dance

The Stranglers, The Damned and The Saw Doctors join Solfest 2011

The Stranglers,

The first acts have been announced for Solfest 2011. Punk icons The Stranglers will be joined by fellow genre legends The Damned, cult Irish band The Saw Doctors and classic 90′s Britpop outfit Cast.

The Damned have specially chosen Solfest to celebrate 35 years since the release of their debut single ‘New Rose’, which landed in 1976.

Folk songstress Kate Rusby, Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson, and a host of other folk, pop and rock bands will appear across the weekend, due to take place over August Bank Holiday Weekend in an idyllic setting near the Lake District.

Solfest is also very happy to welcome singer, actress, and all-round alternative entertainer Camille O’ Sullivan, who brings an element of burlesque to the festival for the first time.

Weekend Camping Tickets are now on sale for £89 via www.solfest.org.uk, following all 1,000 Early Bird tickets for this year’s festival selling out in record time.

Solfest is the definitive festival for music hungry families. Welcoming, inclusive, inventive and jam-packed with carefully selected chart-topping acts from across the decades; it’s one of North England’s best kept and beautiful festival secrets with a stunning family area, workshops and five stages packed with music.

Its unique setting allows you to park right next to your tent for the most effortless camping experience, while wood for campfires is provided free of charge for those wanting a classic outdoors adventure. Solfest also invites traders from around the world to sell goods, food and drinks around the site, so you’ll never be wanting for anything while on site.

The particularly family-friendly event, held between 26th ‘ 29th August and located on the edge of the Lake District, is one of the more wonderful British music festivals, tucked between the Solway coast and the Cumbrian fells. It offers a very open-minded and all-welcoming atmosphere for fans of music and the great outdoors, with a quality music programme incorporating classic guitar noise, pleasing new beats and eclectically satisfying melodies that Solfest hope will be accessible to their entire audience.

This beautiful setting has been the host for the last seven years to a mix of both well-established and emerging artists from all over the world, as well as an interesting array of walkabout acts and local talent.

Previous acts to play the festival include punk, Britpop, dance and indie legends The Charlatans, James, The Wonderstuff, Supergrass, The Proclaimers, The Orb, Sham 69, The Bees, Buzzcocks, The Levellers, Utah Saints and The Magic Numbers. With more acts still to announce, 2011 looks to have the most diverse and exciting bill yet for Solfest.

Calvin Harris to quit live music

Calvin Harris to quit live music. The Scottish dance producer says that he won’t play live anymore because ”m not a singer’. In an interview with Melbourne’s Herald Sun, Harris said that hitting the stage to front a band is ‘terrifying’. Harrris said he came to be a performer almost by accident, ‘the live show had to happen, I had to be the frontman because I was doing the vocals on the songs. It went all right. I spent a few years trying to get it really properly good but it dawned on me it wasn’t going to get much better. I’ve taken the singing thing as far as I can.’ He says he won’t miss it, ”m not a singer. I’m not trained. Taking it onto the stage in front of people was terrifying. I got much, much better at it but I never lost the terror.’ The disco pop producer also said that he’s working on new material, but will probably release individual songs rather than a full album. He’ll be visiting Australia for the second time this year, doing DJ sets at the Stereosonic festival in December.

Far East Movement Kicks Off Their “Up In The Air” Tour

Far East Movement

Far East Movement Kicks Off Their “Up In The Air” Tour. Far East Movement, a band also known by the name of just FM, will kick off their “Up In The Air” tour on September 13th in Anaheim, CA with Mike Posner. The group’s first single “Like A G6″ is currently #12 overall on iTunes Top Songs and #5 on iTunes Top Pop Songs. The song is also still climbing on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart(last placed at #41) and is #25 on the country’s digital song sales chart. FM’s members Kev Nish, Prohgress, J Splif and DJ Virman started the band in Los Angeles where they’ve already had a #1 song at radio with the hit “Girls On The Dance Floor.” Their music bridges the gap between underground club and mainstream hip-hop and pop music. They’ve coined the term ‘Free Wired’ to describe their lifestyle and sound that blends elements of Hip-Hop, Pop, Electro and Dance. “We want people at our shows to feel free to let loose and ‘geek out’ however the feel comfortable. Our music and lifestyle is about making sure everyone is having a good time,” states Kev Nish. Far East Movement have already taken the Los Angeles club scene global; they’ve already done two world tours, including recent stints with Lady Gaga, N*E*R*D, Robyn/Kelis and LMFAO. The ‘Free Wired’ debut album will also feature appearances from Ryan Tedder, Snoop Dogg, Keri Hilson, Pitbull and Lil’ Jon.