Vote in the Festival Awards and win a prize!

The summer is over and festival season has officially come to an end. Now it's time for you to vote, which Festival was the highlight of your summer! The UK Festival Awards will be taking place in Central London (where else?) on November 6th and is the industry’s only awards voted for solely by the people who really matter – the fans. Although it's unclear whether those that matter - the fans - are allowed in.

With so many festivals to choose from brace yourself for a hard decision. There are over 20 categories to vote in this year, including Best New Festival so it’s not all about the big guns. The UK has arguably the most vibrant festival scene in the world, and it is time to honour those who made this year a little more special. Have your say and set the standard for next year by voting now at www.festivalawards.com. As well as making a difference to the festival scene, your vote will also qualify you for an exclusive money-can’t-buy prize draw to win a pair of tickets to every winning festival in 2008! You can vote on a whole host of things, from Best Act to Best New Festival... and even Best Toilets. Sadly, we aren't in that category...

Posted by Mof Gimmers on October 4, 2025 1:27 PM in All Tomorrow's Parties - Nightmare Before Christmas| Beautiful Days| Bestival| Big Chill| Bloom Festival| Cambridge Folk Festival| Connect| Creamfields| Download Festival| Eden Sessions| Electric Gardens Festival| Electric Picnic| End Of The Road Festival| Escape Into The Park| European Festivals| Get Loaded In The Park| Glade Festival| Glastonbury| Green Man Festival| Isle Of Wight Festival| Latitude| Leeds / Reading| Meltdown| Oxegen| Roskilde| T In The Park| The Secret Garden| WOMAD| Wickerman| Wireless Festival
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Connect 2008 tickets now on sale

The Connect festival is the latest to get in to the advent of the 'early bird' ticket, with tickets for the 2008 event going on sale for the second Connect Festival, which will take place at Inveraray Castle, Loch Fyne, Argyll (around 60 miles north of Glasgow) from Friday 29th August to Sunday 31st August 2008.

The tickets are priced the same as for this year, priced at £125 for Weekend Camping tickets, £105 for Weekend Only tickets. Click here to buy.

Posted by Mof Gimmers on September 4, 2025 4:04 PM in Connect
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Festivals round-up: Human League, Kasabian, M.I.A. and Bjork rock out

Can someone tell me how it got to September already? Despite a severe lack of sunshine, it’s creeping from summer towards autumn – and taking festival season with it. Here’s the lowdown on the latest weekend of action.

- Buzzword of the weekend at 80s bonanza Retrofest? ‘Nostalgia’, according to The Herald. Scotland’s stunning Culzean Castle played host to what was trumpeted as ‘the biggest 80s line-up since Live Aid’. Kajagoogoo and co certainly delivered, but it seems the Human League missed that ‘nostalgia’ brief – slightly disappointing the crowd by steering away from the classics and towards a politically charged (and no doubt slightly less entertaining) setlist. Still, at least the heckles were good.

Posted by Sophie Bruce on September 4, 2025 7:31 AM in Connect| Electric Picnic| Jersey Live| Music News| Retrofest
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Bat For Lashes performs "Priscilla" at Connect Festival

Some people round here reckon she's a shoe-in for the Mercury prize this year... Judge Natasha Khan, better known as Bat For Lashes, for yourself below. This is from the weekend's Connect Festival at Loch Fyne in Scotland.

[footage shot by bentrup of Mr. Mammoth]

Posted by Stuart Waterman on September 3, 2025 1:08 PM in Connect| Music News| Video
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This weekend’s festivals round-up: Bjork, Beastie Boys and Bananarama

Summer may have never really arrived and the festival season may be drawing to a close, but there are still plenty of tasty treats on offer this weekend. Here’s a round-up.

- The unlikely setting of Culzean Castle in Ayrshire is gearing up for Europe’s largest 80s music festival, Retrofest. It’s set to be ‘bigger than shoulderpads’, apparently, with the biggest 80s line-up since Live Aid.

Posted by Sophie Bruce on August 31, 2025 8:43 AM in Connect| Electric Picnic| Jersey Live| Music News| Retrofest
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Festivals Update: SF's Burning Man burns early, Bestival acts announced, Video Games Live tempts nerds from bedrooms

- There seem to be a lot of twisted Firestarters around these days. Someone's gone and set fire to the, er, Burning Man in San Francisco before the festival has even started. How impatient

- The Rizla Arena at next weekend's Bestival has announced its line-up - it includes Beastie Boys, Primal Scream and Terry Hall of The Specials

- Bjork will play Connect Festival this weekend, and while she tends to split opinion down the middle this review may tempt you in her direction if you're at the site

Posted by Stuart Waterman on August 29, 2025 1:16 PM in Bestival| Connect| Music News
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Bat For Lashes - MCT's favourite tip for the Mercury Music Prize

It’s not often I advocate gambling, but in the case of Brighton’s Bat For Lashes, I know I'm onto a winner. Seriously, I've been rambling on about the sheer amazingness of this band for so long nobody will actually talk to me anymore. Still, you'd be best off forgoing that round of beers after work tonight – instead, head to your nearest branch of William Hill and put that tenner on the ethereal group to win this year’s Mercury Music Prize. Read my lips: Bat For Lashes are making the most stunning music this side of 1990.

Fronted by the band's songwriter, the extremely nice Natasha Khan, this four-piece made one of the best albums of 2006 with their nominated debut, Fur and Gold. Fizzing with theramins, haunting lyrics and the sort of tunes you’d sell your own mother for, it’s testament to its spine tingling beauty that I spent an entire day in a weird state of hypnosis listening to four 50 second clips when the review copy failed to materialise.

From the melancholic beauty of 'Bat's Mouth' to the sexual Duracell that is 'The Wizard' it's impossible to pick a favourite. Oh go on then, 'Prescilla'. No, 'The Horse and I'. Damn.

Posted by Kat Brown on August 3, 2025 3:10 PM in Bestival| Connect| Electric Picnic| Field Day| Glastonbury| Latitude| Up-And-Coming Acts
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Connect Festival adds Candie Payne and Scott Matthews to an already impressive bill

The latest additions to the line-up at this year's Connect Festival, which is taking place at Inveraray Castle, Loch Fyne, Argyll from Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September, showcase some of the most amazing up-and-coming talent that your ears could ever hope for.

Scott Matthews, who recently received an Ivor Novello award for the best song musically and lyrically with his track ‘Elusive’, joins a line-up of artists that include the fabulous Candie Payne, as well as established acts like The Beastie Boys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Jarvis Cocker, Mogwai, The Divine Comedy, Bjork, LCD Soundsystem, King Creosote, and more.

Other newly confirmed acts to play the festival are The Kissaway Trail and Two Gallants, who will both play the Guitars and Other Machines stage, and the Manicured Noise stage has added the Sleepless Crew and DBLSPK DJs to their bill.

To buy tickets, click here. Tickets are priced at £125 for Weekend Camping tickets, £105 for Weekend Only tickets, £45 for Friday Day tickets, and £50 for Saturday or Sunday tickets.

Posted by Mof Gimmers on June 29, 2025 3:20 PM in Connect| Festival Line-up News| Music News
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