V Festival 2012 - Line-Up

With the highly anticipated V Festival line-up finally announced, will the residents of Chelmsford and festival fans across the country be celebrating another fantastic line-up?

This year’s headliners include The Killers, who last performed at the Hylands Park festival in 2009. The band, fronted by Brandon Flowers, had a great live performance and a set complete with all of their biggest hits, including crowd-favourite ‘Mr Brightside’, which was very much supported by a chorus of tens-of-thousands spectators. With news of a new album on its way for the summer, it’s sure that festival go-ers will be entertained by new tracks, as well as all the classics, for a superb headlining set.

The Stones Roses complete the pair of headliners for the 2012 festival and prove the mass speculation that was held over their appearance. Since the news of the end of their fifteen-year split in October 2011, rumours have circulated the internet that the band would appear at V Festival. With many live shows throughout the summer, it seems only right that they travel to Chelmsford, and to Weston Park in Staffordshire, for the annual V Festival. However, reports of their appearance at the festival have not necessarily been the news that youngsters in Chelmsford have wanted to hear. With the band’s success taking place in the 80s and early 90s, many of the regular festival go-ers may not be familiar with their work. Nevertheless, all other visitors who are aware of the group will be elated at the news and will thoroughly enjoy the sounds of this alternative rock band as the sun sets over Hylands Park in August.

From one reformed group to another, The Happy Mondays will also be appearing at V, following on from the news of their reunion in January this year. The band last attended V in 2007, when they were a last minute replacement for Amy Winehouse. Hopefully the crowds will take to Shaun Ryder’s appearance better this year than they did in 2010, when he was booed off stage after scheduling confusion led to Peter Andre fans believing that the Australian singer was due to appear!

After an electrifying performance at the BRIT Awards last Tuesday, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have also been announced to perform at V Festival. After disbanding from Oasis just a week after they pulled out of 2009’s V Festival, due to brother Liam’s laryngitis, Noel is back, but this time on his own. With a number one album last summer, Noel’s popularity continues. Expectations will be very high for this performance; this is one act on the bill that should not be missed.

When Oasis pulled out in 2009, Irish rockers Snow Patrol were pushed up the line-up to headline the Main Stage on the final night of the festival, with a performance that did not disappoint. Having seen Snow Patrol twice at the festival, I would personally say that they are some of the finest musicians I have seen. Frontman Gary Lightbody has such appreciation and wonder of the crowd in front of him, adding to his charming and endearing stage persona.

Many of the acts who appeared at last year’s V Festival return for a second year, including Tinie Tempah, Example, Olly Murs and Rizzle Kicks – four acts who are sure to pack out crowds of people with their chart-successful tracks. Having seen all four within the past year, I know that their gigs and performances are always complete with masses of energy and exuberance. Perhaps Labrinth, who has also been announced to perform, will collaborate with Tinie Tempah to perform their Number Two hit single ‘Earthquake’.

Joining Olly Murs in bringing the Essex Factor to the festival is Brentwood’s Pixie Lott, who performs yet again, after opening the main stage in 2010.

BRITs favourite Ed Sheeran has been a very much celebrated artist the past year and he is therefore a fantastic addition to the line-up. With thousands of fans, including over 1.5 million followers on Twitter, Ed will attract a very large audience, who will all turn out to watch a sophisticated and stripped-back performance  from one of the most modest and unassuming men in Pop. 

Other BRIT-nominated artists appearing on the bill include rapper, Professor Green, Scottish-songstress, Emeli Sandé, as well as French DJ, David Guetta, who headlined the 4Music stage in 2010, and American rapper, Nicki Minaj.

The fun-factor will be very much applied through performances by Madness and The Proclaimers, who both return once again to the festival. With their notorious songs, these two artists never fail to have the crowd in chorus. Welsh superstar Tom Jones will also appear and with such an abundance of hits, people of all ages will be excited to hear him serenade the crowds with ‘Delilah’, ‘It’s not unusual’ and ‘Sexbomb’.

With many other performers on the bill, including James Morrison, Keane, Maverick Sabre, Noah & The Whale, Nero, Friendly Fires, The Ting Tings, Ben Howard, Miles Kane, as well as many more to be announced, I believe that festival fans across Essex should be rejoicing at how very fortunate we are to have such a top-class music event right on our doorstep. 

A Fantastic Night of Entertainment at the BRIT Awards 2012

Tuesday night saw the biggest artists from the UK, as well as from across the pond, come together to celebrate a fantastic year of music at the BRIT Awards. Not only were the guests at the O2 Arena in London rejoicing in the British talent, but so were the 6.2 million viewers watching at home.

This year has been hugely successful for British artists, who have been producing hit-after-hit not only in the UK, but across the world. Possibly the most successful artist worldwide through 2011 was Adele, whose album ‘21’ topped the chart in 27 countries. It seemed just by all viewers of the ITV awards ceremony that Adele’s record-breaking album should win the show’s cult award ‘Mastercard British Album of the Year’. As the night drew to a close and the prestigious award was announced, the predictions of the public were correct and Adele beat Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, as well as Mercury Music Prize winner PJ Harvey, to the accolade.

Every year at the BRITs, the tradition of controversy is normally upheld, whereby a star will collect an award in a drunken manner and swear, or in the case of Liam Gallagher, throw their award into the crowd. As the ceremony neared its end, the annual controversy reared its ugly head as host, James Corden, was forced to interrupt Adele’s acceptance speech to prevent the night from over-running any further. ITV have had to follow the incident with a formal apology to the songstress, who wished to thank her fans for their continued loyalty.

The preceding awards all ran rather smoothly, with the show beginning with the award for Best British Female, which saw Essex’s very own Jessie J pitted against Florence & The Machine, Kate Bush, last year’s winner Laura Marling, and Adele. Adele was tipped for the top, and beat Romford’s Jessica Cornish to the prize. Jessie, who appeared in a revealing, lacy, red gown, was seen humbly applauding and cheering for the star.

Jessie J was later nominated in the British Breakthrough Artist category, which was won by Ed Sheeran, who seemed to be the most unassuming artist on the bill, performing later in just jeans and a T-Shirt. Ed, who was nominated for the most awards with four, also won Best British Male, taking his BRIT-tally to two in just his first year of the ceremony.

Following on from Jessie’s win in 2011, this year saw the Critics Choice award given to upcoming Scottish singer, Emeli Sandé.

After one of the most spectacular opening performances that the BRITs have ever seen with their song Charlie Brown, complete with lights and lasers, Coldplay topped one of the toughest categories of the ceremony – Best British Group, beating Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Chase & Status and Elbow to the prize.
One of the few awards voted for by the public, Best British Single, is always a sought after award, with 10 of the year’s biggest tracks fighting out for the prize.

With three of Essex’s biggest artists, up for the award, Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’, Pixie Lott’s ‘All About Tonight’, as well as Olly Murs with ‘Heart Skips A Beat’, it would have been fantastic for one of these artists to take the prize. However, teen-favourite’s One Direction triumphed with their debut single ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.

Despite not winning in his category, Olly Murs was flying the flag for Essex as he took to the stage to perform his Number One hit single, ‘Heart Skips A Beat’. After jumping onto the stage to the first beats of the song, the electrifying performance was completed with 70 backing dancers, as well as pop-duo Rizzle Kicks who feature on the song.

Other performances came from Florence & The Machine, Noel Gallagher, as well as Adele, whose performance was highly anticipated following her sensational performance of ‘Someone Like You’ the previous year.

All the way from the US, Bruno Mars and Rihanna appeared, both with tremendous performances. The pair both took the awards for Best International Male and Best International Female respectively. Best International Breakthrough Act went to Lana del Rey, with rockers Foo Fighters winning International Group.

The final prize of the night, for Outstanding Contribution to Music, saw Essex celebrating a win at the ceremony, as 90’s Britpop group Blur were awarded. Essex boy, Damon Albarn, and his fellow band members, last appeared at the awards in 1995 when they performed hit single ‘Boys & Girls’.

Closing the ceremony with 5 of their hit songs, many of the artists and stars at the event were seen dancing around their tables, clearly enjoying the performance and a fantastic night of entertainment.

Fans eagerly anticipate the V Festival 2012 Line-Up

Previous statements from V Festival said that the line-up would be announced this coming Thursday (23rd February). However, it seems that people working hard at Virgin to book guests for the festival may be waiting just a little longer to hear from certain artists...

The line-up release date has been moved two days further, now being announced on Sunday 26th February.

As we draw nearer to the eagerly anticipated announcement, more rumours are spreading across the internet about which artists could be appearing on the bill. 

Previous rumours have included The Stone Roses, Coldplay, Florence & The Machine, Professor Green and The Vaccines.

Two of the latest rumours for the event are Lady Gaga and Snow Patrol, who both last played at the festival in 2009. On the Sunday night in Chelmsford, Snow Patrol were pushed further up the bill to headline the event, after Oasis were unable to attend (and later broke up the following week). Lady Gaga's appearance was more popular than organisers must have expected; as fans crowded into the JJB Arena, the gates had to be closed and locked to prevent any further entries. 

With just a week to go, more rumours are set to spread over Twitter and festival-rumour websites, before the announcement at 9pm next Sunday.

V Festival - Criminal or Careful?

A recent report claims that V Festival is to blame for a rise in crime in Chelmsford in the past year. Whilst the statistics seem to show that this is true, I believe that the festival must be praised for how safe it is.

It would be difficult to have such a large and popular festival in the county without there being a crime issue. However, I'm sure if you compared the rates from V Festival to the crime rates from Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds, Download or T in the Park, you'd probably find that the festival, held in Hylands Park every August, would have the lowest levels of crime.

At any live music event, you're bound to have incidents of theft and drug use, but from my experience from attending V Festival for the past five years, I have always found that the security is second-to-none. Any incidents are dealt with at impeccable speed and with such a professional nature.

The view of the 4Music Stage: crowds are kept controlled

Last year, Sunday night at the festival saw chart-superstars Eminem and Rihanna perform, which was obviously set to cause a mass turn-out. Many fans queued at the V Main Stage all day to see these global phenomenons perform, which caused a larger crowd than they organisers had maybe expected. Irish band The Script featured on the bill just before Rihanna and towards the end of their set, conditions became more crowded and intense. With so many fans trying to get further to the front, people towards the front were being crushed and conditions became more and more dangerous, so security measures intervened.

The Script: Performed before Rihanna at Sunday's V Festival in 2011

The crowds were asked to take steps back, the audience were given water and the security men and women in front of the barrier reacted very quickly to vast numbers of people, predominantly teenage girls, who needed to be removed from the crowd. I have never seen security measures so efficient as this.

The security and police at the festival deserve more recognition than they are given, as conditions like these could have been much worse if their actions and professional standard had not intervened.

Furthermore, the nature of the festival is very different to that of Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. V Festival is renowned for adopting pop culture, with many of the artists on the line up featuring in the chart and on commercial radio stations. As a result of the type of artists on the line up, it is plausible to suggest that visitors of the festival may be younger and the festival is very child and family friendly and therefore, visitors are aware of the nature of the guests around them. 

Pop Culture: Olly Murs at V Festival in Hylands Park last year

Why should there be doubts for hiring the Essex 'working class twang'?

Reports have said that around 70% of business leaders in a recent poll would have 'serious doubts' about hiring someone who spoke with an Essex 'working class accent', but people based in Scottish and Home counties have an accent that promotes 'hard work and success'. I'm sad to say that I'm not totally shocked by this news, but I still completely disagree with these opinions.

With the increase in popularity of the county, Essex finds itself in the media and in the press much more now than it may have done 5-10 years ago. With TV shows like TOWIE, a stereotypical image of Essex girls, and also the boys to some extent, has been portrayed but my opinion is that this image is not entirely true.

Yes, some people in Essex enjoy a spray tan or a session in a sun-bed.
Yes, some people in Essex will have hair extensions, fake eye lashes and fake nails.
And yes, some people in Essex do speak with this typical accent that you hear from the likes of Amy Childs and Sam Faiers.

But - you could find this anywhere! Take a look at Geordie Shore, Desperate Scousewives etc; all of these programmes feature the extreme characters of the region who fully portray the stereotypical image that adheres to the entertainment needs of the public. But take a look further into Newcastle and I'm sure they're not all like the characters from the hit MTV show. Similarly, in Essex, if you branch out, you can find some really beautiful areas that highlight the opposite side of the county that the public never get to see.

It must be remembered, that in TOWIE, a show well known for fitting into the 'dram-ality' genre, many of the scenes are set up for entertainment purposes. Whilst the characters are real people whose lives are fully documented in the show, many of the things we see would not happen in real life it wasn't for the producers asking certain questions and placing them in certain situations. (This isn't to say that the show isn't an entertaining and a hugely interesting watch on a Sunday and Wednesday evening.)

If somebody asked you, what do you think of when you think of Essex, you're likely to answer with the orange tans and hair extensions that you witness in TOWIE. It is debatable whether anybody would consider the top-class education available in Essex. Colchester County High School, King Edwards Grammar School and Chelmsford County High School are three of the country's best schools, with the highest attainment on the League Tables. The latter two, based in Chelmsford, have become so popular that they've had to enforce a tighter catchment area, as so many people across the wider areas of Essex and into London have been applying for places and attending the schools.

So why is it that businesses are feeling reluctant to hire people from Essex? With the best education available across the whole country, businesses should be recognising the intelligence that Essex holds and should be revelling in the talent available to them.

If you take a look at the huge successes that have come out of Essex, it is clear that the county boasts an enormous amount of talent that shows the large capability of people from Essex, that is not being fully understood by these companies:

Olly Murs, Pixie Lott and Jessie J are three of the biggest names in pop in 2012 and continue to progress in the music industry with #1 singles and albums.

Jeff Brazier, Denise van Outen and of course Dermot O'Leary are three of the country's most successful TV presenters, with Dermot even presenting the E! Coverage of the BAFTAs last night, broadcast around the world. You can't be much more successful in the industry than that.

Everybody knows Jamie Oliver, one of the country's most recognised and best-loved chefs, as well as being  Britain's second biggest selling author.

And Essex is even progressing across the pond. Russell Brand and Nick Frost, both Essex boys, have starred in hugely successful films, both in the UK and the USA.

If these names don't promote the hard-work and success previously mentioned from the Scottish and Home counties, I don't know what does.

Everybody in Essex should embrace their accent and be proud of their Essex origin, as it seems clear, success can come from the county, despite the views held by some companies and journalists.

Denise & Lydia take to the Delhi desert

Next month will see Essex girls, Denise van Outen and Lydia Bright, travel to India for what is set to be one of the toughest journeys of their lives.

The pair will be tackling a 289-mile bike ride across India, starting in Delhi and travelling across Rajhastan, the largest state in India. The girls will be challenging hot and sandy deserts, barren rural towns, as well as travelling through some of the biggest cities, such as Jaipur, otherwise known as the Pink City for its infamous architecture, and Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.

It's not every day that you hear of two Essex girls cycling across the terrain of India, but this is all for such a good cause that they couldn't possibly turn it down. Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of the world's leading children's hospitals, giving treatment, care and hope to children suffering with often life-threatening conditions, both to children from the UK and from across the world. The charity need to raise over £50 million a year in order to maintain the hospital, keeping it refurbished to maintain a comfortable haven for ill children, as well as to provide the most up-to-date and innovative care required to battle such complex illnesses.

The shortest journey that the model and presenter, Denise, and TOWIE star, Lydia, will be facing is likely to be a massive 5 hours, and this could stretch to a staggering 9 or 10 hours. The pair must be very brave to tackle such difficult conditions in India, but they know that they are doing it in order to help those children that continue to be the bravest people in the country who need the help of Great Ormond Street. 

Lydia & Denise: their recent visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital

To support the girls, please visit their Just Giving page donate money to this wonderful charity:

Denise & Lydia - Just Giving

As the BRITs draw closer...

It has become tradition within the past few years for some of the country's biggest artists to come together to perform at the BRITs War Child gig at Shepherds Bush, and this year is no exception.

Coinciding with the BRIT Awards each year, these gigs help to raise awareness for War Child, a very special charity helping to raise money for children across the world who are affected by war. By providing medical care,  education, a safe place as well as helping to protect their human rights, War Child work day-in-day-out in countries such as Uganda, Afghanistan, Congo and Iraq. In the past three years, these gigs have raised over £500,000.

2009 saw The Killers and Coldplay join together to put together a spectacular show, made even more incredible with two special guest appearances from two of the biggest names in music - Bono and Gary Barlow. Barlow started off the encore, performing 'Back for Good' with Chris Martin, whilst Brandon Flowers and Bono soon joined in to perform the Killers classic 'All These Things That I've Done'. The iconic lyrics: 'I've got soul but I'm not a soldier', echoed around the room as 2,000 fans sang along at the exclusive and memorable event.

In order to establish the post-BRITs War Child concert as an annual event, the show continued in 2010, with Best British Group winners, Kasabian headlining. The group were joined by Calvin Harris, La Roux and even Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding.

With a new year came a new venue, as in 2011, War Child moved to the Indigo Arena at the O2, showing how the concert is developing to grow each year. This year's headliner was Mark Ronson, who brought along many other special guests including Temper Trap, Boy George, Katy B, Ms Dynamite, Wretch 32 and Kyle Falconer from The View.

2012 sees the War Child gig move back to the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire. With a slight change this year, the concert will take place on Sunday 19th February - two days before the BRITs Awards Ceremony. After a hugely successful 2011, as well as having the most BRIT nominations with a fantastic four, Ed Sheeran tops the bill. Ed described headlining the show as 'an absolute honour', and the singing sensation will be joined by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dry The River.

Who will follow in the footsteps of Gary Barlow, Bono and Boy George making a guest appearance at the event?

Tickets, that went on general sale on Saturday 4th February, are some of the hottest tickets around and will be the most magnificent run-up to the awards show on Tuesday 21st February.

"Keep Calm and Play Louder" Tour comes to Essex

McFly's latest tour, Keep Calm and Play Louder, will see the four boys travel across the country from 7th March to 21st April, making an appearance at Cliffs Pavillion in Southend on Wednesday 4th April.

You may have read a recent article on Essex in the Media giving information about a local band Fuze, who had applied to the McFly Battle of the Bands competition, whereby 26 bands would be chosen to support McFly at one of their tour dates. It is with great pleasure that I can announce that Fuze are one of the 26 lucky and talented bands who were chosen by Tom, Danny, Dougie and Chelmsford's very own, Harry.

Ed Alston, George Kirchner, Jack Goldsmith and Keir Adamson form the four-piece who come from Essex and London, whose debut album 'That's What She Said' is available to buy on Amazon or to download on iTunes.

To follow the future success of this local band, please follow @fuzeband on Twitter or 'Like' them on Facebook: FuzeBandUK

Fuze at a recent video shoot

Sport Relief Returns for 2012...

It's that time of year again when the greatest heads at the BBC are put together to create one of the greatest fundraising events of the year.

The event that alternates with Red Nose Day, or Comic Relief, every year, is back on Friday 23rd March, where the tele-marathon will begin. This will be succeeded by the Sport Relief mile on Sunday 25th March, whereby events will be held up and down the country, with the public being able to run 1, 3 or 6 miles to raise money for the charity. Essex's very own Olly Murs is one of the many celebrities taking part.

This isn't the only Sport Relief event that Murs will be contributing to...

24th March will see a special Sport Relief matinee show being held at London's O2 Arena, headlined by JLS. Olly Murs and Rizzle Kicks. Tickets are still available and all proceeds will go to Sport Relief.

Olly's hat-trick of Sport Relief events will be completed when he takes part in Lets Dance for Sport Relief. The BBC1 show returns this year on 18th February and will see Mr Murs performing alongside Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills. Another Essex appearance will also be made when TOWIE stars and cousins Amy Childs and Harry Derbidge perform. Other dancers will include Ulrika Jonnson & Angelos Epithemiou from Shooting Stars, DJ Tony Blackburn, comedian Omid Djalili and many more.

The show will also include performances from some of the biggest names in music including LMFAO, Tinchy Stryder, Will Young, JLS, as well as Brentwood's Pixie Lott.

To find out how to apply to take part in the Sport Relief Mile, please follow the link. Best of luck!

Cardiff welcomes Mr Murs

Olly Murs finds himself in Cardiff tonight as he kicks off his 2012 Arena tour. The tour will travel the length and breadth of the country - reaching the O2 Arena in London this Saturday and Sunday.

The tour kicks off tonight, coinciding with the announcement of Murs' third single from his #1 album 'In Case You Didn't Know'. 'Oh My Goodness' will follow in the footsteps of Heart Skips A Beat and Dance With Me Tonight, the first two singles released from the album, which both hit the top spot. The single will be released on 1st April.

With the arena tour comes a brand new ITV2 documentary, that will follow Olly & his band as they travel across the country playing to thousands of fans. The three-part series has been asking for public involvement, with ITV asking for any fans to suggest ideas for what Murs and the band should do when they visit their town. The show is due to air in April.

Essex In The Media wish anybody who will be seeing Olly on tour a fantastic time!
I will be seeing Olly at the O2 on Saturday -- pictures to follow.

Album #2 on the way for Jessie

After releasing hit-after-hit from her first album 'Who You Are' throughout 2011, Jessie J is already keen to get back in the studio to start on her follow-up.

After spending two weeks at #1 with her latest single 'Domino', Jessica Cornish, as she is otherwise known, has expressed her desire to head back to the recording studio. After writing songs for many other artists such as Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus, Jessie had already written many of the songs that would appear on the Who You Are album and is therefore excited so write some fresh, new material.

Some of the tracks on the Who You Are album are said to have been written four to five years ago, so any new material is likely to be even more exciting and innovative.

Capital FM recently reported, when talking about fellow BRITs Critics Choice award winner Goulding, Cornish said she is "definitely going to get in the studio with Ellie." Jessie J also indicated an interest in working with other artists, saying she'd "love to work with Adele". After working with the rapper on her #1 single 'Price Tag', Jessie suggested interest in working with Devlin further, saying "Dev I'm definitely going to get back in the studio with."


Jessie J isn't the only Essex artist who has been considering high-profile collaborations recently. It has been rumoured that Pixie Lott is very keen to duet with Coldplay -- it sounds like big things are on the way for our Essex stars!