? Quite simple the one everyone wants, Pixies are headlining V alongside The Strokes, Muse and NERD. It is rumoured that the latter will be accompanied by Justin Timberlake which may up the screaming teenage girl count. Of course you can just nip off to the other arenas, as you’ll probably want to do during Dido’s set, to catch Massive Attack, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, King of Leon, Jet, Primal Scream, Basement Jaxx and The Zutons. HOW MUCH? £98.50 weekend with camping; £82.50 weekend without camping; £46.50 daily ticket (all plus booking fees) MORE INFO www.vfestival.com Back to top READING/LEEDS* WHAT? Having been going since the mid-60s The Carling Weekender has recently the ingenious idea of holding essentially the same festival in two different part of the country on the same weekend. What this basically means is that the line-up swaps venues on different days over the August bank holiday weekend so you get the same music whether you go to Reading or Leeds. The festival is very much the indie rockers Mecca therefore you can imagine the amount of cider swilling going on. The camping area isn’t the nicest but we’re told if you can get a camper van it’s well worth it. As usual there’s a vast range of food and drink stalls plus a market and ATM facilities. WHERE? Richfield Avenue, Reading; Bramham Park, Weatherby, Leeds WHEN? Fri 27 – Sun 29 Aug 2004 WHO? The headliners include The Darkness, Offspring, last year’s absentees The White Stripes, the returning Morrissey, Green Day and 50 Cent –though there’s an online petition looking to get poor Fitay removed from the bill which is a bit closed-minded really. Other acts of note includes Franz Ferdinand, The Streets, Graham Coxon, Jurassic 5, with The Polyphonic Spree, The Rapture and Muse all rumoured to be playing. HOW MUCH? £105 weekend, plus camping and car park (+ booking fee) –though weekend tickets for Reading are sold out; £45 per day, plus car park (+ booking fee) MORE INFO. www.readingfestival.com; www.leedsfestival.com Check out our review of last year’s event, plus our Reading 03 photo gallery. Back to top CREAMFIELDS WHAT? Homelands up north, Creamfields is an offshoot of the Cream club night bringing all night hedonism to a disused airfield near Liverpool for a day. Back once again for its seventh event this year will see seven arenas and two outdoor stages full of music. But that’s not all. Besides the usual food and beverage facilities there’s the annual 5-a-side football tournament, fairground and the Aftershock Arena where you can do a spot of pole dancing or play water pistol roulette. Generally well organized and spacious it doesn’t have the diversity of Homelands but is perfect for the more committed clubber. WHERE? Old Liverpool Airfield, Speke Boulevard, Speke, Merseyside WHEN? Sat 28 Aug 2004, 3pm – 6am WHO? The main outdoor stage will see live performance from The Chemical Brothers, the ace Goldfrapp, Scratch Perverts with Dynamite MC plus more acts to be announced. Scattered around the other arenas are a selection of DJs incuding Paul Oakenfold, Erick Morillo, Seb Fontaine, Deep Dish, Justin Robertson and an exclusive live performance from Dave Clarke. Plus theres the new Underwater vs Circus arena which will feature DJ sets from Darren Emerson, Yousef, Josh Wink as well as Tim Deluxe live. HOW MUCH? £49 (plus booking fee) MORE INFO www.cream.co.uk/creamfields.html Back to top