Beachdown Festival Lineup Confirmed

GRACE JONES, OCEAN COLOUR SCENE & IDA MARIA
CONFIRMED FOR BEACHDOWN 2009!

We are excited to exclusively reveal more headliners for Beachdown Festival 2009, which returns to its beautiful location overlooking the sea on the picturesque South Downs this August bank holiday weekend!  

Joining the fabulous GRACE JONES, indie-rock luminaries OCEAN COLOUR SCENE and Icelandic pop queen IDA MARIA on this year’s festival line-up are those wonderful welsh psychedelic rockers the SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, Liverpudlian indie-rockers THE ZUTONS, institutional indie-pop darlings SAINT ETIENNE, post-punkers THE FALL and hip hop hero GRANDMASTER FLASH.

The following bands are also confirmed for this year’s event: JAMES HUNTER, JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET, DREADZONE, THE BLOCKHEADS, SECRET AFFAIR, THE RAKES, THE SUNBURST BAND, ACID HOUSE BRASS BAND by the Williams Fairey Brass Ensemble, THE APPLES, NOSTALGIA 77 OCTET, LACK OF AFRO, SNOWBOY & THE LATIN SECTION, HOSPITALITY, THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS, JAZZ COTECH DANCERS, THE FANTASTICS!, PRINCE BUSTER, GOOD TIMES with NORMAN JAY, JOEY NEGRO, HIGH CONTRAST, GILLES PETERSON, MULATU ASTATKE, THE HELIOCENTRICS, JAZZANOVA, ROB LUIS & KINNY and TRU THOUGHTS.

Beachdown is also thrilled to confirm two more major sponsorship deals with with Kopparberg and Makers Mark.

Kopparberg is one of the UK’s leading cider brands, Kopparberg Ciders are genuine imports from our brewery in the town of the same name in central Sweden.  Offering a range of different tastes, Kopparberg is a slightly sweeter alternative to the more traditional cider brands.  For more information, please visit www.kopparberguk.com

Maker's Mark is a handcrafted, small-batch bourbon whisky distilled in Loretto, Kentucky. Emphasising quality over volume production, Maker's Mark is formed from a smoother recipe of bourbon founded by the Samuels family in the 1950s, using barley and wheat instead of rye. Now headed up by Bill Samuels Jr, a seventh generation Kentucky distiller, the distillery continues to create the world-renowned bourbon whisky according to this recipe, sealed in iconic hand-dipped bottles dripping in crimson wax.

As previously announced, we are thrilled to have Sagres, a cerveja de Lisboa as our headline sponsor.  Sagres is bringing some of it’s Lisbon sunshine, heritage and good-time vibe to the Beachdown Festival. The fact that it is brewed 100% naturally and has an authentic great taste helps makes it a natural partnership.  You’ll discover this for yourself when you join us for a drink as the music plays and the sun sets.  Until then, learn more about our favourite beer at www.sagresbeer.com.

Continuing the Brazilian theme, Favela Chic will be taking up a 4-day residency in its own purpose-built and designed arena complete with a full Latin artist and DJ line-up.  For those who aren’t familiar, Favela Chic is the self professed brainchild of a Franco-Brazilian marriage with recent English adoptions, it is a bar, restaurant, club, carnivale, an East End knees up, a bordello and none of the above!   Favela Chic is three years young in London and twelve years old in Paris, it has a Brazilian cuisine, a French style and a London attitude.

Beachdown Festival, which saw 10,000 people descend on the South Downs last August, aims to be as carbon neutral as possible and was nominated for 2 Awards at the 2008 UK Festival Awards (Best New Festival and Best Innovation).  It has a seven-year contract with the landowner making Beachdown a regular annual event in the festival goer’s diary! 

Beachdown Festival 2009 will see the return of The Big Lemon Bus!  The buses, which are run on 100% recycled cooking oil, will shuttle festival goers between the city of Brighton and the festival site throughout the day and night, thus making it easy for locals or those who prefer to shack up in a warm hotel at the end of each day to get to and from the site without the hassle of parking or staying T-total!

Following on from last year, the food stalls on site will again offer locally sourced and organic menus, many of which will be offered by local brand name restaurants including Due South, Maughermans Deli and Indian Summer.

Following on from the success of last years’ inaugural event, Beachdown Festival is continuing its promise to support local talent and has already booked a strong line up of new and emerging Brighton acts.

Already confirmed for the Brighton Stage are funk favourites Mean Poppa Lean, minimalist punk-folk trio Drookit Dogs, bluesy post-punkers Sweet Sweet Lies, hotly-tipped popsters Gloria Cycles, sleazy rock ‘n’ rollers The Perils and NME flirts 4 or 5 magicians.   Other exciting local artists confirmed are Saw Gang Buzz, The Beautiful Word, Portslade, Los Albertos, Ocean Reid, Chris Simmons, Seeker, Two Spot Gobi, Cordelia Fellowes’s Gypsy Squat pop Project and reggae act Rebel Control whose set last year was a Friday night highlight.

Here’s what the press had to say about Beachdown Festival 2008:

‘This festival has potential as big as its site.’ – The Observer

‘Beachdown has the potential to grow into a firm favourite on the music scene.’ – The Sun

‘...definitely one to watch... It has the potential to rival larger national festivals in reputation.’ – New Consumer

‘Beachdown boasted a mightily impressive and eclectic line-up... I (will) be returning to this magical piece of the South Downs for Beachdown 2009.’ – Virtual Festivals

‘Coming complete with an ocean view from your tent, it’s hard to argue with Beachdown’s claim of being the UK’s most laid-back festival.’ – Artrocker

‘The foundations are laid for a great addition to the festival calendar.’ – Latest 7

‘Beachdown is well on track to rival the big boys of Reading and Glastonbury as the festival to be seen at.’ – Sussex Express

Tickets are priced at £97.50 (children under 2 go free) and are available from www.beachdownfestival.com