Jul.18.09
I was quite priveleged at Parklife this year, I wasn’t just doing photos and writing but was also invited by Ryan Pink to be a member of the festival team, mainly doing work relating to the website though being quite overwhelmed by how many people and how much work was involved in getting it together. I was also worried on the night before too, the rain hammered it down like no tomorrow, but it left us with some amazing sunshine for the festival, which already has some people sat down waiting for some bands, luckily for them it’s not exactly a long wait for most of them…
Jul.05.09
I find it amazing how history can repeat itself, just like last year Saturday was a good one for the weather, then just like last year, the clouds look a bit menacing for the Sunday. Weather aside, today is looking as equally busy as the Saturday was and the bands are looking like another good mix of rock, metal, experimental and soul acts. Yesterday was a bit of a blast, so it’s time to see if today can follow suit despite the dreary weather and a bit of a hangover from last night’s barbecue…
Jul.04.09
That weather is continuing nicely, and when there’s hot weather there’s usually music too. In this case we’re back around to MK4U down in Campbell Park. This year seems a lot more on the ball already with a cosy tea-tent, a film tent, a massive piece of art and not forgetting the main stage and all the other things going on from inflatables to “Tricking” (said displays were amazing, more on that later), so here’s a dive into MK4U ’09…
Oct.12.07
(More stuff for the retro section, local indie film maker Mark Houssart reminded me of a particular article of another memorable night that featured film and music, courtesy of Primal Device’s Dan McGrath at Closed Captioned.)
Tonight took me a bit further afield than usual, a short fifteen minute train ride and it’s over to Northampton, though to be more specific I’m at the “Wedgewood”. Downstairs we have a very standard affair for the Kerrang! reading youth with all the obvious tunes on and posters adorning the walls. On the other hand, upstairs is claimed by Closed Captioned and we start to get more arty with what’s going on, a line-up of bands with a film preceding them, it’s a brave step to go into the more alternative and thoughtful scene, something that CC specialize in.
Jun.27.09
So, where was I? Oh yes, the Chill Out Marquee, a place where kids run around, people jam around and the odd demonstration sets up. Most importantly, it’s the place where most of us will end up after the festival has finished as we drag along our instruments and play into the night as we enjoy the last hours of the festival spirit. But for now, the area is going to be a bit of a performance space for local beat-boxer Grant Reeves, aka, “The Big G”…
Jun.27.09
As far as camping goes, it’s been the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had in a tent and was thankful for a bit of a lie-in before the gates open, though the lack of a hangover and a few cans being left untouched suggested I could have been a bit merrier last night. Still, the sun is out with a complete vengeance as it blazes down on the camp and the festival site at Bradwell Abbey, but I decide to risk the UV rays for a bacon buttie and make my way to the gates once more to see the festival out.
Jun.26.09
Togfest Time! I’m going to straight-out admit it right now, Togfest was one of my absolute highlights last year, good bands, good weather, good camping, good post-festival jam. It’s a bit different this year though, on one hand you have the expectations of last year, and the lineup only features a couple of local bands which isn’t a bad thing in itself, with acts appearing from Leeds, Kent and neighbouring Northampton, giving us a glimpse outside the local scene. Before long the tent is pitched, camera ready and gates open for us to check what Togfest 2009 has to offer.
I have to admit a slight bit of guilt, I’ve been wondering how to spread the word of the site to market it and was at a loss of how to do it, I wasn’t keen on t-shirts or stickers in all honesty, the former being a little too over the top and the latter being a bit underwhelming. Then I had an idea to take things a little “old-school”.
One important fact about a certain local festival that passed recently, Togfest was scorching, not just because of the weather but quite a few of the bands were hot stuff from around the country, not just the concrete city itself. One group in particular were the Soundcasters, a new young band from Kent who dress as sharp as their chords. AMPjam gets in touch with the lads early on the Sunday to talk about their quick rise and life in a scene that actually keeps you on your toes.
It’s a balmy Saturday evening, Waterside festival may be calming down but over at the Tombstone Bullet camp things are looking quite edgy with the band meeting a rather bi-polar fan. After the strange hassle has ended we walk down canal-side and take-five at an overused rock garden. We first seen the band at the Pitz in a Band Blitz heat last year, they didn’t make it through but they left quite an impression, in short, we loved them. It’s about a year down the line and we managed to have a word and discover more about the band as they discuss their upcoming album, black mages and the “Gay Nazi” look…
