Berlin Festival 2012 boasts an awesome line-up

Here are two questions that you will, without doubt, answer 'yes' to. 1. Do you like Berlin? 2. Do you like music festivals? See, told you. Double affirmatives all round. Well, combine the two and what have got? A pretty frickin' sweet way to spend a couple of days, that's what.

The Berlin Festival takes place at the historic Tempelhof Airport on September 7th and 8th and there are so many amazing acts to feast your eyes and ears upon. Like (deep breath): Grimes, Django Django, Dada Life, Sigur Rós, Franz Ferdinand, Orbital, Little Dragon, Friendly Fires, The Killers, Metronomy, SBTRKT, Daughter, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Clock Opera, Of Monsters And Men, Friends, Kate Nash, First Aid Kit, Nicolas Jaar, Miike Snow, Crocodiles, When Saints Go Machine ... the list goes on and on.

This years edition will also play host to the world’s biggest Silent Arena Aftershow Party. With 10,000+ headphones, ticket holders will be able continue partying like silent mentalists after the final main stage performance from midnight till 4am. There will also be an Art Village showcasing over 60 national and international artists. Urban art, murals, performances, sculptures and more will all be on show plus an art bazaar, bars, booths, and the Design & Record Label Market as well as the art prize and a costume competition.

A day ticket is stupidly cheap, at EUR 49 + bf, while a two-day ticket is EUR 74 + bf. A Berlin Festival + Club Xberg Kombiticket will set you back EUR 89 + bf. Score your tickets today and we'll see you there kiddos!

Keep an eye on the Facebook page for further announcements, and see the full line-up at www.berlinfestival.de

Trojan Sound System prepare to bring the party to the Soundcrash Alldayer

Daddy Ad from Trojan Sound System talks to Bobbysix.com about this Sunday's Soundcrash Alldayer in London: 

What can punters who check out your set at the Soundcrash Alldayer expect?
Rootikal and high energy vibes, positivity and love love love!

What sort of shape does your usual day at a festival take? Do you get much chance to check out the other acts on the bill?
Rectangular and sometimes circular. We tried triangular but we all fell out as it was so political.
Usually it's about getting the sound right for the show. We're pure vinyl based and only really use CDs for sound fx and the odd riddim we haven't pressed yet. These days you have to put in extra time to get it sounding crisp, as vinyl is becoming a lost art and vinyl synthesis removes the need for proper acoustic set up. We try and check out some acts after our show, time permitting.

Which other acts, schedule permitting, are you looking forward to seeing at Soundcrash?
Vadim is always fun. We're on late though and flying in from playing a big festival in Copenhagen the night before so I doubt we'll have time to hang out beforehand as much as we'd like.

Do you enjoy the challenge of winning new fans at a festival? 
Always. It has been our mission for a long time to break reggae out of just purist circles and have opened it up to peak time Friday and Saturday night clubs shows as well as the festivals. Chris Blackwell is a hero of ours and we've tried to pick up the flag where he left off and translate reggae to new audiences. Most forms of dance music wouldn't exist as they do without the influence the varied forms of reggae have had. We wouldn't have hip hop without the idea of a sparse riddim and chatting on top of it - thank you U-Roy, King Skitt and Dennis Alcapone. We also wouldn't have the production values of dance music, drum and bass, garage and dubstep as well as some of the riddims and melodies they recreate without reggae. For some of that we apologise...

After the Soundcrash Alldayer, what else has 2012 got in store for you guys?
We've got loads of releases planned for the year. Watch out for Turn to the East and My God over the coming months.

Tell us something we might be surprised to learn about Trojan Sound System...
We're really sexy and were beamed down from venus 2,012 years ago. Earl's legs are our inspiration, so praise Jah the summer is now here.

You can catch Trojan Sound System in East London at the Soundcrash Alldayer on Sunday. Tickets are embarrassingly cheap, so grab one today and get involved in 12 hours of awesome music. Alongside the Trojan boys, DJ Vadim, Anchorsong, Ruby Wood, Mt. Wolf and many more will be doing doing their thang, and there'll be live painting and a Jamaican BBQ. Full details of the party vibes and general mischief can be found at www.soundcrashmusic.com/soundcrash-all-dayer.

Interview by Bobby Townsend.

The Great Escape Festival 2012

Bobbysix.com had a couple of roving reporters at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton last weekend. Here's their review: 

The Great Escape this year was fortunate to be gifted with some unexpectedly decent weather and this surely made everyone’s weekend a great deal more enjoyable, especially as, from the look of it, many people spent a lot of their time queuing. For any of the hyped bands at the festival this year, like Mystery Jets, Django Django, The Black Belles and Grimes, there was almost no chance of getting near the venue without being there enormously early and most people were stuck outside with a “one in, one out” door policy.

This was probably not the main experience for everyone as there was so much on offer and the best part of the festival was the opportunity to meander around Brighton’s bustling and sunny (this weekend) streets, browsing the many venues and stumbling across new acts. My favourite example was wandering into a half-empty Green Door Store on a whim to find IO Echo starting their set. I had never heard of them before yet I’m really excited by their music now. They have a new-wave influence with an electronic twist and the two guitarists have a loud, almost metal style beefing up the sound. The enigmatic singer (below) reminded me a lot of Siouxsie Sioux crossed with Florence Welch (in a good way) and her graceful movement was complemented by some cool Geisha projections behind them (briefly blocked by my head).

The Great Escape is an uplifting experience, especially for slightly jaded people like me who are concerned with the future (and present) of music. Simon Cowell’s slow assassination of the medium and the fear of illegal downloads seemed to be absent in Brighton this weekend, with hundreds of young and promising bands playing - and loving - music. You could see thirty bands and still feel like you had barely scratched the surface of what was on offer. It’s even more difficult to find your way to gigs you have planned to go to as you are more than likely to get distracted by something happening on the way, like Saturday night when we were sidetracked on the way to Michachu and The Shapes by a Rockabilly gathering at the Dorset.

We just managed to make to Micachu and The Shapes, who had packed The Haunt out, but luckily there was no queue outside and we saw one of the best sets of the weekend. There is always something so impressive about their almost DIY approach, with obscure percussion instruments, glitchy beats and rhythms and odd melodies that somehow all come together to make something far more approachable and enjoyable than my description would have you believe. It has also been a long time since I last saw them live and they have definitely matured as a band. They sounded amazing, playing newer material with more ambient and discordant moments suggesting the new album, expected at the end of July, is something to look forward to.

The Great Escape was far more civilised than spending four days in a field and offers more chance of escaping the rain, not to mention that bands always sound better indoors than at a festival where a lot of the sound escapes in the air. So be sure to check out next year's event and find some new bands and inspiration.

Review by Dom Erskine and Tanja Stocklin.

Sydney Opera House to stream Vivid LIVE performances on YouTube

Listen up kids, this is exciting. Sydney Opera House, in partnership with Google, are set to stream selected performances on YouTube during Vivid LIVE - the annual ten-day music event within Vivid Sydney (May 25 – June 11), the city’s annual festival of light, music and ideas.

So, if you aren't in Sydney, or if you are but don't have the dollar for tickets, then you'll still be able to see Bobbysix's old chums The Temper Trap showcase their new album in the Concert Hall, witness Imogen Heap perform an intimate recital with a spectacular Sydney harbour backdrop, experience Amon Tobin's Live Beyond 3D and watch the iconic sails of Sydney Opera House be transformed with digital mapping technology by multi-award winning German design collective URBANSCREEN. Which, we think you'll agree, beats watching this for the millionth time.

In snazzy, 21st Century news, the live stream series will premiere a custom camera application called FRONTROW, which will allow the audience to use pan and zoom features to change their view and take photos during the live stream, apply lens filters and immediately share with their friends through Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Not too shabby, hey?

“Sydney Opera House is committed to taking the content from its stages to people wherever they are," Victoria Doidge, Director of Marketing and Communications told us. "We are excited to partner with Google to create a truly innovative virtual experience of these concerts. We imagine that the ability for viewers to take pictures throughout the concert will really add to their sense of ‘being there’ as it happens.” 

2012 Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House 2012 program announced!

KAREN O IN ‘STOP THE VIRGENS’/ FLORENCE + THE MACHINE / THE TEMPER TRAP / BRYCE DESSNER, NICO MUHLY, SUFJAN STEVENS / JANELLE MONAE & THE ARCHANDROID ORCHESTRA / AMON TOBIN LIVE BEYOND 3D ‘ISAM’ / EFTERKLANG & SYDNEY SYMPHONY / PVT / SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS / MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND / SEEKAE / DANNY BROWN / MED/ ELLESQUIRE / HALFWAY CROOKS DJS / ZOLA JESUS/ LIGHT ASYLUM / FORCES/ MODULAR / FUTURE CLASSIC / GOODGOD DANCETERIA / URBANSCREEN

What a line-up! Sydney Opera House today announced a stunning program for Vivid LIVE 2012, including Karen O, Florence and The Temper Trap. Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House (May 25 – June 3) is part of Vivid Sydney (May 25 – June 11), the city’s annual festival of light, music and ideas. Now in its fourth year, Vivid Sydney has become Australia’s major festival in winter and is one of five signature events on the NSW Events Calendar developed by Destination NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.

From May 25 – June 3, Vivid LIVE will take over the Sydney Opera House with an extraordinary series of performances including exclusive concerts, unique collaborations and one-off projects. With over 22 events including 11 Australian premieres, 2 world premieres and many artists exclusive to Sydney, Vivid LIVE 2012 reinforces Sydney Opera House as the ultimate winter destination for music fans across Australia. As the centrepiece to Vivid Sydney, each year a Vivid LIVE artist is invited to transform the sails of Sydney Opera House with digital mapping technology. In 2012, Vivid LIVE has commissioned multi-award winning German design collective, URBANSCREEN to create a new artwork that will explore both the iconic sculptural form of Sydney Opera House, as well as its place as a home for music, dance and drama.

There is so much good shit going down at the festival that we can't possibly tell you about it all here, so visit the Vivid website for full deets. Tickets go on sale to the General Public Thursday 22 March, 9am (Insiders: 19 March, Vivid LIVE subscribers: 20 March) 

The Vaccines interview

Bobbysix.com chats to The Vaccines about the Big Day Out tour in Australia:

“I'm terrified. I think it's going to be carnage,” The Vaccines drummer Pete Robertson says somewhat impishly. His band is in Australia for the Big Day Out tour in the knowledge that the festival has quite the reputation for bands getting together and letting loose. “I have heard that there is a lot of partying at Big Day Out,” he nods. “Everyone stays in the same hotel and everyone gets on and has a good time. Considering it's straight after Christmas as well, I don't think we're going to get much rest. It's going to be good.”

While they are still a relatively new band, their non-stop schedule means that The Vaccines are already well versed in combining travelling with partying. Their first time collectively in Australia was for the Splendour festival a few months ago and that proved to be a crazy experience. “I've got memories of not remembering a lot,” the drummer laughs. “It was pretty hectic and we had a little too much fun. Our summer was generally pretty insane and that was the most insane leg of it. We flew from England to Japan on the Wednesday and on the Friday we touched down in Brisbane, then went to Sydney for two days, then to Melbourne for two days. Then we flew to Chicago and then we did coast-to-coast in The States, all within about two weeks. It was fun.”

The reception they received on their first visit to Sydney – not least at their sideshow at a packed Metro Theatre – is something that has long since stayed with the band. “It was amazing. It was one of those moments. As individuals we'd been working hard in other bands and then collectively when we first got together a couple of years ago to make music that we thought could connect with people. When your music travels further than you ever have before, it's a rewarding experience.”

They'll be sideshows again this time round, as the quartet is set to support label-mates Kasabian. With The Vaccines having played countless live gigs in 2011, you can expect their turn in Aus to be something really special. Robertson is especially looking forward to playing to some big festival crowds. “We had an amazing festival season in our summer. We played just short of 50 of them, all over the world. So I think we're reasonably well schooled in it and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.”

Playing in front of audiences is what The Vaccines are all about and their sound lends itself to being played live, as that was how it was originally put together. “We wrote the record [debut album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?] as a live band. We didn't have any recording facilities, so we used our resources the best we could, which was basically two guitars, a bass and a drum kit. We designed the music to be played live. Well, actually we recorded a live album, essentially.”

When The Vaccines first started out, they did so with no masterplan. Rather they simply enjoyed being in a band and all that entailed. One wonders whether a plan has since developed as they have continued to gain success. “The masterplan is very vague,” Robertson suggests. “We're all good players and Justin [Young, lead singer] is a great songwriter. We just felt that, between, us we could make some meaningful music. I think we're doing that and I think we can make more meaningful music. There's room to develop. That's ultimately it. To be the best we can.”

Interview by Bobby Townsend. It first appeared in Sydney's Drum Media.

Homebake Festival 2011

Bobbysix.com's Editor went to Homebake Festival in Sydney and realised that he is a grumpy old man. Here's why: 

It started with a vomiting pumpkin...

Australian festivals are a strange thing. Considering the wonderful weather in this country, there aren't very many camping events, meaning that often festivals are staged in a single day. Therefore, punters take the opportunity to get as fucked up as possible, as quickly as possible. No time to waste. It's like watching three days of Reading footage on fast-forward. And so, in that context, we return to the pumpkin. As I entered the site, I saw two girls dressed as pumpkins, walking side by side. One stopped dead in her tracks and proceeded to projectile puke pretty much everywhere. It was like something out of The Exorcist, had The Exorcist been set in Sydney's Domain on a beautifully sunny summer's afternoon. She wiped her mouth, laughed and carried on with her day. It was 1.50pm. The tone, rather perfectly, had been set.

As the awful 360 proved just how awful Aussie hip-hop can be, I took a wander round the site and remembered that men who wear thongs (flip-flops - English Translation Ed) to festivals annoy the shit out of me almost as much as girls who wear those high-waisted denim cut-offs from which 40 percent of their arse hangs out. It's not a good look, ladies. Not a good look.

Anyway, to the music. Well, The Vines played but no-one really cared because it's no longer 2004. Meanwhile Unknown Mortal Orchestra (good name, by the way) rocked the Rowland S Howard Stage and were followed by the equally excellent Big Scary and  Noah Taylor & The Sloppy Boys.

 

Next up, technical difficulties meant that Kimbra (above) started 20 minutes late on the Dome Stage. Looking A-fucking-MAY-ZING in red she played a very short set which ended with the brilliant Cameo Lover. Her vocal was perhaps a little low in the mix and the fact that the sound was bleeding - or, in fact, hemorrhaging - from the main stage was pretty annoying. No-one wants to hear Drapht (more fucking Aussie hip-hop) at the best of times, let alone when they're trying to enjoy the soul/disco/pop of Kimbra.

There were irritating sound issues throughout the day. PNAU could be heard over The Triffids, even when standing about ten foot from the stage on which The Triffids were playing, while Gotye's eclectic, imaginative set was somewhat spoilt by horrible, bassy, muddy sound. Still, by that time, many of the crowd were too mashed to care. The girl in front of me at Gotye was the most gurnful individual I have ever seen. Goodness knows how many drugs she had taken but I suspect the answer to have been "lots of drugs." She was gurning so hard that, at one stage, she seemed in danger of swallowing her own head.

Mashed punters and bad sound aside, there were some outstanding moments at Homebake 2011. The Jezabels proved why they have become so popular, so quickly, with a stunning performance. Brilliantly named singer Hayley Mary has something of the Kate Bush about her in terms of her vocal and the band's pop songs were powerful and engaging. Elsewhere, Papa vs Pretty were great, our old mate Ladyhawke played to a full tent, after which Cut Copy had the crowd going mental with their tightly wound indie/dance stuff that let loose at all the right moments. A bit Icehouse, a bit New Order, a lot brilliant, they were the festival's late highlight and certainly worth missing the start of Grinderman for.

Ah, Grinderman. How I should love thee. Nick Cave. Tick. Warren Ellis. Tick. Dirty as fuck songs dripping in sex and grubbiness. Tick. So, why then, when watching them close Homebake 2011 under a clear purple sky, was I constantly thinking "I wish I were watching Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds."? I guess because I wished I were watching Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. A certain female vocalist who shall remain nameless told Bobbysix.com in the safety of the VIP area that she wasn't staying for their set because it is "mid-life crisis music." Which is actually a brutally fair assessment. Still, mid-life crisis or not, it was still awesome to see Cave hacking at a guitar and Ellis utilising more pedals than you could shake a stick at. But, as a band, they seem to equal less than the sum of their parts. Put it this way, I've never wanted to hear Stagger Lee more in my life than I did at 10.45pm on Saturday.

So, a mixed bag then. Some great performances, some bad sound, some beautiful weather and a vomiting pumpkin. A pretty fair representation of your typical Australian one-day festival.

Review and shitty iPhone pics by Bobby Townsend

St Jerome's Laneway Festival announces its 2012 line-up

At Bobbysix.com, we've been fans of Laneway since the early days. We were there in 2007, watching The Temper Trap belting out anthemic tunes at Sydney's Circular Quay before most people knew who the hell they were. We saw Daniel Johnston's heartbreaking performance, Mumford & Sons' triumphant display and Florence + The Machine's lung-busting turn in 2010.

So we're excited to bring you the line-up for the 2012 event, which, once again will take place in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland and Singapore. Highlights of next year's event include the wonderful Laura Marling (above), Feist, The Horrors, Portugal The Man and Yuck.

So, without further ado, here's who you can see at next year's Laneway: ACTIVE CHILD, ANNA CALVI, AUSTRA, BULLION, CHAIRLIFT, CULTS, DZ DEATHRAYS, EMA, FEIST [except Adelaide], GEOFFREY O'CONNOR, GIRLS, GIVERS [Syd + Melb], GLASSER, HUSKY [Bris, Syd, Melb], JOHN TALABOT, JONTI, LAURA MARLING, M83, ONEMAN, PAJAMA CLUB (feat. Sharon and Neil Finn), PORTUGAL THE MAN [Syd + Melb], SBTRKT (Live), TRIPLE J Unearthed Winners, THE VERY WEST, THE DRUMS, THE HORRORS, THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART, THE PANICS, TORO Y MOI, TOTAL CONTROL, TWIN SHADOW, WASHED OUT, WU LYF, YUCK

Tickets go on sale Wednesday October 19th at 9am (EDST) through Greentix.We said it last year and we'll say it again, if you want to go, you'll need to be on the ball when tickets are made available. If you snooze, you lose.


You can keep up to date with all things Laneway on Facebook and Twitter.

New Abbe May tour details

We've been championing Australian Abbe May for a while now, so it's exciting to see how well things are going for her. A critically acclaimed debut has led to two AIR award nominations and the use of Mammallian Locomotion in the credits of hit international TV show Entourage. Hooray.

Not only is she super talented and hotter than the sun, but she is clearly hard-working too. Having only just returned from her album launch tour, she's now announced a new national run of shows. After recent stints in New York and Europe, Abbe is set to embark on a big final quarter schedule of touring including an extensive list of regional dates with Art vs Science, the national triple j Nick Cave Straight to You theatre tour through November, special appearance club dates and iconic festivals such as Meredith, Pyramid Rock, Wave Rock Weekender and Mullum to name a few. You can catch her at the following locations:

TOUR DATES
(AVS- Supporting Art Vs Science, HL- Headline show, FES - Festival, STY- Straight To You: triple j's Tribute to Nick Cave)
Wed 21 September Great Northern Hotel Byron Bay NSW (AVS)
Thu 22 September Spotted Cow Toowoomba QLD (AVS)
Fri 23 September Kings Beach Tav Sunshine Coast QLD (AVS)
Sat 24 September Coolangatta Hotel Gold Coast QLD (AVS)
Wed 28 September Hotel Tasmania Launceston TAS (AVS)
Thu 29 September Wrest Point Showroom Hobart TAS (AVS)
Fri 30 September Panthers Newcastle NSW (AVS)
Sat 1 October Bateau Bay Hotel Central Coast NSW (AVS)
Sun 2 October Waves Wollongong NSW (AVS)
Wed 5 October Northcote Social Club VIC (HL)
Thu 6 October Pier Live, Frankston VIC (AVS)
Fri 7 October Bended Elbow Geelong VIC (AVS)
Sat 8 October Kay St. Entertainment, Traralgon VIC (AVS)
Sun 9 October Bended Elbow Ballarat VIC (AVS)
Fri 28 October Wave Rock Weekender Hyden WA (FES)
Wed November 9 Performing Arts Centre Geelong WA (STY)
Thu November 10 Her Majestys Ballarat VIC (STY)
Fri November 11 Forum Theatre Melbourne VIC (STY)
Sat November 12 Forum Theatre Melbourne VIC (STY)
Wed November 16 Royal Theatre Canberra ACT (STY)
Thu November 17 Enmore Theatre Sydney NSW (STY)
Sat November 19 Panthers Newcastle NSW (STY)
Sun November 20 The Tivoli Brisbane QLD (STY)
Sat November 26 Mullum Festival Mullumbimby NSW (FES)
Sun November 27 Mullum Festival Mullumbimby NSW (FES)

Changing Lanes map and playing times

We're getting hugely excited about this Saturday's Changing Lanes in Sydney. It's probably our fave festival of the year. Tickets are cheeeeeap, the line up is always bursting with local talent, the atmos is chilled (you won't find pilled-up shirtless oiks with the Aussie flag draped around their necks here), there are market stalls from super awesome local businesses and the whole thing feels organic. It's very clear that the organisers really put a lot of care and love into it, you know?

There are still a few tickets left, so grab yours before they run out. Also, if you click the above picture, you'll get a bigger version of the map and playing times. We would recommend arriving in time to see Cameras at 1.20pm and don't even think about leaving before PVT have blown your ears off with their headline set. There's so much good stuff going on... sets from Big Scary, Bleeding Knees Club and MUM DJs will be awesome, while you can also check out the fashion displays, street art and market stalls.

We'll be there with our camera in one hand and some kind of yummy vegetarian food in the other, so if you spot us, come say hi and give us a hug. We like hugs.

Super cheap Great Escape early bird delegate tickets now available

Last year's Great Escape Festival in Brighton was wicked. If you fancy heading along again next year, but feel like getting an even more rounded experience (as well as being able to avoid those pesky queues), then you might be interested in the fact that they have just released delegate passes for TGE 2012, which will take place in and around many different venues around Brighton city centre from 10-12 May.

As well as giving priority access to all the venues, a delegate pass also gets you into The Great Escape convention, which will bring together music business professionals from across the world to discuss, evaluate and share the new approaches that are emerging for developing, launching and monetising artist and music rights. The festival will once again introduce the best line up of up and coming bands to the 15,000 international delegates and new music fans that attend. Super Early Bird passes are now available to buy for a frankly embarrassingly cheap price of £80. There are a limited number of passes available to buy at this discounted rate so ensure that you buy fast to avoid disappointment. Passes can now be purchased by CLICKING HERE.

Oh, and if you are a band that fancies playing at Brighton's own version of SXSW, then click here for deets. We will, of course, be in attendance, so maybe we'll see you there.

Changing Lanes first release sold out. Second round of artists added

Sydney's most organic, charming festival, Changing Lanes, is back on the 17th of September for its second consecutive year, taking over the lower end of Devonshire St, its surrounding laneways and venues to raise funds for FBi Radio. MAPS Entertainment and FBi Radio are transforming that part of Surry HIlls into a cultural wonderland featuring a melting pot of music, street art, fashion, photography and food. So awesome is the festival and so cheap are the tickets, that the first release has already sold out in a heartbeat, so, if you wanna be there, you'd best get your act together and grab one from the second release before they all go too. Check out www.changinglanesfestival.com for more ticketing details.

Changing Lanes made its debut in Newtown last year and was an overwhelming success. The event combined music, art and fashion and included acts such as Tame Impala and Itch-e & Scratch-e, resulting in tickets selling out in only a week. Festival Director, Danae Goiser said “We are pretty blown away by the creative concepts some of the artists have come up with for this year’s event. It’s an inspiring time to be involved in Sydney’s creative communities and we’re so proud to be able to provide a platform for artists to showcase their talents.”

This year will see the likes of PVT, The Vasco Era, Gareth Liddiard, The Snowdroppers, Papa Vs Pretty,  Bleeding Knees and Megastick Fanfare joined by heaps of other acts. And a second announcement of artists includes Big Scary, Canyons DJs, Domeyko / Gonzalez and, most excitingly of all, Cameras. Visit www.changinglanesfestival.com for the full line up.

Buy your tickets today. If you don't take our advice then don't come crying to us when you miss out.

Remember this lot? Well, they're playing at Ivy Live

I remember seeing Reef in about 1995. At a festival in Brighton. They were the first band on and I recall the singer swinging from the rafters. My only other abiding memory of them is of every drunk person in my local nightclub going nuts when the DJ dropped that song about putting your hands on something or other. Anyhoo, as is the trend nowadays, they've reformed, and will headline this Friday at Ivy Live, a festival in England's stunning South-Devon countryside.

Now in its 4th year, Ivy Live is growing larger all of the time. The vibrant and eclectic three-day festival (9th-11th Sept) features a variety of genres from Alternative rock to Reggae, Punk, Indie, Hip hop and Folk and encompasses international artists as well as the hottest talent from around the South West. Other headliners will be the rather excellent King Blues and Bluesy Pop songstress Sandi Thom.

Elsewhere Ben Howard, Futures, Cosmos Jarvis, The Computers, Ruarri Joseph, Wille and the Bandits, Mad Dog Mcrea and South London Alternative Hip Hop collective Clement Marfo and the Frontline spice things up.

The rest of the line up features: Hyper / Monkey / Backbeat Soundsystem Crazy Arm / The Skints / Freeze The Atlantic Josh Bray Band / Dead Poets / The Deering / Crowns / Willie and the Bandits / Unleashed / Auction for the Promise Club Land of the Giants / Head Of Programmes / Kate McGill / The Scribes / Numb / Spree The Patrick James Pearson Band / The Iconyx / Amy Wallace / Morning Rush / The Vics / Richard James Emma Lauran / Ellie Campbell / Ten Zero One / 7 Year Itch / George & the Islanders / John Thorpe Silent Disco sessions: Battle Stations / Origin Breaks / DJ Pandamonium / Dom J / Leishman / Phat Chex / Wotsawonder / PMC / Dread / Definition / Ad The Lad / D-struct and Ember / Tuskan / Joe Panic

Click the link for tickets: Weekend tickets are £55. Day tickets are from £15 - £30

Playgroup Festival

A while a go, we here at Bobbysix.com told you to get your ass to the second annual Playgroup Festival. If you chose to ignore our sage advice, quite frankly, you're a fool. Envisage a smaller, stranger, more child friendly Secret Garden Party with a fantastical and beautifully manifested theme: 'Woodland Animals.'

Set halfway between Brighton and London in England's oldest deer park, Eridge Park, two miles south of Tunbridge Wells, Playgroup 2011 offered three days of freedom, relaxation and madness. With Big Lemon buses going back and forth from Brighton and London, Playgroup also earned points in the green department. The quiet, idyllic, green English countryside setting allowed festival-goers to fully immerse themselves in the theme of the event. And while most embraced the theme with immaculately crafted costumes and brilliant makeup, others chose to ignore it altogether. In addition to the stylish army of woodland animals, there were those who dressed as frogs, aliens, lizards, leopards; pretty much any brightly coloured creature you could imagine, all of which added to the strange...err...beauty of the festival.

The real joy of Playgroup was that there was something in it for everyone. And we mean absolutely everyone. The folks at Harvest Brighton taught listeners about growing and eating local produce, while Hannah the Mer-made shared her love of the magical sea creatures to an enamoured crowd. Two comfy cushion-filled cinema tents offering classics like Groundhog Day allowed for a temporary escape from the madness of the festival, while the alcohol-free relaxation tent also allowed for rest and recuperation. The wonderful people at SuckMyRock.com offered a fantasy forest photo stage, where professional photographers documented the brilliant array of badgers, owls, foxes and other woodland animals. Videopia offered one of the festival's most experimental and involving attractions in the form of a mobile movie studio that casts and films festival goers in mini tributes to Hollywood classics.

The children's tent offered a variety of engaging activities for tots including face painting, magic shows, drawing classes, interactive science workshops and boardgames. The poker and blackjack tent, Apokerlypse Now, which deserves a mention for its name alone, ran well into each night as serious punters and jokers alike came together to flirt with lady luck.

Between all the attractions and working out how to smuggle as much moonshine in as possible, it's sometimes easy to forget that a festival starts with the music. Best described by the Playgroup people themselves, the line up offered a 'tapas menu of the best music you've possibly never heard of.' Saturday night 7-piece Quantic y su Combo Barbaro set the pace with their fresh brand of Cuban and Latin beats that got the crowd dancing on perhaps the liveliest night of the festival. 

With such an eclectic mix of genres, it was sometimes hard to fit it all in. Hiding away from the rain in the Burrow, possibly the world's most comfortable festival tent, decked out in lush cushions, couches and carpets, punters saw, among others, Rory Mulligan and the Imaginary Band, whose Tom Waits-esque cover of the White Stripes' Seven Nation Army left them hanging on even after the rain died.

Skinny Lister's familiar brand of classic folk, fusing more imaginary words than Ned Flanders with typical folk classics had the crowd jiving away in the gorgeous Sunday afternoon sun. In contrast to the familiarity,The Correspondents played to the Sunday sunset to a crowd that didn't know what to expect when lead singer, Mr Bruce first arrived on stage, decked out in a futuristic black and white ensemble and a cracking pair of reading glasses. But when their remix of I Wanna Be Like You from Disney's The Jungle Book (yes, you know the one) began, the crowd was ecstatic. Mr Bruce's crowdsurfing antics were embraced as he simultaneously screamed along to the band's unique brand of vintage swing and jazz and perfectly contrasted modern drum 'n' bass.

Immediately following were Tel Aviv 9-piece The Apples, the last main stage act of the festival, who washed over the festival with their unique fusing of North American jazz, funk and hip-hop traditions with North African and Middle Eastern tribal styles. Within minutes of the end of their set, the sky erupted with the heaviest downpour of the entire weekend, literally marking a sad end to the festival. Punters frantically rushed to the Watering Hole, eager to continue their escape from reality, only to be told, much to everyone's dismay, that the bar shut at 10pm.

No doubt Playgroup Festival will continue to delight festival lovers in years to come with more explorations of themes, artistic expression and family friendly fun...we only hope it stays as intimate and magical as Playgroup 2011.

Review by Celeste Macdonald. Here are a few more photos...

 

 

 

 

Frankly, it's a free album download!

You'll have noticed a lack of reviews and interviews this week at Bobbysix.com. We've been busy as mofo's up in here. There's loads of that kinda thing heading your way soon though. Interviews with the likes of Katie & The Carnival and Owlstation will be joined by reviews of Sons & Daughters and Seun Kuti, travel features from Brighton and Sydney and some videos featuring pretty ladies.

For today though, were just continuing this week's theme of pointing you in the direction of good new music. To end your week, how's about a FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD from artists performing at Australia's Frankly! It's a Pop Festival? The free nine-track digital sampler includes contributions from Miko, LA Vampires, Wet Hair, Oorutaichi, Angel Eyes and more.

The festival takes place at Brisbane's Powerhouse in September. Find out more here. And download the album here. Don't say we never give you anything. This is the tracklisting:

LA Vampires - Streetwise
Angel Eyes - Loosing Grip
Miko - Yoake
Pikelet - Hallway Master
Ytamo - Alice
Blank Realm - Full Moon Door
Twerps - She Didn't Know
Wet Hair - Echo Lady
Oorutaichi - Futurelina

Playgroup Festival returns!

Wanna go to a festival that is small, friendly and filled with magical moments you'll remember forever? Wanna avoid pissed-up, tent-buring morons and hour-long toilet queues? Wanna watch over 150 bands and DJ’s on 5 stages? Wanna be turned into a movie star and perform in your favorite film? Wanna watch your own brainwaves create music before your eyes? Wanna be part of a thousand-strong army of woodland animals? Wanna learn about the nature of the universe? Wanna get fit with Kate Bush aerobics? Wanna play poker with rabid foxes?

If the answer is yes (and why wouldn't it be?), then you're gonna love the Playgroup Festival. Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Playgroup is back. Once again it is ready to take the best of arts and entertainment from the South East of England, select a few special guests from further afield, and give it a beautiful temporary home near Tunbridge Wells (between Brighton and London), for one magical long summer weekend.

This year, on the first weekend of August, you'll find artists like High Rankin, Meow Meows, AK DK, Prjct Myhm and many more. As well as wholesome food & drink, magic, entertainment, art and games. The theme is ‘Woodland Animals’ and whatever animal you're allocated (when you buy a ticket) will have a direct effect on your Playgroup Festival experience. Whether it's the epic battle for supremacy at the Woodland sports day, or happy hour at the bar for your creature, you’ll find activities, site wide games and giant group photos for your new gang of friends.

Whatever type of person you are, whatever type of music you like, or think you like, whatever mood you may be in, Playgroup is sure to provide you with enough of a varied picnic of delights that there’ll be something there for you to fall in love with. Whether you’re with your mates, bringing your family, or flying solo, you'll invariably make life-long friends, find your own inner artist, dose up heavily on rest and relaxation, do something silly and unexpected, and - of course - dance your legs off. Find out all about it here

Discover your new favourite band at The Great Escape.

This Thursday to Saturday, the Great Escape Festival takes over Brighton, in the South of England. Tickets are still available so do yourself a favour and grab one today to enable yourself to whizz from from cool venue to cool venue to check the fuck out of amazing acts from all over the world.

As you will know, we are quite Aussie-focused here at BobbySix.com, so are excited to see The Jezebels, The Holidays, Cloud Control, Little Red and PVT. Meanwhile, big names from elsewhere like Friendly Fires and Sufjan Stevens are also getting our pulses racing.

The very best thing about TGE though, aside from the beautiful punters and the amazing atmosphere that it brings to the city, is that it affords music fans the opportunity to stumble upon bands of whom they have little knowledge. You never know, you might just discover your new favourite group there this year. Like, for instance, Dutch indiefolk act I Am Oak (pictured above), who play on Thursday at 9pm at the Unitarian Church. Check their sweet sounds below:

Words by Rob Townsend

Changing Lanes Wrap Up Party - Photos

Last month's inaugural Changing Lanes Festival was great. The hard-working organisers are already planning next year's event, which is sure to be even bigger and better. However, a few days ago, they took the night off and threw a big old shindig at Sydney's World Bar to celebrate the overwhelming success of the first one. Here are a few snaps of the festivities.