Bestival 2009 – It's The Year Of The Spectacular!
It’s time once again to journey headlong into the crazy world of the Bestival! Taking place on the 11-13th September this will be our 6th jaunt across the Solent and after what was certainly one of our most memorable events in 2008, 2009 is set to be our Year of the Spectacular! As ever, Rob da Bank has been working his stripy socks off to collect together a cornucopia of truly staggering acts to blow all our tiny little minds! We’ve had a bit of a spruce up and spring clean at Robin Hill Country Park this year and moved the furniture about a bit, creating a smashing new site layout, so when you get here it should feel beautifully brand new and reassuringly familiar all at the same time!
We really have got a spectacular line up for you this year and have been literally bursting with excitement since we confirmed that groundbreaking electronic pioneers Kraftwerk will be headlining the Saturday night. One of the most influential acts of all time, Kraftwerk have been pushing musical boundaries since they first formed in Düsseldorf in 1970, laying the foundations of Krautrock, Hip-Hop, Electro, Electro-pop and Techno and that doesn’t even cover their effect on the likes of David Bowie and Iggy Pop. A UK festival exclusive Kraftwerk’s set is gonna be legendary and we can’t wait.
Also joining us on the Isle of Wight to headline the Friday night will be the original Wild Bunch, Massive Attack. Centred around the core of Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall AKA 3D and Daddy G, Massive Attack, the band that single-handedly defined the sound of Bristol, has an unassailable back catalogue of truly incredible tunes that include gilt edged gems like Unfinished Sympathy, Protection and Teardrop that have made them one of the UK’s best loved bands. Featuring some of the world’s finest vocalists and sickest beats, Massive Attack have a new album due out in September, whilst their previous four albums have been both critically and publicly lauded, as is their live sound, which is quite simply jaw dropping, making them ones definitely not to miss.
Dropping in from Brooklyn New York, Space-rockers MGMT will be bringing the electric feel of their gargantuan synth whooshes and psychedelic revelations to Robin Hill in one of only two festival appearances this summer. Instrumental in shaping the current sound of radio playlists and indie discos across the country, their debut album Oracular Spectacular was named best album of 2008 by NME, setting the standard that other bands are compared to, so you can be sure that MGMT’s fantasy pop is really gonna rock us.
Fellow Americans Fleet Foxes, this time hailing from the musical hot bed of Seattle, are also set to add their Baroque harmonic pop jams to proceedings in what is their only confirmed UK festival date of 2009 so far. With their platinum selling eponymous album described by the Guardian as “a landmark in American music, an instant classic”, the band has been universally acclaimed, racking up 5-star reviews across the board, making them one of the most in-demand bands in the world right now, so we’re really looking forward to getting down to their dreamy harmonies and celestial grooves.
Keeping on the transatlantic cousins theme, sublime song and dance man and BRIT Award nominated Seasick Steve will be rocking the three-string trance wonder for another show stopping Bestival set. Originally from Oakland, California but now residing in Norfolk via Norway, Seasick Steve is a bona fide roots legend whose unique storytelling along with his primeval picking and sliding style has shot him to stardom and made him a sure fire Bestival bet.
All geared up for the release of their as yet untitled second album, Mercury Music Prize winners Klaxons will be firing off a salvo of avant-garde sci-fi rock n roll to tickle your fancies, and long-time Bestival favourite Bat For Lashes AKA Natasha Khan is going to beguile us with her uplifting, ethereal beauty headlining the Big Top on Friday night.
We’ve never been ones for boundaries at Bestival and this year we’ll be pushing them out of sight as we welcome master of the minimalists Michael Nyman. Famed for his film scores for Peter Greenaway and especially his soundtrack to Jane Campion’s ‘The Piano’ Michael Nyman is one of the most esteemed minds in music and we are over the moon that he’s coming to the Isle of Wight!
Spread over 14 rather brilliant stages, other musical treats we have in store for you this year include 2-Tone Ska legends The Beat, the much-admired jazz-glitch electronica of Squarepusher, one of the first live outings from Future Sound Of London in 12 years, Critics’ Choice BRIT Award winner Florence & The Machine, Electro-pop doyen and BBC Sound 0f 2009 winner Little Boots, Friendly Fires’ lush wall of sound, transcendent Krautpop from Fujiya & Miyagi, Metronomy’s wonky electro, Antipodean Abba action from Bjorn Again erstwhile Stairs front man Edgar Jones’s magic new band Free Peace, sassy songstress VV Brown, epic Drum n Bass from Chase & Status, Golden Silvers’ foot shuffling retro pop, Selkirk rockers Frightened Rabbit Italo Electro from Heartbreak, the Isle’s own Bastila and Goodbye Stereo and killer rock n roll from Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. The inimitable Cuban Brothers will be treating the crowd to their classic madcap funk as well as compering the main stage alongside beatbox sensation Beardyman, whilst rhapsodic arcade funksters dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip and electro eccentric Ebony Bones will be throwing down some proper party music.
Psychedelic trailblazers Passion Pit will be making the ferry journey to join in on our Year of the Spectacular, as will the legendary Altern8, Dub Pistols, Goldie Lookin’ Chain, James Yuill, 65 Days of Static, Hockey, Eat Static, Pole, It Hugs Back, Introducing, Kid Carpet, Efterklang, Sportsday Megaphone, Chew Lips, Blue Roses, Peggy Sue, Blindfold, Alessi’s Ark, Pivot, Napoleon 111rd, The Ghost, Fake Bush, Orkestra del Sol and Bloco Electro.
Keeping your feet moving long into the night we have a veritable who’s who of selectas on board for this year’s Bestival, including a real coup with Funk Carioca legend Diplo who will be headlining the Big Top on Saturday night, brutalising the bass bins with his Mad Decent Soundsystem featuring Buraka Som Sistema, Rusko, Boy 8 Bit and Major Lazer. Also unleashing the dancefloor monsters will be Drum and Bass originators Fabio & Grooverider, BBC Radio 1 DJs Zane Lowe, and Annie Mac with her Annie Mac Presents show, Huw Stephens and of course Rob da Bank, Hospital’s London Elektricity featuring MC Wrec, Windy City’s finest Derrick Carter, the Martian manoeuvres of Fake Blood, funk master Gilles Peterson, dub love from Skream, bassline excursions from Tayo, Bugged Out’s very own Johnno, rocksteady main man DJ Derek, Monsters At Work DJ's presenting The Psychedelic Sounds of Monsterism Island. And we still haven’t mentioned Friction Alix Perez, Freemasons, Sombrero Sound System, Krysko, Raffertie, Coley, Fear of Theydon and A1 Bassline, plus there will be must-see top-drawer trickery from the one and only turntable genius DJ Yoda and there’s still many more acts to be announced!
In the rarest of free moments Bestival mastermind Rob da Bank commented: “I keep having to look at the scruffy piece of paper I keep the line up on in my diary to convince myself that we are indeed bringing Kraftwerk to the Isle of Wight. Haha! Im so bloody happy I could cry but then I realise we’ve also got Massive Attack, MGMT, Seasick Steve, Klaxons, Bat For Lashes … All my favourite live acts and DJs in a field in seven months time in what I can humbly proclaim is our best line-up yet and when you find out who the third headliner is and then the very special guest too you’ll join me wetting ourselves with excitement. Its gonna be out of the world – out of space in fact!”
As you know Outer Space is this year’s fancy dress theme so we’ve gone into interstellar overdrive getting together some very cosmic costumes and as ever there will be a host of magic treats to be had, which as part of our Year of the Spectacular will include Blastival. A fiery spectacle unfolding over three nights, the show blends astounding pyrotechnical pleasures with stunning street theatre. In its first major festival appearance, the performance will tell the tale of our hero Michael Santos, his magnificent machine Maximus and his dream to reach the stars. There will also be the After Burner, a brand new 360-degree multi-stage arena that will come alive after dark and late into the night. Centred around a 10-meter tower built from jet engine components producing various effects with fire, smoke and water, the heart of the tower is a DJ booth producing the beat for the effects to synchronize to the mayhem!
With our luscious alternative camping, mouth-watering food concessions, tea and cakes and crazy japes there’ll be more madcap tomfoolery and eccentric partying than you can shake a stick at.
Keep checking link for more info.
Live Acts:
65 Days Of Static / Altern8 / Bastila / Bat For Lashes / Bjorn Again / Blindfold / Bloco Electro / Blue Roses / Chase & Status / dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip / Dub Pistols / Eat Static / Ebony Bones / Efterklang / Fleet Foxes / Florence & The Machine / Free Peace / Friendly Fires / Frightened Rabbit / Fujiya & Miyagi / Future Sound Of London / Golden Silvers / Goldie Lookin’ Chain / Goodbye Stereo / Heartbreak / Hockey / Introducing / It Hugs Back / Joe Gideon & Shark / Kid Carpet / Kitty, Daisy & Lewis / Klaxons / Kraftwerk / Little Boots / Massive Attack / Metronomy / MGMT / Michael Nyman / Napoleon 111rd / Orkestra Del Sol / Passion Pit / Peggy Sue / Pivot / Pole / Seasick Steve / Sportsday Megaphone / Squarepusher / The Beat / The Cuban Brothers / The Ghost / VV Brown
DJs / MCs
A1 Bassline / Alix Perez / Annie Mac Presents / Beardyman / Coley (Luv Jam) / Derrick Carter / Diplo Presents Mad Decent Soundsystem – Boy 8 Bit, Buraka Som Sistema, Major Lazer, Rusko/ DJ Derek / DJ Yoda / Fabio & Grooverider / Fake Blood / Freemasons / Fear of Theydon / Friction / Gilles Peterson / Huw Stephens / Johnno (Bugged Out) / Krysko / Monsters At Work DJs / Raffertie / Rob da Bank / Sombrero Sound System / Skream / Tayo / Zane Lowe
And many more acts to be announced…
Tickets available now from:
www.bestival.net / Ticketline: 08700 667753 (24 hr) / link / link