We’re inching closer and closer to festival season, which means you and your friends can soon look forward to taking long weekends off work and coming back with a mix of sunburn, trench foot, and more than likely a hangover that’ll tear at the very fabric of your being.
But festivals aren’t all physical maladies and losing your phone in a field; they also have entertainment, and a festival-themed party is often a great way to get guests excited about getting their camping gear out of storage.
So helpful entertainment experts that we are are, we’ve put together the perfect lineup for a festival themed event (based on extensive scientific research, of course). Read on for our picks…
SOMETHING FOLKY: FESTIVAL FOXES
Festivals are a marathon, not a sprint and as such, you can’t go charging in full steam. Best to ease in with something acoustic and folksy for the early afternoon slot. Stylish songstresses the Festival Foxes perform a crowd-pleasing mix of cover versions in a laid back folk style not dissimilar to Mumford & Sons. The band features top musicians who’ve performed with some of the biggest names in the industry, so they’ve seen a festival or two themselves.
SOMETHING OLD SCHOOL: MR WILSON’S SECOND LINERS
A good festival line up always makes sure to let revellers take a trip down musical memory lane and relive some of their former glories. But rather than drag some poor old codger out of retirement to wheeze through their greatest hits, why not give the classics an infusion of new blood? The brilliant Mr Wilson’s Second Liners take the club classics of 90s Manchester and give them a riotous New Orleans-style jazz makeover. No, we don’t know where they got the idea from either, but trust us, it works.
SOMETHING FUNNY: PETE OTWAY, COMEDIAN
Music’s great n’ all, but after a few hours stood next to a roaring amp, it’s always a good idea to give your ears a break and check out what’s going on in that comedy tent over there… If it was our comedy tent, we’d have North East comedian (and star of our recent showcase) Pete Otway whose warm, approachable style and brilliantly observed material is guaranteed to go down a storm with audiences of all ages.
SOMETHING TO SING ALONG TO: HAND FULLA SOUL
Every festival needs a headline act, and every headline act needs hits. This is no time for “here’s one from our latest album” or “here’s one the drummer wrote”, your headliners need to have the whole crowd singing along from start to finish. A top quality function band like Sternberg Clarke favourites Hand Fulla Soul fit the bill perfectly, offering an enormous repertoire, great stage presence, and a superb live sound.
SOMETHING SPECTACULAR: HELIOSPHERE
As things draw to a close, tradition dictates that festival-goers join together in watching something in the sky. Might be fireworks, might be a bunch of Chinese lanterns or it might even be one of our personal favourites, the Heliosphere. The Heliosphere is a giant, illuminated floating globe with an aerial circus performer suspended underneath. It’s a stunning way to cap off an event and the perfect conclusion to our festival themed lineup.
If you’d like to discuss any of the acts featured above, or start planning a festival-themed event of your own, get in touch.