Evolution weekender 2009

With so many of the big festivals getting mentioned I thought I would give a shout out to the North East's biggest music event Evolution.
For the first time it is spread over two days at the settings of Spillers Quay on Newcastle Quayside and Baltic Stage on Gateshead Quays.
It is to take place on the bank holiday weekeend Sunday the 24 and Monday 25 January. You may think this is a little late for letting you know however I'm sure some of use al,ready have tickets. If not there are still day tickets available at
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=xxx&query=schedule&promoter=evo&interface=evo or can be purchased by phone on
the 24hr hotline 08444771000.
I strongly believe this is good value for money as the day tickets are only £9.50 plus booking fee. If you were lucky enough to get a weekend ticket at £15 plus bf you have a bargain.
Acts announced so far include: Dizzee Rascal, The Wombats, The View, Mystery Jets, The Maccabees, White Lies, Friendly Fires, Ladyhawke, Little Boots, Florence & the Machine, Nouvelle Vague, Twisted Wheel, Imelda May, VV Brown, The Puppini Sisters, Kid British, The Big Pink, Dead Kids, Esser, Fan Death, Marina & The Diamonds, The Chapman Family, Viva City…

My favourites include up and coming stars....Twisted Wheel, VV Brown and the established The View.

Unfortunately I am leaving for Ibiza that weekend and won't be able to attend so I will keep you updated with my summer adventure as long as you keep me informed of your Evolution Weekender experience......

Rock Werchter

This legendary festival in Belgium has seen some of the greats grace there main stage with there appearances since 1974. With U2 practically calling Werchter home during the 1980s the festival has seen everyone from INXS to The Chemical Brothers, Metallica, REM and The Who.
The line up is keeping in line with the greats of the past and this year is no exception. Oasis, The Killers and Coldplay are sure to be headliners along with the biggest band at the moment Kings of Leon.
There is also a host of female acts including Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Katy Perry to represent female pop power.
This four day festival is in easy reach with the Eurostar leaving from London St Pancras to Brussels. If you are lucky enough to get a ticket once you get into Belgium, you can get a free train to Leuven which is a quick shuttle bus ride away from the site.
The benefits of this festival is the the fact there is only two stages and the chances of you missing a band are small as you are not running around trying to catch all the bands spread over a lot of stages.
There are a host of other bands that can be found on the website http://www.rockwerchter.be/en/home/
If you have been to this event or have any other information on it, please feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks for reading and keep listening....

Lowlands Paradise

The Arctic Monkeys go Dutch at Lowlands as they look to headline this summer spectacular. This alternative indie music festival offers you everything from an amusement park, 24 hour pub and for those who enjoy some of Hollands' finest, the opportunity to bring your own marijuana.
This doesn't mean you go and smuggle some over, however they do allow a small amount that would have to be bought legally in Holland!!!
This festival also likes to explore down the more dance music side with the inclusion of Basement Jaxx and The Prodigy. While also offering some stand up comedy, film, visual arts literature and theatre for the artists hidden away inside us.
The festival takes place towards the end of the summer season between August 21 - 23 and is situated in Evenemententerrein Walibi World Biddinghuizen, the Netherlands.
BMI flies from Heathrow to Amsterdam Schipol which is the closest although Rotterdam and Eindhoven are close.
This is a truly unique festival and the 55,000 inhabitants have there own paper, radio station and currency.

European Festivals: Benicassim

If there's one festival you really, really have to experience before you die, this would probably be it. Benicassim is more of one big party than a festival, a three-day multiple stage extravaganza with a line-up to match.
After my friends returned last year from Benicassim exhausted and all partied out, they all swore to return this year.
The festival is situated in Spain near Valencia and runs over 4 days from the 16-19 July.
Unlike a lot of home grown festivals the organisers take a strictly nocturnal approach and the scheduling usually begins at 9pm and runs through to 6am.
These hours make it perfect to party all night and spend the day chilling on the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
In fact it is like a beach holiday and full-on festival rave rolled into one.
As this festival is in Spain the chances of sunshine are a lot higher so pack those shades and forget your wellies as this is not going to be a wash out...
The line-up includes Oasis, Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers and Friendly Fires. Camping is not recommended as you may roast alive, so local hotels may be the answer. Travelling can be organised from budget airlines to Alicante, Valencia and Barcelona.

Here is the website for more information http://www.fiberfib.com/