Blissfields 2012

As I've spent my weeks breathing in the city air, admittedly with a waft of the seaside, whilst tapping away at my keyboard longing for the work to end and the summer begin, it's surprised me how quickly life is flying by and all of a sudden I'm rushing through town on the hunt of a festival-proof coat and purchasing the biggest pack of baby wipes I can find. This can only mean one thing, it's festival time!

Having missed out MASSIVELY last year due to insufficient funds I've made sure that I make my way to a few festivals this summer to get my dose of muddy, smelly, sweaty goodness. Therefore over the coming months I will be giving you my tips of which bands to see at the best festivals, what you should probably pack and what you can expect. If any of you went to Isle of Wight festival at the weekend, you will have unfortunately learnt the importance of a good pair of wellies and a coat, however we can all hope that the rest of this years festivals won't be as tragic!

To start things off we have Blissfields; wander ever so slightly north-west from my seaside home of Portsmouth and you'll stumble across a family-friendly, quirky festival with a slight vintage warmth about it. Blissfields pitches up in Vicarage Farm, not far from Winchester and provides activities for all ages, whether you want to have fun with arts and crafts, have an afternoon tea with your friends or just indulge yourself in the incredible music that will be treating your ears. Weekend tickets are only £74 (yes you can still purchase them!) which is an absolute bargain for the amount of goodies you're getting and with a corking line up, you'd be silly not to go!

Here's my musical tips for the weekend:

Friday - Main Stage:                                                        

                                                                 Guillemots

Once you hit play you'll instantly recognise the song, I'm expecting a magical atmosphere from these guys. 

King Charles

Sunshine happy melodies and hair resembling that of Hook, expect everything to be extravagant 

Josh Kumra

The voice behind the Number 1 single "Don't Go" by Wretch 32, one to simply sit back, relax and enjoy.

Second Stage:

Clock Opera

Having missed their set at The Great Escape, I'm very excited to see what they have to offer at Blissfields!

Bear Cavalry

Repeat after me.... HEY UMBA DA DA DA DA DAAAAHHHH!

It's also worth taking a stroll over to the Hidden Hedge Acoustic Stage to see the likes of I Dream In Colour, BeBe Black, Leigh Mary Stokes and Huw Olesker & The Barebackers.

Saturday - Main Stage:

Spector

Indie rock music for you all to awkwardly shuffle along to when you've had a few too many

Bastille

You're gonna see me banging on about Bastille a lot over the coming months, I just can't get enough!

Second Stage:

Theme Park

They make look barely into their teens but they can make music that gives everyone a little dancing urge *see awkward shuffle note mentioned with Spector

Dog Is Dead

Prepare your vocal chords for a good old sing song

Hidden Hedge: 

Luke Ferre

Because this is one of the best covers I've ever heard. 

If you're off to Blissfields this weekend and think I may have missed an amazing act off my list then let me know, or come say hello, I'll probably be running around in my parka-in-a-pocket with the pink floral wellies, what can I say, I'm a master at festival fashion! The only thing you really need to bring to Blissfields is a smile, see you there!

LIVE: Dirty Sky Jones - Eastney Cellars 22nd April 2012

Now there are many reasons as to why I love living in Portsmouth, but one thing that really stands out for me is the amount of musical talent the island has to offer, despite only living here for three years I have had the pleasure of meeting many of the local musicians and witnessing their live performances. One lad in particular, who seems to be going from strength to strength is Sam Jones aka Dirty Sky Jones, an acoustic-pop singer songwriter with a unique voice and charming presence. I went down to his EP release show to see if there really is anything 'dirty' about this young man.

Luke Ferre, another local talent was the first support for the evening, who really defines the term 'raw talent' with nothing but his guitar, his voice created a beautiful atmosphere in the room and made us all laugh with his own take on Katy Perry's 'California Gurls', which he has re-written as 'Portsmouth and Southsea Girls'. Quite the comedian!

Andrew Foster also performed prior to the headline act, with a much more mellow vibe to his music, most of us all chilled out and soaked up his voice and the atmosphere. Another musician to keep your eye on!

Eventually Dirty Sky Jones took to his stage, along with his own bit of carpet for comfort (I don't know either, ask him!). He'd already sweeten'd up the crowd by providing mini bags of gummy sweets for everyone (see what i did there?!) so already he was off to a good start! Only recently has he been playing with a backing band, and although he can still perform well by himself, the extra instruments really brought his songs to life.

As he works his way through the tracks off his new EP 'This Town' we get an insight into what goes on in his life, with songs about mishaps in the bedroom and a duet with Becky Jerams about breaking up; but don't be fooled by his good-boy charm, one listen to his lyrics and it's revealed that there really is a lot of 'dirty' in the mind of Dirty Sky Jones! 

One of the great things about Dirty Sky Jones' music is that his songs are all very positive and optimistic about life, he writes about things we all go through, whether it's having a heavy night or being embarrassed about your cousin catching your whatsit on a fishing line. He's honest and that means a lot in the modern music industry, he's real and opinionated like the rest of us, it just so happens he can write fantastic songs about life. 

Overall it was a fantastic afternoon spent with amazing musicians. Dirty Sky Jones' EP is available on iTunes or from his store. If you're a fan of Frank Turner, Dave McPherson or Charlie Simpson than i urge you to check this guy out and show him some support!