Looking for a review of the Saturday of the Big Weekend? Click Here.

BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend is an annual musical festival with bit of a twist. Every year, the 2 day event takes place in a different town, with past locations including Dundee, Preston and Maidstone. This 2009, Radio 1 will be bringing their Big Weekend to Lydiard Park, Swindon, on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th of May. Tickets to the event are free, and are obtained through a random lottery on Radio 1’s website (registration has now closed). Lucky winners will blag a pair of tickets to their selected day (Saturday or Sunday), with Swindon residents receiving allocation priority in order to make the event more accessible to locals.

Every year the event has boasted an impressive line-up (past artists include Madonna, Muse and Foo Fighters), and this 2009 is absolutely no exception. Snow Patrol (pictured top), Kasabian (pictured right)and Dizzee Rascal will be headlining the ‘Main Stage’ on Saturday, while Lily Allen, Akon and Franz Ferdinand will be taking over the top slots on Sunday. Other artists who will be featuring within the main arena over the weekend include The Script, Calvin Harris, The Wombats, The Saturdays, Scouting for Girls, Ne-Yo, Alesha Dixon and N-Dubz.

Meanwhile, headline acts hitting the smaller ‘In New Music We Trust Stage’ on Saturday include Basement Jaxx, Doves and Jack Penate, while Sunday will be tastily offering up The Enemy, Maximo Park and Gossip. Further impressive artists appearing on this stage across the May weekend include Friendly Fires, Florence and the Machine, Fightstar, Enter Shikari, Ladyhawke and White Lies.

Should you fancy checking out some new music while at the event, why not head over to the ‘Introducing Stage’, where you can get up and close with a range of upcoming talent including Stornoway, The Temper Trap, Bombay Bicycle Club, Thee Vicars, Gallop and Marina and the Diamonds. And if that’s still not enough, you can catch a wide-range of top DJs spinning the decks over at the ‘Outdoor Stage’, with Radio 1 favourites including Chris Moyles, Annie Mac, Tim Westwood, Zane Lowe and Rob da Bank all making an appearance.

Registration for tickets to the event has now closed, but never fear, as the BBC will be broadcasting highlights of the festival on Radio 1 and BBC Three across the weekend. You’ll also be able to catch footage online, as well as on your trusty red button. If you’d like more information on the event, along with a full line-up, head over to the Big Weekend’s website now.

Top photo comes from Radio 1’s Flickr Stream.

It’s undeniable that V Festival is a lot more commerical than other music festival’s across the country, and while the bash has certainly recieved the odd bit of criticism for it’s uber radio-friendly line up, the fest is no less fun in our eyes. Certainly – going by the awesome line-up, it’s unsurprising that the event managed to sell out in just two hours this year.

The summer bash – which is happening on Saturday 22nd to Sunday 23rd August – will be taking place across it’s two usual sites this ‘09: Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire.

Oasis (pictured right) and The Killers are the two big name headliners confirmed to be playing the festival’s top spot this year. Other major acts gracing the fest’s main stage (aptly titled ‘V Stage’) across the weekend include Razorlight, Snow Patrol, The Specials, Elbow, Biffy Clyro, Lily Allen, James, Seasick Steve and, intriguingly, Taylor Swift.

The smaller sized ‘4Music’ stage will also be featuring further super cool artists including Fatboy Slim, Pendulum, The Ting Tings, The Wombats, Keane, The Enemy, Katy Perry and Dizzee Rascal.

If nothing has still managed to catch your eye (or ear!), why not head over to ‘The Arena’ where you can check out a varied selection including MGMT, Lady GaGa, Happy Mondays, The Streets, Pete Doherty, and latest girl band sensation, British Sea PowerThe Saturdays.

If that’s still not enough, the festival has another 50 acts up its sleeve to announce in the coming few weeks. Exciting!

As I told you earlier, tickets for the Chelmsford leg have sadly sold out. There are still some available for the Staffordshire event, however. For more information regarding ticket outlets, check out V Festival’s website.

Top photo comes from stevec77’s flickr stream, and side photo from John Griffiths’ flickr stream under the Creative Commons License.

We all hear about the major summer festivals taking place across Blighty this ‘09 – but here at There Goes The Fear, we like to bring you previews of those smaller, little known music events too! This week, we’d like to tell you about Evolution 2009. The festival, which started back in 2005, has grown rapidly in both size and popularity over the past few years and Evolution ‘09 looks set to be the biggest and best yet!

The Newcastle-based festival is certainly ahead of the big name summer events in the calender stakes, taking place across the May bank holiday (Sunday 24th – Sunday 25th May). Still, the outdoor shows, which will take place along Gateshead’s quayside, are fully expected to attract a crowd of around 60,000. Judging by the line-up, we can see why!

Headliners confirmed so far include Dizzee Rascal, The Wombats (pictured right), Mystery Jets, The View and The Maccabees. Other impressive TGTF-favourites playing the Evolution Weekender include White Lies, Ladyhawke, Esser, Friendly Fires, Little Boots, Twisted Wheel, Marina and the Diamonds, Chapman Family, VV Brown and The Big Pink.

(And breathhhh….!) Impressive, don’t you agree? You can even catch headline electronica acts such as Boys Noize, Chase & Status Live and Kissy Sell Out over at the dance stage too, should something a little less guitar-based take your fancy.

If it couldn’t get any better, a weekend ticket for Evolution 2009 is priced at just £15! You can also grab a day ticket for £9.50 (note : only weekend tickets are on sale at the moment – day tickets go on sale Thursday!). Furthermore, a contribution of the ticket price will be donated to WaterAid. If you’d like to learn more about the festival and general ticket info, check out Evolution 2009’s website.

There Goes The Fear is primarily a music blog as many of you can probably work out by our rantings and ravings. However, every so often there comes along a film or a TV show that we just have to talk about – last month we raved about MTV’s great Pete Doherty documentary. For February, we reckon you should check out FM, a new show on ITV2 next Wednesday evening.

The series follows a London based radio station and a group of fame-hungry friends who run a daily “indie” show. Chris O’Dowd (who you’ll know from The IT Crowd) and Kevin Bishop (from, errr, The Kevin Bishop Show and also Star Stories) play the DJs Lindsay Carol and Dom Cox, who, let’s face it, would be sacked if they were on most radio stations. Whilst Nina Sosanya (from the amazing Teachers) plays their producer, Jane Edwards, with the up-tight portrayal she does so well of someone responsible for the whole show.

It’s a sort of hybrid of “The Office” and “Peep Show” – both hilarious and eye-wateringly embarrassing at the same time. Whilst it’s pretty good in its own right, the special “Live lounge” style performances and real-life celebrities are what take the show from good to great. They’ve got the likes of Guillemots, Ladyhawke, Wombats, The Charlatans, The Subways, all performing or as a guest on the show oh, and Justin Hawkins (who has a new album out, funnily enough).

Some of the show is hilarious (the dating exploits of all members of the team are absurd and all the better for it), some of it is musically great (Guillemots all around a piano, playing the same piano) whilst other bits are quite cringing (Ladyhawke’s laptop going “missing”). Either way, it’s captivating viewing, and looks set to be (just about the only) good reason to tune in to ITV2.

FM is like “2 pints and a Packet of crisps” (the cult BBC3 show) – it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure show, simple enough to dip in and out of without missing too much. I must admit, not usually an ITV watcher (let alone ITV2), however this could be one to catch on ITV Player one hangover-filled Sunday afternoon.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=52532141

FM is on ITV2 Wednesdays at 10:30pm. Catch the official website here, and myspace here.

I am in no doubt by now that you have all heard those Christmas songs that are on the radio every year about 20 times each such as Slade and Wizard. You are probably suffering from ST.DOCS disease (Sick to death of christmas songs). Need a remedy? Well I do and luckily for every musical illness there is a musical cure.

I been busy lately hunting down songs that are worthy of listening to. Let this be the end of all bad Christmas tracks and the beginning of something truly magical. Here is my official Christmas TGTF top 10 so feel free to take those ear defenders out and listen to music once again.

1. The Darkness – Christmas Time
2. The Wombats – Is this Christmas?
3. Basshunter – Jingle Bells (bass)
4. Reliant K – 12 Days of Christmas
5. Run DMC – Christmas In Hollis
6. The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
7. My Chemical Romance – All I Want For Christmas
8. The Killers – Don’t Shoot Me Santa
9. Acceptance – Happy Christmas (war is over)
10. Reliant K – We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Hopefull if you have checked these songs out then you’ll be well again to enjoy Christmas and from me personally, Have a good one!

It seems everyone’s putting out their “best of 2008″ lists, with The Wombats (pictured above) being the latest ones to do so. They’ve tipped Scarlet Harlots (pictured right) for the top next year, naming a new band that has yet to appear on many Proclaiming their love for the band and tipping them for success after mentoring them on T4’s Orange unsignedAct, singer Murf declared, “I thought you were going to be good before you even picked up an instrument.” Endorsement from one of the most popular bands of 2008 clearly made Scarlet Harlots’ day with frontman Sam commenting “to say that we could go on tour with The Wombats, that’s a massive compliment and has given me a rod of confidence!” Catch them on ‘Orange unsignedAct with Sony Ericsson’ on T4 at 12:20pm on Sunday.

You may have noticed recently that we’ve started including ticket links on some posts announcing new tours and stuff – the likes of See Tickets, Ticketweb, Ticketmaster and co. However, we’ve recently come across needtickets.com, which seems a great way to find out which ticket sellers have tickets left for a tour and who doesn’t. It seems a great way to find out what all the ticket sellers are up to, and how much they’re charging.

The only downside? The search facility – I searched for Hockey (after yesterday’s tour post about their new tour), and it came up with gigs for all of these gigs: Hockey, Bear Hands, Hockey & Bear Hands, Hockey + Bear Hands, Hockey & Passion Pit, Hockey / Passion Pit, Hockey And Bear Hands, Hockey And Passion Pit, Hockey/passion Pit/bear Hands, Hockey, Passion Pit, Bear Hands, Hockey&passion Pit With Bear Hands, Hockey, Passion Pit And Bear Hands. Whatever’s wrong with just one listing? Still, I’m sure they’re working out some niggles, but keep an eye out – in coming months they may well turn out to be a great resource that we point you to more often.

If I’m honest, I’m not a huge fan of Lady Sovereign. Sure, she’s easy on the eyes, but a bit too chav for me. However, her new video (below) is, well, *amazing*, and the song’s quite good too. The press release comments that new album Jigsaw tells Sov’s rollercoaster story of the last two years with “her usual honesty, genre-defying beats and punchy, zest-fresh lyrics. Only, this time around as well as rapping, Sov does something a little bit different; she sings”. Watch below, enjoy and join me in holding out for her new album being a bit more dance based than chav based. A free MP3 of the track (seemingly a different mix) is also below.

MP3: Lady Sovereign – I Got You Dancing

The sensational Shockwaves NME Awards shows have been announced for next January and February to start off a 2009 in great style. The likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Wombats and Simian Mobile Disco are among this year’s great gigs, with more to be announced shortly.

Franz Ferdinand’s frontman Alex Kapranos said of their opening night honour: “We’re going to play the gig to celebrate ‘Ulysess’ coming out and Heaven is the best place to go and celebrate. The new songs are the type that should be heard in clubs so we liked the idea of playing a show in one. We want people close to us who are dancing and sweating, that’s the vibe that we want. We definitely don’t want polite theatre shows for this record- we want some excitement!”

Tickets are available exclusively at NME from 9am on Wednesday, 26th November and then go on general sale on Monday 1st December.

UPDATE: More gigs added today (2nd December 2008) – full details below.

Catch the full details of the gigs below:

Tuesday 20th January 2009 – Franz Ferdinand @ London Heaven
Sunday 8th February 2009 – The Gaslight Anthems, Frank Turner and The Polar Bear Club @ London Shepherds Bush Empire
Monday 9th February 2009 – Howling Bells @ London Islington Academy
Tuesday 10th February 2009 – The View @ London Koko
Wednesday 11th February 2009 – Ida Maria @ London Koko
Thursday 12th February 2009 – Ida Maria @ Manchester Club Academy
Thursday 12th February 2009 – Simian Mobile Disco and Chrome Hoof @ London Koko
Friday 13th February 2009 – Ida Maria @ Glasgow Garage
Friday 13th February 2009 – Mystery Jets and Little Boots @ London Shepherds Bush Empire
Sunday 15th February 2009 – Black Lips and Vivian Girls @ London Islington Academy
Monday 16th February 2009 – Secret Machines @ London Islington Academy
Tuesday 17th February 2009 – Iglu and Hartley @ London Islington Academy
Wednesday 18th February 2009 – Black Kids, Boy Crisis, Passion Pit @ London Koko
Wednesday 18th February 2009 – Tricky @ Manchester Club Academy
Wednesday 18th February 2009 – Iglu and Hartley @ Manchester Academy 3
Thursday 19th February 2009 – Tricky @ Glasgow Arches
Thursday 19th February 2009 – Iglu and Hartley @ Glasgow QMU
Thursday 19th February 2009 – Roots Manuva @ London Koko
Friday 20th February 2009 – Tricky @ London Shepherds Bush Empire
Monday 23rd February 2009 – Wombats @ London Shepherds Bush Empire
Tuesday 24th February 2009 – Metronomy @ London Koko
Tuesday 24th February 2009 – Wombats @ Manchester Academy
Thursday 26th February 2009 – Wombats @ Glasgow Barrowlands

So I know a lot of readers of TGTF are avid MySpace users, and quite a few of you are still at school… so did you know about the MySpace School Invasions?

It’s basically a popularity contest for schools, with the school with the most votes from the MySpace School Invasions page winning an exclusive party.

The prize includes an all-expenses paid party with live performances from rock band Fightstar and DJ sets from Kate Nash, The Wombats, and DJ Ironik. The school that receives the most votes on the profile will host the event.

As well as winning their own exclusive party, the school will receive £10,000 worth of music equipment and a music masterclass with an established band. As part of the workshop, the band will share tales of how they got started and offer tips and advice about getting into the music industry.

Interested? Why not log into your myspace account, head on over to the School Invasions MySpace.

My current favourite band of 2008 to date, The Wombats, have announced an April / May UK Headlining tour.

Tickets are sure to go pretty quickly for some dates, but you have almost a full week to get ready: Tickets go on sale via their Official Website, on Wednesday (16th January), and general sale on Friday, 18th January.

Catch the crazy Liverpudlians at:

Sunday 27th April – Norwich UEA
Monday 28th April – Southampton Guildhall
Tuesday 29th April – Brighton Corn Exchange
Thursday 1st May – Stoke Victoria Hall
Friday 2nd May – London Brixton Academy
Sunday 4th May – Leeds University
Monday 5th May – Bristol Academy
Tuesday 6th May – Oxford Academy
Thursday 8th May – Nottingham Rock City
Friday 9th May – Blackpool Empress Ballroom
Saturday 10th May – Birmingham Academy
Monday 12th May – Newcastle Academy
Tuesday 13th May – Edinburgh Corn Exchange
Wednesday 14th May – Inverness Ironworks
Thursday 15th May – Sheffield Academy
Sunday 25th May – Cork Cyprus Avenue
Monday 26th May – Dublin Whelan’s
Tuesday 27th May – Belfast Speakeasy

This is the time of year it seems just about every credible publication is doing a “best of 2007″ albums, so I thought I’d join them and do a quick top 10 of my favourite albums this past year. I’ve chosen the top 10 from the 74 albums I’ve “acquired” (either downloaded / bought the CD of / been given the CD of). Disagree? Just say in the comments below.

• Memorable-ness – Does it have you humming it for days after? Can you remember snippets of lyrics?
• “Car factor” - Can you put it on play and leave it going without skipping any tracks / few tracks?
• Irritability - Can you have tracks on repeat without wanting to throw the CD out of the window?
• Musical quality – Is it likely to be a classic / seen as a highlight of the artist’s career?
• Enjoy-ability – Is it fun? Get you going?
• Innovation - How innovative is it?

10. Jack Peñate – Matinee
He may just be one man with a funny swirl over his name, but his album turned out to be one of the most consistent of the year. Many of the tracks are single-worthy, fun, danceable and just the sort of thing that goes down a storm at many end-of term parties.

Tales of bitterness, nights out, missed opportunities, and images of guys in smart suits akin to West Side Story make this album the first in my 2007 top ten.

Buy the CD on Amazon

9. Mika – Life in Cartoon Motion
Who couldn’t have heard Mika’s first single, Grace Kelly, which bothered the top 10 for a few months at the start of the year. Fun, simple pop tunes that live are just quality party tunes.

Many people claimed Mika was trying to capture Freddie Mercury, and yes, he does sound a tiny bit like him, but is completely different: the tunes are quite possibly more girly than anything Freddie did, and his shows are far more like an acid trip than Queen could ever pull off.

His come down tunes, “Relax, Take it Easy,” “Any Other World” and “Happy Ending” are quality tunes in their own right, comedowns for the end of the party. All in all a quality mixture of pop, rock, and pure fun.

My Live Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

8.The Wombats – A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation
I only really got into this a couple of weeks ago after the release of “Let’s Dance To Joy Division”, but it was on repeat all the way home from the US, with their amusing tales of urban English life. Songs like “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” celebrate English irony brilliantly, tunes that just have everyone dancing for the hills.

They’re knowledgeable, and the whole album is very tongue-in-cheek, which is just what modern indie-pop should be.

Buy the CD on Amazon

7. I’m From Barcelona – Let me Introduce My Friends
I’ll admit it, I didn’t think I’d like this album. 29 people on a record sounds like a recipe for destruction if you ask me, but somehow they pull it off without sounding as chaotic as the Polyphonic Spree do at times.

Songs like “We’re From Barcelona” are fun, simple tunes which has all the vibe of a secondary-school band gone pro. EP song “Britney” unfortunately doesn’t make an appearance on this album, but if it did, the album would be even higher up my list.

Buy the CD on Amazon

6. Band of Horses – Cease To Begin
Opening song, “Is there a Ghost” is enough for Band of Horses to deserve their 6th place position on this list. A quality, haunting tune that just captures the whole vibe of the album – musically capable, listener – accessible.

The entire collection sounds far more polished and consistent than their debut, “Everything, All the Time”, which whilst had moments of brilliance, failed to capture the consistency of this collection.

Buy the CD on Amazon

5. Radiohead – In Rainbows
A suprise release, Radiohead seemed to garner more headlines for their “Music Industry ruining” way of release and letting people choose the price they wanted to pay for the download of the tracks as an MP3 file.

However, the album wa, in my opinion, one of their strongest yet. A distinctly electronic feel, they combined their solo efforts into a collection that was strong, consistent, and interesting. I wouldn’t be suprised if it turns out to be one of their strongest of their career.

My Review of In Rainbows | Buy the CD on Amazon

4. Stars – In our Bedroom After the War
I bought this one on a whim – I didn’t know much about Stars, but quickly grew to love them. Songs like the haunting “Barricade”, the danceable “The Night Starts Here” and the yearning “Bitches in Tokyo” make for a collection that builds on their previous albums (which I’ve since acquired), and makes a strong and consistent collection that I’ll be listening to for months to come no doubt.

Buy the CD on Amazon

3. Tegan and Sara – The Con

They may be two lesbian identical twin sisters, but don’t let you think they’re a novelty act – far from it. They’re a quality duo, who make amazing short stories for the 00’s generation.

Produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, The Con is their most accomplished yet, full of drama like their previous records, but a bit more believable, and a bit more stable now that they’re settled down with partners. They seem happier, if that’s possible, which is always good.

Buy the CD on Amazon

2. The National – Boxer
The National’s fourth album, Boxer is a very consistent record, though unfortunately not quite as good as their break-through “Alligator”.

They seem to be more at home with themselves, not quite as angry as standout songs on Alligator “Mr. November” or “Lit Up”. Instead, all of the songs are accomplished, but not as much emotion, which is a shame

The National @ The Astoria Live Review | The National – Boxer – My Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

1. Bloc Party – A Weekend in The City
I’ll admit it here. I wasn’t a big fan of their debut, Silent Alarm. I thought it was crap. However, once I listened to A Weekend in the City I “got” Bloc Party, and fell in love with both albums at once.

Songs such as “I Still Remember” and “Sunday” are the standouts for me, both quality songs that deserve the huge audience Bloc Party have garnered. I’ve possibly listened to this album more times than any other album, and will continue to do so for 2008 no doubt.
My Album Review | Buy the CD on Amazon

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