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

First Wave Of Acts Confirmed For Reload Festival 2015

First Wave Of Acts Confirmed For Reload Festival

Remember back when you lived for Thursday nights and Top Of The Pops?  When Sunday night meant taping the Top 40 on Radio 1?  When we worked all week for the thrill of going out dancing on a Friday and Saturday night to the finest sounds of music’s golden decades? 

Reload relives all those memories and more bringing the very best acts and global superstars of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s to the Norfolk Showground for a weekend of nostalgic celebration and unbridled fun for all the family.  With over 100 million records sold between the first six acts announced, Reload promises musical merriment in abundance with sets laden with sing-along anthems and pop hits of the day. 

First up for 2015 are Birmingham’s finest sons, UB40’s Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue reunited. This seminal act transcended their working class origins to become one of the most successful reggae acts of all time selling in excess of 70 million albums worldwide.  Their global hits included ‘Red Red Wine’, ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’ and ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ and they are a fitting headliner for this year’s extravaganza.

Level 42’s unique fusion of jazz funk with a pop / rock sensibility saw them emerge as one of the most powerful live acts of the 80’s.  Noted for Mark King’s percussive slap bass guitar, the group spawned a string of huge hits in Europe and the US including ‘Lessons In Love’ and ‘Something About You’.  

Boomtown Rats need little introduction.  Led by the irrepressible force of nature that is Bob Geldof, their high energy, new-wave sparked a string of classic singles including ‘Rat Trap’ ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s’ and ‘She’s So Modern’

The undisputed highlight of last year’s Reload festival was Billy Ocean’s set and he returns to festival by popular demand.  This Grammy Award winner has sold over 30 million records and his performance will have the Reload audience revelling in classics such as ‘When The Going Get Tough’, and Get Out Of My Dreams, Get In To My Car’, See you at the front!

One of the voices of the 80’s, Jimmy Somerville is sure to spark  a huge sing along to his up tempo brand of synth-pop, new-wave and dance which spawned hits such as ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, ‘Smalltown Boy’ and You ‘Make Me Feel’. 

The dance, disco and soul of M People was one of the defining sounds of the 90’s, culminating in a Mercury Music Prize for the album Elegant Slumming.  Formed by  legendary DJ Mike Pickering and featuring the irrepressible vocals of Heather Small, M People had a string of hits including ‘How Can I Love You More’ and ‘Moving On Up’. 

With many more acts to be confirmed, surprise guests and announcements, fancy dress, great food and drink and more fun that you can shake a (glow) stick at, Reload is one of the UK’s most entertaining weekends and a must for music lovers who want to relive the golden decades and celebrate good times.  Come on! 

To keep up to date with all Reload news including line up announcements and special attractions become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @reloadfest

http://nationalboxoffice.advancedticketing.co.uk/en/genre/80/special-events.html

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

The Dome Liverpool announces its first line-up of shows before end of year

Liverpool’s new 1200 capacity live performance venue The Dome, situated in Grand Central on Renshaw Street has announced an opening line-up of acts to take place in 2011. A larger line-up of acts for the New Year will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Ten top live touring acts have been announced and have promised to rock The Dome to the core with its hi-tech sound system and electric performances.  Opening the doors to The Dome is the ultimate PINK tribute act I’m Not Pink on Sat 19 November, followed by Guns & Roses the new excellent tribute band to Guns  n’ Roses consisting of the finest members of the last few GnR tributes on Fri 25 November, the popular UK touring show Back For Good the finest Take That tribute on Sat 26 November, a double bill of legendary 80’s bands The Blockheads and The Boomtown Rats on Sun 27 November, new Irish rock band Bipolar Empire on Thu 8 December, 80’s band The Beat on Fri 9 December, Metal band Live Wire (ACDC Tribute) on Sat 10 December, TV Smith and The Valentines on Mon 12 December, Scottish dance act QFX on Fri 16 December and finally the Irish rock sell-out sensations Aslan on Wed 21 December.  

The Dome owner Sean Finnerty said “The venue is starting to roll and it is exciting to see such a diverse group of initial shows on sale, watch this space for our next announcement of names for 2012 which will be our main booking year”

The ticketing solution for the venue will be processed by the Echo Arena Box Office that will offer an online, telephone and personal caller service to The Dome customers.

The Dome offers theatre style seating on two levels with 500 fixed circle seats and an option of 700 standing or 500 seating downstairs in the stalls (Cabaret style tables is also an option), A huge organ installed in 1907 acts as an impressive back drop and stands proud behind the main stage. The venue has an inbuilt hi-tech lighting and sound system, two bars, catering facilities and an in-house promotions and production team.  The Dome will offer a wide range of affordable daytime hire rates to welcome local community groups through to full-scale conferences.

The Dome Grand Central is set to become a hub of creativity and set to be one of Liverpool’s leading live music, theatre, cabaret, variety and vaudeville venues.

LISTING INFORMATION

Saturday 19 November -

I’m Not Pink (Pink Tribute Act)

Doors Open 7pm 

£7.00 adv, £10.00 door   

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Friday 25 November   

Guns & Roses (Guns N’ Roses Tribute Act)       

Doors Open 7pm 

£6.00 adv, £9.00 door    

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Saturday 26 November 

Back For Good (Take That Tribute Act)   

Doors Open 7pm 

£12.00 adv, £15.00 door    

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Sunday 27 November 

The Blockheads and The Boomtown Rats 

Doors Open 7pm 

£18.00 adv, £23.00 door

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Thursday 8 December 

Bipolar Empire       

Doors Open 7pm 

£8.00 adv, £11.00 door

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Friday 9 December   

The Beat          

Doors Open 7pm 

£12.00 adv, £15 door

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Saturday 10 December

Live Wire (ACDC Tribute)        

Doors Open 7pm 

£12.00 adv, £15.00 door    

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Monday 12 December 

TV Smith and The Valentines ‘Best of the Adverts Tour’  

Doors Open 7pm 

£5.00 adv £8.00 door

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Friday 16 December       

QFX + DJ              

Doors Open 7pm 

£10.00 adv, £15.00 door

 Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

Wednesday 21 December

Aslan 

Doors Open 7pm 

£15 adv, £20.00 door                                                     

Standing – Downstairs

Seated – Upstairs

THE DOME Grand Central

35 Renshaw Street, Liverpool, L1 2SF

Website: www.thedomegrandcentral.com

You can book now in person at Liverpool Echo Arena box office, on The Dome Grand Central hotline on 0844 809 4620 (Mon–Sat 9am-9pm and Sun 10am–4pm) or online on www.thedomegrandcentral.com*