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

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This will be my 3rd year running at Noisily Festival. A festival that just gets better with age. I can’t wait to come back home. To see how great the 1st and 2nd years were, feel free to peruse my reviews.

2017 meteoric year https://datatransmission.co/club-review/reviewed-noisily-festival/

2018 vintage year https://datatransmission.co/club-review/reviewed-noisily-festival-2018-the-beauty-and-the-beast/

I’ll let you know how Noisily Festival 2019 goes. In the meantime…

Which acts are you not allowed to miss at the 2 biggest stages; Noisily and Treehouse?

Noisily Stage Friday

The Warm Up Crew

Gus Emmett, Jorge Martins and Aidan Doherty – Having seen these guys for the first time in 2017, I can honestly say I’ve subsequently had some of the best nights and sunrises at their events in London. If you haven’t experienced the Warm Up this is your chance to indulge in the environment it was born for. Pure love baby.

Extrawelt LIVE

Headline act. Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been engaged in electronic music since the beginning of the ’90s. Their breakthrough as Extrawelt came in 2005. James Holden released the first Extrawelt single on his label Border Community, kicking off a matchless wave of success that lasts until today. The readers of the two most renowned magazines for electronic music in Germany, ‘Groove’ and ‘Raveline’ voted their album “Schöne Neue Extrawelt” Best Album 2008. Besides that, they also have been voted Best Live Act 2008 in ‘Groove’ magazine. Their second, third and fourth album were released on Cocoon Recordings and were just as highly acclaimed as their debut. Check out the fourth album ‘Unknown’ here.

Noisily Stage Saturday

System 7

Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy formed System 7 in 1989 and have collaborated with many dance music pioneers over the years including A Guy Called Gerald, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Craig, Laurent Garnier, Derrick May and Richie Hawtin. Steve Hillage oversaw creation of the first official dance music stage at Glastonbury, the Glade stage, a pinnacle moment in history. The live performance I saw at Noisily in 2017 blew me away and was one of the most unique sonic experiences I’ve had in my life. Don’t take my word for it, go see the ambient techno masters at work for yourself. Have you ever heard psychedelic music with a glissando guitar? For the more dancefloor oriented check out this 20 minute monster…

Township Rebellion

Techno dancefloor romance at its best. Can’t wait to hear their set echoing through Coney woods at night, perfection.

I could keep going on about the other amazing acts at the Noisily stage, as that’s where my heart’s at and where you’ll find me stomping away most of the weekend, but if there’s one thing about Noisily I want to get across to you, it’s the true musical variety on offer so other honourable mentions…

Treehouse Stage Sunday

Mad Professor

He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and has collaborated with reggae artists such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly and Robbie, Pato Banton, Jah Shaka and Horace Andy, as well as artists outside the realm of traditional reggae and dub, such as Sade, Massive Attack, The Orb and Grace Jones. Get your day started right on Sunday. Essential medicine after 2 heavy nights at Noisily. Check out the first instalment of his renowned Dub Me Crazy series from 1982 here.

S.P.Y

No-one does drum n bass like S.P.Y. Takes me back 10 years to some of my earlier raving days. Who remembers ‘All Yours?’ Could it be you…Frisson, even to this day.

LTJ Bukem & Dynamite MC

The man who took the drum and bass concept from a small venue off London’s Charing Cross Road to the nation’s superclubs and then onto the international stage? Immortalised in the scene forever. The legend returns to close off the Treehouse stage at Noisily festival!

There’s a new stage this year and its name is NOOK. Embodying a new dimension of sacred sounds and ritual beats to satisfy the native, barefoot dancer within us all. Sign me up!

There is truly something for everyone at Noisily, whether you want to heal yourself through a Kambo ceremony, unblock stagnated chi through acupuncture, start the day with vinyasa yoga, watch Dark Side of the Moon in The Cosmodrome, be amazed by the aerial and fire shows at The Pagoda, get your hands messy making clay statues, get lifted in a hot tub or partake in a feast in the woods. Pick your weapon and shoot to kill baby!!!

There are less than 50 tickets left Noisily Festival 2019, you can grab them here

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The UK is an industrious country and a festival hub, but despite being two of the islands defining characteristics, it is extremely rare that the two worlds collide. It has always seemed odd to me that industrial spaces have failed to make it out of the realm of the club and free party scene and onto the festival circuit. Mainland Europe is a different story altogether. A brief exploration of the Netherlands and Germany alone reveals a huge variety of sites that step away from the traditional field and foliage for a different approach. Factories, airfields, oil rigs, bunkers and powerplants galore, Europe has a penchant for utilising industrial space and I think it is something the UK is crying out for. Then along came Bluedot, set in the grounds of Jodrell Bank (an observatory site owned by the University of Manchester). The site is a home of space exploration and served as a whole new concept for what a festival can be. The Lovell Telescope is the dominating feature and an absolute marvel of engineering, a talisman of sorts for the industrious nature of the Mancunian North. If you haven’t had the joy of seeing it up close then the pictures will have to try to do it justice. This thing is an absolute beast and genuinely makes you feel rather taken aback as you approach the site through the fields of Cheshire. Upon arrival, it becomes immediately apparent that the telescope isn’t the only thing that makes this site special. Although it is spread throughout the forests and fields there are an array of other dishes, light and sound installations and so much more. An absolutely huge globe sits floating amongst the trees in the forest, lit and slowly rotating, there is a steampunk style fire area full of strange and bizarre fire-breathing contraptions and everywhere you turn there is something that catches the eye. Perhaps most importantly this is a weekend of education and learning with science at the core. With various discussions and lectures on the universe, our place within in it, sustainability and much more all in the midst of a serious musical line up. Whilst I dabbled in some of the educational sides, it was my job to explore the musical elements and certainly didn’t shy away from the task at hand…

The crowd were a serious curveball. I had been expecting a healthy mix of punters here to party and then families here to entertain their kids, sit around in the sun and learn a thing or two about the universe. All in all, this was a pretty fair assessment. What I was not expecting was the kind of families that turned up… if I’m being honest my worry was that this would feel like a family day out, an excuse to go and do something to entertain the kids and that a lot of the music, particularly the electronic side of things would largely fall on deaf or disinterested ears. How wrong had I been?! This was the realm of ‘the old party dad’ and the ‘let’s have it mum’. This was an introduction and a lesson into mum and dads world and if anything they were going just as hard (if not harder) than all the rest of us!

The opening concert on the Thursday was absolutely incredible. As everyone sat in wait for the big show, the unassuming and brilliant Laura Misch took to centre stage. Using live loops, drum pads, mike and sax, Laura intertwines, layers and entertains with a sweet confidence that won over everyone that sat to listen. As the beautiful tones of Laura’s sax ebbed away and the sun dipped behind the clouds, we applauded the arrival of Blue Planet & The Halle Orchestra. This was an experience. As a big fan of the programme, I had some idea of what was to come… the deep, some beautiful, colourful fish backed by a string section and some uplifting horns to set the tone for a nice family friendly weekend right? I think not. Although there were some friendly and sweet moments to the performance a lot of it was absolutely brutal! As the fairly middle-class crowd sat around on their picnic blankets with their children enjoying a nice sunset, The Halle Orchestra played the ominous soundtrack to some of the most epic and terrifying scenes ever captured at sea – with a huge dominance of Killer Wales. The most traumatic scene was undoubtedly the killer wales targeting another wales child, as they slowly attacked them both over about a 10 minute period and eventually drowned the young with the parent left to continue her journey alone. There was children crying everywhere around me and everyone was locked to the screen with an open jaw and wide eyes. It was brilliant and the soundtrack was deep and haunting despite its dark nature. That being said it did feel rather odd to be sat casually watching the brutal death of some of the planet’s most magnificent animals whilst we all enjoyed some classical music and drinks on the lawn – it all felt a little Hunger Games… Right from the off I decided there and then that you couldn’t second guess this festival whatsoever and that the old phrase ‘to assume it to make an ass of you and me’ had never been more appropriate.

Whoever was behind the bookings this year had a really interesting agenda and it was novel to see a list of names that were not to be found at every other event this summer. Mad Professor surprised the dub fans and came out with a hard, new school jungle set that got things moving nicely for Roni Size (performing New Forms Live). Much of the sound on site up till this point had been fairly tame and this wet the whistle nicely for the party to come. Ana Matronic (of the Scissor Sisters) then played a DJ set in a tribal funktronica style with a hard 4×4 set up and a sinister balaeric undertone. Eventually came the Roni Size experience. What had previously been a fairly vague space had been transformed with visuals on a huge screen in front of the booth. The set went hard and deep from the off as expected, with a live video of a double bass (perhaps Roni’s signature instrument sample) being played continuously throughout the set in time to the music. The effect was mesmerising and the energy was flowing full force.

The Flaming Lips are one of those bands that you really just don’t understand until you see them live. If they were to come on the radio I don’t know if I’d listen to them or not if I’m honest. That being said these guys put on a show and I will never in my life forget stumbling out of a dance tent to see a giant pink inflatable robot taking up the entire main stage, spitting gigantic multi-coloured bouncy balls out of its face and into the crowd. Within seconds there were hundreds of them floating slowly through the air until they reached the eager hands and fists of the crowd to send them back into orbit. It was one of the most amazing and bizarre festival sights I have ever come across.

Speakman Sound were a very apt booking for this futuristic space festival as they stepped on stage in their silver geometric masks. With a powerful, energetic drummer and a serious synth set up with mini Moog and keys galore – these guys took us from tribal house, through garage and trance and almost made you feel like you’d stepped into a club in a Ridley Scott tale. There were elements of Moderat and Thom Yorke in the performance and it seemed like the two have a rich and intriguing musical background that I am very keen to learn more about.

Spacecassette kept things rather weird and laid on a crazy interactive show. After an alien-esque opening announcement we were introduced to ninjas on keys and drums – apes were dancing around to big synth lines and hypnotic trance lines pumped through the tent in what felt like a really strange dream.

Crazy P were undoubtedly the highlight live set of the weekend and seemed to have the biggest impact on the dancing shoes at the main stage. Live disco bands of this sort are few and far between these days but these guys have been pushing the sound and arguably leading the UK disco revival since 1997! When you listen to their distinct brand of future disco it is easy to forget that they’ve been doing this for so long, it’s almost like the more they release the more relevant and integral they become. Perhaps the biggest clue comes from the band’s ability to weave genres and influences quite so elegantly – as this time the crew danced the careful balance between tough deep and soulful funk, inclings of acid house and bigger hard-hitting 4×4 tunes all with a soft disco vocal melody. Danielle Moore, the Mancunian front lady, was classy as hell and relished the opportunity to entertain the home crowd. An absolute stormer of a performance all around.

Keeping things homegrown the Mancunians continued to impress, as what was arguably the best DJ set of the weekend came from Kerouac (LOVE DOSE/ Reform Radio). With a backdrop of old-school Playstation 1/early windows media style graphics, the reserved character started with rolling deep house with nice delayed snares and clicks and through into wonky slow techno and downtempo Arabic influenced house. People were seriously getting down and the energy and mood was all round infectious.

The Chemical Brothers did what they do best and put on a proper party with the most interesting and experimental use of the lighting rig we had seen all weekend. As an assault of green lazers came out with a giant evil looking white zombie king on the screen, we were all reminded why the duo has been around for so long. Serious business. Although things eventually drifted a little too far into T4 on the beach, the set was a nice throwback and an apt way to send things off with a bang on the last day.

As I walk home through the forest to the campsite and catch sight of another huge satellite dish poking through the trees, I can’t help but feel like I am at a party at a rebel alliance hideout or another planet that some lucky few have been taken to. But this is not the case, we are on earth, we are on the pale blue dot and what a place it is!

 www.oneeyein.com

The post Reviewed: Bluedot Festival 2018 appeared first on Data Transmission.

Deep in the fields of Cheshire, lies a giant artefact, set on understanding and observing the marvels of the universe. The Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank spends most of the year as an instrument of exploration and a catalyst for intrigue. There’s one weekend a year, 19th – 22nd July, that this tool of science takes on a new role. The overseer. The hub. The talisman for a party like no other. Welcome to Bluedot.

This is an event where you choose your own path. Stargaze with astronomers. Learn from leading scholars. Get lost in the Luminarium – an immersive celebration of light and geometry. Science, discovery and learning are at the heart of the Bluedot experience but most importantly for us, all this lies on a foundation of seriously good music.

The line up reveals a carefully selected group of artists that lay the groundwork for a very special weekend. The Chemical Brothers, Little Dragon, Public Service Broadcasting, Roni Size (New Forms live set), Craig Charles, Joy Orbison, Mad Professor… the list is long and hefty and to call it eclectic is an understatement and a disservice.

In an era of political divisiveness and environmental uncertainty, Bluedot aims to cultivate a unifying celebration for citizens of the world.  Its message is loud and clear: ‘look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.’ (Carl Sagan, 1934—1996).

It’s safe to say we’re a little bit excited – you should be too.

Get tickets here

The post Bluedot Festival is back for 3rd year appeared first on Data Transmission.

Moovin Festival is back once again in 2017 across the Bank Holiday in August 25th, 26th, 27th and promises to be another boutique bass, funk, soul, reggae, house, jazz, and d&b gathering at the eco-friendly Whitebotham farm in the stunning countryside in Compstall.

Around the site you will find a magical canopy of trees, past a lake with waterfowl greeting you, and a breathtaking gorge welcoming you at the entrance. Whilst the line ups are big the capacity for it all is limited at 3500 so as the promoters feel that by keeping it intimate is what makes the festival so special it keeps it friendly and personal and stages include the Barn Stage, a large open sided cow shed with bales of hay to relax and chill on, as well as sound systems throughout the site that are guaranteed to knock your festival wellies off.

Lineup wise you have Roy Ayers, Black Grape, Roni Size Live, Giles Peterson, Mr Scruff, 808 State, Crazy P, Greg Wilson, Jazzanova DJ Set, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Mad Professor, Freestylers, The Mouse Outfit, Riot Jazz, Mike Pickering, Graeme Park, Steve Mac, Shades Of Rhythm, Oli Furness, DJ Paulette and many more.

As well as these main headliners—, you can except a tasteful and diverse array of quirky bands, local talents, drumming outfits, deep digging DJs from across the musical spectrum as well as some as yet secret surprises that will finish the whole festival off in style.

Ticket sales by Skiddle Promotion Centre

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