Nozstock: The Hidden Valley

Last updated

Nozstock The Hidden Valley
GenreAcoustic, alt country, Americana, blues, burlesque, cabaret, cinema, comedy, drum 'n' bass, dub, dubstep, electro, folk, house, indie, psytrance, reggae, rock, ska, theatre
Dates20-23 July 2023
Location(s)Bromyard, Herefordshire
Years active1998–present
Website www.nozstock.com

Nozstock The Hidden Valley is an annual boutique independent music festival in England, hosting ten stages of live music and acoustic stages, DJ stages, a hip-hop stage, a psytrance stage, one theatre and cabaret tent, one comedy tent which becomes an electro swing speakeasy after dark, a cinema tent, as well as a roaming spoken word tent and circus, fire and performance walkabout acts. It is hosted at Rowden Paddocks Farm near Bromyard, Herefordshire, and takes place towards the end of July.

Contents

Nozstock The Hidden Valley is a member of the Association of Independent Festivals. Since being founded in 1998 as a barbecue at the home of the Nosworthy family, who are long-term residents of Bromyard in Herefordshire, it has grown with volunteer assistance, from friends, family and members of the public, to its current capacity of 5000. [1]

Despite the festival's success, co-founder Ella Nosworthy said in July 2019 they have no plans to expand the festival beyond its current capacity, in order to keep with the principles which have guided the festival to date. [2]

Nozstock has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 edition, as well as other British music festivals, was cancelled due to the lack of a government insurance scheme for live events. [3]

2023 Lineup

2023's line-up includes Fat Freddy's Drop, The Wailers, Shy FX, David Rodigan, General Levy, DJ Marky + GQ, Hospitality presents...S.P.Y ft Lowqui, Leeroy Thornhill, Eva Lazarus, Gardna, Beans on Toast, Mefjus ft. Maksim and many more.

2019 Lineup

Noztock The Hidden Valley always has a varied line-up, with acts from an eclectic range of genres. 2019's line-up included Rudimental, Soul II Soul, Sleaford Mods, The Skatalites, David Rodigan, Reginald D. Hunter, Hollie Cook, Prince Fatty & Horseman, Kings of the Rollers, Turno, Randall, Danny Byrd, Ed Solo, Oh My God! It's The Church, Elvana and many more. [4]

Past Performers

Previous lineups have included Chase & Status, Goldfrapp, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Marky, De La Soul (who replaced Wu-Tang Clan at short notice), Jurassic 5, Imelda May, Foreign Beggars, Gentleman's Dub Club, Goldie, Seasick Steve, Friction, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Beardyman, Congo Natty, Fuse ODG, Hollie Cook, Ed Solo, Dynamite MC, London Elektricity, Beans On Toast, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, Molotov Jukebox, Disco Panther, The Electric Swing Circus, Roots Manuva, Jake Bugg, DJ Yoda, Craig Charles, Fun Lovin' Criminals, James Zabiela The Scratch Perverts, The Strypes, Two Door Cinema Club, Chas & Dave, Dub Pistols, the Blockheads with Phill Jupitus, Krafty Kuts, Jack Beats, Caspa, Rusko, Andy C, the Stanton Warriors, Sub Focus, High Contrast, Sonny Wharton, Eddy Temple Morris, Ben Howard, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, The Skints. Sonic Boom Six, The Mouse Outfit feat Dr. Syntax and Sparkz, the Buzzcocks, The Beat, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, Pete & the Pirates, Gabby Young & Other Animals, Pulled Apart By Horses, the Joy Formidable, The Wurzels, The Proclaimers Hayseed Dixie, [Rodigan], [Prince Fatty and Horseman], Rudimental, DJ Turno

The comedy stage has hosted names such as Reginald D. Hunter, Seann Walsh, Russell Howard, Henning Wehn, Richard Herring, Howard Marks, Josh Widdicombe, Cardinal Burns, Phil Kay, The Rubberbandits, Brendan Burns, Devvo, Charlie Chuck, Stephen Frost of Whose Line is it Anyway? fame.[ citation needed ]

Stages

The festival is run over ten stages: live music and acoustic stages, DJ stages, a hip-hop stage, a psytrance stage, one theatre and cabaret tent, one comedy tent, a cinema tent, as well as a roaming spoken word tent and circus, fire and performance walkabout acts. Stage descriptions are taken from the Nozstock website.

Orchard Stage

At the heart of the festival site and set in the auditorium of the Orchard is Nozstock’s main stage. Here you can expect to dance your socks off to a bill showcasing homegrown talent, alongside the pick of the national newcomer crop and the best of more established acts. A brilliant mix of bands from all over the world will pick up the pace with rock, indie, ska, hip hop, world percussion and some surprises. [5]

Garden Stage

The Garden Stage hosts a diverse and eclectic brew of bands and DJs providing alternative sounds. This stage spans all genres from throbbing dance, funk, and hip hop, to blues, rock and acoustic musings. At the right time, you might even hear a burst of opera. Ideally situated on the hillside overlooking the Farm’s lake, with the Garden Bar just around the corner, this is the perfect spot to sit in the sun and wet your whistle to beautifully blended guitar riffs, stoking the fires for a late night dance to some filthy electronic beats. [6]

Bandstand

Standing proud at the hilltop of the Dingle is the Bandstand. Hosting a variety of eclectic sounds, its philosophy is to bring diverse, unsigned and experimental acts to the stage. This stage is perfect for those looking for a comfy sofa to chill with a beer, hoping to source new music. Tucked into its own area on the far side of the Dingle, the Bandstand creates an atmosphere all of its own. When Phill Jupitus visited Nozstock : The Hidden Valley, this was said to be his favourite stage. [7]

Cubicles

Pulsing with whompin’ basslines through the night to the wee hours of the morn, Nozstock’s largest dance arena is a converted cowshed run by their musical prodigies, Dex, Octo-pi & Koncept. This dance arena houses deep and dirty drum ‘n’ bass. Cubicles revelers will be treated to the heart shaking bass and breaks of local resident talents alongside some of the most skillful world-renowned turntablists from the DJ establishment. [8]

Coppice

Psytrance stalwarts Tribe of Frog return to Nozstock to bring deep beats into The Coppice all weekend long. Euphoric, luminous and with an incredible attention to detail, this beautiful spot within the festival, run by these tried and trusted promoters with their finger on the pulse of their audience, brings regulars back year after year. [9]

The Altered State

In a post-coup land where citizens have been left to piece together their own rules of engagement, incredible practitioners of theatre, circus and craft work have moved in to make the Altered State the new epicentre of play and surreal expression at Noz. By day expect the unexpected – games, workshops, impromptu paint fights at The Sunken Yard – and by night party on with fire shows, disco tunes and madcap roaming performances. The Altered State is yours for the taking; come and make your mark…

The Laughing Stock

The Laughing Stock is Nozstocks comedy tent, located in the Altered State. Open during the day and evening so pop in and Laughing Stock hosts a mixture stand-up, sketch shows, improv groups and everything surreal and bizarre. Previous years have seen Russell Howard, Phill Jupitus, The Rubberbandits, Devvo, Josh Widdicombe, Cardinal Burns, Stephen Frost and Phil Kay all doing star turns. [10]

Little Wonderland Kids Area

Nozstock we embrace the whole family festival experience: this means you will find great activities and entertainment for all. Our children’s space is a friendly welcoming environment for both parents and littles alike. All are welcome to get creative, be amazed by wondrous stories, sculptures and entertainment, or roll your sleeves up for some physical fun – because we know that engaged minds and fingers mean happy kids, who will leave with a whole heap of things they have made, and magic moments that they will never forget. All events and activities are free of charge in the kids area, we strongly believe families shouldn't foot the bill for festival fun. We even offer a free bottle warming service! [11]

Elephant's Grave

2017 welcomed a brand new area to Nozstock, Elephant’s Grave. Set just below the Garden Bar and adjacent to Lake Shepherd, Elephant’s Grave is a haven for dub and reggae in the daytime and house and techno after dark…. [12] Set

The Cabinet of Lost Secrets

Shortlisted for the AIF Festival Award ‘Most Unique Arena 2015’, The Cabinet of Lost Secrets returns, bringing you a fifth slice of weirdness at Nozstock the Hidden Valley. Surprises, characters and dancing await you in this strange underground lair! Expect the unexpected! Get properly ‘funked up’ with live funk & world rhythms; explore experimental electronica; bathe yourself in unusual performance and pop ups; love our DJ funksters spinning from the caravan, and remember to keep an eye out for the secrets… [13]

The Bullpen

Nozstock’s original dance arena was a former bull pen and working milking parlour. It was converted long ago into an intimate space for musicians and music lovers. The walls shake with the reverberations of dirty bass beats and vibrant party rhythms. On an endless pilgrimage into the vast spectrum of sound, many a ‘Stocker will be seen bouncing to the darkest beats thanks to the magical hands of some super-skilled DJs. Previous hosts staging beastly takeovers include Sika Studios, UK hip hop collective bringing some of the skankiest riddims to the scene, Reggae Roast showing what’s great about good-time, bouncin’ reggae rhythms and The Blast bringing a mixed bag of bassy wonder.

The Sunken Yard

Nestled in the rolling hills of the hidden valley, obscured by a heady cloud of powder paint and dust from dancing feet, stands The Sunken Yard; a world away from reality… After their epic past two years at Noz, these connoisseurs of a good time are back, bigger and better than ever, to take up residency as key players in their new adopted land; and this year, for the first time, they are curating a line-up with some of our favourite promoters from up and down the country.

Wrong Directions Cinetent

Head in the Wrong Directions Cinetent to be entertained, amused, confused and inspired. Open throughout the whole weekend, the Wrong Directions Cinetent is an audio-visual sanctuary for the weary traveller. Re-energise your mind with informative and provocative documentaries; immerse yourself in cinema classics; reset your cultural compass with an array of quality shorts; and be hypnotised by an eclectic selection of experimental works. [14]

Awards and nominations

UK Festival Awards

Related Research Articles

Psychedelic trance, psytrance, or psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full on, darkpsy, forest, minimal (Zenonesque), hitech psy, progressive, suomi, psy-chill, psycore, psybient, psybreaks, or "adapted" tracks from other music genres. Goa trance preceded psytrance; when digital media became more commonly used psytrance evolved. Goa continues to develop alongside the other genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phill Jupitus</span> British comedian

Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on all but one BBC Two-broadcast episode of music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks from its inception in 1996 until 2015, and also appears regularly as a guest on several other panel shows, including QI and BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infected Mushroom</span> Israeli psytrance/electronica duo

Infected Mushroom is an Israeli musical duo formed in Haifa in 1996 by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They produce and perform psytrance, electronica, dream trance and psychedelic music. They are one of the best-selling groups in Israeli music history in terms of both domestic and international sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Area Festival</span> Former North American music festival

The Area Festival was a music festival founded by popular electronic musician Moby, who asserted that he was "in large part, inspired by the ethos of Lollapalooza", and wished to create a similarly "genuinely eclectic, interesting, alternative music festival". Moby organized the first such festival, called Area:One in 2001, and the sequel tour Area2, in 2002. The festival is currently on indefinite hiatus. The festival featured diverse genres of music. Besides headliner Moby, the main stage mostly featured rock and pop acts. The second stage was an air-conditioned tent where electronic, dance and smaller bands performed.

Glade Festival was an electronic dance music festival, founded by Nick Ladd and Ans Guise, which originally started out as Glastonbury Festival's Glade Stage, which was established by Luke Piper and Mark Parsons who also became founding partners in Glade Festival itself. Exeter breakbeat promoter Biff Mitchell also played an important role in the event's development. The annual festival took place for the first time over four days in the summer of 2004, attracting 22,500 people by 2007. The festival's home for the first five years was the Wasing Estate, in Berkshire. In 2009 it was held in Winchester, and in 2011 and 2012 its location was at Houghton Hall in Norfolk. The festival was cancelled in 2013, it did not reappear as was planned in 2014, however the Glade Stage at the main Glastonbury festival continues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZoukOut</span> Dance festival in Singapore

ZoukOut is an annual dance music festival held in Singapore since 2000. One of Asia's biggest music dance festivals, it is organised by Zouk Singapore. DJs that have performed at ZoukOut include Paul Van Dyk, 2ManyDJS, Masters at Work, Gilles Peterson, Richie Hawtin, Sven Väth, Peter Kruder, James Lavelle, Armin Van Buuren and Stereo MC's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yungun</span>

Yungun is a British hip hop artist. He released his debut album The Essance on Janomi Records in 2004. He was born in North London where he currently works and resides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wickerman Festival</span>

The Wickerman Festival was an annual music festival held near Auchencairn in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dubbed "Scotland's Alternative Music festival", its motto was "The Wickerman Festival – it's better than it needs to be!"

WOMAD Charlton Park is the name given to the World of Music Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival held in Charlton Park in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, since 2007. It is the direct successor to WOMAD Reading, which was held in the town of Reading each year from 1990 to 2006, and previous WOMADs elsewhere in England since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Harbour Festival</span>

The Bristol Harbour Festival is a festival held annually in the English city of Bristol, and which the celebrates the city's maritime heritage and the importance of Bristol's docks and harbour. Most of the activities, including live music, street performances, fireworks and a variety of other live entertainments, are held on or near the waterfront of Bristol Harbour. Venues include Queen Square, Lloyds Amphitheatre, Millennium Square and Castle Park, with seagoing vessels moored nearby. The liveliest part of the festival is quayside, but the main attractions are entertainment designed to engage all the communities of Bristol, as well as entertain the thousands of visitors to the city.

The Bestival 2007 was the fourth installment of the Bestival a boutique music festival at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. It was held between 7 and 9 September. Tickets went on general sale on Friday 2 March, around 20,000 have been admitted for general release. Tickets were officially announced as sold out on 12 May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lounge On The Farm</span> Former music festival near Canterbury, England

Lounge On The Farm was a music festival held annually at Merton Farm, Canterbury, Kent, which attracted thousands of visitors each year. Organisers presented it as ‘non-conformist’ and promoted bands and produce from Kent. The event was held in the nine years from 2006 to 2015, before being ‘shelved’. As of 2022, it has yet to return.

The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004 by Steve Jenner and his team at Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the UK Festival Awards website. To ensure fairness, the votes are weighted to take into account the event capacity.

The 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held June 11–14, 2009 at a 700-acre (2.8 km2) farm in Manchester, Tennessee, United States. There were roughly 75,000 people in attendance. The onset of Bonnaroo 2009 was punctuated by monstrous thunderstorms. Thursday night included heavy rain, lightning, strong winds and hail. A lighter storm passed over the farm on Friday. The resulting mud became a hardship for some and a plaything for others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Bonnaroo Music Festival</span>

The 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was held on June 10–13, 2010. The line-up was announced Tuesday, February 9, although the original line-up release date was scheduled for February 2. It was broadcast live on YouTube. Pre-sale tickets went on sale November 27, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovebox Festival</span> Music festival in London, UK

Lovebox is a three-day music festival. In 2018 the event moved to Gunnersbury Park, London. The move came after Tower Hamlets turned down its application to continue in Victoria Park and Lambeth residents objected to its move to Brockwell Park. The 2019 event had a capacity of 50,000.

The Electric Swing Circus are a six-piece electro swing band based in Birmingham, England. The line up features Vicki Olivia (vocals), Fe Salomon (vocals), Tom Hyland (guitar), Rashad Gregory and Patrick Wreford. The Electric Swing Circus formed in June 2011. The band's preview EP, Penniless Optimist, was released in September 2011, and their debut album "Electric Swing Circus" in May 2013. They released their second album "It Flew By" in January 2017. They released their third album "Pleasure Seekers" in March 2022.

Audiotistic Music Festival is a music festival that occurs annually in Northern California at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. Audiotistic is known for sporting a diverse assortment of genres, ranging from rap and hip hop to electronic genres drum & bass and dubstep. Previously, it was held in Southern California, USA, from 1997 to 2003 and from 2009 to 2011, in various venues such as the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino, the L.A. Sports Arena, and the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. However, on July 15, 2017 the festival returned but this time to the Bay Area with two main stages. The festival would continue to expanding by adding an additional day in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival</span>

The 2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival was held June 13–16, 2013 in Manchester, Tennessee and marked the 12th time the festival has been held since its inception in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Kept Secret (festival)</span>

The Best Kept Secret festival is a three-day music festival held inside the Safaripark Beekse Bergen, within the village of Hilvarenbeek, south of the Netherlands, since 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Home page". nozstock.com.
  2. ↑ Tyson, Jade (10 August 2019). "TheFestivals review - Nozstock: The Hidden Valley 2019". TheFestivals. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "Covid insurance worries lead to Nozstock festival cancellation". BBC News. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  4. ↑ "Line up - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  5. ↑ "Orchard Stage - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  6. ↑ "Garden Stage - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  7. ↑ "Bandstand - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  8. ↑ "Cubicles - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  9. ↑ "Coppice - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  10. ↑ "Seann Walsh leads Laughing Stock line up - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  11. ↑ "Little Wonderland Kids Area - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  12. ↑ "Bantam of the Opera - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  13. ↑ "The Velveteen Valley - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
  14. ↑ "Wrong Directions Cinema - Nozstock The Hidden Valley". Nozstock The Hidden Valley.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.