England spawned the Brit invasion of the 1980s then the 2000s, and London has gained a name for having chart-toppers perform in gigs around the city almost every night, with so many venues in the capital to choose from. However, when next summer rolls along, the locals will be donning their hats and sunscreen to camp out over successive weekends at musical festivals outside London.
Reading Festival
Held in conjunction with the Leeds Festival every year, the Reading Festival is the world’s oldest popular music festival still on-going, evolving over the years through several musical phases. As part of the twin-site event with sister festival Leeds, it has attracted the top acts in rock, alternative, indie, punk and metal year-on-year. It’s no wonder then that the Reading Festival Tickets are being sold a year in advance, with early birds standing to gain massive discounts for tickets to next year’s festival on the 20th and 22nd of August.
Reading Festival (Creative Commons)
The Great Escape
This festival is a great proponent of quantity, with over 400 bands – from the UK and international – set to perform in 35 venues around Brighton. It is held at a time when locals flock to the seaside town in the summer heat, from 8th to 10th May 2014. The yearly international partner picked for 2014 is Finland, which will be bringing its local talent to perform at The Great Escape. A business music convention will run concurrently so music professionals can network amid a party atmosphere.
Wychwood Festival
Held yearly at the Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire, Wychwoodis a family festival, made intimate for both audiences and musicians. It draws new collaboration and acts in the world, roots and contemporary music genres. It boasts four music stages with over 100 bands, plus comedy acts and over 100 workshops and events for all ages. Supporting events including kids literature festival, healing and sculpture gardens, as well as The Headphone Disco opening until the wee hours with great food and real ales.
Download Festival
Rock connoisseurs annually congregate at the Download Festival, a three-day extravaganza of heavy rock music at Donington Park, the spiritual home of rock. Next year’s Download is set to feature around 150 acts over five stages in the weekend of Friday 13th to Sunday 15th June 2014.
Confirmed performers for next year include Avenged Sevenfold headlining on Friday night, and Rob Zombie playing the Main Stage. Saturday will see the clash of two of the most versatile and longest-staying popular rock bands, as Linkin Park headlines to perform ‘Hybrid Theory’ in full with special guests Fall Out Boy also playing.
