March 28, 2024

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Music Festival Still Stemming Tide of Digital Music Takeover

Oompah Brass play at 2013 Looe Music Festival
Oompah Brass play at 2013 Looe Music Festival

The dance areas at Glastonbury Festival were rammed this year, with DJs and producers from Sasha, Fatboy Slim, Above and Beyond, David Morales and many more performing to packed out audiences.

Meanwhile, the upcoming Looe Music Festival, which runs from 19-21st September, still celebrates music from live instruments. 90 acts will perform over the weekend, busking in the streets of the town and in the two main ticketed areas. Many acts perform on the street in between their main stage appearances to win new fans.

Arrangement

Whereas bands with the classic drums, bass, guitars, vocals and maybe keyboards line-up can sound restricted in terms of song arrangement, the line-up at Looe sees no such limitation in style, genre or instrumentation. There seems to be a celebration of music from different ages, origins, cultures and genres to give any but the purely EDM music lover something to enjoy.

RSVP performed at 2012 Port Eliot Festival and are playing this year in Looe
RSVP performed at 2012 Port Eliot Festival and are playing this year in Looe

The weekend ticket price is very reasonable compared to many festivals.

Nip to this link for tickets: Looe Music Festival. For comfy camping and transport to and fro to the festival try Tregoad Park

However, live bands have taken to incorporating DJs into their arrangements, adding digital sound to complete a definitive live production of their music and to keep with contemporary beats and sounds.

Live acts range from RSVP, well known for getting western audiences all dancing bhangra in unison at festivals, Oompah Brass; dressed in lederhosen as they rearrange current pop hits from a wide selection of brass instruments, sea shanties from the Oggymen, acoustic singer songwriters such as Jessica McEvoy, funk and soul from Falmouth Soul Sensation and Kernow Samba (self explanatory).

Growing Success

A steampunk band Tankus the Henge also appeared at Glastonbury and return to Looe this year higher up the bill in light of their growing success.

New Devon outfit Cosmo Jarvis fit in with contemporary pop rock bands such as OneRepublic and Timeflies with a mixture of wit, digital music and live instruments.

Headliners are The Brand New Heavies, Squeeze and Frank Turner.

Here are some of these in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU29rvGfR7Q