The funkiest festival in the West is back! Shindig kickstarts the summer on 25 th – 27 th May at Gilcombe Farm, Bruton, Somerset. Bringing a healthy dose of funkativity and a packed programme of entertainment for all ages, Shindig Festival offers relaxation and revelry in equal measures.
Line up
The award-‐winning event always has “the dopest line up” in the Cuban Brothers’ opinion and this year is no different. The world-‐famous headline act: Jazzie B’s Soul II Soul, is coming to Somerset to celebrate their 30 th Anniversary, Shindig style.
Live music lovers listen up! Performances include: British hip-‐hop outfit -‐ Stereo MCs; music royalty -‐ Jungle Brothers; gangster-‐swaggering -‐ Dub Pistols and the London Posse – who are giving their first festival performance in 20 years. Bringing dexterity to the decks, Jurassic 5’s vocalist -‐ Chali 2NA and Krafty Kuts will be scratchin’, spinnin’ and mashin’ in the way that only they can.
Hip-‐hop heavyweight -‐ Blak Twang; Bristol’s own -‐ Gardna & Eva Lazarus and the identical twins, My Bad Sister are back with their Cabarave and ‘nuff attitude. The ever-‐energetic Correspondents; spellbinding Slamboree and Macka B -‐ one of Britain’s most influential dancehall toasters will be bringing his sunshine and ital vibes to the stage. And that’s not all.
Treats incoming! This year, Shindiggers will be getting their groove on to
extended 3-‐hour sets from Mr Scruff and Norman Jay MBE, no less. The biggest name in glitch hop – Opiou -‐ is coming all the way from Melbourne Australia, to play just for Shindig. Jurassic 5’s Cut Chemist will be giving a UK exclusive AV show. Plus Shindig stalwarts: Stanton Warriors, A Skillz and Crazy P soundsystem.
Some of the biggest names in house are on the bill too: Ibiza’s Alfredo, Terry Farley, Classic Recordings label co founder -‐ Luke Solomon and Danny Rampling -‐ who’ll be playing club classics.
The returning Plump Dj’s are likely to serve up Eargasms among other joys;
Radioactive Man – best known for his bass warped take on electro and JFB,
whose unrivalled skills have won him the UK DMC Championship three times, will surely continue to please.
More anniversaries are being celebrated: Altern8 is marking 30 years in the
business, as are Micky Finn and Aphrodite -‐ who have shared the decks for 25 bad-‐ass years. Head-‐down hedonism abounds. Deekline and Ed Solo are on the bill bringing bounce and bass. But if it’s more of an old skool sound you want, then look no further than Ellis Dee and 2 Bad Mice.
And not forgetting the Ghetto Funk label stars of the future: WBBL and Father Funk – bringing big dirty chunks of funk with whomping bass lines.
New for this year
Comedy is a new development this year, which includes Phill Jupitus and Mark Thomas. Phill’s alter-‐ego -‐ Porky the Poet -‐ will be a big draw. As our world drifts inexorably towards an uncertain and troubling future, Porky will gamely attempt to take your mind off the misery and chaos with mildly diverting poetry, chit-‐chat and splendid shoes.
Mark Thomas is one of the UK’s best-‐known political performers whose work has changed the law and kyboshed politicians’ careers. The Liar’s Quartet, his new book, includes the scripts from his most acclaimed comic -‐political theatre, alongside brand new commentary. Mark’s blend of humour and anger is more relevant and essential than ever.
Talks from the producers of BBC Blue Planet and Planet Earth will tell us what it’s really like to make those awe-‐inspiring programmes that have the nation tuning in on a Sunday evening.
We have performances from the Bulzini family – who are Britain’s leading high wire walkers – hell, they even got married on a hire wire! Quirkiness abounds with the Showbiz Karoake Ballpit – catering for children and the child in all of us.
And you’ll struggle to miss Elsi the huge, fire-‐breathing mechanical dragon, who, having been enticed out of her lair, is out to make mischief with all and sundry.
Eleven themed areas
Shindig is a glorious mash up of a gig, a house party, a circus show, a series of curious craft workshops, a wellbeing retreat and a kid’s party, with award-‐ winning street food to boot.
No main stages, just a beautiful arrangement of stretch marquees, so you can be in amongst it, or sitting on the grass supping something cold. From watching cabaret to hearing some spoken word or creating crafts in a workshop, there’s something for everyone. And just when you’re in need of pampering, head over to the healing field for some realignment, refreshment and revitalising: hot tubs, saunas and massages await.
A family affair
Part of what makes Shindig special is that it’s the ideal weekend for party people with little ones. The Kid’s Kingdom is the family-‐friendly area for babies, children and parents to hang out and play. Think circus skills, climbing walls, space hoppers and sandpits. Older kids can get involved in the hugely popular Graffiti Wall and attend DJ, MCing and Breakdance workshops. This year, the breakdancing workshop is being lead by Dance-‐Off Champion: Morton Mitchard.
Best value tickets
And the best bit: this isn’t going to cost you a fortune. Adult tickets are now £99 and children under 12 go free, teen (13-‐17) tickets are £50, and family (2+2) are £250. Adult tickets go up to £115 at the end of January.
You can pay for your ticket in instalments too – which works out at cheaper than the cost of a round of drinks each month. All can be bought from: www.shindigfestival.co.uk
Over the Rainbow
This year’s theme is “Over the Rainbow” – so manifest those dreams you
dreamed when you were “way up high” and adorn yourself with the “colours of the rainbow so pretty in the sky.” This is going to bright and so beautiful.
