Watchet Festival 2015 - First Acts Announced

Watchet Festival 2015 - First Acts Announced

WATCHETLIVE C.I.C, the organisers of WATCHETLIVE FESTIVAL have announced the first set of acts to be confirmed for 2015.

Fronted by the infamous Sir Bob Geldof, The Boomtown Rats have been storming festivals since the ‘classic’ line up of Bob Geldof, Simon Crowe, Garry Roberts and Pete Briquette re-formed in 2013. With a huge back catalogue of Top 10 hits including Rat Trap (the first UK No.1 by an Irish band), Someone’s Looking At You, Banana Republic and of course the ubiquitous multi-million selling I Don’t Like Mondays, this is set to be the biggest Saturday night performance that Watchet Live Festival have ever hosted.

Sunday night’s headliners are the magnificent Big Country. Formed in Dunfermline in the early 80’s the band went on to have a string of hits and four Top 10 albums, including 1984’s Steel Town, which went to Number 1.

Also headling the billing are 80’s New Wave legends The Blow Monkeys, the always-entertaining Dr and The Medics, double-necked guitar wizard John Otway along with long-term collaborator ‘Wild’ Willy Barrett, Merry Hell, Tankus The Henge and many many more – and there are still 2 major main stage headliners yet to be announced!

Once again taking place on the August Bank Holiday Weekend, Friday 28th – Sunday 30th August, Watchet LIVE Festival will showcase the very best music, food and entertainment from the Westcountry and beyond.

Camping and Campervan option early-bird tickets are on sale at Early Bird prices until 31st March 2015, when the remaining headliners will be announced. 

Watchet LIVE is a not-for-profit family-friendly festival with amazing views of the stunning West Somerset coastline and beyond. Three live stages will host more than 50 live acts, bringing a wide range of high-calibre musical acts not normally found performing in West Somerset, at a very affordable price.

Following the success of last year’s sold out event (the festival’s third in a row), Watchet LIVE Festival has made financial donations to local groups including The Children’s Hospice South West, West Somerset Brass band, and the local “Stand Against Speed” young driver’s awareness campaign.

2015 will see a doubling of the camping and car parking space available in previous years. There will again be even more emphasis on youth-oriented daytime and evening entertainment and workshops. A shuttle bus from the main town to the festival site in the afternoon and evenings on each day has been introduced.

Alongside a wide variety of high quality food stalls, the extensive in-house Cider and Real Ale Bar prices are always kept as low as possible, providing one of the best-value refreshments offerings to be found at any event in the UK.

WATCHET LIVE FESTIVAL 2015

Early-Bird Ticket Prices (valid until 31st March 2015)

Weekend Tickets (includes camping)

£60 (Adults 16+), £40 (Youths 13-15)

A Family Weekend Ticket for 2 Adults & 2 Youths is just £140. Campervans £20, Cars £5

Accompanied Children aged 12 and under can attend for free. No advance ticket required.

Weekend Tickets (no camping)

£40 (Adults 16+), £30 (Youths 13-15)

A Family Weekend Ticket for 2 Adults & 2 Youths is just £110

Day tickets (no camping)

£20 (Adults 16+), £15 (Youths 13-15)

A Family Day Ticket for 2 Adults & 2 Youths is just £50

Tickets subject to booking fees. Buy online and full T&C’s at

www.watchetfestival.co.uk

The Boomtown Rats announce Ratlife UK tour for October and November

After last year’s storming of the Isle of Wight Festival stage an exhilarated Bob Geldof said "It's weird. I'd forgotten how powerful a band The Rats are!"  Others hadn't.  What was only meant to be a brief "re-grouping" turned into a triumphant sell out UK tour, a block-booked 2014 Festival season and now the announcement of ‘Ratlife’ the second half of The Boomtown Rats’ second coming.  Taking in the towns missed out on their first jaunt and returning - literally by public demand - to the country’s major cities so thoroughly re-Ratted six months ago.  Beyond nostalgia both press and audience agreed that those many classic Ratsongs had indeed stood the test of time morphing from the radical, upstart transgressive rage of the mid-70's into tunes for the ages with a tragic contemporary resonance.  

The audience, ranging from the Rats’ contemporaries to the newer, younger curious crowd wondering what the fuss had been about, immediately recognised the timeless frustrations and rage of the Now embodied in the Rats’ tunes and performance.  Age had indeed not withered them, but made them more potent.  At a time of cookie cutter anodyne musical drivel the visceral Shock of the Old from its original purveyors is one of contemporary music’s great treats and revelations. 

‘Ratlife’ will visit:

OCT

18th     WOLVERHAMPTON Wulfrun Hall

19th     NEWCASTLE O2 Academy

20th     GLASGOW O2 ABC

22nd    SHEFFIELD O2 Academy

23rd      LIVERPOOL O2 Academy

25th     MANCHESTER Ritz

26th     LINCOLN Engine Shed

28th     LEAMINGTON SPA Assembly

29th     BRISTOL O2 Academy

31st     PORTSMOUTH Pyramids Centre 

NOV

1st       OXFORD O2 Academy

3rd       CAMBRIDGE The Junction

4th       LEICESTER O2 Academy

6th       BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy

7th       LONDON The Forum 

Boomtown Rats announced as Chagstock Headliner

CHAGSTOCK FESTIVAL have announced their Saturday night headliner will be recently reformed Irish New Wave legends, The Boomtown Rats. Featuring all four original members; Bob Geldof, Pete Briquette, Garry Roberts and Simon Crowe, The Boomtown Rats’ Chagstock appearance is their only 2013 UK Festival headline performance, and one of only two UK dates this summer.

Formed in 1975 in Dublin, The Boomtown Rats played their first UK shows with the Ramones and Talking Heads and fought the punk wars alongside the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam and The Stranglers. They were one of the biggest bands of the late 70’s and 80’s, and their string of top ten hits and platinum albums earned them Brit Awards, Ivor Novellos and Grammy’s. They made history as the first Irish band to have a UK no 1 hit with Rat Trap.

Bob Geldof says, “"The second I heard the name 'Shagstock' I knew that was THE festival for The Boomtown Rats. Only later when we agreed and signed contracts did Simon, the Rats drummer, point out it was in fact 'Chagstock', his local summer Music Fest. Oh well...

I will do my best to personally attempt to do everything in my power to have the name revert to my far better original mistake. It’s a beautiful part of the world. Billy Bragg is a hero. The Rats are a great band. It will be a pleasure to do the Rat in Devon again."

Chagstock is one of the Westcountry’s best-loved festivals. Set in 45 acres of farmland on the northern edge of Devon’s beautiful Dartmoor, Chagstock is renowned for its stunning location, diverse line-up of artists and family-friendly atmosphere. Chagstock showcases the very best music, food and entertainment that the Westcountry and the UK have to offer.

Simon Ford from Chagstock Festival says, “We are delighted to announce The Boomtown Rats will exclusively headline our main stage at Chagstock. They are a classic band with a string of memorable hits. Combined with Billy Bragg’s performance immediately before the Boomtown Rats, Chagstock 2013 is shaping up to be our best line up ever - and we still have a number of major artists to announce! We can’t wait!”

Returning after the stunning sell-out success of last year’s event which featured KT Tunstall, Fun Lovin Criminals, Seth Lakeman and Alabama 3 amongst many others, Chagstock retains its traditional 2-day format in 2013. As introduced last year in recognition of the tough economic climate for families, all children under 12 can attend for free (ticket is required). Chagstock’s capacity is once again capped at just 5,000 tickets to ensure that its intimate, family-friendly atmosphere is maintained.

This year’s fancy dress theme will be ‘Circus’

Chagstock 2013 Tickets are priced at £65 (Adults), £40 (Under 18’s),

Under 12’s are free (ticket is still required). A Family Ticket for 2 Adults and 2 Under 18s is £170.

Camper / Caravans / Live-ins Vehicles just £10 per vehicle

All weekend tickets include 2 nights of camping, access to all music and on-site events, and car parking. Day tickets are also available, Booking fees apply.

Tickets are available from http://www.chagstock.info/buy-tickets

http://www.chagstock.info