Music Mashup
The festival season is nearly upon us folks and I personally cannot wait to don some huge aviators and bright clothes, get drunk and dance the days away in the sun! And as your favourite music correspondent I'm going to be bringing you the best of what's free, yes, free, festival-wise in London this summer. Why spend £70 on ticket when you can have a great time without spending a penny!
Story Highlights
- Stokefest
- Carnival de Cuba
- Rise Festival
- Shoreditch Festival
- The One To Watch
Stokefest - Sunday June 8, 2008, 12pm-8pm
Stokefest is an arts festival that happens every year in Clissold Park, North London. It boasts a variety of sound systems, dance performances, world music and food from around the globe. It's a great day out in the sun with a real community feel. Grab a hat and some friends, and head down there! Last year Gilles Peterson and Ben Westbeech were part of the line up and this year is guaranteed to be summer stunner!
Carnival de Cuba - June 28 to 29, 2008
It's rare for me to venture south of the river Thames but the adventurers in the crowd might be interested in the Carnival de Cuba, held in Southwark Park. This spans the entire weekend. It's also the nearest I'm going to be getting to something hot and Latin so why not brave the Northern Line and hear the latest reggaeton sounds, as well as the new Cuban band - Tumbao Tivoli?
Opening times: Saturday June 28 to Sunday June 29, 2008. The festival starts at 12pm on both days and ends at 8pm on Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Carnival de Cuba is free to attend.
Rise Festival – July 13, 2008
Heading back to north of the River, Finsbury Park will be hosting the Rise Festival. Rise is Europe's biggest anti-racism festival as well as one of the biggest live music festivals in London. Like Stokefest Rise is also a family affair and the funfair, costumes and dance acts will definitely keep you entertained – even if the music doesn't!
The line up has not been released as of yet but past acts have included Jamelia, Graham Coxon, Buzzcocks, The Wailers, Sway, Killa Kela and Roy Ayers - so its definitely worth attending!
Shoreditch Festival 2008 - August 16 to August 24, 2008
As some of you may know, I was a Hoxton socialite in a past life and therefore could be found gracing all the venues that Shoreditch had to offer. I don't frequent the area too much these days but I'll definitely be attending the Shoreditch Music festival on August 16, 2008. This promises to celebrate all that is Shoreditch - namely waif like boys in tight jeans, cropped hair girls, Indie hipsters and electro beats. Also in order to add some family appeal there's going to be a dog show and a children's show too.
This is part of the wider Shoreditch festival which will include a 1948 party, Tour de Shoreditch and performances by the English National Ballet and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The One To Watch - Brute Force at Dublin Castle, Camden
I recently caught Brute Force on a random, rosé fuelled evening in Camden. I hadn't been to a gig where one wasn't crushed on a habitual basis - so the intimate and expansive room was definitely appreciated. Tunes to look out for include their signature song - Shut Eye and Who's That Girl - not an Eve cover, I might add. Steve Lamaq was eagerly taking photos and smiling – voluntarily! Such an endorsement means you may well be hearing more of them soon.
- DJ Michelle
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