Reggae Land is the biggest reggae festival in the UK and one of the largest in Europe, with up to 100,000 people expected in 2025. Known for its unbeatable line-ups, it brings together reggae legends, rising stars, and everything in between. The vibe is always warm and welcoming, with a family-friendly atmosphere that celebrates authentic Caribbean music, food, and culture.

Since moving to The National Bowl in 2023, the festival has made itself right at home. This iconic venue, famous for hosting world-class events, has a natural amphitheatre design that guarantees amazing sound. Plus, Milton Keynes is super easy to get to, with great transport links from all over the UK.

“Reggae Land has grown into something truly special over the past five years and we couldn’t be prouder of what it’s become. Starting as a dream to celebrate reggae music and Caribbean culture, it has now become the UK’s biggest reggae festival, attracting tens of thousands of people from all over the world. The incredible growth we’ve seen reflects the passion and love for reggae, as well as the unique atmosphere we’ve created – one that brings together iconic artists, amazing food, vibrant cultural experiences, and a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. Year five is set to be our best yet!” – JBM Music (Promoters)

For the weekend, the venue will transform into a Caribbean paradise. Think of a buzzing Caribbean food village with over 50 food vendors, a reggae flea market, a reggae museum, a VIP zone, a Rum Shack, cocktail bars, and plenty of festival merch. It’s a proper celebration of Caribbean culture with one of the most diverse and lively crowds you’ll see at any festival.

The Main Stage is getting a serious upgrade this year, with bigger screens, more sound, and a stacked line-up featuring legends like Chronnix, YG Marley, Protoje, Capleton, Steel Pulse, General Levy and Kabaka Pyramid. Fan favourite Gyptian, known for his hit ‘Hold You,’ is back by popular demand, and there’s still a very special guest to be announced.

The One Love Stage will feature icons like Morgan Heritage, Etana, Spragga Benz, Christopher Martin, Israel Vibration, Marcia Griffiths, and Tanya Stephens. Meanwhile, the Carnival Stage is the place to rave, with jungle heavyweights like Serial Killaz, Mampi Swift, Ed Solo, Benny Page, and Ragga Twins. Rompa’s Reggae Shack will host takeovers from Iration Steppas and Channel One and feature DT faves Dub Pistols, Daddy Nature and Uncle Dugs, while dub fans can hit the Dub Stage for sets from Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Mad Professor, Trojan Sound System, and more.

Tickets are expected to sell out fast when they drop at 9 AM on Friday, 31st January. Day tickets start at £59.50, and weekend passes are from £110. Make sure you sign up to grab yours early! Go to the Reggae Land website here

LINE UP

SATURDAY

MAIN STAGE

Capleton – Special Guest TBA – Protoje – Gyptian – Lila Ike – General Levy – Becca D – Styxlo – Hosted by Solo Banton

ONE LOVE STAGE

Alpha Blondy – Etana – Morgan Heritage – Christopher Martin – Queens Of Lovers Rock Ft Carroll Thompson, Janet Kay, Dawn Penn & Adele Harley – Black Roots – Ras Kwame

CARNIVAL STAGE

Jungle Cakes Takeover w/ Ed Solo B2B Deekline b2b Benny Page Ft Navigator – Mampi Swift Ft Navigator – Ragga Twins Crew – Shabba Presents Carnival Sound (Lyvonne The Don, Janelle Wynter, MC Serocee) – Earl Gateshead – DJ AG 

ROMPA’S REGGAE SHACK

Iration Steppas – Ardimann MC – Daddy Nature – DJ Dansey – JP (World Dance) – MC Raptor – Mister Bounce – T-Cuts

THE DUB STAGE

Mad Professor Presents 45 Years of Ariwa w/ Tony Benjamin, Sister Aisha, I-Jah – Trojan Sound System – King Tubby’s Sound System – Greensleeves Sound System Vs Iration Steppas (Dubs From The Foundation) – Sinai Sound – YNG CPTN Sound

SUNDAY

MAIN STAGE

Chronixx – Special Guest TBA – YG Marley – Steel Pulse – Kabaka Pyramid – Sevana – Styxlo – Hosted by Solo Banton

ONE LOVE STAGE

Marcia Griffiths & Tanya Stephens – Spragga Benz – Israel Vibration – Everton Blender – Jah Lil – Mortimer – Ras Kwame 

CARNIVAL STAGE

20 years of Serial Killaz Ft Top Cat & Mad Sam – Seani B – Ray Keith B2B Nicky Blackmarket Ft Moose – Don Letts – Kash & Pharoah G (1Xtra) – Dennyhus – Reggae Roast Ft Mr Williamz & Adj – Marc Ryder

ROMPA’S REGGAE SHACK

Channel One – Ardimann MC – Ayito – Boxer Banton – Daddy Nature – Dub Pistols (DJ Set) – Skilzee – Uncle Dugs (94 Jungle Set)

DUB STAGE

Mungo’s Hi Fi – Aba Shanti I – Saxon Sound – Dub Smugglers – Rampage Sound – Dub Pistols Sound System – Side By Side Sound System

The post Reggae Land 2025 drops full lineup for Milton Keynes Bowl appeared first on Data Transmission.

The 5th enchanted gathering promises five melodious stages, spanning from the rhythmic realms of Dub, Ska, Reggae, and Jungle to the groovy domains of House, Disco, Funk, and Breakbeat. To mark this new symphony of sounds and spells, the amiable host, Barry Ashworth of the Dub Pistols, invites a merry throng of 5,000 festival frolickers to a whimsical afternoon tea. Expect to share a slice of cake with Alice, the Queen of Hearts, and the ever-punctual White Rabbit, for the theme this year is the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party! Dressing in fantastical finery is heartily encouraged.

“But the fun doesn’t stop there!” proclaims Barry Ashworth with a twinkle in his eye. “We’re serving up the Mucky Mad Hatters Tea Party stage takeovers, featuring the legendary Back To Basics crew with Dave Beer and Ralph Lawson, alongside the illustrious Marshall Jefferson and the irrepressible Irvine Welsh’s Jack Said What label. Add a sprinkle of Happy Mondays’ Bez & Rowetta to the mix, and a truly magical house party is brewed!”

Curated by the indomitable Barry Ashworth, frontman of Dub Pistols, DJ, producer, festival maestro, and Patron of Tonic Music for Mental Health, the lineup is a vibrant tapestry of musical diversity. Headlining the festivities are the ska and reggae maestros, The Dualers, the electronic dance orchestrators Dutty Moonshine Big Band with their grand brass and bass ensemble, the ever-thrilling Dreadzone, the groundbreaking Junglist and revolutionary Congo Natty, house music luminary Marshall Jefferson, Drum & Bass royalty LTJ Bukem and not forgetting our very own Hobbs & Ron Mexico! They are joined by a stellar constellation of veteran artists, DJs, big stage takeovers, rising stars, and some very special guests yet to be unveiled.

So, mark the calendars and don the most eccentric attire (I’m already working on my outfits!), for the Mucky Weekender’s 5th edition promises a carnival of music, magic, and magnificent mayhem that one won’t want to miss!

It’s going to be…ENTIRELY BONKERS! So don’t hang around and cop your tickets now while you still can, they’re headed for another sell-out!

Tier 2 tickets (Tier 1 is sold out!) start at £155+BF and are available here!

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This notorious touring band are bringing the summer atmosphere with their infamous blend of dub, hip hop, ska and jungle whilst incorporating classic reggae subjects and themes.

Featuring artists such as Ragga Twins, Natty Campbell, Freestylers and Cheshire Cat, the album is living proof that Dub Pistols are true masters of their craft.

The multicultural collective has involved dozens of artists and musicians over the years — some remaining for years, a few for the duration, and others just popping in for a guest appearance. Their sound has accordingly morphed a variety of times since their inception: taking in dub, punk, jungle, ska, breakbeat, hip-hop and a whole lot more, it’s been a long road travelled.

Dub Pistols are still a force to be reckoned with and I’m very excited to welcome Barry Ashworth to my Twitch channel!

The post Music Talk with Dub Pistols’ frontman Barry Ashworth appeared first on Data Transmission.

This notorious touring band are bringing the summer atmosphere with their infamous blend of dub, hiphop, ska and jungle whilst incorporating classic reggae subjects and themes. Featuring artists such as Ragga Twins, Natty Campbell, Freestylers and Cheshire Cat, the album is living proof that Dub Pistols are the true masters of their craft.

Having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, frontman and legendary DJ, Barry Ashworth explains, “‘Frontline’ is a reference to 1981 in Brixton’s railton road where the riots were started against a backdrop of economic depression, racism and a general dislike for the establishment and its economic policy. Causing so much poverty at the time, I feel this is as relevant today with the cost of living crisis, austerity and national strikes everywhere”

We’ve teamed up with the Dub Pistols to create a brand new remix competition to remix ‘Spitfire feat. Cheshire Cat’ from the album. Barry Ashworth will be judging the entries LIVE on Twitch in July with Grahame Farmer on this Twitch Channel.

The Winner

An official remix release as part of the upcoming remix compilation,

2 x Tickets to Mucky Weekender

A Mucky Weekender Goodie Bag!

To Enter:

Download the stems from here and create your remix!

Join our Discord Server

Head to the #Stream-Chat Section – ‘Dub Pistol Remix Competition Entries’

Post the Private Soundcloud link before 30th June!

Keep em’ peeled for the Twitch Live Stream coming in Early July, which will be announced on Instagram & Discord Server.

The post Dub Pistols Remix Competition! appeared first on Data Transmission.

Having recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, frontman and legendary DJ, Barry Ashworth explains, “‘Frontline’ is a reference to 1981 in Brixton’s railton road where the riots were started against a backdrop of economic depression, racism and a general dislike for the establishment and its economic policy. Causing so much poverty at the time, I feel this is as relevant today with the cost of living crisis, austerity and national strikes everywhere”

The album bounces between classic ragga rhythms (‘That’s No Lie’) to darker tracks harbouring a ‘Ghost Town’ aesthetic (‘Moving On’) to nostalgic tracks from Dub Pistols’ hedonistic days (‘Soundboy Killa’). But one thing’s for certain, the record remains undeniably Dub Pistols. With a Western theme running throughout its veins, each track has special appearances from artists that are part of the Dub Pistol close-knit family. Speaking of the closing track, ‘Love’ featuring Seanie T and Chezidek, Barry explains, “We wanted to write a track that would lift up any festival and send the universal message of love. I wrote the track with Bill Borez in his West London studio then Sean went to Jamaica to record with Chezidek. The song has since taken on a whole new meaning with the passing of our dear friend Terry Hall whose last words were ‘Love Love Love.’’’

The multi-cultural collective has involved dozens of artists and musicians over the years — some remaining for years, a few for the duration, and others just popping in for a guest appearance. Their sound has accordingly morphed a variety of times since their inception: taking in dub, punk, jungle, ska, breakbeat, hip-hop and a whole lot more, it’s been a long road travelled. Complete with their documentary ‘What Could Possible Go Wrong?’ to come later in the year, Dub Pistols continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

The genesis of the Dub Pistols began when former club promoter and Deja Vu singer Barry Ashworth started DJing in the mid-90s. Unable to mix records properly at first, Barry got assorted pals to scratch and play horns over the top of his sets. Inspired by the anything-goes attitude of the late 90s genre that came to be called big beat in the UK — acts like The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and Propellerheads, labels such as Wall Of Sound and Skint — Barry was drawn to start making tracks for his DJ sets, alongside long-term cohort Jason O’Bryan. Throughout their eight-album career, the band has rolled with the punches — enduring setbacks before piecing themselves back together and morphing into one of the most loved and enduring festival bands on the circuit. This is to be summarised in a documentary titled ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong?’ later in the year which will tell the uncensored story of Dub Pistols from releasing music to curating their own festival.

Dub Pistols threw their first festival in 2019 — Mucky Weekender in the Sussex countryside. Featuring Leftfield, Stanton Warriors, Don Letts and many more, it caught the tail-end of the summer sun and was raved about by all attendees. The success of the first Mucky Weekender set it up nicely to become an annual event.

Barry has also been very open about his addictions and mental health issues over the years, and in 2019 he did his first Wing Walk — strapped to the top of a bi-plane — to raise money for Tonic Music For Mental Health. This has evolved into an annual Flying Circus fundraiser, involving friends from the music world such as Bez from the Happy Mondays, and Barry has now become a patron of the Tonic organisation. As 2021 began and the pandemic saw little sign of waning, the Dub Pistols released their cover of New Order’s seminal ‘Blue Monday’ to raise funds for the Tonic Mental Health Trust. A couple of months later, they released their ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ mix album on Jungle Cakes, featuring a whopping 50 tracks by various dubwise jungle associates as well as artists like Deekline, Ed Solo, King Yoof and the Beat Assassins remixing some choice Dub Pistols cuts. This release also shot to the upper reaches of the UK dance chart.

Fast-forward to 2023 and the Dub Pistols have just celebrated 25 years of riotous mayhem and righteous marauding with a new album, a documentary, another festival, and a whole lot more to come.

Dub Pistols new album ‘Frontline’ is out now – Stream ‘Frontline’ Here

Get tickets to Mucky Weekender 2023 here

The post Dub Pistols drop their album ‘Frontline’ on Cyclone Records appeared first on Data Transmission.

The countdown to lift off has begun, as they announce the first wave of artists to be performing across the weekend. The super cool Skints make their first appearance at Mucky Weekender described by Clash Music as “the torchbearers for modern British reggae music.”, the Skints mix reggae, ska, dub, punk rock, dancehall, soul, and rap into their unique sound.

Also making their debut this year are legendary jungle royalty in the shape of General Levy and DJ Rap, alongside Ed Solo, Uncle Dugs, Klue, Katalyst and Jessi G.

Further to that, another band they know you are going to love are Cut Capers, a 9-piece Bristol outfit, whose energetic live performance and infectious sound have won them a cult following on the British festival scene – mixing a heavy 4-piece brass section with funk, dance and hip-hop. Like all the best bands, their sound is hard to pin down but comparisons have been made to “Lianne La Havas, Hot 8 Brass Band and The Streets” among many others (The Bristol Magazine).

And there’s more… after her storming set last year, the brilliant Eva Lazarus is set to return with her full live band, whilst for the breaks fans amongst you, they have the very biggest artists on the scene including, Stanton Warriors, Krafty Kuts, The Freestylers & A.Skillz. Don Letts and Gardna return, as does the Horseman who will be teaming up with the Mighty Prince Fatty.

The Happy Monday’s crazy dancer Bez is back, with his immense acid house party. And for the house heads, the uber cool Faith Crew also return with Terry Farley, Bruise (live) Stuart Patterson and Dave Jarvis.

How’s that for a starter? This is just the first announcement to give you a lift-off, and over the coming months, they have plenty more to add, sending you fully into outer space and beyond!

Remember you can book your place for just £13.50 a month with our payment plan and save even more money by getting 5 tickets for the price of 4 with our group booking. Plus, if you book now, you can get a Christmas card signed by the band.

What are you waiting for?

Grab tickets here: https://mucky-weekender.co.uk/

The post Mucky Weekender returns in 2023 with Dub Pistols, General Levy & DJ Rap appeared first on Data Transmission.

The festival is named after one of Dub Pistols’ biggest and best-selling singles, ‘Mucky Weekend’. The band decided to create and host their own festival in 2019, using it as a way to connect with their fans, The Pistolero family, and showcase both established and new musical artists over the two days.

World-class DJs and live performers have been carefully curated to maximise the party vibe, with some of the best music, past, present and future. Stages will feature House Icon Robert Owens & X-Press 2, The Prodigy’s Leeroy Thornhill, Krafty Kuts brings his King Of The Beats project with Freestylers and Plump DJs, The Clash/BAD’s Don Letts and many more. The main stage has live performances from festival hosts Dub Pistols, Dreadzone, Hollie Cook, The Hempolics, Eva Lazarus & many more including stage takeovers from Jungle Cakes Ed Solo, Deekline and Benny Page, Faith Fanzine feat Terry Farley & Co and Modcast takeover featuring Eddie Piller, Rocky, Dean Thatcher and Wendy May.

The site in Winchester could not be more beautiful, set in 28 acres of private parkland and stunning countryside. Says Barry, “Our ethos is very much one of ‘leave no trace’, and judging by our first year it’s an ethos the crowd fully embrace too. Our last site was left cleaner on departure than when we entered it.”

Whilst soaking up the atmosphere Mucky Weekenders will also be treated to an array of street performers, including magic, comedy and an extra special art installation nestled in the woods called “The Shack”, created especially for the festival by Arlen Figgis, son of renowned British director Mike Figgis and 2022 latest stage addition The Pirate Ship.

To celebrate and get their fans hyped for the weekend, Mucky Weekender recently took over Data Transmission Radio for the entire day. The takeover features mixes from The Dub Pistols, Altern8, Uncle Dugs, Deekline & Ed Solo, Ragga Twins and Leeroy Thornhill to name a few. If you haven’t listened back yet or need some music for travelling to and from the event, the playlist is below!

Final remaining tickets can be found here

The post Listen back: Mucky Weekender DT Radio takeover appeared first on Data Transmission.

The festival is named after one of Dub Pistols’ biggest and best selling singles, Mucky Weekend. The band decided to create and host their own festival in 2019, using it as a way to connect with their fans, The Pistolero family, and showcase both established and new musical artists over the two days.

Barry Ashworth says, “Everyone’s a star at Mucky Weekender. I’m a strong believer that the crowd are just as important as the performers. Everyone has a smile on their face and are full of love. It’s the kind of festival you could go to alone and leave with 1000 new friends. We are really excited to host this event and can’t wait to put a smile back on peoples’ faces”.

World-class DJs and live performers have been carefully curated to maximise the party vibe, with some of the best music, past, present and future. Stages will feature House Icon Robert Owens & X-Press 2, The Prodigy’s Leeroy Thornhill, Krafty Kuts brings his King Of The Beats project with Freestylers & Plump Djs, The Clash/BAD’s Don Letts and many more. The main stage has live performances from festival hosts Dub Pistols, Dreadzone, Hollie Cook, The Hempolics, Eva Lazarus & many more including stage takeovers from Jungle Cakes Ed Solo, Deekline & Benny page, Faith Fanzine feat Terry Farley & Co & Modcast takeover Feat Eddie Piller, Rocky, Dean Thatcher & Wendy may

The site in Winchester could not be more beautiful, set in 28 acres of private parkland and stunning countryside. Says Barry, ‘our ethos is very much one of ‘leave no trace’, and judging by our first year it’s an ethos the crowd fully embrace too. Our last site was left cleaner on departure than when we entered it.’

Whilst soaking up the atmosphere Mucky Weekenders will also be treated to an array of street performers, including magic, comedy and an extra special art installation nestled in the woods called “The Shack”, created especially for the festival by Arlen Figgis, son of renowned British director Mike Figgis & 2022 latest stage addition The Pirate ship.

For tickets head to https://mucky-weekender.co.uk/

The post Mucky Weekender Music Festival returns for a Third Year appeared first on Data Transmission.

The ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ album series has seen many well-known artists create mixes and exclusive content including Ray Keith, Ed Solo, Deekline and Serial Killaz so it was obviously only a matter of time before Dub Pistols got involved. The album drops on 26th March and we can’t wait!

Dub Pistols have worked aloongside legends such as The Specials, Busta Rhymes, Horace Andy, Madness and Gregory Isaacs. Sometimes you have to go through the mill to realise why you were put on this Earth, right? And that’s exactly how it is with the Dub Pistols, the reggae-breaks-jungle mashup, the gangster-swaggering festival stalwarts whose rollercoaster story reads like a rock’n’roll cautionary tale on a grand scale.

This brand new hard-hitting compilation features some favourite upfront jungle tunes of recent times including the Benny Page mix of old school come new school classic ‘Harmony’, the Kleu remix of ‘I’m Still in Love’ plus some wicked riddims from Dub Pistols. You will find the Beat Assassins remix of ‘Addicted’ featuring Cheshire Cat, ‘Sound Sweet’ featuring Natty Campbell and much more inside the ride.

If you’re looking to stack out your virtual collection with a ton of quality goods then look no further than this expertly selected package. There’s a reason Dub Pistols have been at the top of their game for over 20 years and it really is no surprise why.

50 single tracks plus the already mentioned DJ mix. Perfect for Rekordbox, perfect for the car. This is a HUGE selection that I think will go down as one of the best!

Last month we kicked off our monthly DNB day on DT Radio with Dub Pistols as the main event. For that show they were joined by Deekline and Isaac Maya who each delivered banging mixes! Tomorrow we do it all again with some more very special guests, Deman Rockers of Ragga Twins fame and Fleck! Tomorrow’s radio show incidentally coincides with the release of this absolute monster of an album, so excitement levels are ridiculous in the DT office, the Dub Pistols firing range and the Jungle Cakes bakery!

Make sure you grab the new ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ album from here and tune into DT Radio from 7pm tomorrow to hear the Dub Pistols show here

The post Dub Pistols are next on Jungle Cakes ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ LP series appeared first on Data Transmission.

This year, Dub Pistols have teamed up with Canadians DUBMATIX and have recorded a cover of New Order’s iconic “Blue Monday” with proceeds going to Tonic Mental Health Trust, which Barry Ashworth is a patron of.

“Its no secret that I myself have lived a life of excess in every possible way.  I’ve experienced the highs of success and adrenaline that comes from performing live, but I’ve also experienced the darker side that comes with it. The addiction, the depression, anxiety, exhaustion and other mental health issues that go hand in hand with the lifestyle.

Feelings that can be brought on by the highs and the lows, the touring, the late nights, and the lifestyle. The industry can be volatile and competitive, with no financial security, leaving the people working in it vulnerable to developing mental health issues.

After the tragedy of losing Keith Flint in 2019, and during the pandemic – the isolation and not knowing what the future holds – it really hit home to me that so many people in the music industry have no support. I just want to do whatever I can to help, and to do so with the thing I understand best – music.  Music means so much to so many people, so when I heard about Tonic and the work that they do helping people with recovery through music, I just had to get involved. Music is a fantastic way to help lift people’s spirits and give them something to focus on when times are hard. 

The Tonic Rider is a new programme to promote good mental health in the music industry, providing mental health support both remotely and at venues. With the music industry on its knees and many people having lost their livelihoods, it is needed now more than ever.”

Barry Ashworth

The single will also be released as a limited edition 7” with the DUBMATIX version on side A and a special “Stepper”mix by Grammy Award nominated Reggae producer GAUDI on the B-side.  GAUDI has also done a Dub mix which will be available on digital platforms.

“If my fundraising for Tonic can help save just one life, it will have been worth every second I have invested.” Barry Ashworth.

You can listen to the cover below! Pre order your copy here Original: https://dubpistols.lnk.to/BlueMonday Gaudi mix : https://dubpistols.lnk.to/GaudiRemix

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