This morning, our very own Lord of the Dance, Mr
Rob da Bank, announced the first acts for
Bestival 2011 live on Twitter - and what a
pant-whetting, eyeball-popping, head-spinning collection of brilliant bands and incredible DJs they were!
Topping the bill, and playing the year's only European live performance, is
The Cure.
"I’ve spent the last twenty years of my life listening to them and the last five attempting to persuade Robert Smith and the crew to hop on a ferry to our magical Isle," says Rob. "I'm still not sure what we've done right but I'm overjoyed that they are coming as Saturday night headliners.
Few bands have had such a massive impact on my life (and hairstyles) so I’ll see you down the front!"
The gothic pop legends' unique brand of anthemic angst will be nicely offset by the sunshine vibes of 68-year-old Beach Boy
Brian Wilson, and
Primal Scream, who'll be performing their rave-era masterpiece
Screamadelica in its trippy, life-affirming entirety.
Swedish pop icon
Robyn will bring her sky-scraping electronic balladry to Bestival, which we're pretty excited about, and
Magnetic Man (Skream, Benga, Artwork) will be on hand to do their stadium-friendly dubstep thing.
DJ Shadow, who is expected to release a new album next year, will play live, as will
Crystal Castles and the mighty
LFO.
Diplo, Pantha Du Prince and Syrian superstar
Omar Souleyman are among many other highlights.
65DaysofStatic are billed as performing a live film score; Katy B, Carte Blanche,
Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain, Grandmaster Flash,
David Rodigan, 2 Bears, Cranes, Boys Noize, A Trak and Norman Jay complete the first round of confirmed acts.
"This year felt like a landmark year for
Bestival," said Rob. "There's no avoiding the fact that we've become a large festival but I still feel we're more intimate than any of the other shows our size and, crucially, we're 100% independent. That means we book who we want to book, choose all the food stalls and traders ourselves and listen to our messageboards and fans 365 days a year to make sure we keep Bestival the best.
"Things we're focussing on for
Bestival 2011 are keeping Besti as the place to see new bands, making the campsites much more of a community with better roadways to clear litter and make finding your tent easier, we're also starting to put stages at the other end of the site so it’s not just one long tunnel of stages. Hope you can make it in 2011!"
Early bird tix available here folks!
Merry Xmas Bestivalites! Hopefully you've now digested your entire body weight in chipolatas and roast veg, so what better way to ease your way into Boxing Day than to kick back with the gift of music courtesy of our very own Father Christmas, snr Rob da Bank...
