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Diary Dates
Jenny Colquitt – Wednesday 22 February
The Musicians
Singer/songwriter from Widnes who considers Alanis Morissette, Joni Mitchell and KT Tunstall among her influences.
Beans on Toast – Sunday 26 February
The Soundhouse
He’s a hippy, a punk, a poet, a drunk, a die-hard romantic and an eternal optimist. Singing simple songs that tackle big issues: Political protest songs for the modern day, honest and open Love songs. Songs that will make you laugh, but also make you think with no holds barred honest lyrics and quick wit.
Suzanne Vega – Tuesday 28 February
De Montfort Hall
New York singer/songwriter, Suzanne hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic in the mid-80s. Along with artists like Tracy Chapman, she set the groundwork for female singer/songwriters working a stylish literary folk genre. Her cool minimal sound and bitter-sweet lyrics continues to haunt the British music scene today.
Emily Breeze – Friday 3 March
The Donkey
“Immaculately twisted post punk glamor, hot blooded, razor tongued and hilariously sharp” For fans of Patti Smith, Pulp, Baxter Dury, LCD Soundsystem
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Sunday 5 March
O2 Academy Leicester
A five piece psychedelic noise / heavy rock band from Newcastle-upon-Tyne combining stoner, sludge, psych and doom metal. Think Sabbath meets Motorhead meets Mastodon.
LaVire – Saturday 11 March
The Shed
LaVire is a 4-piece heavy rock band from Lincoln. Drawing influence from major arena artists of the last few decades, and with an emphasis on composition and song-craft, they bear comparison to the likes of Halestorm, Biffy Clyro and Muse, to name a few. Always putting the song first and striving to engage the listener, they bring colour, melody, harmony and depth to traditional rock songwriting; never afraid to experiment or bring new flavours to the mix, while still drawing from their influences with pride.
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FOCUS ON: Download Festival
Regarded as the greatest rock and metal festival in the UK, Download Festival, has announced 44 new names and the day splits for 2023’s mammoth line-up. The new acts join headliners Slipknot, Bring Me The Horizon and Metallica, who will deliver two massive no-repeat performances. Weekend and day tickets are now on sale, as well as a very limited amount of camping tickets and new VIP options: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
The biggest annual gathering of the rock and metal tribes will be joined by 44 new names, including the Grammy-winning Halestorm, hard rock frontrunners Alter Bridge, heavy metal behemoths Five Finger Death Punch, MOBO’s first ever Best Alternative Music Act Bob Vylan, Welsh pop punk kings Neck Deep, Las Vegas glam rockers Palaye Royale, and effervescent partycore group Electric Callboy.
Joining them at the hallowed grounds will be Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil with his grindcore extreme metal side project Empire State Bastard, metalcore veterans Hatebreed, progressive rock icons Coheed and Cambria, death metal heroes Carcass, throwback rap rockers Joey Valence & Brae, dual-fronted power pop rockers Hot Milk, bright Leeds metalcore outfit Caskets and frenetic Yorkshire-based rock group Dinosaur Pile-Up. Californian punk veterans The Bronx will also be returning to Donington, along with metalcore legend and former lead vocalist of The Dillinger Escape Plan Greg Puciato, and LA metal heavyweights Bad Wolves.
Download Festival continues to showcase the best of the international metal scene, with Dutch symphonic metal group Epica, Ukrainian progressive metal band Jinjer, globe-trotting Mongolian warriors The Hu, Australian metalcore heroes The Amity Affliction, Scandinavian pop-rockers Smash Into Pieces, Swedish metal ringmasters Avatar, French gothic electronic musician Perturbator, incendiary Canadian heavy rock duo Cleopatrick, Mexican metal sisters The Warning and French dark-synth pioneer Carpenter Brut all on the bill.
Alongside them will be Maryland stoner metal monarchs Clutch, pop punk reformists Mom Jeans, two-time Polaris Music Prize nominees PUP, doom-trap purveyor Mimi Barks, contemporary heavy metallers Spirit Adrift, Essex alt-rock quintet Tigress and Hunstanton’s finest, Deaf Havana. And from the bloodline that brought us the late Eddie Van Halen, we have Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH.
Last but not least, we have fist-pumping doom outfit Green Lung, the theatrically bleak A.A. Williams, eloquent emo-infused alt-rockers Beauty School, ostentatious Wyoming metallers Antisaint, punishing riff purveyors Undeath and Metallica protégés Taipei Houston. Not to mention that Fearless Vampire Killers are back, and their flair for the dramatic and vaudevillian is sure to charm the Donington crowds.
Aside from bands, Download Festival are pleased to announce a brand new Camping Plus five-day ticket, which includes toilets and showers in a private campsite. For those who already have a four or five day camping tickets, upgrades are available. For something a little different, a selection of new and unique accommodations have been added to The Rock Retreat including The Skoolie, Fire Truck and Billy The Snail.
For more information on VIP options, camping tickets, weekend and day tickets, please go to: www.downloadfestival.co.uk.
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
Deciding whether to grab tickets for Download Festival? Check out the artist playlist below.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.