With an unspoiled landscape and proximity to the cosmopolitan capital of Jersey, St Helier, it’s the perfect destination festival and Edith Bowman has described it as having “more pulling power than any other small festival”, while Kasabian’s Tom Mei
Set in the Parish of Trinity, in the rural heart of Jersey, Channel Islands, Jersey Live Festival sponsored once again by JT returns for its 9th edition this September.
With the recent announcements of headliners NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS and CHASE & STATUS as well as PRIMAL SCREAM and PROFESSOR GREEN, to name but a few, the festival looks to be living up to its reputation for delivering huge line-ups, belying its ‘boutique festival’ status with a capacity of just 10,000 people.
Surrounded by lush countryside and just a short ride away from an abundance of beautiful beaches, Jersey Live with JT also holds the claim of being the 2nd most southerly festival in the British Isles – recently usurped by its sister festival ‘Folklore’, set just 3 miles south. Enjoying more sunshine than any other part of Britain and situated just 15 miles from the coast of France, Jersey is famed for its stunning beaches, lush countryside and uniquely Anglo-Gallic culture – and of course for the iconic 80s TV detective, Bergerac.
With an unspoiled landscape and proximity to the cosmopolitan capital of Jersey, St Helier, it’s the perfect destination festival and Edith Bowman has described it as having “more pulling power than any other small festival”, while Kasabian’s Tom Meighan described it as “sexy, surreal and super cool!”
The Dance Arena line up is nearing completion, with Saturday night to be headlined by tech house starlet JAMES ZABIELA whose turntable skills and pioneering use of loops and effects have made him one of the most sought after producer-DJs in the business, with the likes of Royksopp and Ladytron calling upon his remixing services. The legendary Sasha, who signed him to his Excession agency, refers to him as ‘the guv’nor.’ Given the stratospheric trajectory of his career and his superhuman ability on the decks, it’s not hard to see why.
He’ll be joined in the Dance Arena on the Saturday by one of the busiest and most influential producers in electronic music, Joshua Harvey, aka HERVE. A mainstay on the UK festival scene in recent years, his sets make for the ultimate rave: with big bass lines aplenty the Jersey Live audience can expect an explosion of electro, dubstep, fidget-house, drum & bass and grime. Having remixed Bloc Party and Calvin Harris amongst innumerous other indie and dance acts, he’s a producer with a big reputation and the talent to back it up. The masked man of mystery JAGUAR SKILLS makes a welcome return to Jersey Live, having performed at the festival in 2010. One of the most exciting scratch and mash-up DJs around, Jag is yet to reveal his true identity to the public, but we’re happy for him to let the music do the talking.
Since becoming the youngest ever DJs to record a live Essential Mix for Radio One, JAYMO & ANDY GEORGE have gone from strength to strength, regularly co-hosting with the likes of Annie Mac and Zane Lowe and enjoying huge success with their infamous Moda parties, taking place in clubs, warehouses, theatres and even boats across the globe. Their sets are a mash-up of electro, techno, disco and indie, and will be a welcome addition to the Dance Arena bill. Confirmed for the Sunday in the Dance Arena is Ram Records’ much-lauded drum & bass duo DELTA HEAVY. With radio airplay and DJN support from such diverse DJs as Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Andy C and Friction, it’s clear that their cross-over appeal is set to make them ones to watch. Completing the first wave of Dance Arena announcements is FEED ME. Signed to Deadmau5’s Mau5trap label, the British electro-house/dubstep producer has remixed Muse, Chase & Status and Gorillaz, and with a debut album due out this year, he’s set for very big things indeed.
Also joining our second wave of announcements are a number of acts that will be performing on the Main Stage, JT Stage and Tease Stage over the weekend, starting with BBC Sound of 2012-listed indie outfit FRIENDS, described by the Guardian as ‘Brooklyn’s sassiest girl-fronted group” and whose third single ‘Mind Control’ was recently named as Huw Stephens’ Hottest Record in the World on Radio One. Manchester reggae-funk party-starters THE JANICE GRAHAM BAND perform twice over the weekend, and come with the approval of none other than Stone Roses bassist Mani, who describes them as “so unique in an age where it’s so easy to copy what has gone before.” Scottish afrobeat quartet BWANI JUNCTION appear on the JT stage at the festival, after having earned themselves a legion of fans headlining the BBC Introducing Stage at T in the Park in 2011. Their compatriot NINA NESBITT will perform on the Tease Stage, having enjoyed a meteoric rise to become one of the most talked-about new acoustic indie-folk artists of 2012. The precociously talented 17 year-old has collaborated extensively with her other half, Ed Sheeran and is on the cusp of joining him on the British musical A-list. The final artist to be announced is another much talked-about and super-talented youngster JAKE BUGG. Since appearing on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury last year, the 18 year-old singer-songwriter has enjoyed extensive Radio One airplay and been signed to recording giants Universal, and with artists such as Donovan and Johnny Cash influencing his country-tinged folk music, he’s sure to be one of the highlights of this year’s festival.
The festival boasts five stages in total: The Main Stage, where the big guns go head to head; The Dance Arena, which will host some of the world’s hottest DJs and producers. Previous artists have included Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, Mr Oizo and Boys Noize; The Tease Stage is a themed stage featuring a mix of local and international artists, as well as a fancy dress stall (very much recommended to all that visit it) and games galore; The JT Stage hosts an array of local and international artists, and provides a more chilled-out area to recharge your batteries before heading out for more Main Stage action; The Hospitality Stage is available to Hospitality ticket-holders (see below for details) and features exclusive DJ sets throughout the weekend.
With plenty of bars, an entire food village, arts and crafts stalls and its own funfair, yet a capacity of just 10,000 daily, Jersey Live has all the action of a major festival but all the friendliness and intimacy that its boutique status would suggest.
Jersey Live is heading towards a decade of unforgettable parties, and with many more acts to be announced soon, this one might just top the lot.
Published on 17 May 2012 by Ben Robinson
