Once again the bank holiday has passed and I'm reflecting on the delights of Festibelly, the intimate 3,000 capacity festival in the New Forest, that I compere every year. 

And the verdict is, that it just gets better and better every year. And it was ruddy excellent last year!
 
Several people said to me Festibelly this year felt like a hippy commune, lots of happy people everywhere having a good time.  I think that's always been the case.  There aren't queues, it feels safe, it takes about a minute to get back to your tent to re-fuel, anything goes and the crowd were fully off, having it, from the Reggae Roast DJs at about 4pm! DJ Oneman and T.E.E.D then kept the energy up on the main stage throughout the evening, to say the least. 

There were so many highlights this year with bands gracing the Terrapin Station and Le Disco having a full line-up of DJs.  There was a lot I didn't manage to see so from what I did, I've narrowed it down to my seven favourites, so here we go...

Headliners London dance-punk band New Young Pony Club of course, were a really good fit topping the bill playing hits like Ice Cream, We Want To and The Bomb.  Tahita Bulmer is such a great frontwoman and they have their live show dooown, so they definitely get a shout out!

Mercury Prize-nominated experimental hip-hop artist Ghostpoet absolutely smashed it on the main stage.  It was epic. It was emotional. Loved it. This is Liiines.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs played a monster electronic set before New Young Pony Club. He had two dinosaurette dancers on either side, who had some serious moves let me tell you! It was one big rave up. 

T.E.E.D's new single Garden is out in October 3rd, his second single on Polydor.  We can expect a full debut album early next year.

Gutted to say I missed Dimbleby and Capper's performance at the Terrapin Station because I was busy with main stage duties but I heard very good things.  She also popped in to the Amazing Radio tent to do this session. Check out more recent live tracks recorded at the Blank Studios here. The new single Educated fully blew me away.

Ahhh the lovely Kyla La Grange.  One of the earlier billings on the main stage people gathered as they heard her siren call.  She played a rousing set of tracks that will be on her imminent debut album.  The singles Been Better and Walk Through Walls left a lasting impression as well as the new double A-side songs, out on October 17th, Heavy Stone and Lambs.

It might have been showering some rain droplets on us at this point but Hollie Cook certainly put a little bit of sunshine into our lives at Festibelly this year with her dub reggae sounds and psychedelic melodies.  She's the daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and looks set for big things.  When I spoke to her afterwards, it was a surprise to me that she hasn't played live much with the band because it was a slick performance and very engaging.   

Lastly, it was traditional cotton-eyed Joe style knees up fun from this lot, Skinny Lister.  When they played on the main stage they had a gaggle of girls in paisley dresses, one even with what can only be describes as a part tankard, part jug of rum (I think was the drink of choice) to feed the crowd!  Here they are minus the naughty side-kicks doing a session in the Amazing Radio tent.

Watch this space for my interviews in this taxi below with Kyla La Grange, Hollie Cook and James Yuill.  The latter two were also on the bill.

FESTIBELLY OFFICIAL SITE

A new week comes a new Track of the Week on Amazing Breakfast. 

Really loving this beaut from Minneapolis band Dark Dark Dark.

It's off their latest album Wild Go, which is out now.

It’s that time of year again.  FESTIBELLY 2011 is happening this Saturday 27th August in the New Forest’s Lymington.

Around 3,000 attendees will be soaking up the atmosphere at this grassroots bash, getting merry, watching some cool music and eating some good nosh.

It started out as my friend’s 21st Birthday party and now you can expect a fully-fledged festival, with dance-punk indie band New Young Pony Club topping the bill.  Other favourites include the Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet, Oneman, Kyla La Grange, Dimbleby and Capper and This Is The Kit.

They take the mantle from some of last year’s acts The Big Pink, Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit and Radio One DJ and Bestival mastermind Rob Da Bank.

I’ve hosted the Main Stage, introducing the bands and chatting all sorts on the mic, since its first year.  I have to say, around 500 people, not a frightening prospect. Well now…ahem, 3,000. Egad!

But I’m just a very small cog in the big wheel that is Festibelly and it’s not just about the music either.  There is a Massive in China tent, in which you will be able to catch comedians and circus performers.  Start-up street wear fashion label Mrs Wilberforce is there selling a limited edition collaboration Festibelly-Wilberforce t-shirt and dishing out awesome especially designed There’s live poetry and painting, an acoustic stage, a silent rave in ‘Le Disco’, which will go OFF post-headliner I can assure you. Even Howard Marks, the famous drug smuggler who penned Mr Nice, is dropping in for a Q & A sesh.

In addition, this year for the first year, national DAB and online radio station Amazing Radio, on which I do Breakfast, will be broadcasting live shows from the event.  We’re going to be down there in full force doing a load of filmed interviews, live sessions and providing extensive coverage.

Tickets are just £35 quid for the day and night and to give you an idea of what it’s like….this video says it all.  Hope to see you there! X

All Festibelly details are here at the official site.

For this week's Track of the Week on Amazing Breakfast I fancied something a bit different.

This song literally envelops you in sound. If music were all different sorts of duvets – this one would be a nice feathery goose down!

It's a bit of Philly psyche-folk from The War On Drugs' debut album Slave Ambient.

It was released on the 15th August in the UK via Secretly Canadian and they've made this one Come To The City available as a free download.

They've got no upcoming shows at the moment but hopefully they'll come back to the UK soon.

Hear it on the show every day between 7-10am this week.

In the meantime I recommend you check out Baby Missiles, another by them. Some big-time Springsteen vibes in it, a dash of Arcade Fire and a whole lot more. 

I made this for BBC 6 Music News today.

In it we look ahead to the Complete Mercurys with Everything Everything, The Old Grey Whistle Test's 40th anniversary is to be celebrated with a new series, Phil Spector is denied murder appeal and Google launches a new music service.

It's plain fact that Little Dragon are one of THE hottest bands around at the moment. 

Hailing from Sweeden, they are fronted by the super cool Yukimi, who collaborated with Damon Albarn on Gorillaz last album Plastic Beach.

As if it wasn't enough her giving us Wildfire, the song on SBTRKT's recent self-titled debut.

Around the same time we were graced with Little Dragon's ace new record Ritual Union, and now two now-household dance names Tensake and Maya Jane Coles have put their hands pon de remix of the title track.

These are the fruits and let me tell you they are very juicy indeed!

In today's music news podcast compiled by yours truly:

Special Mercury Prize programmes begin on 6 Music with a taster from the first with Jon Jopkins and King Creosote, Nitin Sawhney discusses his new album Last Days of Meaning, Zola Jesus gears up to the release of her third record, Empire of the Sun begin working together again and Washed Out enjoys touring the UK.

We have a new Artist of the Week on Amazing Breakfast.

They go by the name of My Tiger My Timing.

After doing really well in the Glastonbury emerging talent competition they opened the John Peel tent on the Sunday of Glastonbury. Win.

I caught up with lovely Anna the singer (pictured above).  She dropped by Amazing Towers London and we had a great chat all about that imminent debut album which they are putting together at the moment, whilst holding down day jobs.  Big props to them for keeping things D.I.Y.

Will post the listen again when it's up. In the meantime check out one of their early singles, which was a Track of the Week, This Is Not The Fire, and their new single Endless Summer, which is out now.

A brand new week means a new Track of the Week on Amazing Breakfast.  

This is one that was sent my way from a friend who is well up on her new music. She has started managing this trio of gals Novella.  This is the first single, The Things You Do, with a B-side called Oh Brian. 

The word is we can expect more new music from them in the coming months, certainly a new single, but for now, this will very much do.

See what you think...

Back on Amazing Radio tomorrow with another week of Amazing Breakfast after a week off to go galavanting around the Spanish mountains, playing epic games of Marco Polo and Who's In The Bag! 

With the new week comes a brand new Artist of the Week and in the spotlight is a band I've known about for some time. They are based in London and have released their debut via One Little Indian, a label which has signed them up for another two records, one of which they are currently working on.

Hear from Gareth and James from the band all about what will be the follow-up to Until Spring on Wednesday morning between 9-10am and check out a couple of their videos to see what a talented bunch they are.