Festival No.6 announces second wave line-up including Catfish AND The Bottlemen

Festival No.6 announces second wave line-up including Catfish AND The Bottlemen

Festival No.6 – the exhilarating finale of the UK’s summer festival season - has added a second wave of artists to an already stellar bill this year including art-pop pioneers Everything Everything, Welsh indie rockers Catfish AND The Bottlemen and Brit Awards Critics Choice winner James Bay.

Other newly announced acts include legendary Mancunian troubadour Badly Drawn Boy who will be performing and curating his own stage in celebration of the 15th anniversary of his landmark album ‘The Hour of Bewilderbeast’. Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes also joins the bill as does singer, songwriter and Bird label boss Jane Weaver.

Said festival director Luke Huxham: “We're delighted to reveal our second wave of artists and we still have so much more to come including our third headliner, more live acts and Michelin starred chefs for this year’s banquets. We're confident this year’s line-up is going to be our biggest and most diverse yet. We're also making some exciting changes to the site layout as well as opening up some new areas - we can't wait to tell everyone more about It.” 

The festival is also proud to announce the first names on the arts and culture line-up including the iconic author Irvine Welsh visiting No.6 for the first time. Irvine shot to global fame in 1993 with the million-selling Trainspotting, and has since published a string of bestsellers including Ecstasy, Glue, Porno and Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs. The Sunday Times called Welsh a “Genius. The best thing that has happened to British writing for decades.” At No.6, Irvine will be reading from his new book and in conversation with Justin Robertson.

The arts bill features over 40 other top authors and poets, including Kate Tempest, Dom Joly, Simon Day, Stuart Maconie, Edith Bowman, Michel Faber, Owen Sheers (Welsh rugby Writer in Residence), Lalinne Paul, Salena Gooden, Luke Wright and many, many more. Brix Smith will also be talking about her time in The Fall with Andrew Weatherall.

Director Kevin Allen will be returning to No.6 and translating his new film version of Under Milk Wood into a live theatrical version of the Dylan Thomas classic on the piazza, in the middle of the village supported by the Arts of Wales.

No.6 has also commissioned Martyn Ware (Heaven 17) and Illustrious to produce a huge stunning immersive 3D soundscape, which will take over the whole village of Portmeirion each night for 20 minutes.

The always packed Salon No.6 will have three days of talks themed around Northern Soul, Acid House and Psychedelia, with guest speakers including Elaine Constantine and John Higgs.

The co-creator of QI, John Mitchinson is among the many talents on The Idler Academy stage, alongside the million selling Chris Difford of Squeeze, who will talk through the art of songwriting and how to write a million-selling hit.

The amazing Carnival No.6 took over the whole village last year, and will be even bigger this year, with many more musicians and bands. Festival goers will also be able to join the Carnival No.6 with free hire of costumes.

The festival promises many more visual spectaculars, pop-up theatre and installations than ever before. On Sunday evening, there will be a special glittering Grace Jones Mirror Ball Parade, from the village up to the main stage for Grace Jones’s closing main stage set. Stealing Sheep will also be leading their own ‘Mythopoeia’ torch lit parade on the Saturday night.

Festival No.6 is an intimate, bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture taking place over the weekend of the 3-6 September in the magical village of Portmeirion, Wales, home of the cult TV series The Prisoner. With many more music acts including an additional headliner, a huge arts and cultural line-up, new venues and Michelin starred-chefs yet to be revealed, the forth Festival No.6 is certain to be the most impressive to date.

Acts will perform across the entire site, by the whimsical Italianate architecture of the village, the historic town hall, piazza, Bristol Colonnade, the picturesque Estuary stage, the atmospheric woods and the promenade along the River Dwyryd.

Constructed between 1925 and 1975 by maverick architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion is a wonderfully bizarre and elaborate interpretation of a Mediterranean villa, nestled in the stunning mountains and forests of North Wales overlooking the expansive estuarial waters of the Irish Sea.

For more information visit:

www.festivalnumber6.com

www.facebook.com/festivalnumber6

James Bay Releases Debut Album Chaos And The Calm

James Bay Releases Debut Album Chaos And The Calm

Critically acclaimed UK troubadour JAMES BAY has released his much anticipated full-length debut album, Chaos And The Calm [Republic Records] today. You can purchase the album HERE.

BAY has also released the official music video for his hit single “Let It Go” which you can view below.

BAY kicked off his U.S. headline tour in New York City with a SOLD OUT show at the Bowery Ballroom. The tour continues on April 27 at Mod Club in Toronto and will wrap at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on May 14. Full tour routing can be found below.

2015 has already been a breakout year for the internationally acclaimed UK singer and songwriter. At the end of December, he hit the stage at Late Night with Seth Meyers for his first-ever stateside television performance and was recently on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the SXSW festival.  BAY has been profiled by tastemakers such as Spotify, Buzzfeed, Entertainment Weekly, BlackBook, Mashable, The Guardian and Q Magazines as an “Artist to Watch” in 2015 and he recently received the high honor of the BRIT Critics Choice Award, joining the ranks of past winners Sam Smith, Adele, Florence + the Machine, Jessie J, and more, and was also a finalist on BBC Sound of 2015.

In addition, James has been selected as VH1’s You Oughta Know” Artist for April which has traditionally introduced predominant artists on the rise and served as a barometer for what’s hot in music today. Past You Oughta Know artists have included Ed Sheeran, Adele, Lorde, Sam Smith, and Mumford and Sons.

BAY hails from the tiny town of Hitchin, but he cut his teeth performing at London’s iconic venues including opening for The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, opening for two sold out tours with Kodaline, John Newman and Tom Odell. It was at one of these very performances that a fan filmed his set and shared the video on YouTube. The video quickly caught the attention of Republic Records who ended up flying BAY to New York and signing him on the spot. Last fall, he was selected to perform at the Burberry’s Prosum Spring/Summer Fashion Show and the iTunes Music Festival. BAY will soon be embarking on 3 sold out UK tours including 2 nights at London’s famous Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Tour Dates 

Monday March 16, 2015 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY (SOLD OUT)

Monday April 27, 2015 - Mod Club - Toronto, ON, Canada (SOLD OUT)

Wednesday April 29, 2015 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY, USA (SOLD OUT)

Thursday April 30, 2015 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA, USA (SOLD OUT)

Friday May 01, 2015 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC, USA (SOLD OUT)

Sunday May 03, 2015 - The Trocadero Theatre - Philadelphia, PA, USA (SOLD OUT)

Tuesday May 05, 2015 - Metro - Chicago, IL, USA (SOLD OUT)

Thursday May 07, 2015 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO, USA (SOLD OUT)

Friday  May 08, 2015 - The Depot - Salt Lake City, UT, USA (SOLD OUT)

Sunday May 10, 2015 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA, USA (SOLD OUT)

Monday May 11, 2015 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR, USA (SOLD OUT)

Tuesday  May 12, 2015 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA, USA (SOLD OUT)

Thursday May 14, 2015 - The Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA, USA (SOLD OUT)

Ones to watch at T in the Park festival 2014

T in the Park festival organisers DF Concerts and founding partner Tennent’s Lager are excited to reveal that some of the most hotly tipped breakthrough acts around have joined the bill for this summer’s festival, which will take place in Balado over 11th – 13th July.

Kiesza, Billy Lockett, MNEK, Fatherson, Dan Croll, James Bay, Catfish and the Bottlemen, John Wizards, Raleigh Ritchie, Jaguar Skills and All About She are Balado-bound this July, joining the ever-growing T in the Park bill.

Canadian-born, London-based singer-songwriter Kiesza hit the top of the charts with the sophisticated house-tinged pop gem Hideaway. A talented and hugely in-demand songwriter, she’s also written for Rihanna, Kylie and Icona Pop and will make her T in the Park debut this summer.

Having played his way from the basement to the studio, whilst captivating fans at shows up and down the country, Billy Lockett’s distinctive style brings together piano and guitar aided by a soulful voice, charming lyrics.

The hugely in-demand producer and vocalist MNEK was being tipped by the likes of The Guardian, NME, Dazed and Confused and Popjustice when he was aged just 15. He featured on and co-wrote four songs on Rudimental’s platinum selling Home, co-wrote Need U (100%) with Duke Dumont and A*M*E – which earned him a Grammy nomination for ‘Best Dance Recording’, has remixed for Bastille and Tinie Tempah, wrote and featured on Gorgon City’s massive top 5 hit Ready For Your Love, and produced Feel So Good from Kylie Minogue’s new album. 2014 looks to be his busiest year to date, with his hotly anticipated debut album set to firmly establish him as a solo artist in his own right.

Glasgow-based four-piece Fatherson hail from Kilmarnock and made their T in the Park debut on the T Break Stage in 2011. They’ve been making waves in the Scottish music scene with their anthemic indie tunes, following a string of supports with bands such as Frightened Rabbit, Feeder, Twin Atlantic and Idlewild. Their latest single I Like Not Knowing is currently receiving major airplay by Radio 1 DJs Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe and Greg James, with the track being voted Most Loved Track on BBC Radio 1’s Review Show this week.

British singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dan Croll combines folk elements and classic Paul Simon-like melodies with electronic beats, African polyrhythms and guitar hooks. He released his debut LP, Sweet Disarray, in March.

Singer-songwriter James Bay has been captivating audiences with his raw pop melodies and gravelled voice at appearances at Communion's monthly night at Notting Hill Arts Club in London. A hugely successful run of support slots with fellow T in the Park acts John Newman and Kodaline have won him yet more fans.

Catfish and the Bottlemen’s energetic guitar-driven rock and roll is winning them legions of fans across the country. The band signed to Island Records earlier this year, and their latest single Kathleen has been receiving heavy rotation on BBC Radio 1, XFM and on MTV, with the Llandudno-based four-piece widely tipped for great things in 2014.

Cape Town-based John Wizards released their eponymous debut album to major critical acclaim last year, with The Guardian featuring the record at no.8 in their top 10 albums of 2013. They played a series of UK dates supporting Jagwar Ma and will bring their infectious mix of South African house, RandB, shangaan electro, reggae, afropop, soukous, rumba and afrobeat to the fields of Balado this summer.

Bristol-born Raleigh Ritchie - aka Jacob Anderson - is also known for his role as Grey Worm in Game Of Thrones. He’s supported the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Angel Haze, and his recently-released second EP, Black and Blue, is a stunning mix of urban pop and raw storytelling.

The original ninja-DJ Jaguar Skills burst onto the scene with his extraordinary DJ talent and ability to produce awe-inspiring mixtapes, leading to a coveted BBC Radio 1 ‘In New DJs we Trust’ slot. With numerous sold-out UK tours under his belt, he was further propelled into the global spotlight with roof-raising sets at festivals and super-clubs around the world.

UK production trio All About She have between them worked with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, VV Brown, Wookie, Roses Gabor and Wretch 32. They wrote Intro for Tinie Tempah’s debut album Discovery, with singer Vanya Taylor writing and lending vocals to his 2011 hit Simply Unstoppable. Having recently released a brand new EP Go Slow, they’re being widely tipped as ones to watch, with Radio 1 and 1Xtra DJs MistaJam, Zane Lowe and Toddla T all giving airplay to their single Higher (Free).

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