Music that blows your ear drums and gives you tinnitus. Music that makes you dance. Music that makes you cry. Music that infuriates you because you can’t understand how this rubbish ever made it to the main stage at a music festival. Music is something that provokes a reaction in everyone, be it positive or negative and therefore has the power to unite people from every walk of life. To me, this is what music festivals represent. Uniting people who otherwise may never have met but hold that same love of doing the robot whilst listening to Ke$ha or giving out free hugs dressed as a cowboy during a set by The Village People. In this day and age, where our news feeds are constantly inundated with death, war and destruction, where we sit at desks resenting our jobs and start a countdown to the weekend on Monday morning, festivals bring a sense of warm fuzzy escapism to our lives.
I understand that the timing of this article may raise an eyebrow or two amongst Brits, primarily due to the fact that festivals are traditionally hot, sunny places filled with alcohol, bikini’s, love and joy and not the sub-zero conditions currently lurking beyond our front doors. At the minute you’d be mistaken for thinking you were an extra in one of David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet’ documentaries. (For those of you who haven’t tried this, take a look out of your window right now and stare at the poor souls backsides colliding with the icy pavements and try to narrate. I have now provided you with hours of entertainment, you can thank me later.) The thing is, as we edge towards the new year, I thought it right to prepare you for our pick of the best musical treats that are on offer over the next 12 months. So without further delay, here are One Stop Record Shop‘s pick of the 2015 Festivals:
Snowbombing: 6 -11 April 2015
Mayrhofen, Austria
One of the coolest festivals you will ever find yourself at, quite literally. If you like to hit the powder hard and party even harder, this is the festival for you. Having partied here on a number of occasions before and after it hit the mainstream, I can say it has a truly unbeatable atmosphere and a consistently great line-up. There aren’t too many festivals where you can watch Kasabian play an acoustic gig at sunset 2000m up a mountain and then party the night away in an iglu. Starting as a small venture by a group of university students in Manchester in 2000, the size of the festival has grown to an unprecedented level and has now hit the mainstream with sponsors such as MTV and Barclays. Don’t be put off by this though, the big brands input has only helped make Snowbombing that much more impressive. I shan’t lie, this is one cracking festival!
Top Tip: You can’t experience Snowbombing fully without a trip to Hans Ze Butcher!
The Great Escape: 14-16 May 2015
In and around Brighton, UK
Brighton’s own take on a quirky little festival, The Great Escape certainly doesn’t conform to your conventional idea of a festival. Think hotels as opposed to Tents and pubs rather than 80,000 capacity venues. With artists scattered around 35 venues in Brighton, if you put the leg work in, you will reap the rewards. A hub for new and emerging talent, it’s jam packed calendar means that compromises have to be made but there is always time for a chilled pint in the pop up pubs and tents located at the center of the festival. With the likes of Example, Ella Eyre and Kelis headlining last year as well as emerging European talent from the likes of MØ, it certainly isn’t a festival to miss!
Top Tip: Plan your time at The Great Escape before you set off! With the number of acts and the distances between venues it is nearly impossible to jam all that great music in without working up a sweat!
Bestival: 10 -13 September 2015
Robin Hill, Isle Of Wight
The name says it all. Bestival has to be one of the friendliest festivals I have ever had the joys of experiencing and it is one that I cannot recommend highly enough. Curated by Rob Da Bank and his lovely wife Josie, Bestival takes place at the very end of the festival season but trust us, it is well worth the wait. With consistently huge headliners (Stevie Wonder, The XX, Outcast, Snoop Dog, London Grammar, Elton John and Chic ft. Nile Rogers to name but a few…) and one of the best immersive experiences around, this festival cannot be trumped in terms of creativity. With elements including a full size party ship and endless themed areas to explore, Bestival is a consistently great festival.
Top Tip: Bestival hosts motorcycle riders entertaining audiences on the wall of death. It will blow you away!
The Secret Garden Party: 23 -26 September 2015
Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire
The Secret Garden Party is a simply magical experience. It’s not everyday that you walk through one of the shire’s and find yourself surrounded by magical trees, fairies, witches and… landscaped gardens?! Hosted in picturesque gardens, The Secret Garden Party transports you to an other worldly place filled with all of the above. This is a festival that combines folky acoustic sessions with more mainstream pop acts, poetry recitals and story telling all woven into one festival. The festival manages to hold onto that ’boutiquey’ feel whilst attracting audiences from far and wide to see the bigger acts in a more intimate setting.
Top Tip: Don’t look at a map! I know it sounds strange but trust us, just get lost! You will end up finding the quirkiest things in the most unexpected places…
So there you go! There’s a small pick of our favorite music festivals taking place over 2015 but be sure to stay tuned for updates as the festival season draws closer. If you run an existing festival or have a great new festival lined up for the coming year, be it a boutique festival or one on a somewhat larger scale, be sure to get in contact with us! We would love to hear from you and feature you on the hot list for 2015!
