Jeff Mills confirmed for Glade

Techno genius Jeff Mills is to return to Glade Festival this year, following his show-stealing performance of 2008. Other confirmed acts include the headliners Orbital, Tricky and Simian Mobile Disco, as well as Green Velvet (Vapor Stage) and Krafty Kuts & A Skillz (Boomtown).

More in our Glade 2010 lineup list and our Glade lineup news thread in the forum!

Bang Face returning to Glade?

Reports have reached Ravetalk from the BLOC weekender that Autechre, Enduser and KJ Sawka are all confirmed for the Overkill Tent at this year’s Glade Festival.

The report is credible as Overkill, organised by N>E>D, also run a stage at BLOC weekender.

We have also been informed by the same source that Bang Face is to return for a night in the Overkill tent at Glade 2010. However, Bang Face organiser James St Acid was quick to play down this news, saying: “I don’t think we’re at the announce stage yet.”

Orbital to headline Glade 2010

Glade Festival has named dance legends Orbital as the 2010 headliner, along with Simian Mobile Disco and Tricky.

There will also be a limited student ticket offer of £110 (a £25 reduction on the regular ticket price of £135) plus £7.50 booking fees etc. Capacity at the Matterley Bowl venue near Winchester has been raised from 10,000 to 15,000.

Glade creative director Nick Ladd said: “There are lots more big guns to come especially as the Glade Festival line-up has been evolving in the past couple of years to embrace more crossover styles and different flavours. This year, we will definitely taking that a step further with lots of surprises in store.”

He added: “We were really chuffed with the new venue. The late night sound levels were excellent and Matterley Bowl really lends itself well to all the site art installations we are now bringing over from Burning Man. We were dancing outdoors till sunrise… it was epic!”

More discussion in our Glade Festival forum.

Glade Festival 2010 lineup news

Our traditional Glade Festival line-up list is now up and running for 2010. At this early stage, it just consists of a few artists who have confirmed themselves as playing, plus some speculation about some of the bigger names that might play, following Glade director Nick Ladd’s revelation that this year’s headliner would be at least as big a name as last year’s star turn, Underworld.

And don’t forget you can keep up with developments on the forum in our Glade lineup rumours thread.

Leftfield back after 8-year split

Another of the 90s dance legends – Leftfield – have reformed and will be playing a live set at RockNess 2010.

RockNess festival Director Jim King was quoted on STV as saying: “We’ve been trying to get Leftfield to do some shows for years and now it’s actually going to happen. Ask any electronic band who was an inspiration for them and Leftfield will always be listed. I was fortunate to see them live over 10 years ago and if you think The Prodigy are loud then you won’t know what hit you when these guys kick in.”

It is not yet known what other live appearances Leftfield will be playing – but it’s worth bearing in mind that Glade festival organiser Nick Ladd told Ravetalk on 12 January: “Yes, we have already confirmed the main headliner and it’s at least as big a name as last year’s [ Underworld].”

Leftfield are known for playing loud and famously caused dust and plaster to fall from the roof of the Brixton Academy at their 1996 gig, prompting a ban on their sound system from ever returning to the venue.

Black Swan wins licence back

Bristol’s popular alternative music venue, the Black Swan, has won its appeal against closure by the city council’s licensing committee.

The reprieve does have strings attached – the opening hours have been reduced, with all events having to close by 3am. It is thought that the club will appeal against the hours restriction.

Promoter Dan Breakwhore, posting on a Facebook group he set up to fight the closure, said: “After yesterday’s meeting (a long, long one it was) the councilors decided to reopen The Black Swan, ace news I’m sure you’ll agree. Attending was an eye-opener for most involved, myself, the police and the councillors included as we most certainly all came from quite different walks of life. Well done to Sven for speaking from a promoter and a punter’s perspective as without those views being expressed I fear our point of view could well have been excluded.

“Unfortunately, the opening hours have been reduced, the club must close at 3:00 am, though there is probably going to be an appeal against this. Our efforts and support were noted in the meeting several times, we did make a difference, it was taken into account the venue had cultural importance and much love from the local and national community.”

Glade headliner ‘as big as last year’

This just in from Glade Festival director Nick Ladd in Goa: “Yes, we have already confirmed the main headliner [for Glade 2010] and it’s at least as big a name as last year’s [ Underworld]. Other than that we are changing the site around a bit, especially moving the chill away from the boom boom so it’s chilled!”

Fellow Glade director Anselm Guise has added that there will be more Glade news coming out at the end of January.

Bristol mourns its dying Swan

Music fans have been reeling at the closure of the venue at the forefront of Britain’s most cutting-edge music scene – the Black Swan in Bristol.

British provincial cities have long been powerhouses of musical innovation – Liverpool in the 60s and 80s, Manchester in the 70s and 88-93, Sheffield and Glasgow in the 80s and Bristol in the 90s and late ‘noughties’.

But in what appears to have been a deliberate ‘ambush’ by the city council, the Black Swan was closed with immediate effect under the new legislation while the owner was away for Christmas. News has reached Ravetalk that the venue has since lost its second appeal.

Shutting down the Black Swan at the end of 2009 is like closing the Cavern Club in 1963 or the Haçienda in 1989 – it’s as serious as that for underground music. Bristol had built on its earlier trip-hop scene, led by Massive Attack and Portishead, and become a world centre of jungle, drum&bass, IDM, breakcore, dubstep and more, with the Swan at the very hub.

Although the situation is looking grim, People Power could yet save the day. In the same spirit that got Rage Against The Machine to No 1 instead of Simon Cowell’s latest karaoke act, you can make a difference by letting the Bristol councillors know about the Black Swan’s cultural significance and the damage they are doing to the city and music as a whole by shutting it down.

They are: steve.comer@bristol.gov.uk, simon.crew@bristol.gov.uk, fi.hance@bristol.gov.uk, alf.havvock@bristol.gov.uk, brenda.hugill@bristol.gov.uk, jay.jethwa@bristol.gov.uk, tim.kent@bristol.gov.uk, glenise.morgan@bristol.gov.uk, albert.murphy@bristol.gov.uk, guy.poultney@bristol.gov.uk, jenny.smith@bristol.gov.uk, ron.stone@bristol.gov.uk, mary.sykes@bristol.gov.uk, alex.woodman@bristol.gov.uk

Remember to keep it polite and use your own words.