LIVE PREVIEW

Benicassim and Isle of Wight 2011 Festival

Strokes, Kasabian, Pulp, Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys to play
Benicassim 2011 promises something special, the festival. Their 2010 UK arena tour sold Fighters and Kasabian over the three day
with the headliners already announced, it is out instantly, as did all other European dates, event in June.
looking to leave all other 2011 festivals in its so a huge crowd will be expected for their Since their last gig in 2002, singer Jarvis
shadow. headline slot. Cocker has released a number of solo efforts
July will see The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Another act certain to draw the numbers, in the nine years that has passed, and it will
Arcade Fire and Primal Scream descend on Arctic Monkeys, also play the festival. The be interesting to see how the band will form
the port town of Benicassim for the four day band have not played any UK tour dates after such a lengthy hiatus.
event, with over 100 acts set to play. The since 2009, so fans will be eager to see the The opening night will see ‘Kings of Leon’
event has become more of a British festival band after a couple of years away. Although headline their only UK festival in 2011.
abroad in recent years, with such artists as last album, ‘Humbug’, didn’t provide as Foo Fighters headline the Saturday night, a
Oasis, Morrissey and Kasabian playing, as many hit singles as their previews two ef- month before they host two massive shows
well as the thousands of tourists that travel forts, it presented a band with a much more the MK Bowl.
each year. mature sound, it was a critics favourite if not The 2011 event will be closed by Kasabian,
The Strokes return to the festival this year, everyone’s cup of tea. They have become who are rapidly earning a reputation as the
five years after headlining the 2006 festival. one of the best live bands in recent years, country’s best live act. Their last album,
With the as yet untitled fourth studio album producing a powerful sound with their arse- West Pauper Lunatic Asylum, took the band
due for release in early 2011, you can expect nal of anthems. to a new level, with the album gaining com-
two hours of no frills pure rock n’ roll, that Go to headliners ‘Kings of Leon’ are mercial and critical success. Singles ‘Under-
is all to rare in the more modern indie rock strongly rumoured to be making an appear- dog’ and ‘Fire’ where two of the biggest
bands of recent years. ance, promoting their newest release ‘Come selling releases of 2009, allowing the band to
Arcade Fire will also headline the main stage Around Sundown’. sell out some of the country’s biggest arenas
at some point over the long weekend. Still Pulp make their return to the music scene in and catapulting them to headline status all
touring their brilliant third album ‘The Sub- 2011, with a headline slot at the Isle of Wight over the world.
urbs’, they will make their ( ) appearance at festival. They will join Kings of Leon, Foo
 LIVE PREVIEW

Bon Jovi Announce UK Tour

Band to play huge Manchester and London shows on jaunt
Bon Jovi return to the UK and Ireland in perience, they know how to put on a show. tols Ashton Gate stadium, returning to the
June for a series of huge outdoor shows. Ti- With guaranteed sing-alongs You Give Love venue they first played in 2008 as part of the
tled ‘Open Air 2011’, the shows will see a Bad Name, Wanted Dead or Alive, It’s My Lost Highway tour.
them visiting Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Life and Always the shows are sure to be en- Rumours had surfaced that the band was
Dublin and London’s famous ‘Hard Rock tertaining ways to spend a summers day, and due to the play a London date at Wembley
Calling’ festival at Hyde Park. being part of a 60,000 strong crowd singing Stadium over the summer. These rumours
The band’s latest release, 2010’s ‘Bon Jovi Livin’ on a Prayer is a moment that every- were a surprise due the bad blood between
Greatest Hits’ reached #2 in the UK album one deserves to experience. the bands promoters and the stadium man-
charts, with the album soaring high at #1 in The first stop see’s the band hit Murrayfield agement after Bon Jovi’s official stadium
Australia, Canada, Ireland, Portugal and the Stadium in Edinburgh on 22nd June, the opening had to be cancelled back in 2006.
official European Top 100 Chart. To pro- band then move on to Old Trafford Cricket Take Thats’ huge summer tour is likely to
mote the album, the band will tour the Ground in Manchester on Friday 24th June. have effected the venues Bon Jovi is due to
world once again following on from last A day later the band head to Hyde Park to play. The band have taken over the majority
years ‘The Circle Tour’. headline the Saturday of ‘Hard Rock Calling of the UK’s stadiums in June, including
Now, Bon Jovi are not every music fans cup 2011’, with the UK and Ireland tour finishing Wembley, and the City of Manchester Sta-
of tea, but the band have built a fierce live with two dates at Irelands RDS Arena on the dium, the later a venue Bon Jovi have played
reputation, and with 25 years of touring ex- 29th/30th June. The band also return to Bris- twice before on previous tours.
 LIVE PREVIEW
Foo Fighters to play Beady Eye announce
MK Bowl in summer first ever UK tour
Foo Fighters make their comeback with two Liam Gallagher makes his live music return
mega shows at the MK Bowl. Over 120,000 in March with a short UK and European
fans will pass through the gates over the 2 tour with new band ‘Beady Eye’.
days, which will mark the band’s first live After Noel Gallagher quit Oasis in August
shows anywhere in the world since 2008. 2009, the remaining band members decided
Dave Grohl’s men have been slaving away to ditch the Oasis name, and continue mak-
in the recording studio since summer 2010, ing music. This decision has seen a number
and these shows will see them showcase new of changes in the bands live set up. Gem
material alongside tracks found on their Archer takes over on lead guitar, with Oasis
‘Greatest Hits’ release in 2009. Grohl’s live bassist Andy Bell moving onto guitar. Jeff
showmanship is not to be missed, with his Wooton, part of Gorillaz joins to take over
ability to make a stadium show feel like an on bass duties. Chris Sharrock stays on
intimate club gig between just the band, you drums, with Matt Jones on keyboard.
and a few thousand friends. The band will play nights in Gallaghers home
The show’s sold out within hours, which is city of Manchester, at the Apollo venue, as
astonishing considering the capacity of the well as multiple nights in Glasgow and Lon-
venue, although it does prove that the love don. All of the UK dates sold out within
is still strong for the band on these shores minutes of going on sale, with only a few of
even after a few years away. Foo’s live gigs the European dates still selling tickets.
are really not to be missed, while they do Gem Archer has already ruled out the pos-
carry an impressive production (that once sibility of the band playing songs from Oasis’
included a separate acoustic stage descend- back catalogue, therefore the set list will
ing from a venues ceiling into the middle of consist of material from the band’s debut
the crowd), they let the music do the talking, album, ‘Different Gear, Still Speeding’, due
boasting a sound louder than any band cur- for release in February.
rently performing.
There are still ticket and coach packages Take That for summer
available from various ticketing agencies,
however do not leave it too late as these are stadium tour
sure to sell fast. Robbie Williams rejoins Take That for their
mammoth UK stadium jaunt in the summer.
NME Big Gig With every person in the country seemingly
The annual NME Big Gig takes place this
trying to buy tickets, the gigs sold out in-
year at Londons’ Wembley Arena. The
stantly. The demand has left to the Mancun-
event will be headlined by Foo Fighters,
ian five piece to playing an amazing seven
whose front man Dave Grohl will receive a
night at the City of Manchester Stadium,
Godlike Genius award at the 2011 NME
and another seven nights at Wembley Sta-
Awards.
dium, as well as numerous nights at other
Other artists on the bill include Cee Lo
venues across the country.
Green, Band of Horses and No Age. The
Robbie will get his time in the limelight at
event is staged each year as part of the NME
the gigs, with some of his solo material
Awards Show, and will take place on 25TH
scheduled to be performed. Whilst this may
February.
annoy some people, the majority will be
The event has previously seen bands such as
happy hearing these songs standing shoulder
Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs, Klax-
to shoulder with the full bands hits.
ons and The Cribs take to the stage, with last
years’ event at the O2 Arena headlined by Elton John summer gigs
The Cure. Elton John will play a trio of outdoor dates
Eric Clapton residency this summer. Accompanied by his backing
band, the artist will perform shows in
Eric Clapton will perform a short residency
at the Royal Albert Hall in May. Shrewsbury, Northampton and Sussex.
The singer songwriter will play six dates at John has recently announced that he will
the famous venue during May, with a further be retiring from the music business, there-
five nights accompanied by Steve Winwood. fore shows such as these will offer a final
Clapton also played the venue in late 2010, glimpse of a true living legend doing what
headlining the Princes Trust Rock Gala Con- he does best.
cert.